AB 557

Under current law, a juvenile court may place a child in certain placements that

provide out-of-home care under the Children's Code and the Juvenile Justice Code.

Under current law, those placements include specific types of licensed facilities, a

licensed foster home, or the home of a relative other than a parent. Under current

law, a relative other than a parent does not typically need to acquire a license in order

to receive a relative child. This bill allows a juvenile court to similarly place a child

with unlicensed individuals who qualify as “like-kin” under the Children's Code and

the Juvenile Justice Code.

The bill defines “like-kin” for the purposes of such a placement to be an

individual who has a significant emotional relationship with a child or the child's

family that is similar to a familial relationship and, for an Indian child, includes an

individual who is identified by the child's tribe as kin or like-kin according to tribal

tradition, custom or resolution, code, or law. Under the bill, “like-kin” does not

include a current or former foster parent of a child for placement purposes.

Under current law, a relative other than a parent who is providing care and

maintenance for a child under a court order may receive monthly kinship care

payments from the Department of Children and Families or a county department of

human or social services. The bill includes as those who may receive kinship care

payments first cousins once removed and like-kin persons and changes the term

used to refer to these persons from “kinship care relatives” to “kinship care

providers.”

Under current law, for the purposes of permanency planning, a family

permanency team may include like-kin. The current law definition of “like-kin,” for

the purpose of determining the family permanency team, is similar to the definition

of “like-kin” for placement purposes in the bill, except that the current law definition

1) does not exclude a current or former foster parent and 2) does not include

individuals identified by the child's tribe if the child is an Indian child. Under the

bill, the definition of “like-kin” for determining a family permanency team does not

exclude a current or former foster parent but does include individuals identified by

the child's tribe if the child is an Indian child.