CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2884

Introduced by Assembly Member Hart

February 15, 2024

An act to add Chapter 10.5 (commencing with Section 18946) to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to child welfare.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2884, as introduced, Hart. Parenting classes working group.
Existing law provides various services and resources to support the welfare of children who are abused, including establishing the Office of Child Abuse Prevention. Existing law authorizes a court to order a criminal defendant who is a parent or legal guardian of a minor child to attend a parenting class under certain conditions.
This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2025, the Judicial Council and the State Department of Social Services, with the advice and assistance of the County Welfare Directors Association of California, to cooperatively form a working group, composed of specific representatives, to make recommendations and set standards for authorized parenting classes to fulfill court-required parenting classes, among other duties. The bill would require the working group, on or before August 1, 2026, to report its findings and recommendations to the Senate Committee on Human Services, the Assembly Committee on Human Services, the Legislature, and the Judicial Council.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Chapter 10.5 (commencing with Section 18946) is added to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:
CHAPTER  10.5. Parenting Classes Working Group

18946.
 (a) On or before July 1, 2025, the Judicial Council and the State Department of Social Services shall cooperatively form a working group to make recommendations, with the advice and the assistance of the County Welfare Directors Association of California to do, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) Evaluate currently active programs listed within the California Evidenced-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare, the cause and outcome for court-ordered parenting classes, and the efficacy of classes to assist parents reunify with children.
(2) Set standards for authorized parenting classes to fulfill court-required parenting classes.
(3) Develop a list of authorized parenting classes that a court can use to order parenting classes.
(b) The working group shall include representatives from the Judicial Council, the State Department of Social Services, community-based organizations, researchers, parents with lived experiences, and child welfare experts. The working group shall include a representational group of those involved in the child welfare system and lived experience representation to ensure that culturally relevant and tribal education programs are represented in the list of authorized classes.

18946.2.
 On or before August 1, 2026, the working group shall report its findings and recommendations to the Senate Committee on Human Services, the Assembly Committee on Human Services, the Legislature, and the Judicial Council. The report submitted to the Legislature shall comply with Section 9795 of the Government Code.