16007.
(a) The purpose of this section is to On or before January 1, 2020, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the State Department of Social Services shall establish the California Foster Youth Enrichment Grant Pilot Program, which will Program to provide grants to foster youth to participate in activities that enhance their skills, abilities, self-esteem, or overall well-being.
well-being, including, but not limited to, lessons in music, dance, or drama, school trips, college campus visits, test preparation courses or materials, summer camp attendance, sports league participation, school-sponsored formal dance attendance, and participation in school graduation activities, as well as other age-appropriate activities chosen by the foster youth.(b)On or before March 1, 2020, the State Department of Social Services shall convene a workgroup composed of individuals and groups that represent the interests of foster youth. The workgroup shall include at least two foster
youth and two resource parents. The workgroup shall develop an implementation plan to maximize the California Foster Youth Enrichment Grant Pilot Program’s impact.
(c)On or before January 1, 2021, upon appropriation by the Legislature and in consideration of the plan developed pursuant to subdivision (b), the State Department of Social Services shall establish the California Foster Youth Enrichment Grant Pilot Program to provide grants to qualified foster youth to enable the foster youth to participate in activities that enhance the foster youth’s skills, abilities, self-esteem, or overall well-being.
(d)The department shall conduct the pilot program in two rural counties and two urban counties. The department shall select these counties based on the highest need, which shall be
defined by the workgroup.
(e)A grant shall be awarded to a foster youth who is in foster care under the placement and care responsibility of a county welfare department or county probation department, or an Indian tribe, consortium of tribes, or tribal organization that has entered into an agreement pursuant to Section 10553.1.
(f)Grants awarded under this section shall be five hundred dollars ($500) or less. Grants shall be used to fund a program, service, or product, and any directly related costs, that provide any of the following to a foster youth:
(1)Skill development, including, but not limited to, lessons in music, dance, or drama, and the rental or purchase of equipment needed to further skill
development.
(2)Academic or school-related assistance, including, but not limited to, school trips, college campus visits, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam fees, test preparation courses or materials, and books.
(3)Recreational or social participation, including, but not limited to, summer camp attendance, sports league participation, school-sponsored formal dance attendance, and participation in school graduation activities.
(g)Applications for grants under this section shall be on forms developed by the department, in consultation with the workgroup, and shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:
(1)A statement that
the applicant meets the eligibility
criterion specified in subdivision (e).
(2)A description of the proposed use of the grant and the anticipated cost of the program, product, or service.
(h)Within six months after a grant is awarded, the recipient shall submit copies of receipts showing the purchase of the program, product, or service, and payment of any directly related costs purchased with the grant. A foster youth shall not be eligible for a subsequent grant until all receipts are received.
(b) On or before July 1,
2020, the department shall allocate the funds appropriated to it for these purposes in the annual Budget Act to four county child welfare agencies that submit a two-year plan by a request for proposal developed by the department. The department shall select two rural counties and two urban counties to participate in the pilot program. In selecting the pilot counties, the department shall promote diversity among the participating counties in terms of size and geographic location and shall prioritize counties with high child poverty rates. For each year of the two-year pilot, the department shall allocate to the selected pilot counties five hundred dollars ($500) for each child or youth in care in the pilot counties on March 31, 2020.
(c) A child welfare agency shall indicate its interest in participating in the pilot program by submitting a two-year plan on or before May 1, 2020, which shall be developed in consultation with foster youth,
resource parents, and other interested community parties and shall include all of the following:
(1) The county’s plan to conduct outreach to foster youth and resource parents regarding the availability of the grant, including, for example, outreach through child and family team meetings, independent living programs, and foster youth liaisons.
(2) The county’s plan to collaborate with tribes, consortia of tribes, or tribal organizations to ensure Indian children access funding through the pilot program.
(3) The county’s plan for disbursement of funds that maximizes the amount of funds disbursed.
(4) An accountability mechanism to ensure that grants are expended for extracurricular or enrichment activities. The accountability mechanism shall not include
limiting grants to reimbursement for funds already expended.
(5) A statement that funds shall not be used to fund administrative activities associated with the pilot program.
(d) Pilot counties shall award grants of five hundred dollars ($500) or less to a foster child or youth who does both of the following:
(1) Requests the grant to fund an extracurricular or enrichment activity and any directly related costs.
(2) Submits an application containing a description of the proposed use of the grant and the anticipated cost of the activity and directly related costs.
(e) A resource
parent may submit an application on behalf of a foster child or youth.
(f) A foster youth may receive a maximum of one thousand dollars ($1,000) annually through the pilot program.
(g) A county participating in the pilot program shall annually submit the following data to the State Department of Social Services:
(1) Data on the number of applications received and grants awarded, aggregated by year.
(2) Data on the activities and directly related costs the grants were used to fund, aggregated by year.
(i)
(h) (1) On or before January 1, 2023, October 1, 2022, the department shall submit a report to the Legislature that addresses, at a minimum, all of the following:
includes the data submitted by participating counties.
(A)Data on the
number of applications received, aggregated by year.
(B)Data on the number of grants awarded, aggregated by year.
(C)Data on the programs, products, or services, and directly related costs, the grants were used to fund, aggregated by year.
(D)Data on the number of recipients who provided the receipts required pursuant to subdivision (h) and who did not provide the receipts required by subdivision (h), aggregated by year.
(2) The report
required pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(3) It is the intent of the Legislature to utilize the report required pursuant to paragraph (1) to evaluate options for continuing and expanding the program after December 31, 2023. 2022.
(j)
(i) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2024, 2023, and as of that date is repealed.