§ 16526

For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:

(a) “Caregiver” means a person responsible for meeting the daily care needs of a current or former foster child or youth, and who is entrusted to provide a loving and supportive environment for the child or youth to promote their healing from trauma.

(b) “Current or former foster child or youth” includes a child or youth adjudicated under Section 300, 601, or 602 and who is served by a county child welfare agency or probation department, and a child or youth who has exited foster care to reunification, guardianship, or adoption. A current or former foster child or youth shall be eligible for services under this chapter until they attain 21 years of age.

(c) “Department” means the State Department of Social Services.

(d) “Family Urgent Response System” means a coordinated statewide, regional, and county-level system designed to provide collaborative and timely state-level phone-based response and county-level in-home, in-person mobile response during situations of instability, for purposes of preserving the relationship of the caregiver and the child or youth, providing developmentally appropriate relationship conflict management and resolution skills, stabilizing the living situation, mitigating the distress of the caregiver or child or youth, connecting the caregiver and child or youth to the existing array of local services, and promoting a healthy and healing environment for children, youth, and families.

(e) “In-home” means the place where the child or youth and caregiver are located, preferably in the home, or at some other mutually agreeable location.

(f) “Instability” means a situation of emotional tension or interpersonal conflict between a caregiver and a child or youth that may threaten their relationship and may lead to a disruption in the current living situation.

(g) “Mobile response” means the provision of in-person, flexible, responsive, and supportive services where the caregiver and child or youth are located to provide them with support and prevent the need for a 911 call or law enforcement contact.

(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 27, Sec. 107. (SB 80) Effective June 27, 2019. Conditionally inoperative pursuant to Section 16530.)