California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris on Thursday announced that the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Children’s Justice (BCJ), the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) have jointly developed statewide guidelines for school districts, county offices of education and child-welfare agencies to better assist them in the secure sharing of data and information that is critical to the success of students in foster care.
“Too many foster children in California are falling through the cracks, not meeting their full potential and ending up in the criminal-justice system. Schools and child welfare agencies must communicate effectively in order to provide children the services they need,” Harris said. “This collaborative effort between the Bureau of Children’s Justice and the California Departments of Education and Social Services is a positive step toward improving the ways we support vulnerable children, particularly foster youth.”
Under the law, foster youth are entitled to a range of services, including enhanced academic counseling regarding graduation eligibility requirements and mental health counseling. But many eligible youth are not receiving the services they need because schools don’t know which students should be receiving additional support, according to Harris’s office. This guidance makes clear that schools and child welfare agencies can share information to keep children on track.
The guidance will help local educational and county welfare agencies by providing clarity on the scope of information that can be shared under the law, including critical information that school districts, local county offices of education and caregivers need to identify and coordinate supports and services for foster youth. In addition to providing clarity on the state of the law, the guidance encourages local educational and child-welfare agencies to collaborate with each other to create joint data systems for the continued sharing of information regarding foster youth between and within their respective agencies.
“Providing clear statewide guidance is vital for strengthening the relationship between foster children, caregivers and educators,” said Will Lightbourne, director of the California Department of Social Services. “This allows the focus to shift away from administrative hurdles and directly to the educational needs of each foster child.”
Martha Matthews, directing attorney of the Children’s Rights Project at Public Counsel said she deeply appreciates the joint effort by the organizations to create the guidance.
“It will help school districts and county child-welfare agencies here in Los Angeles County and statewide to share information and work together to support foster youths’ educational success, while respecting their dignity and privacy,” Matthews said.
Molly Dunn, senior policy attorney at Alliance for Children’s Justice, also applauded the joint venture.
“The only way we can significantly improve education outcomes for children in foster care is through strong collaboration between schools and child-welfare agencies, and that can only occur when they have the ability to share essential information,” Dunn said “The joint guidance cuts through a labyrinth of federal and state laws to provide a clear path for the communication and collaboration necessary between agencies to support the education success of children in foster care.”
Source: CA Attorney General’s office
