Purpose

• Expand and strengthen oversight of child welfare practices to address and reduce disproportionality for African American and other disproportionately represented children.
• Require systematic case reviews, data reporting, and remediation plans to improve outcomes and advance trauma-informed, culturally appropriate services.

Main Provisions

• Case review requirement
  • Each responsible social services agency must review all child welfare cases involving African American and other disproportionately represented children handled by the agency.
  • The commissioner can request information and must create a summary report of trends, remediation plans, and progress on prior remediation efforts.
  • The first set of reports is due by October 1, 2029 or 2031, with annual updates thereafter.
  • Guidance for agencies will be provided starting November 1, 2028 and annually after.
• Data and content of reviews (the case review)
  • Track and report by race the following:
  • Number of African American and disproportionately represented children in the county child welfare system.
  • Sources of maltreatment reports, whether screened in for investigation or referred for family assessment, and the race of children and their parents/custodians.
  • Number and race of children receiving in-home preventive case management services.
  • Number and race of children whose families are referred to culturally appropriate, strength-based, or trauma-informed services.
  • Number and race of children removed from their homes.
  • Number and race of children reunified with their parents/custodians.
  • Number and race of children offered family group decision-making services.
  • Number and race of children offered the parent support outreach program.
  • Number and race of children in foster care or out-of-home placement at the time of data collection.
  • Number and race of children achieving permanency through relative custody or adoption, and those under guardianship or awaiting a permanency disposition.
  • Identify barriers to reunification, family conditions leading to out-of-home placement, and barriers to accessing culturally informed mental health or substance use disorder treatment.
  • Document efforts to identify fathers and maternal/paternal relatives and to provide services to custodial and noncustodial fathers when appropriate.
  • Document and summarize court reviews of active efforts.
• Remediation plans for disproportionality
  • If a agency’s case review identifies disproportionality and disparities in outcomes for African American and other disproportionately represented children and their families (compared to the agency’s overall outcomes), the commissioner must require a remediation plan.
  • The remediation plan must have measurable outcomes to identify, address, and reduce the factors causing disproportionality and disparities.
  • The plan must include how the agency will achieve and document trauma-informed positive child wellbeing outcomes through remediation efforts.

Data, Reporting, and Oversight

• The commissioner will produce a case review summary report, including trends and the remediation plan(s), and updates on implementation of previous remediation efforts.
• Reports will be shared with the African American Child Well-Being Advisory Council, the commissioner, the relevant social services agencies, and legislative committee chairs and minority ranking members with jurisdiction over child welfare.

Funding and Implementation Timeline

• Fiscal year 2027: An appropriation from the general fund to the commissioner of Children, Youth, and Families to distribute to responsible social services agencies to support staffing and service provision related to implementing the Act.
• Guidance for implementation starts November 1, 2028.
• First annual summary report due October 1, 2029 (or 2031) and then every year thereafter.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Adds mandatory, ongoing case reviews focused specifically on African American and other disproportionately represented children.
• Establishes standardized data collection and reporting on race, outcomes, and services across multiple stages (from maltreatment reports to permanency and guardianship).
• Introduces a formal remediation process for agencies with disproportionality and disparities, tying remediation plans to trauma-informed, positive child wellbeing outcomes.
• Requires annual reporting and progressive guidance to align agencies on culturally informed, strength-based, and trauma-informed practices, including family group decision-making and parent outreach services.
• Creates a dedicated funding stream (general fund appropriation) to support staffing and service provision for implementation.

Potential Impact

• Increases transparency around how African American and other disproportionately represented children experience the child welfare system.
• Encourages agencies to address root causes of disproportionality and to adopt trauma-informed, culturally informed practices.
• Promotes targeted services (e.g., family group decision-making, parent support outreach, culturally appropriate mental health/substance use treatment) and emphasizes reunification and permanency options, including work with relatives and adoption.
• Builds a systematic process for identifying barriers to reunification and improving access to services for families.

Relevant Terms - African American - disproportionately represented - child welfare - case review - responsible social services agency - commissioner - summary report - trends - remediation plan - measurable outcomes - disproportionality - disparities - trauma-informed - culturally appropriate - strength-based - family group decision-making - parent support outreach program - in-home preventive case management - community-based services - mental health - substance use disorder treatment - reunification - permanency - relative custody - adoption - guardianship - out-of-home placement - active efforts - data reporting - general fund appropriation - staffing - implementation - guidance and timelines