California’s Child Welfare System: Addressing Disproportionalities and Disparities

Apr 24, 2024 - This report examines disproportionalities and disparities across California’s child welfare system in terms of income and race/ethnicity. The report provides background on the child welfare system, describes child welfare system disproportionalities and disparities, and lays out potential drivers of these inequities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4897

The 2024-25 Budget: Preliminary May Revision Analysis for Child Welfare

May 24, 2024 - Passing only what is necessary this year would allow more time for the remaining stakeholder questions and policy issues to be worked out and give the Legislature the chance to assess whether the rates structure is in line with its vision for permanent CC R rates.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4909

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - For the Behavioral Health Community-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT) program, the implementation status of certain components —the joint behavioral health home visits and the activity funds initiative —is unclear.
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147

The 2023-24 Budget: Overview of Information Security Proposals

Mar 23, 2023 - How these smaller en tities will separate their IS and privacy officers and programs without additional funding is unclear. Shared IS Needs Identified, but Centralized Shared Service Contracts Not Yet Available.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4748

Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - This program is a home visiting model for young Native American expectant and parenting mothers, with the goal of addressing intergenerational behavioral health challenges and promoting positive behavioral and emotional outcomes among mothers and children, while also helping families process historical traumas by embracing local languages, legends, and Native American history.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5106

The 2024-25 Budget: Preliminary May Revision Analysis for CalWORKs

May 29, 2024 - CalWORKs home visiting program 47 Ongoing Reduction (New  in May) May Revision proposes a new ongoing reduction of $47 million for CalWORKs home visiting beginning in 2024 ‑25 (proposed home visiting funding after the reduction totals about $63 million in 2024 ‑25).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4911

The 2025-26 Budget: Child Welfare

Feb 13, 2025 - Joint Home Visits. Another policy/practice change being implemented in line with the goals of BH-CONNECT is that child welfare social workers will coordinate joint home visits with specialty mental health workers following substantiated maltreatment allegations.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4962

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - Specifically, providers will need to comply with Electronic Visit Verification, federal Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS), and independent audit and fiscal review requirement s. Not all providers will be subject to all three requirements (for example, the HCBS rules only apply to providers of certain service types, while the audit requirement only applies to providers that receive a certain amount of federal funding per year).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/1

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Nov 21, 2025 - Short-term reductions of $25  million annually in 2024-25 and 2025-26 in home visiting program funding. Short-term reductions of $37  million in 2024-25 and $26  million in 2025-26 in mental health and substance abuse services funding (resulting in a partial funding restoration in 2025-26, as shown earlier in Figure  1).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5086/2

The 2024-25 California Spending Plan: Human Services

Oct 2, 2024 - Home Visiting Program (HVP). The CalWORKs HVP is a voluntary program that aims to improve the outcomes of CalWORKs participants who are pregnant or have children under 24 months of age through evidence-based home visiting models.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4933/2