Back to the Start’s policy priorities are grounded in promoting investments in children, protecting disadvantaged families, and supporting education and healthcare reforms to ensure everyone can achieve their full potential. After extensive analysis and stakeholder engagement, we will be focusing our legislative advocacy efforts on the following bills and budget items. Join us to support these important improvements.
Would help California fully realize the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act’s vision by ensuring equitable representation and decision-making within county oversight bodies. Revises the membership provisions of the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (which decides funding priorities) by requiring inclusion of individuals affected by the system. See here for more. | |
Youth Bill of Rights | Mandates that youth confined in juvenile facilities have access to mental and behavioral health services, which is a new provision in addition to other protections in the existing youth bill of rights. See here for more. |
Family Reunification Services | Makes more parents eligible for services that could allow them to reunify with their child. Removes the presumption in current law that a parent or guardian who has been convicted of a violent felony is ineligible for family reunification, so long as that felony is not against a child. Maintains existing processes and safeguards required by the court to ensure child safety. See here for more. |
School Discipline: Mandatory Notifications | Eliminates state mandates that require educators to notify police of a broad range of student behaviors and incidents. In doing so, this bill will help to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. See here for more. |
Foster Care Payments | Prevents counties from taking critical social security and survivor benefits from foster youth and ensures that supplemental security income goes directly to foster youth. This bill will ensure that youth are provided the financial support they need to successfully transition out of the system. See here for more. |
Social Determinants of Health: Screening and Outreach | Requires health insurances and services (including Medi-Cal) to cover screening for social determinants of health in the primary care setting and to connect patients with appropriate supportive services. Would prompt earlier intervention on the main drivers of health outcomes. See here for more. |
Additional Budget Items
Back to the Start has joined other advocacy groups in opposing budget cuts in the 2024 Governor’s budget for Family Urgent Response System (FURS) as well as the Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program (HMNP) to protect child welfare and to support our most vulnerable foster youth. The cost of retaining these programs is remarkably low in proportion to the overall budget and the potential downstream costs associated with not having these services in place are extremely high, including homelessness and incarceration.
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