Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Chris Holden’s Foster Child Clothing Allowance Bill, AB 2552, passed the Assembly Human Services Committee with a 4-0 vote today. AB 2552 provides a clothing allowance for foster children placed in families that are receiving support through the Approved Relative Caregiver Funding Option Program.
“Relative caregivers are the backbone of our child welfare system,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “Relative foster placements are more cost effective, tend to lead to more long-term placement stability, and offer better connections to the child's community. These children, however, don't receive funding equal to what they would receive with a non-relative placement.”
The Approved Relative Caregiver Funding Option (ARC) program was enacted in 2014 as a way to provide a funding equivalent to the basic foster care payment to children who do not qualify for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC).
Assembly Bill 2552 helps families in the ARC program by adding a clothing allowance of an additional $240 a year, for three years, distributed monthly, in counties that have opted into the program.
“I’m proud to author this bill as it came directly from my volunteer Health Advisory Committee and will have a big impact for families in the 41st Assembly District,” said Holden.
AB 2552 is supported by the Alliance for Children’s Rights, the National Association of Social Workers, and the Hillsides Organization.