Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensing and regulation of community care facilities by the State Department of Social Services. Existing law requires every community care facility that provides adult residential care or offers an adult day program to, for the purpose of addressing issues that arise when an adult resident or an adult day program participant is missing from the facility, develop and comply with an absentee notification plan for each resident or participant, and requires the plan to include a requirement that an administrator of the facility, or his or her designee, inform the resident’s or participant’s authorized representative when that resident or participant is missing from the facility and the circumstances in which an administrator of the facility, or his or her designee, shall notify local law enforcement when a resident or participant is missing from the facility. A violation of the provisions relating to community care facilities is a misdemeanor.

This bill would also require every community care facility that provides residential care for minors to, for the purpose of addressing issues that arise when a minor resident is missing from the facility, develop and comply with an absentee notification plan for each minor resident. The bill would require the plan to include a requirement that an administrator of the facility, or his or her designee, inform the minor’s parent or guardian when that minor is missing from the facility and include provision for notification of local law enforcement. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.