Code Section

16521.5.  

(a) A foster care provider, in consultation with the county case manager, shall be responsible for ensuring that adolescents, including nonminor dependents, as described in subdivision (v) of Section 11400, who remain in long-term foster care, as defined by the department, receive age-appropriate pregnancy prevention information to the extent state and county resources are provided.

(b) A foster care provider, in consultation with the county case manager, shall be responsible for ensuring that a foster youth or nonminor dependent is provided with appropriate referrals to health services when the foster youth either reaches 18 years of age or the nonminor dependent exits foster care, and to the extent county and state resources are provided.

(c) As part of the home study process, the prospective foster care provider shall notify the county if the provider objects to participating in adolescent pregnancy prevention training or the dissemination of information pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b). A licensed foster care provider shall notify the county if the provider objects to participation. If the provider objects, the county case manager shall assume this responsibility.

(d) Subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) shall not take effect until the department, in consultation with the workgroup, develops guidelines that describe the duties and responsibilities of foster care providers and county case managers in delivering pregnancy prevention services and information.

(e) (1) The department, in consultation with the State Department of Health Care Services, shall convene a working group for the purpose of developing a pregnancy prevention plan that will effectively address the needs of adolescent male and female foster youth. The workgroup shall meet not more than three times and thereafter shall provide consultation to the department upon request.

(2) The working group shall include representatives from the California Youth Connection, the Foster Parent’s Association, group home provider associations, the County Welfare Director’s Association, providers of teen pregnancy prevention programs, a foster care caseworker, an expert in pregnancy prevention curricula, a representative of the Independent Living Program, and an adolescent health professional.

(f) The plan required pursuant to subdivision (e) shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) Effective strategies and programs for preteen and older teen foster youth and nonminor dependents.

(2) The role of foster care and group home care providers.

(3) The role of the assigned case management worker.

(4) How to involve foster youth and nonminor peers.

(5) Selecting and providing appropriate materials to educate foster youth and nonminors in family life education.

(6) The training of foster care and group home care providers and, when necessary, county case managers in adolescent pregnancy prevention.

(g) Counties currently mandating foster care provider training shall be encouraged to include the pregnancy prevention curricula guidelines and educational materials that may be developed by the workgroup pursuant to subdivision (f).

(h) In order to train case management workers and foster care providers, the department shall develop a curriculum that is consistent with, and in addition to, the pregnancy prevention plan and the curricula guidelines and educational materials developed by the workgroup pursuant to subdivisions (e) and (f).

(i) The curriculum created pursuant to subdivision (h) shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) The rights of youth and nonminor dependents in foster care to sexual and reproductive health care and information, to confidentiality of sensitive health information, and the reasonable and prudent parent standard.

(2) How to document sensitive health information, including, but not limited to, sexual and reproductive health issues, in a case plan.

(3) The duties and responsibilities of the assigned case management worker and the foster care provider in ensuring youth and nonminor dependents in foster care can obtain sexual and reproductive health services and information.

(4) Guidance about how to engage and talk with youth and nonminor dependents about healthy sexual development and reproductive and sexual health in a manner that is medically accurate, developmentally and age appropriate, trauma informed, and strengths based.

(5) Information about current contraception methods and how to select and provide appropriate referral resources and materials for information and service delivery.

(j) (1) Subject to an appropriation for this purpose, the department shall compile and report annual performance and outcome data on the implementation of sexual and reproductive health training and education and the availability and use of sexual and reproductive health care services.

(A) Performance data shall include the total number and rate of all of the following:

(i) County social workers and probation officers who have received the information described in subdivision (i) through a training program described in Section 16206.

(ii) Judges who have received the information described in subdivision (i) through a training program described in Section 304.7.

(iii) Group home administrators who have received the information described in subdivision (i) through a training described in subdivision (c) of Section 1522.41 of the Health and Safety Code.

(B) (i) Outcome data shall include integrated data drawn from data maintained by the State Department of Social Services, the State Department of Health Care Services, and the State Department of Public Health. The categories included in the outcome data, as well as the specific indicators used within each category, shall be determined in consultation with the work group convened pursuant to subdivision (e) and shall include, but not be limited to, those categories listed in clause (ii). Outcome indicators used within each category may include, but are not limited to, measures found in the Core Set of Children’s Health Care Quality Measure for Medicaid and CHIP (Child Core Set), and the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), or measures developed using Medi-Cal, Family PACT, and other administrative and claims data codes.

(ii) Categories of outcome data shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(I) The total number and rate of youth who gave birth, the number of live births, and the number of live births weighing less than 2,500 grams, such as indicator National Quality Forum (NQF) 1382 from the Child Core Set.

(II) Maternal health outcomes for youth, such as indicator NQF 0471 from the Child Core Set.

(III) Prenatal care received by youth, including, but not limited to, date of initiation of prenatal care by trimester, frequency of service delivery, and type of provider of care, such as indicator NQF 1517 from the Child Core Set.

(IV) Postnatal care received by youth, including, but not limited to, frequency, type of service delivery, and type of provider of care.

(V) The total number and rate of youth who received contraceptive counseling, initiated contraception, and contraception method selected, such as indicators NQF 2902, 2903, and 2904 from the Child Core Set.

(VI) Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infection in youth, such as indicator NQF 0033 from the Child Core Set or Chlamydia Screening in Women Ages 16-20 (CHL-CH) from HEDIS.

(VII) Frequency with which treatment of youth for sexually transmitted infection was followed by testing the same youth for reinfection within a one- to six-month time span.

(VIII) Receipt of annual wellness exam, such as Adolescent Well-Care Visits (AWC) from HEDIS, and frequency with which a general health exam or annual exam was paired with contraceptive counseling, pregnancy testing, sexually transmitted infection testing, or contraceptive initiation.

(iii) Outcome data shall be disaggregated and reported by age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, county, and county placement type, if possible.

(iv) Outcome data shall be reported in a way that does not identify individual youth and complies with all applicable state and federal confidentiality and privacy laws and regulations.

(2) The department shall consult the working group convened pursuant to subdivision (e) in the selection of additional performance and outcome data categories and measures to include in the report and in the development of the report framework. Every three years, or earlier if needed, the department shall consult the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Public Health and revise measures, if necessary.

(3) The report shall be completed annually, commencing on January 1, 2023, and shall be posted on the department’s internet website in a manner that is publicly accessible.

(4) For the purposes of this subdivision, “youth” means foster youth 10 years of age and older and nonminor dependents.

(k) The department shall adopt regulations to implement this section.