California bill requiring family placement of foster kids is sent to governor

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

A bill that would require state and local child welfare services to find qualified family members to care for at-risk children has passed both houses of the California Legislature.

AB 562, called the "Justice Through Placing Foster Children with Families Act," would require social workers to search and identify relatives to care for a child within 30 days of removal from their home.

Reports have shown that children placed with stable family members have far better outcomes than those simply placed in the foster system.

The bill comes in the wake of a number of incidents first exposed by KCRA 3 Investigates, from the placement of at-risk kids in a former juvenile hall, to reports showing that Sacramento County was one of the worst counties for placement with familie