ACR106 - Court Adoption and Permanency Month.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 106 Introduced by Assembly Member Kalra (Principal coauthor: Senator Ashby) July 10, 2025 Relative to Court Adoption and Permanency Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 106, as introduced, Kalra. Court Adoption and Permanency Month. This measure would declare November 2025 as Court Adoption and Permanency Month. Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Bill Text WHEREAS, Juvenile court judges are uniquely responsible for the care, supervision, custody, and support of the children under the court’s jurisdiction and provide active leadership within the community to ensure that resources are available to serve families and children; and WHEREAS, In order to reinforce the benefits of in-home care, the Judicial Council, courts, and justice partners have focused on a kin-first culture system where parents and their families help determine the safest place for the child within a family, community, or tribe; and WHEREAS, As a result of these efforts, the number of children in welfare-supervised, out-of-home care went down by 29 percent—from 55,000 children in 2021 to 39,000 children in 2025; and WHEREAS, By 2023, approximately 74 percent of children in foster care were still in their first or second placement after 12 months—a 10 percent increase in placement stability since 2018; and WHEREAS, Kinship care provides a protective effect that benefits youth mental health outcomes and is associated with higher placement stability and permanency compared to traditional foster care placements; and WHEREAS, Children in kinship care experience fewer behavioral health problems, experience less placement disruption, and require fewer mental health services than youth in a nonrelative placement; and WHEREAS, Children with a first placement with relatives or extended family members are three times more likely to remain in their first placement after 12 months; and WHEREAS, Youth who were with a relative at the time of their exit from foster care are less likely to reenter care within 12 months; and WHEREAS, In 2024, approximately 57 percent of children and youth who exited the foster care system were placed with, or adopted by, a relative—a 6 percent increase since 2019; and WHEREAS, California is a proponent of kinship care and provides financial and social supports to relative caregivers as a way to strengthen family connections and improve the well-being of foster youth; and WHEREAS, The Judicial Council remains committed to working with the Governor, the Legislature, and local courts and communities to provide children and families with access to fair, understandable judicial proceedings that lead to timely, well-informed, and just permanency outcomes; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares November 2025 as Court Adoption and Permanency Month and encourages the courts and their communities to join in activities to promote permanency; and be it further Resolved, that the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.