Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
California Should Keep Its $60 Million Budget Commitment to Foster Care Children
gvw_calmatters
By CalMatters
Published 2 years ago on
May 13, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Although it received little public fanfare, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature last year made a life-changing investment in the lives of tens of thousands of California’s most vulnerable children.

David Allen

Special to CalMatters

In the scheme of a nearly $300 billion state budget, it wasn’t much – $20 million per year over three years to support Court Appointed Special Advocates. But it was enough to launch a vision for all foster care children in the state who could benefit from the one thing they need above all else: a stable relationship with an adult they can count on.

That’s 50,000 kids who have endured a level of neglect or abuse so severe that a judge has been forced to remove them from their parents and declare them wards of the state. Given their circumstances, the odds are against these kids. After they become adults, if current trends hold, nearly half will become homeless within two years. About 1 in 5 will become incarcerated at some point.

The promise of receiving $60 million over three years enabled the California CASA Association to fashion a plan to increase the program’s reach by recruiting more volunteers, strengthening the professional staff, and expanding public awareness to inspire additional community philanthropy.

That promising vision to reduce such negative outcomes is now imperiled, at risk of being nipped before it ever has a chance to bloom. Faced with a more challenging budget situation, Newsom has proposed eliminating the remaining two years of the promised appropriation.

Foster Children Need This Funding

Without that funding, California’s foster children will be consigned to a status-quo future, one in which only about 16% benefit from having a one-on-one relationship with an adult advocate, a service that has shown uplifting results.

There are 50,000 humanitarian reasons for the state to follow through on its funding commitment. There is also a powerful economic incentive. It would cost about $4,000 per child to provide this care to every foster child. It costs taxpayers more than $35,000 a year in social services for homeless individuals, and more than $100,000 a year to incarcerate someone.

The reason such a modest investment could make such a powerful impact is that there is a legion of committed, carefully screened and highly trained volunteers around the state who serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates. Local CASA programs operate in 51 of California’s 58 counties.

The state’s 11,000 volunteer advocates are each matched with a child, and they stand by that child during traumatic and challenging times. They are there to listen, encourage and reassure.

They might do homework together or go to a museum. The advocate might be the only adult to attend the child’s school concert, or the only adult to understand the child’s particular health care or educational needs. The advocate learns the circumstances of each child and recommends to a judge the services the child needs and when it would be safe, and under what conditions, to return the child home.

Our courts and the overburdened professionals in our child welfare systems do what they can to see that these kids are housed, schooled and fed. Without the state’s financial support, they can’t provide the kind of one-on-one attention that can put them on a path to resiliency and ensure that their best interests are served.

Children who have an advocate are more likely to receive appropriate services, more likely to do well in school, more likely to be psychologically sound, more likely to be adopted rather than shuffled from one temporary placement to another, and more likely to be hopeful about their future.

With the funding received this year and the promise of two more years to come, these organizations fashioned a plan to be able to serve all 50,000 children who could benefit by 2032. Now the state must deliver on its commitment.

Although they are very young, California’s foster children have already had quite enough broken promises.

About the Author

David Allen is a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, in Placerville.

Make Your Voice Heard

GV Wire encourages vigorous debate from people and organizations on local, state, and national issues. Submit your op-ed to rreed@gvwire.com for consideration. 

About CalMatters

CalMatters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom committed to explaining California policy and politics.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

US to Pull Some Personnel From the Middle East Amid Rising Tensions With Iran

DON'T MISS

Judge in Harvey Weinstein Trial Declares Mistrial on Rape Charge

DON'T MISS

What to Know About ‘No Kings’ Protests Against Trump’s Policies on Saturday

DON'T MISS

Most G7 Members Ready to Lower Russian Oil Price Cap Without US

DON'T MISS

Republicans in Congress Set to Grill Democratic Governors on Immigration

DON'T MISS

US Files Lawsuit Against New York for Blocking Immigration Officials Near Court

DON'T MISS

Motorcyclist Killed in Crash on Highway 180 in Sequoia National Forest Identified

DON'T MISS

Marines Prepare for Los Angeles Deployment as Protests Spread Across US

DON'T MISS

Boeing Shares Drop as Air India Crash Revives Safety Concerns

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Dips as Middle East Tensions Rise, Boeing Drops

UP NEXT

Water Scarcity Is Forcing Tough Decisions. This Legislation Can Keep Our Family Farm Afloat

UP NEXT

The Democrats’ Problems Are Bigger Than You Think

UP NEXT

Health Care Is a Lifeline. The Central Valley Deserves Better.

UP NEXT

California’s Stubborn Problems Keep Thwarting Its Ballooning Budget

UP NEXT

Why Reforming California’s Bedrock Environmental Law Is Good for the Environment

UP NEXT

California’s Deficit Dilemma: Cut Spending, Borrow Money or Raise Taxes?

UP NEXT

We Are Being Governed by the Trump Organization Inc.

UP NEXT

California’s Economy Is Just Limping Along. Why Is Newsom Always Boasting?

UP NEXT

Really, Secretary Rubio? I’m Lying About the Kids Dying Under Trump?

UP NEXT

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

Most G7 Members Ready to Lower Russian Oil Price Cap Without US

24 minutes ago

Republicans in Congress Set to Grill Democratic Governors on Immigration

32 minutes ago

US Files Lawsuit Against New York for Blocking Immigration Officials Near Court

43 minutes ago

Motorcyclist Killed in Crash on Highway 180 in Sequoia National Forest Identified

46 minutes ago

Marines Prepare for Los Angeles Deployment as Protests Spread Across US

54 minutes ago

Boeing Shares Drop as Air India Crash Revives Safety Concerns

57 minutes ago

Wall Street Dips as Middle East Tensions Rise, Boeing Drops

1 hour ago

Fed Seen on Track to Resume Rate Cuts After Inflation, Job Market Data

1 hour ago

Air India Plane Crash: Reactions From Across the World

1 hour ago

UN Nuclear Watchdog Says Iran in Breach of Obligations, Iran Announces Counter-Measures

1 hour ago

US to Pull Some Personnel From the Middle East Amid Rising Tensions With Iran

WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Wednesday U.S. personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because...

4 minutes ago

Armored vehicles belonging to Iraqi security forces are stationed outside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone, Iraq, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad/File Photo
4 minutes ago

US to Pull Some Personnel From the Middle East Amid Rising Tensions With Iran

Former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in Manhattan Criminal Court for his retrial on rape and sexual assault charges in New York City, U.S., June 12, 2025. Jefferson Siegel/Pool via REUTERS
18 minutes ago

Judge in Harvey Weinstein Trial Declares Mistrial on Rape Charge

People take part in the "No Kings Day" protest on Presidents Day in Washington, in support of federal workers and against recent actions by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, by the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana,File)
21 minutes ago

What to Know About ‘No Kings’ Protests Against Trump’s Policies on Saturday

Russian flag with stock graph and an oil pump jack miniature model are seen in this illustration taken October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo
24 minutes ago

Most G7 Members Ready to Lower Russian Oil Price Cap Without US

Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York responds to questions from Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) during a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on state immigration policies on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)
32 minutes ago

Republicans in Congress Set to Grill Democratic Governors on Immigration

The crest of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File photo
43 minutes ago

US Files Lawsuit Against New York for Blocking Immigration Officials Near Court

fresno
46 minutes ago

Motorcyclist Killed in Crash on Highway 180 in Sequoia National Forest Identified

U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, who were placed in an alert status over the weekend, are briefed by battalion leadership while rehearsing crowd control tactics at a base in the greater Los Angeles area, California, U.S. June 10, 2025. U.S. Marine Corps/Cpl. Logan Courtright/Handout via REUTERS
54 minutes ago

Marines Prepare for Los Angeles Deployment as Protests Spread Across US

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend