RESOLUTION NO. _____________

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, COUNTY OF SAN MATEO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA

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RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF AB 2649 (BASS), KINSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES

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RESOLVED, by the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Mateo, State of California, that

WHEREAS, Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP) provides funding to counties to create or expand local kinship support that offers community-based services to relative caregivers and their youth; and

WHEREAS, eligibility for KSSP funding includes a number of conditions such as demonstrated capacity for collaboration, viable plans for ongoing financial support of the services, use of relative caregivers as employees of the program, and that at least 40 percent of a county’s dependent youth be in relative care placements; and

WHEREAS, the condition of 40 percent relative care placements is a major barrier to many counties access to KSSP funding; and

WHEREAS, AB 2649 would eliminate the 40 percent relative care placement requirement; and

WHEREAS, conditioning KSSP funds on the percentage of relative placements fails to recognize the need for KSSP services in counties that do not meet the placement percentage requirement; and

WHEREAS, the absence of adequate supports for relative caregivers can itself be a deterrent to prospective relative caregivers, which can further degrade a county’s relative care placement percentage; and

WHEREAS, by eliminating the 40% relative care placement requirement, AB 2649 is intended to expand access to KSSP services to more families statewide.

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY DETERMINED AND ORDERED that the Board of Supervisors by adoption of this resolution hereby supports AB 2649 (Bass), regarding kinship support services.

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