M. Mena, Ph.D., a Policy and Budget Analyst from Citizens’ Committee for Children, submitted testimony on November 21, 2019 to the Assembly Standing Committee on Children and Families Assembly Task Force on Women’s Issues.

CCC highlighted three areas of concern in the child welfare system that compromise family stability and child wellbeing:

1. Unmet needs due to economic insecurity and inadequate investments in preventive services;
2. The State Central Register (SCR) and records that limit employment for parents and caregivers who have cases of alleged child
   abuse or neglect;
3. The funding structure of Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KinGAP), funded through a foster care block grant, which discourages counties from using kin as a permanent option.