 |
| Mark Laurel |
New improvements to the CalWORKs Stage 1 child care program will ensure that families get immediate and consistent child care services. Read on to learn more!
Effective October 1, 2019 Stage I Child Care is changing. Under "Immediate and Continuous Eligibility for Child Care" (SB 80), the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services will be authorizing child care for 12 months of continuous eligibility for Welfare to Work participants.
Under the old rules, child care was authorized only for the length of the approved activity. Breaks, changes, or short-term activities in the Welfare-to-Work (WTW) plan could cause breaks in child care as parents were required to recertify their need.
Under the new rules, a family can receive up to 12 months of continuous child care services. This is great news for eligible families needing child care for activities such as work, school attendance, seeking employment, training, and so on. By authorizing child care for 12 months, rather than for a single WTW activity, families will not experience breaks in their child care services. Even if parents’ activities change, they can be assured that child care will continue uninterrupted for their children. This can improve family stability, promote healthy child development, reduce the administrative burden of frequent recertifications, and reduce the chances that a recipient is sanctioned.
Child care eligibility will begin when the client is deemed eligible for the CalWORKs program and will be authorized full-time, unless the participant requests part-time. (Under current program rules, full-time is defined as 30 hours or more).
The new rules also require child care to be secured before mandating any Welfare to Work activities, and also allows sanctioned parents who indicate an intent to participate in program activities who need child care to be eligible.
Stage II Child Care transfer rules for families who are deemed stable or whose case discontinues remain the same.
These new rules will allow families to focus on their assigned activities, while their children are provided full-time care in a safe, productive, and quality learning environment.
Training for Welfare to Work and Fiscal staff will occur in mid-November. Client will be notified as part of their initial application at Orientation, as well as at their yearly renewal. Current participants will be sent a notice regarding the changes. Be on the lookout for publications promoting quality full time care and program availability to be out in our lobbies soon!
See also CDSS ACL 19-99.