(a) A primary component of the program described in this article shall be case management and evidence-based home visiting for the purpose of family support, which shall commence upon the determination that an individual is eligible in accordance with paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 11330.6 and shall continue until the eligible individual completes the evidence-based home visiting program or terminates the individual’s own participation.
(b) Home visiting shall include, but not be limited to, resources and referrals to all of the following:
(1) Prenatal, infant, and toddler care.
(2) Infant and child nutrition.
(3) Developmental screening and assessments.
(4) Parent education, parent and child interaction, child development, and child care.
(5) Job readiness and barrier removal.
(6) Domestic violence and sexual assault, mental health, and substance abuse treatment, as applicable.
(c) Home visitors shall encourage participants to enroll their child in a high-quality, early learning setting, or participate in playgroups, or other child enrichment activities, as appropriate, and parent participation in this early learning setting shall count towards allowable activities under a welfare-to-work plan developed by the parent or caretaker relative under Section 11325.21.
(d) Home visiting services shall only be those intended to achieve the goals established in subdivision (a) of Section 11330.6 and that are provided in the home of an assistance unit or at a location agreed upon by the parent or caretaker relative and the home visitor. Home visiting services shall only be provided by a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, social worker, or other person able to provide culturally appropriate services who is trained and certified according to the requirements of this article, has completed a background check, and has completed training as specified in subdivision (g) for the purposes of implementing this article.
(e) Home visiting services and visits shall not be mandatory, random, or unannounced.
(f) Counties may give preferential treatment to contractors of home visiting programs that are able to colocate home visitors and CalWORKs caseworkers in order to facilitate communication and coordination.
(g) (1) All home visiting providers shall complete training in the following areas before providing services to a CalWORKs recipient:
(A) (i) CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, CalFresh, California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and other programs, with county-specific information about how the home visiting professionals can help a parent access additional services for which the parent may be eligible and troubleshoot problems with benefits or eligibility that would impact the parent’s access to services.
(ii) This training shall be administered by the county and shall include, but not be limited to, the demographics of the population served and the supports and services available for CalWORKs recipients.
(iii) Any costs incurred shall be funded as part of the allocation from the department to that county.
(B) (i) Cultural competency and implicit bias.
(ii) It is the responsibility of the contractor to ensure that all home visitors have received implicit bias and cultural competency trainings. The department shall establish the minimum training standards as required in this section.
(iii) Contractors are encouraged to partner with local organizations to develop a curriculum that best suits the needs of the home visiting program participants.
(C) (i) Strengths-based practices for working with families with unmet needs.
(ii) Either the contracted provider or the county shall administer this training.
(2) A county that staffs its home visiting program solely with county staff is exempt from the requirements of paragraph (1) to the extent the training would duplicate training already received.
(h) Counties, in coordination with home visitors and CalWORKs staff, may establish processes to provide one-time, as-needed funding for the purchase of material goods for a program participant’s household related to care, health, and safety of the child and family, which shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500).
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 497, Sec. 307. (AB 991) Effective January 1, 2020.)