California Alliance of Child and Family Services

Christine Stoner-Mertz has been named the new executive director of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, starting in January. The California Alliance of Child and Family Services is a membership organization representing the 140 member organizations across the state that work in child welfare, juvenile justice, special education and behavioral health treatment, including residential treatment facilities and foster family agencies.

Carroll Schroeder will step down from his longtime post as executive director of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services early next year, retiring after what will be 18 years with the organization.

In foster care most of her life, 17-year-old Amber* finally found a little stability at R.I.S.E. House. After cycling through 35 foster and group homes, she developed relationships at R.I.S.E. and was poised to graduate from high school.

California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation on Monday that aims to resolve issues preventing kids placed in out-of-county foster homes from getting needed mental health treatment. About one in five foster youth in California — or about 13,000 youth — are considered out of county, meaning they have been placed in a county other than the one where they first entered the state’s child welfare system.

Over 100 members of California Youth Connection (CYC) and their adult supporters gathered last weekend at the University of Southern California to discuss crucial issues facing youth in the foster care system, and create policy recommendations to remove these barriers to success for young people in the future.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation yesterday that aims to drastically reduce the number of children placed in group homes as well as the length of time they spend in such placements, part of a package of reforms that will reshape the state’s foster care system.

For out-of-county children on a path to adoption, the lack of consistent and timely mental health resources can have especially perilous consequences.