CA AB448

Social workers must immediately investigate and locate adult relatives within 30 days of child removal, including grandparents, adult siblings, and other relatives, and provide written and oral notification of removal and available options for care and placement.

Social workers must document efforts (or "active efforts" for Indian children) to locate relatives and kin who could provide family support or placement in reports to the court at initial hearings, dispositional hearings, and periodic status reviews.

Probation officers must similarly investigate and locate relatives within 30 days for minors at risk of foster care placement and document those efforts, with special requirements for Indian children to search for extended family members.

Court must determine at initial hearings and periodic reviews whether social workers have made continued efforts to locate relatives or kin for possible family support or placement, and must consider "family finding" practices including computer searches and tribal consultation for Indian children.

"Family finding" is defined as investigation to identify relatives and kin and connect children with those relatives for family support and possible placement, including tribal consultation when the child is known or believed to be an Indian child.