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Topic: Higher Levels of Placement

Definition for Higher Levels of Placement:

Removal of the Higher Levels of Placement topic area Over the past decade, California has implemented Continuum of Care Reform (CCR; also known as AB 403), pulling together a series of new and existing reforms based on the understanding that children who must live apart from their biological parents do best when they are cared for in committed, nurturing family homes. Also, children should not have to change placements to get the services and supports they need. Services and supports for youth and families should focus on building and maintaining a safe, stable, and permanent home. The goal for all children in out-of-home care is normalcy in development while establishing permanent life-long family relationships. Therefore, children should not remain in a group living environment for long periods of time.

Group and congregate care setting should primarily be used for Short-term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTPs) that provide intensive treatment interventions. When needed, the STRTP placement option is available to children and youth requiring highly intensive 24-hour supervision and treatment and is designed to quickly transition children back to their own or another permanent family.

Foster family agencies (FFA) have been re-envisioned to provide various levels of care to meet a broader range of individual child needs. Like STRTPs, FFAs make available a core set of services that are trauma-informed and culturally relevant, including specialty mental health services.

Given this statewide emphasis on supporting family-based care and reducing the use of congregate care, the CEBC has removed the Higher Levels of Placement topic area in favor of topic areas more in line with this shift. For example, the Alternatives to Long-Term Residential Care Programs and Placement Stabilization Programs topic areas both focus on services and supports to maintain children in out-of-home care in family-based settings. No programs have been removed from the CEBC, as all programs in the Higher Levels of Placement topic area were already in other topic areas or were appropriate to be moved into other topic areas.

The CEBC has put together a resource page on Services for High-Acuity Youth that may be helpful for CEBC users looking for more information.

Page last updated on 7/26/24.