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Officials urge careful sequencing as California prepares first‑in‑nation foster‑care tiered rate structure

California State Senate (subcommittee) · April 23, 2026
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Summary

State and county officials outlined the tiered rate structure (TRS) to fund foster‑care services by child needs rather than placement, described implementation steps and costs, and urged the legislature to fund the full package or risk fragmenting services that must operate together.

The Department of Social Services and county partners described a major overhaul of California’s foster‑care funding at a Senate subcommittee meeting on April 22, urging careful sequencing and full funding for a tiered rate structure (TRS) that ties dollars to child needs rather than placement type.

David Swanson Hollinger, chief deputy director at CDSS, said TRS is “the first reform of its kind in the nation,” intended to ensure children receive services and supports matched to their assessed needs regardless of where they live. The proposal reorganizes funding into components including care and supervision, an immediate‑needs high‑fidelity wraparound benefit, and a strengths‑building program to support normalized childhood experiences.

Angie Schwartz (Deputy Director, Children & Family Services Division) described implementation steps: finalizing foundational guidance by the end of the calendar…

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