(a) It is the policy of the state that caregivers of children in foster care possess knowledge and skills relating to the reasonable and prudent parent standard, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 362.05 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(b) Except for licensed foster family homes, certified family homes, and resource families approved by a foster family agency, each licensed community care facility that provides care and supervision to children and operates with staff shall designate at least one onsite staff member to apply the reasonable and prudent parent standard to decisions involving the participation of a child who is placed in the facility in age or developmentally appropriate activities in accordance with the requirements of Section 362.05 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 671(a)(10) of Title 42 of the United States Code, and the regulations adopted by the department pursuant to this chapter.

(c) A licensed and certified foster parent, resource family, or facility staff member, as described in subdivision (b), shall receive training related to the reasonable and prudent parent standard that is consistent with Section 671(a)(24) of Title 42 of the United States Code. This training shall include knowledge and skills relating to the reasonable and prudent parent standard for the participation of the child in age or developmentally appropriate activities, including knowledge and skills relating to the developmental stages of the cognitive, emotional, physical, and behavioral capacities of a child, and knowledge and skills relating to applying the standard to decisions such as whether to allow the child to engage in extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities, including sports, field trips, and overnight activities lasting one or more days, and to decisions involving the signing of permission slips and arranging of transportation for the child to and from extracurricular, enrichment, and social activities.

(d) This section does not apply to a youth homelessness prevention center, a private alternative boarding school, or a private alternative outdoor program, as those terms are defined, respectively, in subdivision (a) of Section 1502.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 341, Sec. 4. (AB 1235) Effective January 1, 2020.)