Implementing California’s Child Welfare Prevention Services Program

Jan 28, 2026 - In theory, counties will achieve foster care cost savings once they implement effective child welfare prevention services—meaning there is a natural incentive to invest in prevention programs. However, achieving those savings will require significant upfront investment, which may not be possible using only local funds.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5106

The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services

Mar 18, 2026 - Better program outcomes also benefit the state fiscally because counties ’ service improvements have the potential to reduce overall costs. Moreover, with a share of cost, counties have an incentive to control program costs in areas over which they have more control (like administration).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5166

The 2026-27 Budget: CalWORKs

Feb 18, 2026 - (Many CalWORKs families have unaided members who are excluded from the grant calculation because they are ineligible for assistance for various reasons.) Figure  6 displays how current CalWORKs grant levels compare to the FPL for a household of one larger than the number of aided members in the CalWORKs family.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5122

The 2026-27 Budget: Child Welfare

Mar 3, 2026 - What about the contract for the Financial Management Coordinator, and any other externally contracted parties? Would DSS be able to cancel these contracts? The most recent cost estimates we have seen assume a phased implementation approach over three years (2027-28 to 2029-30).
https://lao.ca.gov/publications/report/5147