Overview Medi-Cal and Child Welfare
Purpose
Provide information to Child Welfare Agencies (CWAs) about Medi-Cal plans and the services they provide. Assist CWAs and the families they serve to gain a better understanding of Fee-For-Service (FFF) and Managed Care Plans (MCPs) so an educated choice can be made when picking a health care plan for foster youth.
Additionally, the purpose is to provide MCPs a high-level overview of the Child Welfare System in order to best serve foster youth who choose a MCP as their Medi-Cal provider.
Background of Medi-Cal:
Medi-Cal is the Medicaid program in California that allows low-income individuals and families access to medical providers and services. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) oversee the program.
Background of Child Welfare:
Child Welfare Services (CWS), also referred to as child protective services (CPS), are the major system of intervention of child abuse and neglect in California. Existing law provides for services to abused and neglected children and their families. CWS goal is to keep the child in their home when it is safe, and when the child is at risk, to develop an alternate plan as quickly as possible. Resource Parents or Kinship Providers or Non-Relative Extended Family Members provide a supportive and stable family for children who cannot live with their parents due to challenges such as parental neglect, abuse, or exploitation that has led to an unsafe environment for the youth.