Letters and Information Sharing

Resources and information to support the practice of making data and information available and accessible among stakeholders for efficiency and better outcomes.

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CDSS Letters and Information Notices

All County Letters (ACLs)

• ACL 10-12: The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351) Case Plan Assurances and Educational Transportation Reimbursement. The purpose of this ACL is to notify counties of the requirements of Public Law (PL) 110-351 and to provide direction for compliance with these new federal mandates. PL 110-351 amended Title IV-E of the Social Security Act to require that case plans for children and youth in foster care include specified assurances for educational placement stability. In addition, PL 110-351 provides for the cost of reasonable travel for the child to remain in the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement as an allowable foster care maintenance cost.
• ACL 11-51: The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351) Education Travel Reimbursement. Public Law (PL) 110-351 amended Title IV-E of the Social Security Act to require that a case plan includes a plan for ensuring the educational stability of the child while in foster care. The PL 110-351 also provides for the cost of reasonable travel for the child to remain in the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement as an allowable foster care maintenance cost. Accordingly, eligibility for reimbursement for the cost of educational travel as described in this ACL, assuming that all other eligibility conditions are met, commences simultaneously with the commencement of the child’s eligibility for a foster care maintenance payment.
• ACL 12-70: Educational Stability and Case Plan Assurances. The purpose of this ACL is only to address educational stability, and the case plan assurances related to educational stability. Public Law (PL) 110-351 and 112-34 amended Title IV-E of the Social Security Act to require that the case plan includes a plan for ensuring the educational stability of the child while in foster care.
• ACL 13-03 The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-351) Education Travel Reimbursement. This letter is to clarify education travel reimbursements for placements not addressed in All County Letter (ACL) No. 11-51, dated September 21, 2011. This letter establishes that those Non-Minor Dependents (NMDs) placed in a Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP) as described in ACL No. 12-44 and attending high school at their school of origin and meeting all other requirements (as described in ACL No. 11-77, Page 6, Section 4) are entitled to receive the education travel reimbursement. This reimbursement is to be paid directly to the NMD.
• ACL No. 16-75: Foster Youth Data Shared with California Department of Education​. The purpose of this ACL is to inform county child welfare and juvenile probation departments that the California Department of Social Services continues to share child-specific data about foster youth with the California Department of Education (CDE). The CDE is matching this information with school enrollment data, in order to identify foster youth for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) attending their schools so that the LEAs may, in turn, provide supportive educational services to them.
• ACL 16-91: Utilizing Title IV-E Funding to Support County Foster Youth Services Coordinating Programs (FYSCP) 854 MOUs. The purpose of this ACL is to provide information to county Child Welfare Departments (CWDs) regarding the opportunity to partner with County Offices of Education (COEs) to draw down federal Title IV-E funding to increase educational case management services for foster youth. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has developed a sample Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is provided as an attachment to this ACL, as well as guidance to assist CWDs with this process. When drafting an MOU, CWDs are encouraged to consult with County Probation Departments to ensure that all eligible youth, including probation-supervised youth in foster care placements, are covered under and served through the agreement.
• ACL 17-24: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The purpose of this All County Letter (ACL) is to inform county child welfare and juvenile probation departments about the ESSA (PL 114-95) enacted on December 10, 2015. The foster youth educational stability requirements of ESSA became effective on December 10, 2016, and are applicable to child welfare and probation supervised foster youth. This ACL does not cover the ESSA provisions specific to students in or returning from the juvenile justice system that are not in foster care.
• ACL 21-86: Caregiver’s Right to Access Current and Most Recent Education Records (SB 233). The purpose of this ACL is to provide county child welfare agencies, probation departments, and other relevant parties with information regarding the requirements of Senate Bill (SB) 233 (Chapter 829, Statutes of 2017). Senate Bill 233 authorizes access to education records for caregivers for youth in foster care, including resource parents, relatives caring for the child, tribally approved homes, foster family agencies (FFAs) and Short-Term Residential Treatment Program (STRTP) staff, even if they are not the child’s educational rights holder. Education records can include records of attendance, discipline, and online communication on platforms established by schools for pupils and parents, and any plan adopted pursuant to specified federal law. This bill also updates Resource Family training requirements and adds caseworker responsibilities.
• ACL 22-36: Educational Rights of Tribal Youth and Youth in Voluntary Placements (AB 1055). The purpose of this All County Letter (ACL) is to provide county child welfare agencies, probation departments, and other interested parties with information regarding the educational changes for youth under tribal court jurisdiction and voluntarily placed children prompted by Assembly Bill (AB) 1055 (Chapter 287, Statutes of 2021). This bill eliminates the requirement that a dependent child of the court of an Indian tribe, consortium of tribes, or tribal organization (“tribal court”) also meet the state law criteria for adjudicating a child dependent. This bill expands the definition of “students in foster care” to include any child who is the subject of a voluntary placement agreement, as defined in WIC Section 11400(p).
• ACL 22-73: Assembly Bill 1068 and Practice Guidance For The Child and Family Team (CFT) Process. The purpose of this All County Letter (ACL) is to communicate changes to the Child and Family Team (CFT) process that were codified into law via Assembly Bill (AB) 1068 and clarify expectations regarding the CFT process. Requires that a youth's court-appointed educational rights holder, if someone other than the parent, guardian, Indian Custodian, or caregiver, must also be invited to the CFT meeting as follows: (a) When the CFT will develop and implement a placement preservation strategy. (b) When the CFT will discuss a placement change. (c) The tribal representative must also be consulted about any decision to change a placement.
• ACL 23-15: Disciplinary Action Notifications For Students In Foster Care (AB 740). The purpose of this All County Letter (ACL) is to provide county child welfare agencies, probation departments, and other interested parties with information regarding changes related to required school disciplinary notifications for students in foster care, including probation-supervised foster youth, prompted by Assembly Bill (AB) 740 (Chapter 400, Statutes of 2022). This bill requires the written notice regarding suspension, expulsion, and other school disciplinary actions including involuntary transfer to continuation school, to be provided by a school employee to the foster child’s educational rights holder, attorney, and county social worker and, in the case of an Indian child, the Indian child’s tribal representative and/or social worker (or equivalent).
• ACL 23-16: Students in Foster Care High School Coursework and Graduation Requirement Exemptions (SB 532). The purpose of this All County Letter (ACL) is to provide county child welfare agencies, probation departments, and other interested parties with information regarding the high school coursework and graduation requirement exemption changes for youth in foster care prompted by Senate Bill (SB) 532 (Chapter 918, Statues of 2022). This bill expands and strengthens the rights for foster youth, homeless youth, a former foster youth who was a ward of the court that attended juvenile court school, children of military families, newcomer students, and migratory children to be exempted from local graduation requirements if certain conditions are met. It requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide those eligible students the option to remain in school for a fifth year to complete the statewide coursework. As a result of this bill LEAs are now also required to annually report to the California Department of Education (CDE) the number of students that graduate with an exemption from the LEA’s local graduation requirements.

All County Information Notices (ACINs)

• ACIN No. I-77-16: Foster Youth Data Shared Between Local Education Agencies and Child Welfare Agencies
  The purpose of this ACIN is to inform county child welfare and juvenile probation departments that the California Department of Social Services, California Department of Education, and the Bureau of Children’s Justice at the California Department of Justice jointly prepared the attached letter entitled “Dear Colleague: Joint Guidance Foster Youth Information-Sharing” to summarize existing federal and state laws that permit, and sometimes require, the sharing of information and records between local education agencies, child welfare agencies, and foster caregivers in a way that is both lawful and appropriate to ensure that foster youth receive appropriate supports and services to address their needs under the Local Control and Funding Formula.
• ACIN I-86-20: Expansion of Education Travel Reimbursement. The purpose of this ACIN is to advise counties and providers of existing policies [WIC 11460(b)] that allow for expanded reimbursement of transportation costs for children and youth in foster care to remain in their school of origin. This letter will clarify information contained in All County Letter (ACL) 11-51 and provide additional detail regarding payments to third parties.
• ACIN I-05-21: Educational Stability and Best Interest Determination. The purpose of this notice is to inform counties of the release of the Educational Stability and Best Interest Determination joint letter between the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). This joint letter is intended to assist local educational agencies (LEA), child welfare agencies and probation departments in conducting a best interest determination (BID) for placement of a youth in the appropriate educational setting.
• ACIN I-37-21: Educational Resources For Caregivers And Foster Children And Youth During Continued Distance Learning And The Return To In-Person Education During The COVID-19 Pandemic. The purpose of this All County Information Notice (ACIN) is to provide information to caseworkers within California’s Child Welfare and Probation departments about recent trends in education and how they can help caregivers navigate continued distance learning and/or school re-engagement during the return to in-person school attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this letter will provide information for caseworkers to share with foster caregivers regarding resources in their communities to assist with the education of the children in their care.
• ACIN I-10-24: 2023 Chaptered Legislation Affecting Child Welfare Services and Foster Care Programs (AB 373: Intersession Programs & AB 723: Special Education Nonpublic Schools). The purpose of this All County Information Notice (ACIN) is to provide summaries of 2023 chaptered legislation affecting Child Welfare Services and Foster Care programs. Education bills include Assembly Bill 373: Intersession Programs: Foster Children and Homeless Youth: Priority Access and Assembly Bill 723: Pupil placement: special education: foster children: nonpublic, nonsectarian schools or agencies: school of origin.