Family reunification services

Parents whose violent felony did not involve a child or a co-parent generally remain eligible for services aimed at safely reunifying their family. County child welfare departments may have to provide services in additional cases.

What the law does ​

• Limits the reunification-services exception for a parent or guardian convicted of a violent felony to cases where the victim was a child or a person with whom the parent or guardian had a child at the time of the offense.
• Requires courts to apply the child’s-best-interest standard before ordering services when that narrower exception applies.
• Makes the change contingent on annual state funding to the extent it raises local costs above realignment-funded service levels.

Who it affects ​

• Parents and guardians in dependency cases with violent-felony convictions.
• Children removed from parental or guardian custody in those cases.
• County child welfare departments and juvenile courts.