California could impose new standards for court-ordered parenting classes under legislation aimed at addressing a lack of regulations for services often required of people suspected of child abuse and neglect.
The legislation, authored by Assemblyman Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), would require any parenting classes ordered by judges in child welfare cases to be evidence-based, “culturally competent” and taught by qualified professionals.
In findings detailed in the proposed law, Bryan cited a Times investigation published last month that found that court-ordered parenting classes are largely unregulated in California and that counties are not required to use based services. in evidence nor meet any type of standard when assigning programming. .
Although national research shows that some parenting classes can help prevent child abuse and keep families together, the Times investigation found that in California, they often amount to an overprescribed bureaucratic remedy with no clear track record of success.
“The fact that [quality] “It's never measured or evaluated or considered as much as just making sure parents complete them… I think we're doing a disservice,” Bryan told the Times this week, calling the January research “illuminating.”
Court-ordered classes have been factors in cases where children were returned to the custody of their guardians and then brutally tortured and killed. The lack of scrutiny can put some of California's most vulnerable children — those whose parents are fighting for custody while being investigated by protective services — at risk of further abuse, the Times investigation found, based on interviews with more than 20 child welfare experts, including social ones. workers, lawyers, retired judges, parents and providers.
In the case of 4-year-old Noah Cuatro of Palmdale, who died in 2019, his parents, Úrsula Juárez and José Cuatro, were ordered to complete parenting classes in 2017 in an effort to regain custody of him after allegations prior abuse.
The completion of those classes was a factor considered when a Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner ruled in 2018 that it was safe for Noah to return to his care. Juárez and Cuatro were later accused of the torture and murder of Noah.
Records show Four attended classes at a church led by a pastor, not a licensed therapist. Juárez attended classes at a community resource center. Neither program ranked highly in a state-funded database intended to act as a key tool for local officials to rely on when selecting services to ensure child safety.
Bryan, who grew up in foster care and authored previous legislation on child welfare reform, said the state has failed to provide “meaningful” family reunification services, disproportionately harming children of color and those living in poverty. .
The state should not rely on parenting classes amid a “dearth of information” about their quality and effectiveness, she said, whether that means keeping children safe from harm or potentially “forever separating a child from their parents.” parents”.
In addition to the new evidence-based standards, Bryan's bill, if passed by the Legislature and the governor, would establish a tracking system to measure the outcome of parenting class services and require counties to detail data on success rates and service providers.
The Times investigation found that the state does not ensure that parent education programs meet any type of standard, allows parents facing abuse allegations to take classes that experts consider low quality, and does not require counties to use a services database launched by the state years ago. .
There is no cost projection yet for the bill, and lawmakers will likely be cautious about approving new spending as the state faces a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall.
