SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senator Melissa Hurtado’s (D-Sanger) legislation, SB 436, which would help prevent child abuse and neglect. The bill, which received bi-partisan support, will formalize Family Resource Centers (FRC) as a key delivery network of services and as conduits to strengthening families via family-centered, community-based and culturally sensitive services that include cross-system collaboration with the goal of helping to prevent child abuse and strengthen family connections.

“Today’s signing of SB 436 is a demonstration of how California continues to take the necessary steps to ensure that we provide preventative services to protect our children,” said Sen. Hurtado. “I am grateful for the ongoing leadership of Governor Newsom and our local community members,” continued Sen. Hurtado.

In the last 50 years, FRCs have emerged throughout the United States and in California as a “place-based” approach that invests in preventing child abuse. However, unlike child welfare systems across the nation who have leveraged a variety of strategies and regulatory frameworks to fund and sustain their local FRCs, California continues to fall behind on recognizing FRCs. Under SB 436, California will place into statute “family resources centers” while formally recognizing their involvement in programmatic activities already underway within the Office of Child Abuse Prevention.

The law goes into effect on January 1, 2020.

To download SB 436’s Fact Sheet, click here.

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) represents the 14^th Senate district in California, which includes cities in Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties, Senator Hurtado was born in Fresno, California and raised in the City of Sanger.

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