State Commission convenes
in San Francisco to launch
foster care study

By Julia Cheever, Bay City News Service

March 23, 2006

A new state commission launched a two-year study of California's foster care system at a meeting in San Francisco today.

California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno, who chairs the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Foster Care, told panel members, "This commission has an unprecedented opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our state's most vulnerable children.''

Moreno noted that California has 97,000 children in foster care -- almost 20 percent of the nation's entire foster child population.

He said that nationally, a child stays for an average of three years in foster care and is bounced to three or more homes.

"Youths who grow up in foster care often leave the system ill-prepared to function successfully in life -- half are unemployed, a third go homeless and one in five ends up in jail,'' Moreno said.

Moreno said, "This is simply unacceptable. Our children are paying a terribly high price, as is society. We have to do better.''

The commission, created by the state Judicial Council, has 44 members, including attorneys, judges, child welfare experts, youth advocates, legislators and a 16-year-old who is currently in foster care.

The commission's mandate is to recommend ways of improving accountability, use of resources and collaboration among agencies and courts in order to provide safe, secure and permanent homes for foster children.

Among other issues, it will look into the causes and consequences of court-based delays and make recommendations on how to improve the ability of courts to move children quickly out of the legal limbo of foster care.

The commission members were appointed by Chief Justice Ronald George, who chairs the Judicial Council.

Bay Area members of the panel include University of California, Berkeley Professor Jill Berrick; former state Sen. John Burton, who now chairs the John Burton Foundation for Children Without Homes; Burlingame attorney Joseph Cotchett; and Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Leonard Edwards.

Other Bay Area members are Youth Law Center attorney Deborah Escobedo; Santa Clara County Social Services Agency Director Will Lightbourne; 16-year-old Anthony Pico of San Francisco; and Marin County Public Defender Joseph Spaeth.

Moreno told the group in a welcoming speech, "I am simply amazed at the degree of talent and experience assembled here, but make no mistake -- we have our work cut out for us.''

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