Valley senator, Melissa Hurtado sends child abuse legislation to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk

The bill, which received bipartisan 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.

“Today, nearly two-thirds of California adults have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience,” said Hurtado. “FRCs are a critical partner to government agencies. It is time we start to acknowledge the services they provide to ensure that we raise awareness on preventing child abuse and neglect,” said the first-term senator.

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.

Senator Hurtado (D-Sanger) represents the 14th 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.