Commercially sexually exploited children.

Existing law provides for the placement of children who have been removed from their homes due to neglect or abuse and governs the placement of those children under the supervision of the State Department of Social Services and county welfare departments. Existing law requires county child welfare agencies and probation departments to develop and implement policies and procedures or protocols that require social workers and probation officers to identify children who are at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation, to determine whether a child or nonminor dependent is a possible victim of commercial sexual exploitation, and to document this information, as specified. Existing law also requires the State Department of Social Services to develop, in consultation with specified stakeholders, model policies, procedures, and protocols to assist the counties in complying with these requirements. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services to develop the model policies, procedures, and protocols described above by no later than January 1, 2020.