The Law Offices of Kyle R. Puro Highlights New Reunification Law
LONG BEACH, CA - October 09, 2026 - PRESSADVANTAGE - This report, distributed by The Law Offices of Kyle R. Puro,
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LONG BEACH, CA – October 09, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
This report, distributed by The Law Offices of Kyle R. Puro, examines a new California law, signed in September 2026, that narrows when juvenile dependency courts may decline to provide family reunification services to a parent because of a violent felony conviction.
Assembly Bill 1201, authored by Assemblymember Corey Jackson, D-Moreno Valley, was chaptered as Chapter 514, Statutes of 2026, and appeared on the Governor’s official list of bills signed on September 27. The measure amends Section 361.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, which governs reunification services in juvenile dependency cases.
In California, a juvenile court may adjudge a child a dependent of the court in certain circumstances, including when the child has suffered or is at substantial risk of suffering serious physical harm, or when a parent fails to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical treatment, according to the bill’s legislative summary. When a child is removed from a parent’s custody, the court generally orders the social worker to provide child welfare services, including family reunification services.
Under existing law, reunification services do not need to be provided to a parent or guardian when the court finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that the parent has been convicted of a violent felony, as defined by statute. AB 1201 makes that provision applicable only if the victim of the violent felony was either a child or someone with whom the parent or guardian had a child in common at the time of the offense, according to the bill’s chaptered legislative summary.
The summary states that the bill expands the scope of individuals requiring reunification services and creates additional duties for county child welfare departments. It does not describe changes to the other grounds on which reunification services may be denied. Eligibility for reunification services also does not itself determine whether a child is returned to a parent, which depends on the court’s findings in each case.
Jackson has said the bill is intended to ensure that a parent’s opportunity to reunify with a child depends on the actual risk the parent poses to the child, rather than on a rigid rule tied to a past conviction unrelated to the child’s home or safety, according to the Precinct Reporter.
The Assembly passed the bill by a vote of 55-15 in June 2025, according to the Precinct Reporter. The legislative record shows the measure was then heard by the Senate Human Services Committee on June 15, 2026, and the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 23, 2026, before returning to the Assembly floor on August 20, 2026.
Reunification is the most common outcome for children who leave foster care nationally. In fiscal year 2024, 45 percent of the 176,730 children who exited foster care were reunified with parents or caregivers, and 27 percent were adopted, according to preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families.
The Governor’s office listed several other child welfare measures among the bills signed on September 27, including AB 2478, described as relating to kinship family approval, and AB 2764, described as relating to extended foster care. AB 1201 is expected to take effect on January 1, 2027, under California’s general rule for bills enacted without an urgency clause.
Dependency proceedings are separate from, but can overlap with, family court proceedings involving custody. When a dependency case closes, the juvenile court may issue custody and visitation orders that are then filed in family court.
The legislative information referenced in this release is based on the chaptered legislative summary of Assembly Bill 1201, the Governor’s published announcement, federal foster care data, and published news coverage. Some published accounts describe earlier versions of the bill, so readers should review the final chaptered text before relying on it in a particular case. This information is presented for general public awareness and is not a substitute for individualized legal advice.
The Law Offices of Kyle R. Puro is a Long Beach, California family law firm that represents clients in juvenile dependency cases and in divorce, child custody, and related matters in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, and Orange County.
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krpuro@gmail.com
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