Know The Law
Health Providers
Minors living in foster care maintain all the same consent and confidentiality rights that non-dependent minors are afforded. In addition, California state law extends additional rights to youth living in foster care to reduce barriers and improve access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care.
Rights and protections for youth in foster care include:
- Right to access SRH care on the minor’s consent (consistent with California law)
- Right to privacy in examination by a health provider, unless the youth specifically
request otherwise - Right to choose their own provider of SRH care, if the provider accepts MediCal or other approved insurance
- Right to confidentiality as relates to sexual and reproductive health information
- Right to age-appropriate, medically accurate education/information about sexual and reproductive health
- Right to transportation (by caregiver, group home or social worker) to obtain SRH care in a timely manner
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- Where does it say this in the law? Click here and here.
- What are the SRH services minors can access on their own? Click here.
- When is a health provider mandated to report sexual activity as child abuse? Click here.
- For consent to treatment for foster youth by custody and placement, click here.
- For a document on how to identify victims of human trafficking, click here.
