Inquiry Into the Department of Family and Children’s Services

Recommendation II DFCS should enforce and verify mandatory attendance at Cultural Competency/Awareness training classes for all DFCS staff no later than June 30, 2005. Finding III The Best Practice Committee has met twice, on January 14, 2004, and March 30, 2004, for two- hour sessions. No specific work plans or goals have been established to date.

Director of SSA, December 15, 2003. Board of Supervisor’s Chair of the Children, Seniors and Families Committee, December 17,

Richard H. Woodward Foreperson 10 Appendix A County of Santa Clara Social Services Agency Department of Family and Children’s Services Best Practice Protocol Overview The “Best Practice” initiative has been established to assist the Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) in developing service and process improvements which will enable DFCS to better respond to the needs of our clients and to foster stronger partnerships with stakeholders in the community. The Committee on Best Practices will provide a vehicle for effective discussion of service issues and process improvements which can be implemented to increase accountability and to provide more effective and efficient service to DFCS clients. Purpose of the DFCS Best Practice Protocols Inquiries, comments and complaints may be initiated by a wide array of sources--Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) clients and kin, the community at large, the media, other government officials and staff–and may be directed to a variety of offices for resolution -- DFCS staff and administration, Social Services Agency (SSA) Administration, the State Ombudsperson’s Office or the Office of the Ombudsperson for DFCS. Once issues are raised, it is important that they be reviewed thoroughly in a collaborative manner which involves community stakeholders so that appropriate action can be taken. Further, existing policies and practices need to be evaluated in the context of this case-based review; this will ensure that service trends can be identified and solutions reached and implemented consistently on a department-wide basis. This will complement the DFCS service delivery redesign process now underway to strengthen and enhance working relationships with families, their communities, the court, and public and private sector service providers. Identifying and implementing “best practices” will support many of the guiding principles behind the service redesign effort. The redesign responds to recommendations made in management audits regarding staff turnover rates, caseload equalization, continuity of services to families and overrepresentation of children of color in the system. The DFCS redesign will result in lower caseloads, one worker per family, improved family finding and enhanced placement service. Complaint Handling While complaints may be received in numerous ways, rapid communication to all responsible parties is critical. In order to ensure that this communication occurs, three points of contact have been established within SSA. • Received by Office of the Ombudsperson– Complaints received by the Office of the Ombudsperson will be reviewed and handled with impartiality and confidentiality. No change is proposed in how the Office of the Ombudsperson conducts fact-finding reviews of complaints. If consideration by the Committee on Best Practices is recommended, the issues raised will be forwarded to the DFCS Administrative Support Bureau for inclusion in the Committee’s work program. • Received by DFCS staff– Complaints received by DFCS staff which cannot be resolved at the line level will be forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsperson for handling. Complaints which raise ethical issues will be handled by the Director, DFCS. • Received by SSA Administration– Complaints received by SSA Administration will be referred to the Office of the Ombudsperson and, if appropriate to the Office of the Director, DFCS, for timely report back on the status of complaints. Handling of Complaints Which Raise Ethical or Personnel Issues Any issue which raises ethical or personnel concerns will be handled through the appropriate County personnel process. Resolution of confidential personnel matters will not be agendized for the Committee on Best Practices discussion or information. Committee on Best Practices A committee on Best Practices has been established to provide practice review, development and monitoring. This Committee will provide broad representation from the community and County stakeholders. The work of the Best Practice Committee will be coordinated by the DFCS Administrative Support Bureau, under the direction of the Office of the Director, DFCS. The role of the Committee on Best Practices is to identify practice issues and trends, which may lead to

In the sample of complaints reviewed, there were communication problems between DFCS social workers and family members of children under the custody of DFCS.

The Administration of DFCS could not demonstrate that all DFCS personnel had participated in Cultural Competency/Awareness training, as required by the SSA director’s mandate of July 26, 2001.

The Best Practice Committee has met twice, on January 14, 2004, and March 30, 2004, for two- hour sessions. No specific work plans or goals have been established to date.

Parent orientation classes are mandatory for South County DFCS clients only, even though the majority of children are removed from families residing in San Jose.

The current RFQ Protocol, dated April 14, 2004, for the proposed Ombuds contract includes the same oversight and monitoring by the DFCS which the director of the SSA previously described as a “conflict of interest.” 9

The Ombuds contract was not monitored on a consistent basis.

The Office of the Ombudsperson has been without an independent contractor since November 21, 2003.