Issue | Background | Findings | Conclusions | Recommendations | Responses | Attachments Children and Family Services

Conclusions 1

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  Human Services Agency is to be commended for the many changes adopted over the past two years that have improved inter- and intra-agency communication. Professional leadership and staffing of Children’s and Family Services, a division of the Human Services Agency, has been expanded and strengthened. Communication is improving due to the open-door policy instituted by the highest level of administration, but could be further improved by centralizing the CFS office as is set out below. 7 County Counsel’s office is to be commended for developing a training program for social workers and foster parents to familiarize them with the Court process, including writing reports, completing court forms, and court appearances. The mandatory initial training a social worker receives has not been satisfactory. This is a concern as it is the only formal agency training a social worker is required to attend other than court training. Foster parents have become active, formed an association, and meet with Children and Family Services, social workers and leadership in Strengthening Partnerships conferences. The association has become proactive in dealing with CFS on critical issues such as developing a Foster Parent’s Bill of Rights, and facilitating school and Medi-Cal enrollment for foster children. The Grand Jury commends CFS for taking positive action toward exchanging ideas with foster parents and organizing the meetings with them. But, with a critical shortage of foster parents in this county, CFS must make a continuing effort to address their concerns. This effort would be enhanced by stronger support by CFS for the existing foster parent families, making them ambassadors for foster care in the county. The Foster Parents’ Policy and Procedures Manual has not been updated in more than ten years. CFS is behind schedule in completing this important document. Sections pertaining to emergency and procedural information should be immediately available; additions can be made within a six-month time frame. Efforts should be focused on the completion of the manual. Foster Parents need to be provided more information on each child placed with them at the earliest possible date, including access to previous caregivers. The Health and Education passport should be provided within 30 days of the child’s placement, as required. If that passport does not include a physical and mental health assessment made at time of placement, that assessment should be made and provided to the Foster Parents to enable them to better care for and meet the special needs of each child. The Foster Parents Liaison has no separate office in a neutral place. Foster parents are reluctant to come to CFS with a complaint or a concern and might be more likely to seek assistance at a specifically assigned office unconnected to CFS sites. In addition, there is no well-defined description of authority and, until recently, no written job description. CFS is operating from many sites. HSA should reevaluate its regional model for the Children and Family Services Program. Services can be delivered in communities, while administration, executive leadership, and staffing are provided centrally. Regionalization for community-based prevention services can be maintained, but all child welfare services from investigation to determination and implementation should be centralized. Consultation between social worker, supervisor, and management would be facilitated. Staff morale and security would be improved and efficiency would be increased. 8 CFS is doing a good job in meeting monthly with families and keeping caseloads down but more improvement must be made to meet accreditation standards. Performance evaluations of staff are being done with more regularity but room for improvement exists. The Board of Supervisors is to be commended for providing funds needed to enable CFS to restructure in order to implement the recommendations for improved services. CFS should consult with Legal Access to Permanent Parenting (LAPP), located in San Mateo. The guidelines being published by LAPP are excellent for foster parents. Written in simple English, they could constitute a manual that would be most useful both for practicing foster parents and for soliciting those who are interested in caring for children as foster parents and want to know what is involved, what resources are available, and what protections and support are provided.

No Responses Found 1

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.