📋

Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

Los Angeles County Grand Jury • 2009-2010

An Investigation of Elder Abuse Prevention Services and Programs

108 pages

View PDF View Full Original

⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.

⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

Note: Missing finding numbers detected: F8

Findings 8 findings

F1 Page 294

DCFS facilities housing foster care children had appropriate documented plans and procedures for handling youths during a disaster. In addition, fire drills were performed and documented on a routine (monthly) basis. Although they did not meet the state deadline for implementation, DCFS has prepared and distributed their CWSDR Plan.

F2 Page 294

Although Probation department camps and juvenile halls were conducting monthly fire drills and do have formal written emergency plans, the department itself had not prepared the required CWSDR Plan, and its emergency plan did not address the issues in Recommendations 3 through 6 below.

F3 Page 294

Three camp sites did not have emergency generators to power lights, refrigerators and other camp equipment. Since the camps are in remote areas of the County, a power outage would make them solely reliant on batteries, therefore limiting the period of time the camp staff and detainees could be sheltered before they could be evacuated.

F4 Page 294

There was no evidence that breathing masks and goggles were available and distributed at Camp Holton during the Merek fire to minimize the impact of breathing problems during the emergency. 274 2008-2009 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report

F5 Page 295

The Probation Department plan does not specify who will provide secure transportation in the event an evacuation is required. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has buses which are designed to move inmates securely. Because of the risk of escape, unsecured buses are not a viable option.

F6 Page 295

Based on the Merek fire transcript, the primary access route to Camp Holton was blocked by downed power lines. In the event an evacuation had been ordered, buses would have been prevented from reaching the camp.

F7 Page 295

The Auditor-Controller does not have in their DCFS Group Home Program Review Checklist specific procedures to ensure each foster care facility has a complete and current version of the LIC 610 Disaster Plan and a log of fire drills conducted.

F09 Page 326

Congregate meals are provided by a combination of the local community-based organizations and city agencies. Almost half of the budget goes to meals. 302 2008-2009 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report Table 1.2 Area Agency on Aging Performance Measures Actual Actual Estimated Projected Performance Measures 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Indicators Percent of clients who reported that it would be difficult to remain 84% 85% 85% 85% independent in their home without home delivered meals Percent of clients who reported they ate more food because they 72% 73% 73% 75% attended the Senior Nutrition program Percent of clients who reported they enjoyed the healthy food at 91% 91% 91% 95% congregate meal sites Operational Measures Number of home delivered meals 936,464 858,977 984,200 922,300 a served Cost per home delivered meals $4.46 $4.46 $4.75 $4.75 served Unduplicated number of senior nutrition congregate meal 27,564 26,080 26,100 26,100 participants Number of congregate meals 1,348,755 1,350,843 1,350,800 1,273,700 b served Cost per congregate meals $3.90 $4.10 $4.35 $4.35 Number of Integrated Care 10,081 10,224 10,000 c 10,000 Management clients served Family Caregiver Support clients 2,675 2,568 2,580 2,600 served Family Caregiver Support cost per $1,190 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 client Source: CEO’s Recommended CSS Budget, FY 2008-9. a Decrease is attributable to an increase in the average cost per meal. b Decrease is attributable to an increase in the average cost per meal. c Decrease is attributable to a decrease in funding. 2008-2009 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report 303 Table 1.3 Area Agency on Aging Budget FY 2006-07, FY 2007-08 and FY 2008-09 3-Year FY 2006-07 FY 2007-08 FY 2008-09 Percent Final Final Original Change Administration Area Plan Admin 1,500,449 1,535,614 1,555,790 3.7% HICAP Admin a 57,632 57,880 58,089 0.8% Title V Admin b 145,266 161,496 161,496 11.2% Total Admin 1,703,347 1,754,990 1,775,375 4.2% Area Plan- Direct Services Supportive Services 837,034 1,569,418 1,254,837 49.9% Family Caregiver 262,001 1,587,559 768,329 193.3% Support Total Direct Services 1,099,035 3,156,977 2,023,166 84.1% Area Plan- Contracted Services Supportive Services/ Elder Abuse 5,799,940 5,036,477 4,693,443 -19.1% Prevention/ Ombudsman Nutrition/Home Delivered/Congregate 10,676,817 11,595,117 10,343,785 -3.1% Meals Programs Disease Prevention 408,339 465,956 443,590 8.6% Family Caregiver 3,245,891 1,810,532 1,471,889 -54.7% Support Community Based 1,173,094 1,173,094 1,079,243 -8.0% Services Program Federal Citation 280,127 294,048 295,367 5.4% Penalty Account Total Contracted 21,584,208 20,375,224 18,327,317 -15.1% Services HICAP Program 922,431 797,578 789,871 -14.4% Title V Program 2,323,131 2,715,469 2,324,165 <0.1% PROGRAM (Area 25,928,805 27,045,248 23,464,519 -9.5% Plan, HICAP, Title V) Total AAA (Admin and 27,632,152 28,800,238 25,239,894 -8.7% Program) Source: CSS AAA Programs, FY 2006-07, FY 2007-08 and FY 2008-09 Budget. a HICAP: Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program b Title V programs provide part-time jobs for unemployed low-income people aged 55 and older. 304 2008-2009 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report Seamless Senior Services Initiative Attempts to Coordinate 20 Agencies More than 20 County departments and agencies provide services to seniors and as a result of the large and growing elderly population in Los Angeles County, the County Chief Executive Officer launched the Seamless Senior Services (S3) Initiative in April

Recommendations 8

R1
Page 294

– Director of DCFS The Director of DCFS should incorporate relevant sections of their plan into all new standard contracts with group homes, foster care families and foster family agencies where appropriate. At a minimum, the contracts should add a section reinforcing caregiver responsibilities for preserving records and maintaining possession of the records at all times during a disaster.
R2
Page 294

– Chief Probation Officer The Chief Probation Officer should prepare their version of the CWSDR Plan
R3
Page 294

– Chief Probation Officer The Chief Probation Officer should continue with the Department’s existing plan to install a generator for Camps Miller and Kilpatrick. The Chief Probation Officer, within the next six months, should obtain a special use permit for U.S. Forestry land that would allow them to install a generator at Camp Headquarters and Camp Holton. Finally, the Chief Probation Officer should, within the next six months, install a generator at Camp Routh.
R4
Page 295

– Chief Probation Officer Accordingly, the Chief Probation Officer should, within the next six months, ensure adequate supplies of goggles and masks are stored at each facility and distributed when air quality is impaired during a brush fire or similar problem.
R5
Page 295

– Chief Probation Officer Within the next six months, the Chief Probation Officer should formalize an agreement with the Sheriff to ensure availability of buses, or explore alternative options such as acquiring a fleet of appropriately configured vehicles to evacuate at least one full camp.
R6
Page 295

– Chief Probation Officer Based on this experience, the Chief Probation Officer should, within the next six months, review each camp to ensure that there is a secondary ingress/egress route for transportation vehicles.
R7
Page 295

– Auditor-Controller The Auditor-Controller should incorporate a specific procedure to verify that each foster care facility has the two documents identified in Finding 7. 2008-2009 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report 275 LIST OF ACRONYMS CWSDRP - California Child Welfare Services Disaster Response Plan DCFS - Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services LIC 610 - California Department of Social Services, Emergency Disaster Plan for Child Care Centers form 610 SEMS - Standardized Emergency Management System PL - Public Law 276 2008-2009 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report EXTENDING FOSTER CARE FROM AGE 18 TO 21 “So I’m Eighteen, Now What?” Woodrow “Woody” Hollier–Chair Gloria J. Williams–Vice Chair Nora Clark Jamesetta McDonald A Report by the Los Angeles County 2008-2009 Civil Grand Jury EXTENDING FOSTER CARE FROM AGE 18 TO 21 “So I’m Eighteen, Now What?” Nearly one hundred times a day, a child in California is placed in foster care. Los Angeles County alone “parents” just under 30,000 abused and neglected foster youth. Too often, however, the dependent children in LA County lag behind national standards in relation to the minimal care and protection we strive to achieve for foster youth. As a result, today’s troubled foster youth may become tomorrow’s troubled adults. More than half will be unemployed, almost a third will become homeless, and one in five will be incarcerated within two years of leaving foster care.1
R09
Page 324

Congregate meals are provided by a combination of the local community-based organizations and city agencies. Almost half of the budget goes to meals. 302 2008-2009 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report Table 1.2 Area Agency on Aging Performance Measures Actual Actual Estimated Projected Performance Measures 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Indicators Percent of clients who reported that it would be difficult to remain 84% 85% 85% 85% independent in their home without home delivered meals Percent of clients who reported they ate more food because they 72% 73% 73% 75% attended the Senior Nutrition program Percent of clients who reported they enjoyed the healthy food at 91% 91% 91% 95% congregate meal sites Operational Measures Number of home delivered meals 936,464 858,977 984,200 922,300 a served Cost per home delivered meals $4.46 $4.46 $4.75 $4.75 served Unduplicated number of senior nutrition congregate meal 27,564 26,080 26,100 26,100 participants Number of congregate meals 1,348,755 1,350,843 1,350,800 1,273,700 b served Cost per congregate meals $3.90 $4.10 $4.35 $4.35 Number of Integrated Care 10,081 10,224 10,000 c 10,000 Management clients served Family Caregiver Support clients 2,675 2,568 2,580 2,600 served Family Caregiver Support cost per $1,190 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 client Source: CEO’s Recommended CSS Budget, FY 2008-9. a Decrease is attributable to an increase in the average cost per meal. b Decrease is attributable to an increase in the average cost per meal. c Decrease is attributable to a decrease in funding. 2008-2009 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report 303 Table 1.3 Area Agency on Aging Budget FY 2006-07, FY 2007-08 and FY 2008-09 3-Year FY 2006-07 FY 2007-08 FY 2008-09 Percent Final Final Original Change Administration Area Plan Admin 1,500,449 1,535,614 1,555,790 3.7% HICAP Admin a 57,632 57,880 58,089 0.8% Title V Admin b 145,266 161,496 161,496 11.2% Total Admin 1,703,347 1,754,990 1,775,375 4.2% Area Plan- Direct Services Supportive Services 837,034 1,569,418 1,254,837 49.9% Family Caregiver 262,001 1,587,559 768,329 193.3% Support Total Direct Services 1,099,035 3,156,977 2,023,166 84.1% Area Plan- Contracted Services Supportive Services/ Elder Abuse 5,799,940 5,036,477 4,693,443 -19.1% Prevention/ Ombudsman Nutrition/Home Delivered/Congregate 10,676,817 11,595,117 10,343,785 -3.1% Meals Programs Disease Prevention 408,339 465,956 443,590 8.6% Family Caregiver 3,245,891 1,810,532 1,471,889 -54.7% Support Community Based 1,173,094 1,173,094 1,079,243 -8.0% Services Program Federal Citation 280,127 294,048 295,367 5.4% Penalty Account Total Contracted 21,584,208 20,375,224 18,327,317 -15.1% Services HICAP Program 922,431 797,578 789,871 -14.4% Title V Program 2,323,131 2,715,469 2,324,165 <0.1% PROGRAM (Area 25,928,805 27,045,248 23,464,519 -9.5% Plan, HICAP, Title V) Total AAA (Admin and 27,632,152 28,800,238 25,239,894 -8.7% Program) Source: CSS AAA Programs, FY 2006-07, FY 2007-08 and FY 2008-09 Budget. a HICAP: Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program b Title V programs provide part-time jobs for unemployed low-income people aged 55 and older. 304 2008-2009 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report Seamless Senior Services Initiative Attempts to Coordinate 20 Agencies More than 20 County departments and agencies provide services to seniors and as a result of the large and growing elderly population in Los Angeles County, the County Chief Executive Officer launched the Seamless Senior Services (S3) Initiative in April