Board of Supervisors Response to Grand Jury Report No. 1605:*

A comprehensive system of care for victims of CSEC still has not been fully implemented in Contra Costa County. Response: Agree.

The County is now 15 months into developing and implementing this comprehensive system of care for victims of CSEC that it began developing in January 2015. Agree. Response:

A CSEC Protocol, which provides a comprehensive system of care for victims of CSEC, was prepared under the leadership of CFS. Response: Agree.

The CSEC Protocol provides the framework for cooperation and coordination among the County, its cities and NGO's. Response: Agree.

The State Department of Social Services has released Contra Costa County's allocations of CSEC monies under the Commercially Sexually Exploited Children Program administered by the State Department of Social Services. Agree. Response:

Many social workers in CFS, law enforcement, officers in Juvenile Hall and victim advocates in the DA's office are not implementing the CSEC Protocol because they have not seen it. Disagree. The protocol Memorandum of Understanding among the partner agencies that Response: addresses the requirements of Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) 16524, includes protocols related to screening and identification, assessment, multi-disciplinary teaming, and data collection. Each required partner agency per WIC 16524 (Child Welfare, Mental Health, Public Health, Probation, Juvenile Court) has a copy of the protocol and are in the process of implementing the CSEC Protocol requirements.

CFS, the leader of the Oversight Committee, has not followed up with its interagency partners that have signed off on the Protocol, but have not submitted their own CSEC department plan/protocols to the Oversight Committee. Disagree. The CSEC Protocol Steering Committee launched in March 2015 in order to Response: develop the Interagency Protocol. It was submitted to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) October 1, 2015 and approved in December 2015. The work of the restructured Steering Committee, now called Human Trafficking Protocol, Policy and Data Committee, is to follow up on the Protocol and make changes as needed. This committee has followed-up with interagency partners to help assist them in creating their own CSEC plans and protocols. However, there is no statutory requirement for interagency partners to submit their own CSEC plan or protocols to CFS. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS RESPONSE TO GRAND JURY REPORT NO. 1605: CARING FOR THE VICTIMS— COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

CFS lacks personnel who can act as the hub of all CSEC referrals from law enforcement by assessing the health, psychiatric and physical needs of victims of CSEC and who can navigate these services for them. Partially Disagree. CFS does not have a designated role as a "hub" as defined in this Response: finding. Respondent agrees that CFS is the mandated agency to receive all child abuse referrals. CFS is required to run a 24 hour Child Abuse Hotline and receive all suspected child abuse referrals from Law Enforcement and other mandated reporters through the hotline. All suspected exploitation of children must be reported to the CFS hotline per Senate Bill 855 (Chapter, 29 Statutes of 2014).

Suspected CSEC victims are being arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall for their own safety pursuant to various statues under the Welfare & Institutions Code, relating to infractions and crimes committed by Youth, while the County assesses the appropriate health and social services to provide. Response: Disagree. The Juvenile Hall admits youth based on crimes committed as defined in the Penal Code. Some of those youth whose crimes meet the criteria for detention and/or commitment to Juvenile Hall programs, are also victims of commercial exploitation. Services are provided for youth who are victims of exploitation while they are detained or committed to the facility. The County Probation Department is responsible for Wards booked on a criminal charge into the Juvenile Hall following arrest by local police agencies. There are occasions where Wards are booked into the Hall, initially on a criminal charge such as petty theft, while a criminal investigation is ongoing, and it is later determined that the Ward is a victim of commercial sexual exploitation. In many cases, the Hall (a locked facility) is the safest physical location for CSEC youth, who receive mental/physical health care services while in custody. The County does not have authority to order placement of a Ward currently in custody, including CSEC youth, to outside facilities. Such placements are ordered by the Superior Court once the Ward's case is adjudicated.

The County has not provided funding to CFS for temporary housing facility for victims of CSEC. Agree. Response:

No single database covering all CSEC - related arrests, referrals and pending cases exists in the County. Agree. Response:

Due to the lack of a single database in the county covering all CSEC-related arrests, referrals and pending cases, the County does not know the number of victims of CSEC and where they are located. Agree. While the County and various agencies have their own specific, internal CSEC Response: related data, this data is not amalgamated Countywide. The County has a snapshot of data available to it through Zero Tolerance's management of a federal human trafficking grant (which collects human trafficking data from 5 partner agencies, but this is not representative of the entire County). BOARD OF SUPERVISORS RESPONSE TO GRAND JURY REPORT NO. 1605: CARING FOR THE VICTIMS— COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

County personnel and law enforcement dealing with victims of CSEC are well-meaning, compassionate and dedicated people trying to make the best of a very difficult situation. Response: Agree.

Most County personnel and law enforcement dealing with victims of CSEC lack in-depth CSEC training, necessary facilities for temporarily accommodating the victims and a clear-cut plan of action, which lays out how to rescue, protect and serve the victims of CSEC in a manner that is caring and trauma-informed. Agree. Response: