Orange County Grand Jury
• 2006-2007
• Agency Response
Where Are Orange County’s Foster Children?
⚠️ 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.
Findings and Recommendations 5 findings
F1
SSA has not lowered caseloads for those social workers serving out of county child placements.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Caseloads of social workers should be adjusted to factor in out of county placements.
F2
The lengthy travel time to clients outside of OC by Social Workers may reduce time available for actual social work.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
In order to reduce travel time for caseworkers, families and children, SSA should encourage placement of children in FFAs and Group Homes within OC.
F3
Group homes in Orange County are underutilized by OC CFS.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
SSA should engage in collaborative discussions with OC group homes to improve their relationships and reduce outsourcing of OC foster children to neighboring counties.
F4
More than $1.5 million dollars is being spent for transportation to OC foster children yearly, not including mileage paid to caretakers. 7 2006-2007 ORANGE COUNTY GRAND JURY
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Money saved in transportation costs could be considered as the financial incentive to promote more OC foster care and group home providers.
F5
There exists interest and support in the OC community for the San Pasqual model program. Responses to Findings F-1 through F-5 are requested from Orange County Social Services Agency. RECOMMENDATIONS In accordance with California Penal Code sections 933 and 933.05, each recommendation will be responded to by the government entity to which it is addressed. The responses are to be submitted to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court. Based on the findings of this report, the 2006-2007 Orange County Grand Jury makes the following recommendations:
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
SSA should consider the San Pasqual model program for a similar facility in OC.
Conclusions 1
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CL1SSA and CFS are addressing the ever-changing landscape of Child Welfare in OC. Most of the observed employees appear to be hard working and very dedicated to the children they serve. Nationally, there is movement to address high caseloads. A 2006 survey conducted by the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) addresses high caseloads, recruitment and retention of employees in child welfare. OC’s caseload is based on a 2000 study, and there may be changes in best practice in the near future. There are not enough foster homes in OC to accommodate the number of children requiring out of home placement. CFS is reluctant to place children in OC group homes and therefore is outsourcing OC’s children to foster homes, group homes, and FFAs outside of OC. Traffic congestion is an everyday issue in Southern California. Transporting people to L.A., Riverside, and San Bernardino counties is an expensive arrangement that contributes to congestion and pollution. Even though a social worker can schedule several children for visits out of county, the distance and time involved could have a negative impact on the social workers. Furthermore, trying to reunify the family and child over a distance is difficult. Recently, legislation to restrict Group Homes from exclusively housing out of county residents was proposed in the State Assembly.
Agency Responses 1
Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.