Mendocino County Grand Jury
• 2024-2025
Mendocino County Family and Children’s Services
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⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 22 findings
F1
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
No matter what efficiencies are put in place, the most effective measure by far is addressing low staffing issues. Low staffing leads to late reports, late filings, and extended time in the system that indisputably causes trauma and harms children. 9
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
FCS work with Human Resources to address and increase staffing. (To be completed by October 2024) F1
F2
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
FCS employees demonstrate a genuine passion for the work of improving the lives of children. Short-staffing, missed deadlines and excessive overtime means they are unable to provide the quality of services desired. Consequently, staff suffers from moral injuries and burnout.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
FCS management provide increased and ongoing therapy for staff desiring it. (To be completed by October 2024) F2
F3
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
24% of children in foster care in Mendocino County are Native children. Since communication and attention to Native children and tribal issues is crucial, increasing attendance and participation in the established Round Tables could be productive.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Since 24% of children in foster care are Native American, further attention be given by FCS to improve relations and communication with ICWA representatives. Involvement in established Round Tables needs to increase in order to assure adequate attention to Native children. (To be completed by October 2024) F3
F4
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Out-of-county placement of dependent children negatively impacts the availability of social workers to perform work for children placed in-County because of the additional travel time needed to complete mandated visits.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Rather than sending Mendocino County social workers to make routine monthly visits to foster children in other states and counties, Mendocino County should explore arrangements for visits by 11 the Social Services agencies where Mendocino County foster children are placed. (To be completed by October 2024) F4
F5
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
When a social worker is absent or the position is unfilled, there is no regular provision to fill the open position. This consistently contributes to a backlog of court reports to be filed with the court.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
FCS management find ways to provide coverage for absent Social Workers to alleviate heavy caseloads for other staff members. (To be completed by October 2024) F5
F6
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Usually there are no consequences for or incentives to prevent FCS from filing late court reports.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
FCS management develop incentives for staff members’ timely reports. (To be completed by October 2024) F6
F7
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
FCS regularly fails to meet the legally mandated timelines for the filing of court reports. This results in some court proceedings having to be continued, to the detriment of children, families, and the court.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
FCS management and social workers develop a strategic plan that will eliminate late court reports. (To be completed by October 2024) F7, F8
F8
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
When FCS fails to meet legally mandated timelines for the filing of court reports they are not providing the children and families with due process, possibly creating a civil rights violation liability for Mendocino County.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
FCS expand their attractive and informative Face Book advertising to other websites, including Mendocino County’s, for all job openings. (To be completed by October 2024) F14
F9
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
The System Improvement Plan has been out of date since 2021, contributing to a lack of accountability.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
FCS management be required to encourage immediate approval of a new SIP plan that addresses FCS staffing issues. (To be completed by October 2024) F9
F10
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Mendocino County does not have a QA department in FCS to provide quality services and correct systems that can lead to problems.
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
Mendocino County implement a QA department in FCS. (To be completed by May 2025)
F11
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Reducing overtime requires filling open staff positions and increasing salaries to boost morale and reduce burnout.
Related Recommendations (1)
R11
FCS immediately fill vacant staff positions. (To be completed by October 2024) F11
F12
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
It is difficult to decipher the FCS budget. Lack of specific line items causes lack of transparency and understanding of how the money is used.
Related Recommendations (1)
R12
Prior to the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025-26, the County budget provide more transparency concerning decoding and identifying line items and specifics of distribution and allocation of funds for FCS. (To be completed by January 2025) F12
F13
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Based on funding from the State of California and Mendocino County to FCS, it appears that the County could increase staff positions and/or salaries in FCS, thus boosting morale and reducing burnout.
Related Recommendations (1)
R13
Mendocino County use monies in the FCS budget for staffing, reducing overtime and salary adjustments. (To be completed by January 2025) F13
F14
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Mendocino County Human Resources continues to struggle with recruiting new workers for FCS. 10
Related Recommendations (1)
R14
FCS work with County Human Resources to streamline the hiring process so it takes no more than two months between a candidate’s application and a decision by the County. (To be completed by October 2024) F15, F16
F15
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Applications for new county employees within FCS can take up to six months to process, resulting in some interested and capable workers choosing to abandon the process and seek employment elsewhere. Advertised positions consistently have a short deadline for application.
Related Recommendations (1)
R15
Advertised positions should not have an application deadline. (To be completed by October 2024) F15
F16
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Contributing to short-staffing, there is lack of a pool of applicants who have expressed interest in positions.
Related Recommendations (1)
R16
There be a permanent open application process to create a pool of qualified people for all FCS Vocational Assistants, Social Services Assistants, Social Worker, and Social Worker Supervisor positions (To be completed by October 2024) F14, F15, F16
F17
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Understaffing at FCS leads to high caseloads and low worker morale, frequently contributing to high worker turnover and a lack of experienced workers.
Related Recommendations (1)
R17
FCS address understaffing which leads to high caseloads and low worker morale, frequently contributing to high worker turnover, a toxic culture and lack of experienced workers. (To be completed by October 2024) F15, F16, F17 12
F18
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
The current four-day workweek and Friday office closure within Mendocino County FCS are detrimental to public access to services.
Related Recommendations (1)
R18
Mendocino County and FCS explore ways to keep the FCS offices open 5 days a week while allowing employees to maintain their four-day/ten-hour shifts by implementing staggered schedules. (To be completed by January 2025) F18
F19
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Social Worker Assistants regularly do field work rather than the Social Worker, who uses that time to complete mandated reports.
Related Recommendations (1)
R19
Increase staffing, including the three unfilled Vocational Assistant positions, to alleviate the problem of using Social Workers and Social Worker Assistants for transportation of children. (To be completed by October 2024) F16, F19, F20
F20
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Vocational Assistant positions could be used for transportation duty, but positions are unfilled.
Related Recommendations (1)
R20
The Office of the Ombudsman be expanded to include services for children, allowing for immediate advocacy prior to approaching FCS. (To be completed by May 2025) F21
F21
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
Currently, Mendocino County’s Office of the Ombudsman does not offer services to provide immediate advocacy for children prior to approaching FCS but offers only Aging and Adult Services.
Related Recommendations (1)
R21
FCS use all possible means to reference the California DSS Ombudsperson for information and assistance. (To be completed by October 2024) F21
F22
The Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury finds that:
There is an underutilized state-wide computer system, CWS/CMS, developed to help social workers.
Related Recommendations (1)
R22
FCS management provide training for the use of the California state-wide computer system, CWS/CMS case management system, and assure the system is used to its fullest advantage. (To be completed by October 2024) F22
Additional Recommendations 1
These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.
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R23The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors create a committee whose sole mission is to independently and accurately evaluate the status of timely court filings by FCS. They will report their findings quarterly to the Board of Supervisors. (To be completed by October 2024) F7, F9,
Conclusions 1
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CL1Family and Children’s Services is essential for children in need of protection. The people who work in FCS demonstrate knowledge of their jobs and passion for their mission; they know the health and welfare of our children is important now and in the future. FCS is a “living tool” in a constant state of improvement to accommodate mandated statutory and regulatory changes, program and service practices. For example, in 1983, California SB 370 authorized a state-wide computer system called CWS/CMS, the California version of the Federal Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS), to help social workers in recording and updating assessments, create and maintain case plans and manage the placement of children. In our investigation, the Grand Jury discovered the computer system was under-utilized in Mendocino County. California SB 370 (Chapter 1294, Statutes of 1989) There are many internal efficiencies FCS can implement to improve current issues and situations if the agency can accept constructive criticism from and collaborate with primary stakeholders. Proper staffing is the single most critical item needed to create better outcomes. FCS is attempting to do the entire job with just two-thirds of the workforce allocated, within a four-day workweek. A short, four-day workweek presents additional problems to the already stressed social workers who, because of short-staffing, are unable to complete mandated reports as required. As the FCS office is closed to the public and unresponsive on Friday to anything other than a true emergency, any situation needing attention and arising late Thursday or Friday is deferred until Monday. Delays are both possible and probable in that time, putting more children and families at risk. The Grand Jury calculates that if one workday is removed from each week, in one month one week will have been lost. In light of the staff’s present critical need for time, removing a week from the day-to-day operations of a department already short-staffed denies face-to-face public access to FCS services. Grand Jury recommendations are realistic and achievable. They will result in better outcomes now and in the future. Past Grand Juries have addressed these issues; it appears to be time to act. The Grand Jury urges Family and Children’s Services leadership and the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors to adopt the recommendations and thanks all involved for their cooperation in this investigation.