Riverside County Department of Public Social Services Children's Service Division Child Protective Services, Blythe

Testimony revealed that social workers are contacted several times a month to remove children from their homes in the Blythe area during late evening or early morning hours for alleged neglect or abuse and are held in the CPS office. This is because there are no temporary shelters available. Two (2) social workers must remain with these children to ensure the child’s safety and well-being until an appropriate placement can be arranged. Foster Homes

In the fiscal year 2003-2004, there were seven certified foster homes in Blythe, but at the time of this current report there are only two. In emergency situations foster homes may be utilized as temporary shelter homes. Due to the low number of foster homes and lack of shelter facilities in Blythe, children must be transported to Indio or in some cases other communities as far away as Moreno Valley, Riverside, Corona, and Fontana or Rancho Cucamonga in San Bernardino County. These trips can take up to 6-8 hours. This multiplies the time and expense incurred by the county, and the added emotional stress on the individual social workers as well as the anxiety placed on the recently displaced children. Investigation revealed foster parents have reported they were not always provided access to necessary resources and training (e.g., health services, mental health services, and special education services) to adequately provide for children’s needs. Security and Safety

At the time of this report the exterior doors at the Blythe CPS office do not close completely when the staff enters at the back of the building, consequently the alarm system is not always dependable. Although there is lighting in the front of the building, it functions intermittently. Investigation and inspection of the Blythe CPS office revealed there are two security cameras on the rear of the building. However the poor resolution and improper placement negates the camera’s reliability, making identification of people or vehicles virtually impossible. Further investigation revealed that vehicles often operate in an unsafe manner within the interior of the parking lot near the CPS entrances utilized for moving children into and out of the facility. The geographical and physical setting of the office, especially in relation to other county facilities attracts a variety of individuals, including vagrants. The necessary night utilization of the facility, usually involving children, presents a definite security issue. Services

The Blythe CPS social workers and their clients have limited access to local community services and county support systems in the Palo Verde Valley area. These support services are required for individualized intervention to families, which in turn, allow the opportunity for children to be raised in homes free of abuse and neglect. Examples of services required by families through CPS programs include parenting classes, drug treatment and testing, psychotherapy, life skills training services, transportation services and support services to relatives and foster caretakers. Many of these necessary support services are only available at distant locations such as Indio, Riverside or Moreno Valley. Interviews revealed excessive travel times to receive required services negatively impact social workers’ ability to effectively and efficiently manage their caseloads. Due to minimal staffing levels the Blythe Office of the Department of Mental Health is only able to respond to emergency CPS referrals. A Mental Health Clinical Therapist is needed to expand mental health services capacity to provide both routine and emergency counseling for CPS clients. Blythe CPS workers must often travel long distances to receive their required professional training. In an attempt to coordinate CPS activities, quarterly meetings are currently held between representatives of CPS, Mental Health and Probation Departments. However, these meetings are too infrequent to best meet the needs of the affected families.