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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.
⚠️ 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 2 findings
F1
A WIC 241.1 protocol assessment is made on The true identity of the juvenile is not too few juveniles within the DCFS. always known. It is not unusual for juveniles to move from county to county and to have cases The DCFS is initiating an audit on the pending in various counties simultaneously. The 241.1 protocol, investigating who is initiating files would be more complete if all juveniles the referral and whether the assessments are who are arrested were fingerprinted and the accomplished in a timely manner. record maintained statewide. The Inter-Agency Council expects that by July 1, 1996 the index would include the
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Inter-Agency communication. departments of Health Services, Mental Health, Probation, District Attorney, Coroner, and the Los Angeles Police. When the system is County and city agencies in February completed there will be 28 participating 1996, began using the new centralized $400,000 agencies. Some will be at city, county, state, computer index to share information between and/or federal levels. agencies involved in the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (ICAN), namely, Case studies in the Audit Report for this the Sheriff, Public Social Services, and Children Committee consistently pointed out the problem and Family Services. is not in procedures but the lack of communication between agencies serving the children of Los Angeles County. . . -- 3 19 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 and the second of the second of the second . . PART II. CLASSIFICATION OF DEPENDENT CHILDREN under the definition of WIC 601, and, due to funding,
Recommendations 5
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R1Page 77Early Childhood Home Visits And Day Care Spiritual - Youngsters explore the connection - The homes of children born to crack-addicted between themselves and society; they learn self- mothers or children suffering from neglect are esteem begins with a youngster's personal monitored by weekly home visits of the social relationship with God. worker to their second birthday, day care from age two through age five for working mothers Emotional - Teenagers deficient in expressing and an expenditure up to $25,000 per child at a full range of emotions have to learn that it is risk. Of the County's wards 25% would be not unmasculine or unfeminine to be loving and eligible for this care. caring. Parent Training - Parents of the 25% eligible
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R2Page 77Social - The program stresses adulthood as a County wards would receive 10 to 20 sessions function, benefiting family social and of counseling and coaching. Up to $1500 per community. child at risk would be expended. Personal - The children are taught that life can
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R3Page 77Early Intervention With Delinquents - Judges be hard and unfair, but our ability to love, have found that a group of hard-core delin- struggle, and overcome obstacles produces the quents, late in their criminal activity, use up the fruit of our labor and gives us the faith to carry majority of funds, that would be better on. expended on a first time, second or third time delinquent juvenile. Potential hard-core youths Mental - The program develops a thirst for up to 3% of the delinquents and their family knowledge as a life-long process. would receive day care treatment and a family program. Expenditures up to $10,000 was Cultural - Originally designed for black recommended. youngsters, the program is being adapted to include Latino history and culture. Approxi- mately 30% to 40% of participants are Latinos. RECOMMENDATION Political - The minors learn to take an active The Grand Jury recommends to the Board of role in the community, as well as local state and Supervisors an approach to juvenile services that leads federal government. to increased in-home-care and less out-of-home foster care. Economics - Training on how to find a job, run a business and open a savings account are DCFS should initiate an early intervention pilot offered and related as a basic foundation to program involving approximately 50 families. becoming an adult and building a family. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides Social Workers financial assistance from federal and state government as well as medical assistance. The Juvenile Services Committee spoke to several children's social workers, both on and off the Children's Health and Disease Prevention record. Many felt overburdened by their caseloads, Program (CHOP) services include physical frustrated by the increase in cases, and the restriction on examination, immunization, vision, hearing, and hiring of additional social workers. laboratory tests and annual dental care. Whether children are cared for by parents or Indian Child Welfare Act 1978 attempts to foster parents, social workers are required to report redress past wrongs by placing minors in Indian evidence of abuse, and document children's medical and homes to avoid further deterioration of the dental appointments. When siblings are separated and Indian culture. placed in different homes, social workers' jobs become more difficult, since they must travel from one location Los Angeles Unified School District Liaison to another to visit and report on each child. helps enroll minors in proper schools and obtains school records. Courts, Agencies, and Laws Courthouse Referral Program secures One of the courts in the juvenile division of the counseling, parenting classes and/or drug Superior Court is the Edmund E. Edelman Children's rehabilitation as required. Dependency Court. This courthouse is orientated towards accommodating children in court. The court Further assistance is provided by: steps in when child abuse either sexual, emotional or mental cruelty is reported. Adoption Assistance Benefits Interstate Compact for the Following is a list of agencies and organizations Placement of Children (ICPC) used by the court: Family Preservation Court Mental Health Unit Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a program of volunteers that operates out of the Communication courthouse. They assist minors who come to court from shelters or have special needs. Communication within the various agencies of the Dependency Court is a major problem. In the past Alliance For Children's Rights offers free legal year the Juvenile Task Force was asked to focus representation. attention on ways to improve the exchange of information among these concerned agencies and Regional Centers determine whether a person is individuals. mentally retarded or developmentally disabled. The Grand Jury was particularly concerned Special Education provides handicapped about problems in changing a juvenile from a WIC 300 children from three years to 22 with supple- to WIC 60l or WIC 602 status. mental classes. Findings
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R4Page 80Verification of service delivery against CSW deal with children on a "threatening" rather than case records, such as write quarterly reports and "therapeutic" basis. Many individuals believe that group conduct interviews with CSW; and home personnel prefer to have their residents in the probation system rather than the dependency system.
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R5Page 81A post-audit child interview focusing on the The probation system gives the group home personnel overall service the child receives from his/her more control over the children; for example, when a CSW, attorney and group home. child who is filed as a WIC 602 is "acting up," Group Home personnel can use the threat of Juvenile Hall. Since January 1995, roughly 10%, or 19 group homes, have undergone the audit. All audits highlighted Visiting assessing homes' and group performance was not within the scope of this study. some deficient areas, demanding all group homes be However, in January of 1995, DCFS began re-visited Continuation of this implementing an audit of all Los Angeles County Group extensive audit is highly recommended. Home Foster Care agreements of every Group Home in which DCFS children reside. The DCFS Group Home According to DCFS protocol, CSWs attempt to Audit Section Protocol indicates that the audit is prepare the group homes as much as possible in terms intended to "ensure that out-of-home care providers are of what to expect from the child. Any family history providing children with suitable care and a safe and psychological testing, if available, is required to be environment which includes physical care, emotional provided. Implementing a periodic review to ensure support, and other services to protect and enhance their that CSWs are providing this information is recommended. Without this history, it is impossible for growth and development." This program quality audit is intended to reach 100% of the Group Homes every group homes to adequately serve the children. three years. Any Group Home service that the audit finds to be deficient will be reviewed in six months to A final recommendation concerns providing ensure the area is corrected. group homes with a clear set of guidelines outlining when it is appropriate to bring police in on a WIC 300 \odot dependent. While an individual's discretion will factor The audit consists of five parts: into this decision, predetermining what constitutes A general review of the group homes' police intervention versus what amounts of "typical