Fostering a Better Foster Care System

R2

Identify effective strategies and prepare and approve a plan to increase the number of active County placements for large sibling sets, teens, and youth with high needs by a minimum of 30 by July 1, 2017. (F1)

R3

Dedicate available AB403 funds to enable foster parents to participate in recruitment efforts, serve as mentors and attend professional events beginning in County Fiscal Year 2016-2017. (F2, F4)

R5

Provide foster parents with timely access to information and identify and adopt strategies to make them respected, equal and integral parts of the child’s team as mandated by AB403 and according to the principles of the Quality Parenting Initiative. (F2, F4)

R6

Document the use of the County Efforts to Outcomes database to track and evaluate the success of foster parent recruitment and retention efforts. (F2, F3)

R13

Use AB403 funds to contract with a professional marketing agency to assist in foster home recruitment efforts. (F2)

R14

Develop a process to provide accurate and current information on Children and Family Services websites by January, 2017. (F2, F10)

R15

Upgrade technology to reflect current industry standards by July 1, 2017. Upgrades may include, but are not limited to, websites offering agent chats, user blogs and case management systems. (F2, F10)

R6

Document the use of the County Efforts to Outcomes database to track and evaluate the success of foster parent recruitment and retention efforts. (F2, F3)

R3

Dedicate available AB403 funds to enable foster parents to participate in recruitment efforts, serve as mentors and attend professional events beginning in County Fiscal Year 2016-2017. (F2, F4)

R5

Provide foster parents with timely access to information and identify and adopt strategies to make them respected, equal and integral parts of the child’s team as mandated by AB403 and according to the principles of the Quality Parenting Initiative. (F2, F4)

R7

Prepare and approve a plan to reduce to two the average annual number of placements for teens and other children in long term foster care by July 1, 2017. (F5) REPORT 4 Fostering a Better Foster Care System 2015-2016 Orange County Grand Jury

R8

Prepare and approve a plan to increase the percentage of sibling sets placed together by 20% by July 1, 2017. (F5)

R17

Prepare and approve a plan to triple enrollment of foster youth to Samueli Academy for the 2016-2017 academic year and provide transportation to the academy as needed. (F6) REQUIRED RESPONSES The California Penal Code Section 933 requires the governing body of any public agency which the Grand Jury has reviewed, and about which it has issued a final report, to comment to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court on the findings and recommendations pertaining to matters under the control of the governing body. Such comment shall be made no later than 90 days after the Grand Jury publishes its report (filed with the Clerk of the Court). Additionally, in the case of a report containing findings and recommendations pertaining to a department or agency headed by an elected County official (e.g. District Attorney, Sheriff, etc.), such elected County official shall comment on the findings and recommendations pertaining to the matters under that REPORT 4 Fostering a Better Foster Care System 2015-2016 Orange County Grand Jury elected official’s control to the Presiding Judge with an information copy sent to the Board of Supervisors. Furthermore, California Penal Code Section 933.05 subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) detail, as follows, the manner in which such comment(s) are to be made: (a) As to each Grand Jury finding, the responding person or entity shall indicate one of the following: (1) The respondent agrees with the finding. (2) The respondent disagrees wholly or partially with the finding, in which case the response shall specify the portion of the finding that is disputed and shall include an explanation of the reasons therefore. (b) As to each Grand Jury recommendation, the responding person or entity shall report one of the following actions: (1) The recommendation has been implemented, with a summary regarding the implemented action. (2) The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future, with a time frame for implementation. (3) The recommendation requires further analysis, with an explanation and the scope and parameters of an analysis or study, and a time frame for the matter to be prepared for discussion by the officer or head of the agency or department being investigated or reviewed, including the governing body of the public agency when applicable. This time frame shall not exceed six months from the date of publication of the Grand Jury report. (4) The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable, with an explanation therefore. (c) If a finding or recommendation of the Grand Jury addresses budgetary or personnel matters of a County agency or department headed by an elected officer, both the agency or department head and the Board of Supervisors shall respond if requested by the Grand Jury, but the response of the Board of Supervisors shall address only those budgetary /or personnel matters over which it has some decision making authority. The response of the elected agency or department head shall address all aspects of the findings or recommendations affecting his or her agency or department. REPORT 4 Fostering a Better Foster Care System 2015-2016 Orange County Grand Jury Comments to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court in compliance with Penal Code Section 933.05 are required or requested from: Responses are required from the following governing bodies of the date of the publication of this report: Orange County Board of Supervisors (Findings 1-10, Recommendation 1 – 17). Responses Requested: Responses are requested from the following non-elected agency or department heads: Orange County Social Services, Department of Children and Family Services (Findings 1-10, Recommendations 1 -17). REPORT 4 Fostering a Better Foster Care System 2015-2016 Orange County Grand Jury WORKS CITED “California Child and Family Services Review County Self- Assessment Report,” July 2009. Orange County Social Services Agency, Children and Family Services Division. Web February 17, 2016. “California Child and Family Services Review County Self-Assessment Report,” January, 2014. Orange County Social Services Agency, Children and Family Services Division. Print. “County of Orange System Improvement Plan Annual Progress Report, 2014-2019. Orange County Social Services, Children and Family Services Division. Web February 17, 2016. “System Improvement Plan, (SIP),” November 7, 2009 Orange County Children and Family Services Agency, Children and Family Services Division. Web February 17 2016. “The Current State of Foster Care, the Latest Statistics from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS). Foster Club Newsletter. Foster Club Inc., 2015 Web February 2, 2016. “The Mockingbird Family Model (MFM).” The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare, October, 2013. Web 3/4/16. Assem. Bill 403, 2015 -2016, Section111. Brown,Waln. “The Psychological Consequences of Separating Siblings in Foster Care.” The Chronicle of Social Change, June 3, 2013, Web. February, 2016. Children and Families Commission of Orange County, Conditions of Children in Orange County, 19th Annual Report, 2013. p85. Print. County of Orange Social Services Agency. “2015 Foster and Relative Caregiver Recruitment, Retention and Support County Plan.” November 2015. Print. Foster Club, Inc, 2015. “Statistics on Foster Care,” statistics from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). Web February 2, 2016. Herrick, M.A., and Piccus,W. “Sibling Connections: the Importance of Nurturing Sibling Bonds in the Foster Care System,” 2005. As quoted in Cohn, Michelle. “Sibling Placement: the Importance of the Sibling Relationship for Children in Foster Care, April 2008, June 2012. Web March 3, 2016. Leathers, S.J. “Placement Disruptions and Negative Placement Outcomes Among Adolescents in Long-Term Foster Care: The Role of Behavior Problems.” Child Abuse and Neglect, 30(3), 307-324.2006.Print. REPORT 4 Fostering a Better Foster Care System 2015-2016 Orange County Grand Jury Lewis, E.E., Dozier,M., Ackerman ,J. and Sepulveda-Kozakowski,S. “The Effect of Placement Instability on Adopted Children’s Inhibitory Control Abilities and Oppositional Behavior.” Developmental Psychology, 2007 43(6), 1415-1426. Print. , 2016. -/2007. “Orangewood Children’s Home: Overstaffed and Underutilized?” Web, February 17, 2016. , 2016. , 2016. Spotlight, Directed by McCarthy, Tom, and written by McCarthy Tom and Singer, Josh. Open Road Films. 2015. Film. Therolf, Garret. “Private Foster Care System, Intended to Save Children, Endangers Some.” The Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2013. Web, January 19, 2016. Walker, Theresa. “Wanted: More Foster Parents.” The Orange County Register, January 10, 2016 A1+. Print. Webster,D., Armijo,M., Lee,S., Dawson,W., Magruder,J., Exel,M., Cuccaro-Alamin,S., Putnam- Hornstein,E., King,B., Rezvani,G., Wagstaff,K., Sandoval, A., Yee,H., Xiong,B., Benton,C., Hoerl,C., and Romero,R. California Child Welfare Indicators Report from University of California at Berkeley California Child Welfare Indicators Project, 2015 Web, January 4, 2016. REPORT 4 Fostering a Better Foster Care System 2015-2016 Orange County Grand Jury WORKS CONSULTED Children and Families Commission of Orange County. Conditions of Children in Orange County, 21st Annual Report, 2015. Print. Cohn, Michelle. “Sibling Placement: The Importance of the Sibling Relationship for Children in Foster Care,” April 2008 and update by Ariyakulkan, Lyn June, 2012. National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections. Print. Honomichi, Ryan and Brooks, Susan. “Predictors and Outcomes of Long Term Foster Care, A Literature Review,” February, 2010. UC Davis Extension, Center for Human Services. Web 1/9/16. Steiner, William. “Will Reforms Aid Victimized Children?” The Orange County Register, January 20, 2016, Opinion 7. Print. REPORT 4 Fostering a Better Foster Care System 2015-2016 Orange County Grand Jury

R9

Rewrite Foster Family Agency contracts to clarify their specific role and limit contracts to those that provide intensive and specialized care in compliance with AB403. (F7)

R16

Complete a study to determine the comparative cost of services provided by County homes versus Foster Family Agencies by January, 2017. (F7)

R10

Reinstate a unit of social workers to monitor Foster Family Agencies by July, 2017. (F8)

R11

Reduce the caseload of social workers to a maximum average of 16 (the national recommendation) by July 1, 2017. (F9)

R12

Prepare and approve a plan for an employee retention program to achieve a goal of reducing the turnover of County social workers to 10% per year by January 2018. (F9)

R14

Develop a process to provide accurate and current information on Children and Family Services websites by January, 2017. (F2, F10)

R15

Upgrade technology to reflect current industry standards by July 1, 2017. Upgrades may include, but are not limited to, websites offering agent chats, user blogs and case management systems. (F2, F10)