Board of Supervisors' Response August 12, 2025*

The Children and Family Services staff is dedicated to the important work they do Response: The Employment & Human Services Department (EHSD) agrees with and appreciates this finding.

The social worker job is challenging and stressful, contributing to the difficulty in recruiting and retaining of staff. Response: EHSD agrees with this finding.

Children and Family Services faces challenges in both hiring and retaining social worker staff. Response: EHSD agrees that this is a long-standing county, state, and national situation.

Social workers have resigned and taken positions with competing agencies offering higher pay. Response: EHSD partially disagrees. Social workers do resign but EHSD does not have the data to support that a preponderance take positions with better pay. Employees who give notice of resignation are referred for exit interviews, which are optional. Of the 13 most recent exit interviews, most respondents checked multiple boxes for the reasons for resignation. Four indicated the reason for resignation was better pay, eight noted personal reasons, four noted relocation or better commute, and 6 noted they were going to another government organization.

As of January 2025, Children and Family Services has a current social worker vacancy rate of 19%, with 31 of 167 authorized positions unfilled. Response: EHSD agrees that the vacancy rate was 19% in January 2025. The rate is declining. On June 30, 2025 Children and Family Services has 165 authorized Social Worker II/III positions and a total of 24 vacancies which equates to a vacancy rate of 16%

Understaffing increases the workload for existing staff. Response: EHSD agrees with this finding. To mitigate workload impacts for permanent ÷. social workers, EHSD utilizes staff reassignments to balance caseloads, paid over-time, and temporary and retiree social workers.

The absence of a full staff of social workers can result in a negative impact on services provided to children and families, including delays in service, requirements for re- interviews, and the related stress on children and families. Response: Budgeted and filled positions are not the best indicators of sufficient staffing. SB2030 helped provide guidance on caseload standards, but standards and resource levels vary across California counties. Risk is always present, and varies case by case. Overall, Contra Costa performs well related to mandatory national standards. EHSD12 month EHSD April average (May Performance Measure (mandated level) 2025 2024-April 2025) 1. Immediate referrals with timely response 96% 97% (=>90%) 2. 10 day referrals with timely response 93% 95% (=>90%) 3. Timely monthly social worker visits 95% 96% (=>95%) 4. Children achieving permanency in 12 42% 37% months (=>35%) 5. Recurrence of maltreatment within 1 year 7% 7% (<10%)

Fewer college students in the western United States are enrolling in social work majors, reducing the pool of potential applicants. Response: EHSD agrees with this interpretation of the data cited by the Grand Jury.

Children and Family Services does not recruit for social workers at universities and colleges outside of the Bay Area or participate at recruiting/hiring fairs nationally. Response: EHSD agrees with this finding.

Children and Family Services has reduced the educational requirements from Master of Social Work to Bachelor of Science plus relevant experience, to increase the pool of potential applicants. Response: EHSD partially agrees with this finding. EHSD reduced the educational requirement from Master of Social Work to Bachelor of Science plus relevant experience prior to the year 2000, though the actual date is unknown. EHSD does not have records indicating the reason for this change.

Adding dedicated Human Resources staff to Employment and Human Services Department has aided hiring efforts. Response: EHSD agrees with this finding.

Children and Family Services does not reimburse new employees for relocation expenses. Response: EHSD agrees with this finding. The County does not reimburse new employees for relocation expenses. Children and Family Services does not reimburse interviewees for travel expenses.

Response: EHSD agrees with this finding. The County does not reimburse interviewees for travel expenses. EHSD does offer video interviews for all social work applicants for CFS positions, including out-of-town applicants.

Children and Family Services provides limited motivational, recognition, and wellness programs for social workers. Response: EHSD disagrees with this finding. The Board of Supervisors, EHSD, and CFS celebrate and acknowledge social work staff annually during Social Work appreciation month. The various CFS Divisions coordinate and plan celebrations throughout the year. These include annual years of service recognition events, opportunities for social workers to be spotlighted for their work in the EHSD newsletter and during Board proclamation months. Employee Assistance Program services are available to all staff and CFS holds a critical incident debriefing to support staff involved in critical incidents. CFS offers opportunities for social workers to participate in supervision groups to obtain the necessary hours to become licensed practitioners. EHSD extends the opportunity to staff to obtain advanced degrees and participate in employee internships during which they are able to maintain their full-time employment. Finally, CFS has trained and supports all supervisors in trauma-informed supervision given the child and family trauma that CFS social workers encounter in the course of their duties.

Children and Family Services does not have an employee referral program for social workers. Response: EHSD agrees with this finding. The County does not have an employee referral program.

Children and Family Services does not have a hiring or retention bonus program for social workers. Response: EHSD agrees with this finding. The County does not have a hiring or retention bonus program for social workers.

Children and Family Services has university and employee internship programs. Since 2019, CFS hired eight of 28 university interns and promoted five of 23 employee interns into permanent social worker positions. Response: EHSD essentially agrees with this finding with a small correction to the exact numbers. Since 2019 CFS has hired 10 university interns promoted 6 employee interns into permanent social worker positions.

Several of the challenges identified by the Grand Jury in 2019 (including a number of vacancies among social workers, a lengthy hiring process, heavy workloads, and a stressful work environment) still exist today. Response: EHSD partially agrees. Contra Costa County along with other child welfare agencies statewide have continued to grapple with social work vacancies since 2019. The nature of public child welfare work is stressful due to the child trauma witnessed, legal responsibilities, complex mandated case work activities, and complex family situations for which social workers are expected to provide interventions using a trauma informed approach. Social Workers require extensive training and experience, which has been offered through the Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Program and state mandated Core training. Both programs are intended to train, educate and prepare social workers for the demands experienced in the field of public child welfare.