DATE: May 21, 2024
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Retroactive Amendment to Standard Agreement with California Department of Social Services for Resource Family Approval Family Evaluations
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute retroactive Amendment A1 to the Standard Agreement (State agreement No. 21-5013) with the California Department of Social Services to add family evaluations for Resource Family Approval applicants, effective July 1, 2022 with no change to the term of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024 and increasing the maximum by $78,100 to a total of $78,100.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action will allow the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to additionally provide family evaluations for the County for Resource Family Approval (RFA) applicants. Under the current agreement, CDSS provides legal consultation and representation for the County at no cost to the County. Given the original agreement has a zero maximum compensation, approval of this amendment will add funding in FY 2022-23 and 2023-24 for the additional service of family evaluation. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your board not approve the recommended action, the Department will be unable to pay for family evaluations completed by CDSS and the Department will have to determine how to process all family evaluations which may result in a larger backlog and families will not receive their services timely.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The recommended amendment was received from CDSS on March 26, 2024, and is retroactive to July 1, 2022. This item is being brought to your Board in accordance with the agenda item processing timelines.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The maximum cost for the recommended amendment is $78,100 and will be fully offset with 2011 Realignment. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues have been included in the Departments Org. 5610 FY 2023-24 Adopted Budget and will be included in subsequent budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
As part of the State’s Continuum of Care Reform efforts, the RFA program provides a unified set of standards for the licensing of foster homes and approving individuals as foster care providers. The program supports victims of child abuse and neglect by reducing the use of congregate care and shortening the time to permanency for children.
As a component of the unified standards, the County and CDSS may enter into an agreement which allows CDSS to provide assistance with the RFA process, pursuant to Government Code, section 30029.7(a)(3). CDSS offers the following: legal services, complaint investigations, family evaluations, and home health and safety assessments.
On August 10, 2021, your Board approved Standard Agreement No. 21-309 with CDSS to receive legal services, such as legal consultation and representation for the County on appeals to a RFA Notice of Action. The cost for legal services provided under this agreement is funded by CDSS.
Approval of the recommended action will allow CDSS to additionally assist the Department with RFA family evaluations until June 30, 2024. Family evaluations allow the Department to make a recommendation as to the applicant’s suitability to foster, adopt, and/or provide legal guardianship of a child or non-minor dependent.
Initially, the Department did not anticipate the need for CDSS assistance with family evaluation services. However, as of July 2022, the Department encountered a backlog of RFA applicants who needed family evaluations to be completed. This backlog impacted the Department’s operations and delayed youth placements. Due to the urgent need of finding safe, stable, and optimal placements for children, CDSS offered to assist the Department with this backlog. However, the services for family evaluations require compensation from the Department.
The recommended amendment utilizes CDSS’ contract model and differs from the County’s model contract. CDSS requires the County to sign first and will subsequently fully execute the amendment. A copy of the fully executed amendment will be forwarded to the Clerk of the Board.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #52, August 10, 2021
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Standard Agreement Amendment with CDSS
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander