DATE: September 22, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Foster Family Agency License Application
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize Director of the Department of Social Services to submit an application to the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, for a Foster Family Agency license; and
2. Adopt Resolution to appoint the Board of Supervisors to serve as the governing body of Fresno County's Foster Family Agency, designating the Director of the Department of Social Services as Chief Executive Officer of the agency, and designating administrators for the agency.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action is required by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Community Care Licensing Division to submit a Foster Family Agency (FFA) license application. Pending subsequent review and approval, an FFA license will allow the Department of Social Services to continue to provide Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) services via the FFA model, switching from the current Public Delivery Model. There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended action, the Department would be unable to access resources determined to be critical for continued operation and development of the Department’s ISFC program. The Department would potentially need to reduce levels of service and, depending on the availability of further alternatives, may be unable to continue to operate the ISFC program currently in operation, thus losing a valuable resource for keeping youth at the least restrictive level of care.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action.
DISCUSSION:
The Department has operated an ISFC Program since May 10, 2018. Currently the Department supports between 70 - 100 children monthly in Department approved foster family homes and/or approved relative placements through its existing program. ISFC is an intensive services program designed to ensure that higher acuity youth in foster care can receive the services they need in a home-based family care setting to avoid or exit a short-term residential therapeutic program (STRTP), group home (GH), or out-of-state GH care.
Since the inception of the ISFC level of care, CDSS has provided Counties two avenues of operating an ISFC program, the “Public Delivery Model” and the FFA Model. ISFC funding is comprised of two primary components, a Resource Family rate intended for the ISFC family and an Administrative rate intended for operation of the program. Guidance from CDSS including All County Letter (ACL) 17-11 (January 31, 2017) indicated that both components were available to Counties operating a Public Delivery Model ISFC Program. The Department at this time began development of an ISFC Program which was approved and authorized to function at the complete rate effective May 10, 2018.
Subsequent guidance from CDSS has indicated that the Administrative Rate is available only through the FFA model. The Department has evaluated and determined that ISFC Administrative Rate funding offers an improved share of cost ratio over alternatives, with an approximately 25% State share of program costs. State share of cost is not available for evaluated alternatives. Financial viability of the ISFC program is dependent on this improved share of cost ratio.
As recent guidance has indicated the Administrative Rate is exclusive to the FFA model and as the FFA model is only available to licensed FFAs, the Department thus recommends pursuit of licensure as an FFA through the CDSS Community Care Licensing (CCL) Division. The Department has evaluated and determined that minimal changes would be required to existing operations to comply with all licensing regulations as, in many cases, the Department already meets or exceeds regulations.
Licensure is intended solely to allow the Department to maintain the current ISFC program, licensure would not increase the capacity of the program but would allow the Department to continue to offer this level of care. Licensed FFAs currently account for approximately half of ISFC placements for Fresno County, the Department anticipates no impact to this ratio from licensure as an FFA. Placement decisions are always made in the best interests of individual children or youth.
Under California Assembly Bill 161 (2024) the ISFC program is set to sunset twenty-four months after implementation of the statewide Foster Care Tiered Rate Structure (TRS). The TRS may be implemented as early as July 1, 2027 which provides for ISFC services to continue at least through June 30, 2029. The Department is actively investigating methods to continue to provide a comparable service after the sunset of the ISFC program. The TRS provides for Immediate Needs Funding associated with placement tier rates, this funding is being evaluated as a source for continued sustainability of the program.
With your Board’s approval, the first recommended action will allow the Department to submit the licensing application to CDSS Community Care Licensing Division as the first step toward implementing the Licensed FFA. This recommended action does not guarantee CDSS approval for the FFA license nor obligate the County to open and/or operate an FFA if it is later deemed not programmatically or fiscally feasible. If the application is approved by the CDSS Community Care Licensing Division, the Department will return to your Board for any items that require Board approval.
The second recommended action is for the approval of a Resolution required by the Foster Family Agencies Interim Licensing Standards Chapter 8.8, Section 88218. The Resolution acknowledges your Board’s role as the governing body of the FFA, appoints the Director of the Department of Social Services as Chief Executive Officer of the agency, and appoints qualified Department staff as Administrators of the agency. Formal acknowledgment of these roles is necessary to receive licensure.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - FFA Resolution
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander