DATE: August 9, 2022
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Letters of Intent for California Department of Social Services Family First Transition Act Transition Grant and Family First Prevention Services Program Block Grant Allocations
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Retroactively approve and authorize the Department of Social Services’ submittal of two letters of intent to the California Department of Social Services to opt-in for Family First Transition Act Transition Grant Allocation ($1,958,467) and Family First Prevention Services Program Block Grant Allocation ($8,109,466).
REPORT
To meet the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) established timelines, the Department of Social Services submitted two letters of intent to opt-in to the Family First Transition Act (FFTA) and Family First Prevention Services (FFPS) Block Grant programs on May 10, 2022, and May 27, 2022, respectively, contingent upon your Board’s approval. These letters will allow the Department to access specified allocations for the FFTA Transition Grant for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2021 to FFY 2025 and State FFPS Block Grant, for the period of October 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024. These programs will allow participating counties to augment and/or expand child abuse prevention efforts. 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 will withdraw the letters of intent, which will impact the Department’s ability to expand programs and prevention services that promote trauma-informed, evidence-based practices designed to keep families intact and prevent children from being removed from the home and placed into foster care.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action will allow the Department to access $1,958,467 for FFTA and $8,109,466 for FFPS. FFTA funding will be available through FFY 2025 while funding from FFPS will be available through June 30, 2024. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues will be included in the Department’s Org 5610 FY 2022-2023 Recommended Budget and will be included in subsequent budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
On April 20, 2021, CDSS released All County Letter (ACL) No. 21-47 to inform California counties of the available allocations under FFTA and to provide guidance to counties electing to participate. The purpose of FFTA is to support strategic planning, implementation, and capacity expansion of FFPS programs aimed at supporting families in their ability to provide safe, stable, and nurturing environments for their children. The FFTA Transition Grant will allow the Department to identify and develop a spectrum of services that meet the needs of the community, conduct a needs assessment of currently available services to identify potential service enhancements, evaluate and identify local providers of evidence-based and promising practices for potential service expansions.
On March 10, 2022, CDSS released ACL No. 22-23 to provide guidance and requirements to counties opting into FFPS allocations to fund comprehensive prevention and early intervention programs and services to assist at-risk families and reduce the need for foster care placements. The State FFPS Block Grant will support the development and implementation of any prevention and intervention programs and services that promote trauma-informed, evidence-based practices designed to keep families intact and reduce the number of children needing to be removed from their homes.
To ensure access to the allocated funding, the Department submitted the letters of intent, included as Attachments A and B, for the State FFPS Block Grant on May 10, 2022, and the FFTA Transition Grant on May 27, 2022, to meet CDSS’ established timelines, contingent upon your Board’s approval.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Attachment A
Attachment B
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia M. De La Rosa