DATE: August 23, 2016
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Delfino E. Neira, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Retroactive Revenue Agreement with Fresno Unified School District
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a retroactive Revenue Agreement with Fresno Unified School District for Project ACCESS case management services, effective July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017 ($59,451).
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will allow the Department of Social Services to continue to provide social work services to homeless children and families at Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) school sites, with no increase in Net County Cost.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no viable alternative action. Should your Board not approve this agreement, homeless children who reside within FUSD boundaries will not receive specialized on-site case management services by Department staff.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The signed agreement was received by the Department on June 28, 2016. The recommended Agreement is retroactive due to the processing time required to prepare the recommended agreement for your Board’s approval.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The recommended Agreement will provide the Department with $59,451 in revenue from FUSD to offset Child Welfare direct services cost not claimed to Federal sources. The revenue amount was mutually determined, and is determined using the Department’s share of cost. Two Department social workers are assigned to work with Project ACCESS. The total cost of one social worker is estimated at $155,464, which is offset with Federal ($56,379), 2011 Child Welfare Realignment in lieu of State General fund ($69,360) and 1991 Realignment ($29,725) funds which covers the County share of cost. Funds received by FUSD are federal funds, and cannot be used to match federal funds received by the Department for social worker cost. Revenue received by the Department will be used to offset increased direct service cost. The Department collaborates with third party grantors or agencies to maximize funds that support direct services aimed at intervention and prevention. Sufficient appropriations and revenues are included in the FY 2016-17 Adopted Budget for Department of Social Services (DSS), Org 5610.
DISCUSSION:
The Project ACCESS program is a school-based prevention and early intervention program that provides case management service for at-risk homeless children and their families in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The goals of the program are to strengthen family functioning, reduce the risk of abuse, neglect, or out-of-home placement, and improve educational stability. The Department’s Social workers with Project ACCESS assist homeless families to attain permanent housing and refer families to community agencies that will address additional social service needs. The Department has collaborated with FUSD for the provision of Project ACCESS case management services since 2006.
Students who receive services are those who have environmental, personal, social, academic or socio-economic risk factors that increase the likelihood of dropping out of school before high school graduation. These risk factors may include chronic absenteeism, disruptive behavior, poor or negative self-esteem, withdrawal, or aggressive behaviors towards others. Case management services designed to address these factors include assessment, crisis intervention, substance abuse intervention, domestic violence intervention, mental health treatment, and who are homeless. Services are provided to children and families who have a current child abuse/neglect open investigation referral, or who have been referred through FUSD staff due to the presence of risk factors.
In FY 2015-16, Project ACCESS services were provided to 52 children and 26 families with an open Child Welfare Services (CWS) emergency response case or referral. 1,610 children and 439 families not involved with CWS, but who were considered high-risk also received Project ACCESS services. All of the 52 children served were maintained safely, as evidenced by remaining in their families without incident and remained at their school of origin. A similar number of families and children are expected to be served in FY 2016-17.
The recommended Agreement will be effective July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017. It contains mutual indemnification language recommended by Risk Management and provisions to terminate the Agreement for any reason upon a thirty (30) day advance written notice by FUSD, the County or County’s DSS Director or designee. The Disclosure of Self-Dealing Transactions provision is not included as FUSD does not operate as a corporation. The Department has two (2) other no cost agreements with FUSD for Foster Care Data Share and Income Documentation for Student Meals.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #41, August 25, 2015
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander