DATE: August 4, 2020
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Delfino E. Neira, Director, Department of Social Services
Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
SUBJECT: Fresno County System Improvement Plan
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Chairman to approve the California - Child and Family Services Review Fresno County System Improvement Plan for the period of December 27, 2019 to December 26, 2024.
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute the notice of County’s intent to meet assurances for the Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment, Community Based Child Abuse Prevention, and Promoting Safe and Stable Families funds will be used as outlined in state and federal statute.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended actions will allow the Department of Social Services to submit the Fresno County System Improvement Plan (SIP) and notice of intent to the State’s Children’s Services Outcomes and Accountability Bureau and Office of Child Abuse Prevention, to continue to receive noncompetitive state and federal funds for child abuse prevention, intervention and treatment. The SIP serves as the operational agreement with the State on how the County will improve child welfare outcomes over the course of five years and provides the required assurance that funds received by the County under this plan will be utilized for the provision of child abuse prevention, intervention and treatment services. There is no Net County Cost. The item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There are no viable alternative actions. Should your Board not approve the recommended actions, the County will not receive State and Federal funds for child abuse prevention services and will be noncompliant with the State’s effort to improve child welfare outcomes.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase to Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action, and subsequent approval by the State, will allow the County to continue to receive child abuse prevention funding. Estimated funding in FY 2020-21 is $1,736,502, which includes a combination of State Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment ($331,526), Federal Community Based Child Abuse Prevention ($41,343), Promoting Safe and Stable Families ($1,185,703), and County Children’s Trust Fund ($177,930).
DISCUSSION:
Every five years, the California Department of Social Services requires that counties conduct a comprehensive assessment and subsequent strategic plan with the intent to improve child abuse prevention services and outcomes for children and families in the child welfare system. This process, known as the California - Child and Family Services Review (C-CFSR) requires that county Social Services and Probation departments conduct a County Self-Assessment (CSA) and System Improvement Plan.
The CSA is a comprehensive review of current county resources, Social Services and Probation programs, identified needs or deficiencies, and serves as the foundation for the SIP. The current CSA was approved by the State in 2019.
The SIP identifies areas that Child Welfare Services and Probation will focus on over the next five years to improve outcomes for children in foster care, consistent with federal and state standards. Priority areas are identified, and corresponding strategies and performance targets are included. For the next five years, identified areas will include increasing the number of children who safely and permanently reunify with their families within 12 months, increasing permanency for children in care for 12-24 months or more, enhancing staff and resource parent training, and improving agency collaboration.
The SIP also includes a plan for how the county will use child abuse prevention, early intervention and treatment funds to strengthen and preserve families. The plan reaffirms the Department’s continued support of Neighborhood Resource Centers (NRCs) throughout the county to strengthen families. Prevention funds will also continue to be used for Differential Response, a program designed to connect families that have had an initial contact with Child Welfare Services to NRCs, to reduce abuse/neglect and/or the likelihood of a subsequent CWS referral. Consistent with funding parameters, funds will also provide post-adoption supportive services, a specialized co-occurring disorder treatment service for families who have had their children removed, and supervised visitation.
Approval of the first recommended action will allow the Department to submit the SIP to the State’s Children’s Services Outcomes and Accountability Bureau and Office of Child Abuse Prevention. The effective duration of the SIP is December 27, 2019 through December 26, 2024. Approval of the second recommended action will allow the Department to submit a notice of the County’s intent to meet assurances for the Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment, Community Based Child Abuse Prevention, and Promoting Safe and Stable Families funds will be used as outlined in state and federal statute in order to continue to receive funding.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - System Improvement Plan
On file with Clerk - Notice of Intent
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander