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Health and Human Services Agency, Social Services Division, and Probation Department recommending the Board review and authorize the Chair to sign the 2012 El Dorado County Child Welfare Services County Self-Assessment and approve for submittal as required to the California Department of Social Services.
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Fiscal Impact/Change To Net County Cost: No change. There is no cost associated with submittal of the County Self-Assessment.
Background: A County Self-Assessment is a required component of the Child Welfare Services Outcome and Accountability System that commenced operation in California in 2004 pursuant to State Law (Assembly Bill 636), proceeds on an ongoing triennial cycle and focuses primarily on measuring outcomes in safety, permanence and child and family well-being. As a prerequisite to receiving child welfare services funding, local jurisdictions must participate in an evaluation process that includes a County Peer Quality Case Review (PQCR), County Self-Assessment (CSA) and County System Improvement Plan (SIP). The 2009 County Self-Assessment was presented to the Board for review and approval on March 17, 2009.
Reason For Recommendation: The 2012 CSA represents a County-wide analysis of child welfare services in El Dorado County and was developed by the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency/Social Services Division and Probation Department in cooperation with local community partners specified by the California Department of Social Services. This collaboration was accomplished by first conducting a public survey to help identify areas that were known to be challenges to child welfare and family stability in El Dorado County. Community partners involved with children and families were then invited to stakeholder meetings that were held in South Lake Tahoe and Placerville. The agenda for both meetings was developed using responses to the public survey. The stakeholder groups were asked to identify the services they believed offered positive outcomes, barriers to delivering these services and suggestions for improvement.
The 2012 CSA incorporates County demographic data, local child welfare services outcomes as compared to federal and state program measures, public agency characteristics such as the size and structure of public agencies that provide child welfare services in the County, systemic factors such as case review systems, services available in the County, County-wide prevention activities and strategies, community responses to the CSA survey and results of the County's Peer Quality Case Review that was conducted in May 2011.
A three-page Executive Summary has been attached that identifies the key focus areas, challenges and key successes.
Action To Be Taken Following Board Approval:
1) Chair to sign two copies of the 2012 El Dorado County Child Welfare Services County Self-Assessment (CSA)
2) Board Clerk's Office to return one fully signed copy of the CSA to the Health and Human Services Agency/Social Services Division
3) HHSA to submit a fully signed copy of the CSA to the California Department of Social Services.
Contact: Daniel Nielson, M.P.A., Director 530/642-7275
Concurrences: N/A