Title
Health and Human Services Agency recommending the Board approve and authorize the Director to sign the following:
1) A letter to support the allocation of $6.75 million dollars in State General Fund for Foster and Kinship Care Recruitment, Retention, and Support; and
2) A letter to support the allocation of $20.3 million dollars in State General Fund for Services to Child Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
FUNDING: State General Fund.
Body
Fiscal Impact/Change to Net County Cost
None. There is no cost associated with this agenda item.
Background
On April 9, 2014, the California State Assembly held a budget subcommittee hearing on Health and Human Services issues. The budget subcommittee agenda included multiple items on Child Welfare Services (CWS) and Foster Care. Issue 3 - Proposals in CWS and Foster Care included funding requests from the State General Fund.
Issue 3, Proposal 2 - Foster and Kinship Care Recruitment, Retention, and Support requests funding to provide direct support to foster children placed with kin caregivers and foster parents. Lack of caregiver support can significantly contribute to shortage of caregivers and caregiver turnover which results in placement disruptions and foster children who are less likely to achieve desired outcomes. The proposed $6.75 million in State General Fund will allow counties to target recruitment efforts, provide respite care, offer mentoring and coaching to foster parents, and support foster parent participation in team based meetings.
Issue 3, Proposal 4 - Services to Child Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation requests funding to build the capacity of local welfare agencies to serve child victims of commercial sexual exploitation. Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a growing epidemic both locally and nationwide. El Dorado County has experienced nineteen CSEC cases since 2010 involving foster and probation youth. The El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency has partnered with the Placerville Police Department, El Dorado County Probation Department, El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, El Dorado County District Attorney's Office, El Dorado County Counsel, and El Dorado County Office of Education to form the Foster Youth and Human Trafficking (FYHT) Task Force. This funding will allow counties to respond to CSEC through a multi-faceted approach that includes prevention, intervention and after care by providing training for social workers, foster caregivers and youth, increasing social worker staffing, promoting systems coordination for rapid response, cultivating partnerships with survivors, meeting care needs of victims to promote recovery, and providing specialized foster care rates to meet those needs.
Reason for Recommendation
The letters to the California State Assembly communicate the local need and support of State General Funds for critical child welfare services to provide foster parent and kin caregiver support and to build the capacity of local child welfare agencies in response to the growing CSEC epidemic.
Clerk of the Board Follow Up Actions
None.
Contact
Don Ashton, M.P.A., Director