Title
Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 015-2016, which amends the Authorized Personnel Allocation Resolution for HHSA to add one (1) full time equivalent (FTE) Social Worker, and one (1) FTE Staff Services Analyst; and
2) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign a Budget Transfer Request to increase revenue and appropriations by $96,430 in the Fiscal Year 2015/16 budget to recognize an additional allocation for a new State Foster Parent Recruitment Retention and Support position. (4/5 vote required)
FUNDING: Federal and State, specifically Assembly Bill 2129 funding stream; State Foster Parent Recruitment Retention and Support funding; and Realignment.
Body
DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board adopt a resolution adding one (1) full-time equivalent (FTE) Social Worker position and one (1) FTE Staff Services Analyst. The one (1) FTE Social Worker will be funded by a new State Foster Parent Recruitment Retention and Support allocation and previously underutilized federal Foster Parent Training and Recruitment Program funding, and the one (1) FTE Staff Services Analyst will be funded with a combination of a previously underutilized federally funded Foster Parent Training and Recruitment Program funding stream (Assembly Bill 2129, approved September 30, 2010), plus Realignment savings. These allocations are requested in accordance with requirements of All County Letter (ACL) 15-76, which indicates the Foster Parent Recruitment Retention and Support funding allocation must be used to supplement and not supplant resources. In order to fund the allocations, HHSA also recommending the Board approve and authorize the Chair to sign a Budget Transfer Request to increase revenue and appropriations by $96,430 in Fiscal Year 2015-16.
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Assembly Bill (AB) 403, approved on October 11, 2015, is driving significant reform of California’s foster care system. The purpose of the legislation is to ensure that youth in foster care have their day-to-day physical, mental, and emotional needs met through placement in permanent homes, preferably with family and with the resources to grow into self-sufficient, successful adults. AB 403 eliminates the use of group home care through increasing youth placements in family settings. To reduce the numbers of youth placed in group homes, counties are mandated to provide targeted recruitment, training and support of family caregivers in order to increase county foster homes and kinship placements.
Annually, HHSA’s Child Welfare Services serves over 300 children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. Whenever possible, children are placed with relatives or in another family-based environment, but the historical lack of adequate foster parents in most rural counties, including El Dorado County, has resulted in children being placed outside of El Dorado County, many times in high cost placements such as group home settings.
To address the challenge, HHSA proposes to build capacity in its Foster Care Licensing Unit by hiring two full-time staff to increase outreach, recruitment, family findings and family engagement, and family support activities. It is expected that this will result in increased numbers of newly licensed relative homes as well as in-county foster homes, which will yield financial savings due to the decreased reliance on placements in high cost settings.
If HHSA is successful in identifying additional, local foster homes, there should be a decrease in assistance payments over a two to three year period due to a shift towards early identification and support of kin, improved support of county foster homes, and reduced reliance on higher levels of care.
The total annual expenditure for one (1) additional FTE Social Worker and one (1) Staff Services Analyst is $246,586, of which $81,276 is funded by Protective Services Realignment. Protective Services realignment was the outcome of the 2011 realignment legislation. HHSA has sufficient 2011 realignment to fund these positions, in accordance with program guidelines. 2011 Realignment should not be confused with 1991 Realignment, which is seeing an increase in utilization due to program requirements from the State.
ALTERNATIVES
Should the Board decline to adopt the proposed Resolution to add two FTE in support of the Foster Parent Training and Recruitment Program, HHSA’s ability to expand services in alignment with the new State mandates will be diminished.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel and Human Resources
CAO RECOMMENDATION
CAO concurs with department recommendation.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no Net County Cost associated with this Agenda item. Sufficient appropriations were included in the fiscal year 2015-16 budget, and will be included in future budgets for the term of the Agreement.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1. Clerk of the Board to provide one (1) certified Resolution to HHSA at 3057 Briw Road, and one (1) certified Resolution to Human Resources at 330 Fair Lane.
2. Clerk of the Board to obtain the signature of the Chair on the Budget Transfer Request and forward Budget Transfer request to the Auditor’s Office for processing.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Health and Human Services Agency Strategic Plan Objective 2.4.2 “Maximize and stabilize available resources for mandated programs.”
CONTACT
Don Ashton, M.P.A., Director