PUBLIC AGENCY CHARACTERISTICS

Size and Structure of Agencies

In the County of Orange, the Social Services Agency (SSA) and the Probation Department both have responsibility for providing child welfare services. Probation works with wards of the court and SSA works with children and families when there are concerns regarding child abuse or neglect. SSA is comprised of four major divisions: 1) Administration, 2) Adult Services and Assistance Programs, 3) Children and Family Services, and 4) Family Self-Sufficiency. These divisions provide the core businesses of the Agency, which include self-sufficiency, protective services, independent living, financial assistance, health care access, employment services, and family stability. In addition, the Economic and Community Partnerships section provides a vital link to the community and other public partners.

CFS is organized according to functions in the child welfare system, with continuing services including family maintenance and reunification, and permanency planning combined in an integrated services program. Additionally, CFS has an administration department, an operations section, and a unit that supports community-based services (Families and Children Together, FaCT). Please see the attached organizational chart for further information (Attachment II).

Probation

The Probation Department is comprised of three service areas: Special Services (which includes Admin/Fiscal), Institutional Services (operates five juvenile detention facilities) and Field Services. Field Services is comprised of Adult and Juvenile Court Services, Adult Field Supervision and Juvenile Field Supervision. The Juvenile Field Supervision Division is managed by a Probation Division Director and contains the two placement units that work with foster youth (Org Chart attached, Attachment IIB).

County-operated shelter(s)-Orangewood Children's Home

The County of Orange operates an emergency shelter, Orangewood Children's Home (OCH), established in 1985 as a public/private sector collaborative effort. OCH provides immediate services to children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect, as well as emergency shelter for foster youth needing an immediate change of placement. Although the facility has a capacity of 216 beds, the average daily population in recent years has been approximately 80 children. Orangewood is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and cares for children from age 2 days to 18 years.

Orangewood employs approximately 350 personnel, 250 of whom serve as direct care staff in the nine dormitory-style cottages. With the exception of the sibling cottage, cottages are organized by age, and when appropriate, gender.

Services provided to children at OCH include pre-placement assessment, visitation, and shelter. There is a public school on campus that works with the children, evaluating and providing for any special needs the children may have. Orangewood also has a medical unit that is staffed with nurses and a full-time pediatrician. Many of the children admitted to Orangewood have not seen a doctor or dentist for routine care, and many health issues such as diabetes, heart conditions, cancer and developmental disorders are first diagnosed at OCH.

Orange County Health Care agency staff assigned to the Court Evaluation and Guidance Unit (CEGU) provide 24-hour crisis intervention services as well as on-site counseling to children while they are at OCH. Once the child is placed outside of OCH, CEGU staff follow the child during the transition period, ensuring continuity of care.

Due to intensive efforts to place children in relative/NREFM homes, or when necessary, foster homes, children who are admitted to Orangewood often have special needs. These needs include large sibling sets and adolescents.

First Step Assessment Center

In an effort to reduce reliance on congregate care and to promote placement stability and preservation of primary connections, a child-friendly 23-hour assessment facility for children waiting placement was recently opened. This facility allows staff to make thoughtful assessments of family and community-based placement options while the children's physical and emotional needs are evaluated. The First Step Assessment Center began operation on October 15, 2003. For the first six-month period there were 753 children admitted to the Center. Suitable placements were located for 303 of the children (40%), and they were not admitted to OCH. One hundred sixty-six children were placed with parents, relatives or non-extended family member relatives. Fifty-three children were placed in foster homes, 56 in emergency shelter foster homes and 24 in group homes. One child was released to the Probation Department and three of the children were from other counties/jurisdictions.

County Licensing and Adoptions

Orange County recruits, trains, licenses, and supports foster and adoptive parents. CFS utilizes a team approach with this responsibility, and staff recruit both foster and adoptive families. As the families receive training, they decide whether they want to specialize as foster or adoptive families. CFS staff conducts all home studies for foster homes. Additionally, CFS completes adoptive home studies in partnership with the Adoption Consortium, a collaboration of private and public agencies involved in adoption. It is through this consortium that CFS has been able to partner with other agencies to provide services to adoptive families, such as expedited home studies.

The CFS Adoptions Program coordinates home studies, matching, and placements of children available for adoption. Additionally, the Adoptions program provides services through the Adoption Assistance Program and also handles post-adoption inquiries.

Number/Composition of Employees

Staffing characteristics/issues

The turnover ratio for senior social workers (SSW) in CFS is as follows:

The turnover ratio for Probation staff is as follows:

7/01 to 6/02 4.08%

7/02 to 6/03 14.5% (due to safety retirement)

7/03 to 12/03 2.62%

Private Contractors

CFS contracts with community based organizations to provide supportive services to clients. Decisions and services related directly to child welfare, such as emergency response, detention, family maintenance and family reunification services remain vested with SSA and CFS staff.

Worker average caseload size by service program for the most recent 12 months is:

Probation

Deputy Probation Officers assigned to the Placement Unit maintain a caseload size of 25 cases per officer in order to comply with Division 31 contact standards and reporting requirements. Caseload sizes have remained stable.

Bargaining Unit Issues

The Social Services Agency has Memorandums of Understanding with three different bargaining units: The Orange County Employees Association (OCEA), The American Federation of State and Municipal Employees (AFSME), and Orange County Management Association (OCMA). The bargaining units have representation in many aspects of the agency, including the business plan and caseload management. SSA as a whole maintains a good working relationship with the bargaining units, resulting in a valuable partnership that facilitates the exchange of information and ideas.

Probation-Bargaining unit issues

Bargaining units are defined as OCEA, etc. OCEA is the organization that represents employees that belong to bargaining units, such as PSU, general, etc.)

Staff employed by the Orange County Probation Department are currently represented by three employee organizations: the Orange County Employees' Association, the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 501, AFL-CIO for the Craft and Plant Engineer Unit, and the Orange County Management Association. Probation management and the employee organizations engage in a cooperative partnership approach, to address and resolve workplace issues and the effectiveness of the County's Performance Incentive Program. As part of a countywide effort, ideas were solicited from staff on ways to reduce costs and/or increase revenues in service areas within the Probation Department and/or the County as a whole. Also, employee representatives have participated as members of working groups that are focused on evaluating specific operational needs of the Department. As of 12/31/03, total number of staff: 1,445; total number of DPO IIs: 305.

Financial/material resources

In Orange County, the Social Services Agency uses many sources of funding, including but not limited to Title IV E, Medi-Cal, and private and public grants. Additionally, CFS uses funds from the Children's Trust Fund through the Orangewood Children's Foundation, Promoting Safe and Stable Families and Community Based Family Resource and Support. When possible, funds are leveraged to increase available services. For example, CalWORKs funding is shared through identification of mutual clients, joint case planning, and referral of CWS clients to CalWORKs funded service providers.

Orange County SSA, through its Families and Communities Together (FaCT) program, has also helped to establish Family Resource Centers (FRC's) that provide services to needy families in their own communities. SSA and the FRC partners are co-investors in the FRC platform and contribute talent, funds and other resources toward building and sustaining their capacity to be Orange County's community-based platform for prevention and treatment services.

In the 2003/2004 fiscal year SSA will administer $3,130,047 in support of FRC services. SSA and the FRC's have been very successful in leveraging funding sources to insure continued financial stability. These funds include Promoting Safe and Stable Families, Community Based Family Resource and Support, Child Abuse Treatment Grant, and Projects to Develop Programs to Strengthen Marriages Grant. In addition to SSA, the Children & Families Commission of Orange County (Proposition 10) is a major investor in FRC's. Other funding sources include United Way of Orange County, cities, hospitals, schools, and grants. FRC partners provide significant in-kind contributions. Latest available data indicates that in fiscal year 2001/2002, FRC's served approximately 20,000 caregivers and children.

Probation

The Probation Department is the largest general funded Orange County agency. Juvenile programs are also supported by Title IV-E, Juvenile Accountability Block Grant funding, the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act and TANF.

Political Jurisdictions

School Districts/Local Educational Agencies

SSA and CFS work with local school districts to facilitate children's educational needs, to provide social worker access to children for investigations and for providing services. Additionally, in designated schools, CFS social workers provide preventive services. One example is a collaborative partnership with the Santa Ana Unified school District called Healthy Tomorrows. Healthy Tomorrows social workers are out-stationed at designated high-risk elementary schools and provide parenting classes, individual and group counseling, and interaction with community partners. Additionally, social workers participate in the school attendance review board meeting, assisting with interventions that benefit the child, the family, and the school.

Probation

The Probation Department works with local school districts to reduce truancy and prevent delinquent behavior by participating in School Attendance and Review Boards (SARB). Additionally, Probation is a partner in the Truancy Response Project along with the District Attorney and the Juvenile Court. These programs identify solutions or resources for resolving student attendance problems.

Law Enforcement Agencies

CFS works closely with the many police jurisdictions in the County. In an effort to maintain these relationships, and to provide coordinated emergency response and other services, CFS currently has social workers out-stationed at 16 different police and sheriff departments located throughout the county. The CFS director meets with law enforcement personnel as necessary to facilitate coordinated services.

CFS has partnered with the District Attorney (DA), law enforcement, and the Health Care Agency to establish the Child Abuse Services Team (CAST) to provide a child-centered forensic and child welfare investigative process for sexual abuse allegations. A deputy District Attorney has been out-stationed with the CAST program since its inception in 1990. As a part of the investigative process, a forensic interview is completed by a special trained Senior Social Worker. This interview is observed by the Deputy District Attorney, as well as CFS staff and any law enforcement personnel involved with the investigation. Additionally, staff from different law enforcement jurisdictions across Orange County participate in the CAST quarterly Law Enforcement meeting. This program has resulted in a very significant reduction in investigation-involved trauma for child victims as their number of interviews and required testimony in court are reduced.

Probation

While the Probation Department has always maintained close working relationships with all of the local law enforcement agencies, in the area of child welfare services, Probation is not a first responder unless it involves adjudicated wards. When Probation becomes aware of child welfare concerns regarding non-wards, deputy probation officers comply with required reporting requirements and will assist Social Services and law enforcement to the extent Probation's services are needed.

Technology level

CFS has implemented the use of technology in all aspects of the provision of child welfare services. All case-carrying staff have a personal desktop or laptop computer assigned to them. All staff within CFS also have access to loaner laptop computers, QuickPADs, and digital cameras, and all case carrying staff and Social Work Assistants have cellular telephones. The use of technology facilitates the provision and documentation of a more comprehensive provision of services.

Orange County CFS has implemented full utilization of CWS/CMS, and is engaged in an on-going process of insuring data integrity through internal audits conducted via business objects reports and other means. Additionally, targeted training is provided to enhance staff's understanding of the CWS/CMS system, including the importance of accurate, timely data entry, and to build computer and data entry skills across the CFS workforce. As a part of this process, key areas of needed improvement have been identified by the Self Evaluation Team (a key strategy of the Family to Family initiative), and remedial training has been developed and provided to all case carrying staff, and their supervisors, managers and clerical support.

All social work staff have access to both the Internet and the Orange County SSA and CFS Intranets. CFS staff may utilize this technology to search for additional resources available to their clients. CFS also has a comprehensive Intranet providing staff with a wide array of resources and information. All Divisions within SSA have on-line Policies and Procedures.

CFS updates its technology, including both hardware and software, as often and as efficiently as possible. This includes obtaining the computers and programs necessary to effectively accomplish the goals of the agency, as well as providing the training required to make staff proficient in use of the technology. SSA has a Training and Career Development (TCD) program that is very active in providing staff with the skills and support necessary to use the technology available.

CFS utilizes Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Oracle Discover, Business Objects, Access, and Safe Measures for statistical measures and research. This allows for regular analysis of trends and outcomes within the agency. Additionally, this information is provided monthly to management in order to keep them apprised of trends within the agency.

Probation-Technology Level

Probation Placement Officers all have cell phones and laptop computers. While Probation does not have access to CMS/CWS, information relating to foster care is maintained in a stand-alone database system. A new Placement Management System is currently in developmental stages and will be incorporated into our current Probation computer system. The new system will allow us the ability to systematically track various mandated functions, i.e. dates of ILPs, case plans, etc.

Probation officers are able to access both the Internet and Intranet, to allow them to review the on-line Policies and Procedures of Children and Family Services. In addition, the Probation Department maintains an approved list of resources to aid minors. Training and system improvement procedures are on going to allow staff to remain informed of the technological tools available to them.

Current Systemic Reform Efforts-Children and Family Services

Family to Family (with Annie E. Casey and Stuart Foundation)

X

Integrated Services/AB 1741

X

Structured Decision Making

X

CalWORKs/CFS Mutual Clients Project

X

Wraparound

X

Family Group Decision Making

X

Probation-Current Systemic Reform Efforts

· The 300 Delinquency Prevention Program is a collaboration between the Probation Department and the Social Services Agency to provide preventative intervention services for dependents that are at risk of entering the Juvenile Justice System.

· Wraparound- Collaborative service delivery to families with children who have complex emotional, behavioral and mental health needs that are at risk of group home placement RCL 10-14

· Children's System of Care (CSOC)- Collaborative multi-agency approach to case management to families with children that are behaviorally or emotionally disturbed. Goal is to keep children safe at home or in a home-like setting, productive at work or school and abiding by the law.

· Truancy Reduction Program- This is a multi-agency project, which attempts to improve school attendance and alleviate truancy. Agencies involved include Probation, School Districts and the District Attorney's office.

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