Agenda

Return

C. 22

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Kathy Gallagher, Employment & Human Services Director
Date:	September 15, 2020

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

California Department of Social Services, Resource Family Approval Program

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 09/15/2020

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Elaine Burres 608-4960

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: September 15, 2020
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

ADOPT Resolution No. 2020/231 to approve and authorize the Employment and Human Services Director, or designee, to execute an agreement with California Department of Social Services (CDSS), in an amount not to exceed $90,000 to provide legal services and family evaluations associated with the Resource Family Approval Program (RFA) for the period July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021.

FISCAL IMPACT:

County to pay $90,000 in entirely State 2011 Realignment funds.

BACKGROUND:

The RFA program is a unified, family-friendly and child-centered caregiver approval process created to replace multiple processes for licensing foster homes, approving relatives and non-relative extended family members as foster care providers, and approving adoptive families. It is a streamlined set of standards for resource family approvals which allow for the safety, permanence, and well-being of the children who have been victims of child abuse and neglect and decreases the length of time for each child to obtain permanency. RFA was created in 2017 as part of the Continuum of Care Reform (CCR), which was authorized by Senate Bill 1013 (Chapter 35, Statutes of 2012). CDSS provides legal consultation and family evaluations support related to the RFA program, which are necessary in order to expedite the delivery of services to children and non-minor dependents who reside or may reside in an approved resource family home.

After extensive negotiations with CDSS on this contract, a finalized contract was received from CDSS on June 28, 2020. These negotiations caused the delay in contract execution for the contract term date starting July 1, 2019.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

Employment and Human Services Department will not have additional capacity to complete requirements for all current foster parents, relatives and non-relative extended family members to meet RFA standards as mandated by the State.

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

This contract supports all five of the community outcomes established in the Children's Report Card: 1) "Children Ready for and Succeeding in School"; 2) "Children and Youth Healthy and Preparing for Productive Adulthood"; 3) "Families that are Economically Self Sufficient"; 4) "Families that are Safe, Stable and Nurturing"; and 5) "Communities that are Safe and Provide a High Quality of Life for Children and Families" by providing a streamlined process in expediting service delivery to children and non-minor dependents.