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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 02241987 - 2.1 2. 1 THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Adopted this Order on February 24, 1987 , by the following vote: AYES: Supervisors Powers, Fanden, Schroder, Torlakson, McPeak NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None ------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: Report of the Youth Services Board and the public on Out-Home-Placement needs for children in Contra Costa County. The Chair announced that the Board of Supervisors has been concerned about how it meets the needs of children in the County, and had asked the Youth Services Board to provide a report on out-of-home placement needs and what kind of programs will best meet those needs, and that after receiving that report from the Youth Services Board, followed by comments from the Board appointed advisory committees, public comment would be invited. The County Administrator orally reported for the Youth Services Board that it was assigned to look at the overall needs that exist and the seriousness of the out-of-home placement problem for young people. An inventory was taken of the most serious or urgent priorities. It was decided that the first priority was the lack of foster beds: emergency foster beds, specialized foster beds and regular foster beds. He commented that the young people being put in foster homes today have more severe problems than a decade ago, therefore foster parents are concerned about continuing in that role. The focus of the-committee was not only on numbers, how many foster beds or group homes were needed, but also on the severity of the children' s problems. The following members of the Youth Services Board, their staff and advisory boards made presentations on the problem as it relates to their respective departments: Robert Jornlin, Social Services Director Rose Manning, Chief, Special Operations Linda Cannon, Supervisor, Foster Parent Licensing Unit Shawn Guinn, Family and Childrens Services Advisory Committee and a citizen and taxpayer Nola Ashford, Chair, Family and Childrens Services Advisory Committee and a foster parent Stuart McCullough, Assistant Health Services Director, Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Division Dr. Grant Wyborny, staff physician Dennis Lepak, Chair, Mental Health Advisory Board Gerald S. Buck, County Probation Officer Natalie Russell, Chair, Juvenile Justice/Delinquency Prevention Commission The County Administrator summarized the staff ' s report on Foster Care and advised that the planning for a second study on out-of-home facilities within the County is underway. Supervisor McPeak commented that the concern was not whether there is a problem, but rather how to address the problem and asked those in the audience wanting to speak to focus on solutions and options. The following persons appeared: Kathy Radke, Councilwoman from the City of Martinez Carol Hatch, representing Congressman George Miller Ken Jaffee, Chair of th Family and Children' s Trust Fund Kathi McLaughlin, Chair of the Child & Adolescent Task Force Valerie Irwin, Children' s Mental Health Henry L. Clarke, Contra Costa County Employees Association Kim LaCroix & Butler Nelson, Mental Health Children' s Services JoAnne Aiello, Ad Hoc Committee on Children' s Placement Tony Calderon, Hidden Valley Neighborhood Association Belle Lipsett, Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Board The County Administrator commented that the testimony of the public had been very helpful. He advised that the intial study on the Foster Care Placement had been completed by Kathy Armstrong, a respected PhD in the community, and that the second study to be done by Dr. Armstrong will look to the issue of how well the existing group homes are being utilized and what can be done to make those facitilies more attractive to the county departments. He advised that the scope of that study is now under discussion and will be circulated to all the advisory bodies that have been working with the Youth Serices Board. The County Administrator suggested that concurrent with the study, a Letter of Intent be published on such issues as blended funding (to enable the county to maximize, or match, the money available through mental health, probation, general fund, and social services) , an out-of-home placement coordination function ( perhaps a public/private partnership to assist in developing home funding agencies) and also ask if group home providers or large facility programs would be interested in providing a facility such as that currently proposed by a private developer. Supervisor Powers suggested a process to augment the studies described by the County Administrator: identify the scope of the study with a target date of approximately 3 months; have the Youth Services Board augmented by representatives from knowledgeable boards and commissions and the County' s state and federal legislators ' represent- atives so that they know first hand the information heard today. Other issues that should be studied would include: the "ideal" solution for dealing with children' s problems; an office of placement whereby the resources of the three departments are brought together in a cooperative fashion, perhaps under the direction of the Youth Services Board to identify and coordinate placement resources; that a mechanism be developed to monitor and evaluate the programs for quality of care; and a placement review committee be established to look at whether the children are placed in the least restrictive settings as possible and that institutional care is the placement of last resort. Supervisor Torlakson agreed with the suggestion and expressed his anger and frustration with the continuing mandates and reduction of funding from State and Federal sources. Supervisor Fanden requested the Community Development Department to include in the County General Plan Update provisions for the location of public facilities such as jails, reservoirs, hospitals, convalescent homes and juvenile and senior facilities, so that everyone knows from the beginning that those areas are specified for certain social needs. Supervisor McPeak commented on the need to invite information so that the Board might know who is willing to do what to make a match between the services provided by the private sector and those of the public sector. She also cautioned that the program has to be matched to the needs and it would be appropriate to talk about the program before talking about facilities, and she requested those in the audience who testified that they thought there were options and possibilities, to get them documented with people who are prepared to do something, suggesting that this could be done while the study is in progress. Board members further discussed the matter. THE BOARD HEREBY AGREES to a further study of out-of home placement facilities within the County to determine usage and reasons why in-county facilities are not more fully utilized, and to determine if changes could be made in operation of in-county facilities so they might be more fully utilized by County Departments. THE BOARD ALSO AGREES to an informal exploration of interest by community and private entities in the area of out-of-home placement, establishment of group home facilites and large institutional facilities. The Board further agrees that Letters of Intent not go out until the comprehensive study on community care facilities is completed. !hereby certify Vint this Is a true and correct copy of an acsion taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of supervisors on the date chown. arrEsTEa:: �) /7 PMA_BATCHELOR, MA of tree Board of Supervisors and County Administrator By , Deputy cc: County Admnistrator Director of Social Services Health Services Director County Probation Officer Director of Community Development County Superintendent of Schools i i I