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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 02122002 - C90 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORSo n i.ra L Y FROM: JOHN SWEETEN, County Administrator Gaeta DATE: FEBRUARY '12, 2002 Gouni .11, SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION TO SUBMIT ENTRIES TO THE NACo 2002 ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS PROGRAM SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFIC01ON RECOMMENDATION: APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Chair, Beard of Supervisors, to submit applications to the National Association of Counties for the 2002 Achievement Awards Program. FISCAL IMPACT: A $50.00 application fee is required for each of the seven entries, totaling $350.00. BACKGROUND: The National Association of Counties (NACo) is sponsoring the NACo Achievement Awards Program for 2002 and Contra Costa County wishes to participate in the program. The County will nominate the following programs the for award consideration: Program County Department ♦ Welcome Home Baby Program Employment and Human Services Department ♦ Verdi Involving Parents Program Collaboration amongst the Service Integration Team, Forth Richmond Empowerment Collaborative and Verdi School ♦ Zero Tolerance on Domestic Violence A multi jurisdictional partnership coordinated by the County Administrator's Office ♦ Smart Communities Initiative Board of Supervisors and Community Development Department ♦ Partnerships in Action Building Inspection Department ♦ Breast Cancer Partnership Health Services Department ♦ Vida Sana en Vivo Health Services Department In submitting this application, the County agrees to the Program requirements and responsibilities as set forth by NACo for entering into the awards program. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: 21ES ONO SIGNATURE: --'RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMEND N OF BOARD COMMITTEE + =APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ' ACTION OF BO D N X_ PPROVE AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT C } AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE AYES: NOES: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: SHOWN. ATTESTEDrC(e(Gt�CONTACT: JULIE JULIE ENEA (925)336-1677 JOHN SWEETW, LER OF THE BOARD OF SU VISORS AND CC: COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR EMPLOYMENT AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT BUILDING INSPECTION DEPARTMENT / BY +�� � ,DEPUTY r Welcome .dome Baby Contra Costa County, California Abstract Welcome Horne Baby is a home visiting program for Contra Costa County's first time parents. Families voluntarily enroll in the pro- gram after the birth of their baby and.within 10 days a trained Home Visitor begins weekly visits that may last up to three years depending on the needs of the family. The foundation of Welcome Dome Baby is the belief that inten- sive, long term support provided by a caring, trained home visitor will help both the baby and parents to flourish. This strategy is an investment in preventive services to promote the health and well being of children, their parents and the communities in which they reside. The goals of Welcome Home Baby are to: * Reduce/and or prevent child maltreatment * Increase understanding of child development * Improve parenting skills * Strengthen the parent-child relationship * Promote the health of parents and children * Improve access to and use of community resources The Problem/Need for the .Program In recent years, the Contra Costa County Employment& Human Services Department became concerned about the escalating rate of child abuse in the county. In 2000, there were close to 23,000 allega- tions of child abuse and/or neglect in the county, and nearly 10,000 emergency response calls made. Research confirmed that home visiting as a way of providing prevention and early intervention services could reduce many of the risk factors that seriously jeopardize the health, development and life course of children and families; inadequate parent-child bonding, isolation, lack of support systems, inability to access health and other social/educational services, lack of parenting skills, parental substance abuse, inadequate pregnancy planning and child maltreatment. According to Prevent Child Abuse America, a Michigan study demonstrated that home visiting for families expecting their first child would cost that state $43 million compared to the $823 million that was currently being spent responding to maltreatment. In Contra Costa County where there are 12,000 births per year, it was determined that the best investment of limited funds was to offer intensive home visiting services to first time parents of newborns. -1. ('3) Description of the Program welcome some Baby Contra Costa Countyl California The Welcome Home Baby program provides home visiting services to families who have recently delivered their first child at select hospitals within the county. Services are available for up to three years and the frequency and duration of visits are based on the needs of the families. The Home Visitors create a personalized link to health and employment services by ensuring that the families receive the help they need to provide a strong start for their babies. In the winter of 2000, the county hired the Program Director and contracted with a local parenting non-profit organization that became the fiscal and human resources agency for the program. A staff'of six paraprofessional Home Visitors and a part time F` t Supervisor/Rainer were hired in April 2000 to begin six weeks of intensive training that covered dozens of fundamental topics related to teaching techniques for child development and health issues as well as core training in capitalizing on family strengths and developing strong, trusting relationships. Focal speakers from relevant agencies provided the wraparound segment of basic training. The majority of training was rated "superb"by the staff. The staff began home visiting in May 2000. In following Early Head Start and Healthy Families America guidelines, it was important to keep caseloads to a maxi- mum aximum of 20-25. A high density, low income, multicultural area encompassing three zip codes of Concord, California was chosen for the pilot project. Every hospital pro- viding obstetric services in that area were made aware of the program and hospital personnel were trained to provide information and referrals to first time families for Welcome Home Baby. Fosters are hung in the nurses` stations and brochures and consent forms are given to the parents. Contra Costa County hospital lactation con- sultants who speak Spanish are especially adept at recommending the program that has an astounding acceptance rate of close to 100%- Referrals are faxed to a central source and are then distributed to the Home Visitors. The Home Visitor then contacts the family and arranges the first visit. In order to maintain respect and integrity of the relationship, the Home Visitors are not allowed to visit without an appointment. On the first visit, the Home Visitor brings a bag of baby supplies. diapers, washcloths, a baby sleeper, towels, a toy, a book and a note congratulating the family. This bag is donated by the Assistance League of Diablo Valley, a service organization. The gift, worth approximately $50, is an enormous ice breaker. During this visit, the Home Visitor gently introduces the program by asking some questions, but primarily listen- ing to the story of the family and allowing the mother and father to process the birth -2- in their own words. There are a few Welcome dame Baba mandated topics to cover in the first Contra Costa Country, California visit including support with breast- feeding, dealing with jaundice, clarification of health insurance/pediatric services, car seat safety and instructing the parents to put the baby on his/her back during sleep to prevent Sudden Infant Beath Syndrome (SIDS). At the end of the first visit, the Home Visitor and Mother/Father sign a contract that outlines what the family is expected to do and what the program will provide. The Horne Visitors notice that if they are invited back after the initial visit, then families at risk are likely to stay for the long term. Only a handful of at teen mothers have not invited the Home Visitor back because the grandmother of the baby intervenes and wants to guide the new family. In the next two visits, the Home Visitor can assess the needs of the family and offer assistance based on the parents' priorities. During these visits, the focus is often on re-enrolling the baby into Medi-Cal, getting a social security number and birth certifi- cate for the baby, taking the baby for its first immunizations, counseling the parents about the importance of family planning, identifying extended family and friends for support, helping teen parents to enroll in school, helping parents to find child care for returning to work, and showing the parents how to engage the baby through read- ing/songs and explaining what to expect in the next few months of the baby's devel- opment. Many fathers are curious about this new program and arrange their work schedules so they can be involved. The Home Visitor becomes a trusted friend and advisor of the entire extended family. Many are invited to the baptismal and weddings of the mother and father of the baby. One father who was called back to Thailand for work a week after the birth, was anxious about his depressed and isolated wife and baby and he emailed the home visitor frequently, wanting news of her assessment of his family. When families move, the majority keep in touch with their Home "Visitor. One of the most difficult issues for the Home Visitors is dealing with the intense poverty of their families. Some parents are educated, have many supportive resources and are comfortably self sufficient while others are barely surviving in small apartments with many occupants. Although Welcome Hoene Baby is a univer- sal program for all first time parents, families with more resources tend to drop off' after the third visit. 71% of the families earn less than $25,000 per year There has been no employee turnover so relationships are well established and trust is built with the staff, many who have rich cultural heritages, enthusiastic, humorous person- alities and very strong people skills. As referrals continued to grow and the program expanded, 16 new Home Visitors and three new Supervisors were hired by July, 2001. They completed 300 hours of train- -3- ing and job shadowing with staff in Welcome Home Baby Public Health. The program quadrat- Contra Costa County, California pled its budget and expanded to every geographical area of the county, pro- viding services to all first time families who deliver in most hospitals that serve popu- lations of disproportionate need. Funding constraints preclude additional growth at this time. Welcome Horne Baby works closely with many agencies and non-profits but is most coordinated with the county Public Health Nurses. The two agencies are vigilant about referring families to each other who might have fallen through the cracks in the referral process and the visits are complementary and distinctly different in nature. One of these differences is the monthly Welcome Home Baby socializationslwork shops. The gatherings provide peer and staff'mentoring opportunities, decrease isola- tion and help parents to develop their own community networks. Approximately 200 families attended socializations in December 2001. The program works closely with Adult Education and the local Child Care Council to offer staff and parent classes sub- sidized by the Department of Education. Decreasing isolation and dealing with maternal depression are two important ways to combat child abuse. More than 10% of the Welcome Home Baby mothers exhibit depressive symptoms. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is administered at varying times in the first year to determine if a mother is depressed. The Home 'Visitors follow through with resources. Depression is a significant barrier to adequate par- ent attachment. Infants and toddlers need consis- tent caregiving because "by the time a child is three years old, the brain is nearly 90% of its adult size and the emotional, behavioral cognitive and social foundation for the rest of the child's life is in place." (Dr. Bruce Perry, Child Psychiatrist, Neurobiologist). 'Ib ensure that the baby is developmentally on tar- get, the Home Visitors administer the Ages and Stages Questionnaire at chronological intervals. When there is cause for concern, the families are referred to agencies that work closely with Welcome Home Baby to pro- vide therapeutic services. The Home Visitors report that this work enriches their own lives as they make meaningful contributions and seeing results. The program has been successful in developing stakeholders in its growth. There has been significant community sup- port driving the expansion of the program. Welcome Home Baby depends on the -4- guidance of two advisory councils that Welcome Home Baby } represent parents, hospitals, county Contra Costa County, California agencies, non-profit programs, city government and community represen- tatives. They meet regularly to develop long-term program strategies. As the local media have embraced the program, policy makers are recognizing that support for new families saves money and strengthens communities. The final program goal is to provide home visiting for all first time parents in Contra Costa County. t4} Use of Tchnala� In June 2001, the Employment fir' Human Services Department provided funding for the development of Welcome Home Baby's own internet-based management informa- tion and evaluation software program. The department chose the Grange County, California-based Corporation for Standards and Outcomes to design a comprehensive case management, outcomes and staff accountability software which will streamline data collection and allow reports to be generated in real time according to the needs of the program. &CS&O" has multiple county contracts to provide evaluation for Proposition 10 Commissions throughout California and they are encouraging home visiting programs throughout the state to adopt Welcome Home Baby's software. The staff'has recently received significant training to work with this new, user-friendly application. Supervisors can assign and monitor cases with the software and through pivot tables, the administrators will be able to generate program statistics and evalua- tion results. This cutting edge system of tracking outcomes, following families and collecting data will be the key to the future success of the program, especially acqui- sition of additional funds for expansion. II' (5) The Cast of the .Program. For the fiscal year 2001-2002, Welcome Home Baby's annual operating budget is approximately $1.5 million. 84% of the budget is salaries and benefits. Although the salaries of the 4 ' paraprofessionals are slightly higher than average, the high cost of living in the San :Francisco Bay Area necessitates com- petitive salaries to attract and retain qualified staff. The remaining expenses break down as follows: 5% for mileage, 4% each to staff'training and program supplies and $50,000 per year to maintain the internet evaluation system. Each Home Visitor is equipped with a laptop computer, a printer, internet access, a cellular phone and basic office supplies. The county provides in-kind meeting and office space for the Supervisors and Program Director. This budget and staff it supports can provide serv- ice ereice for 800-1,000 families/year at approximately $1500-$1875/family/year. -5- (6) YW e ReSUI tSI SUCCeSS68 Welcome Home Baby of the Pro ''YXY12 Contra Costa County, California * 99% of families offered Welcome Home Baby services in the county hospital after birth enter the program. * For program families, there were three substantiated reports of child abuse and neglect in the first year, a rate of 1% in the first year compared with an overall rate of 3% in the same geographical area. * There have only been five repeat pregnancies (mostly teen parents) out of approximately 750 families served to date. * Approximately every high risk family is in the program and being visited at least twice/ month unless they have moved. F * 99% of the babies' immunizations are up to date. r U * 99% of the families have a primary physician/clinic for their a du family's health care. * There have been no infant deaths. SIDS education is strong. { ! * Library cards are distributed to all families who are in need of one. 96% of families report reading to the baby at least 3-5 times/week. In the program's first year, 764 children's books in English and Spanish were distributed to families. Over 250 eye-hand coordination toys were distributed in the first year. * The Home Visitors transported families to medical and WIC appointments 660 times in the first year, reducing the number of unnecessary emergency room visits. $10,000 worth of bus, BART and taxi vouchers are being distributed this fiscal year. * 100% of Spanish speaking families were provided service in their own language. * There has been no staff`turnover. 85% of the star rate the training they received as "Superb" * 100% of program families report in a telephone survey that the visits have been helpful to them and they would recommend the program. -6- __ ,d __, _._ _.�___ __ _ -__..-=-6--��.LL-._�-�--�4 _____-__�-W-��--_.__�.__.____.____.�____._.. 1 i OVERVIEW OF THE VERDE INVOLVING PARENTS PROGRAM In February 2001, the Service Integration Program/North Richmond Empowerment Collaborative (NREC) initiated the Verde Involving Parents (VIP) Program in partnership with North Richmond's Verde Elementary School. This program is designed to engage community residents in the challenge of improving school attendance and overall student success at Verde. The VIP Program has hired three parents of Verde students with good school attendance to serve as Family Partners. The Family Partners conduct intensive outreach and provide support to students and families with frequent absences. In addition, the Family Partners coordinate monthly attendance-assemblies at Verde School. At these celebrations, the VIP Program honors students with excellent, good and improved attendance and behavior. Figure 1 illustrates the dramatic impact of the VIP Program on the percentage of school days attended at Verde. {wring the first five months of the 200112002 school year, for example, Verde's monthly attendance rates averaged 93.3% (up from 89.8% during the same period the prior school year).' Starting with the initial implementation of the program in February 2001, the number of full day absences at Verde has significantly declined as well. During the first five months of the 200112002 school year, the average number of full day absences per month at Verde fell by 37% (or 204 student absences per month) compared to the same period the prior year. As illustrated in Figure 2, the VIP Program's success at improving attendance at Verde Elementary School increased Average Gaily Attendance revenue by $48,980 during the period of February 1, 2001 to January 11, 2002. An additional component of the VIP Program is the Student Improvement Center (SIC). Verde Elementary School historically has had a high suspension rate and frequent incidences of student misconduct. The SIC serves as an alternative, in-school detention center. Students who misbehave in class or on the playground are assigned by their teachers to spend a designated time period at the SIC. While at the SIC, students are responsible not only for completing class assignments, but also for working intensively with the SIC staff (comprised of three North Richmond residents) and other students on developing better conflict resolution, anger management and overall communication skills. Conflict Resolution Panels is partnering with the VIP Program on this program component. The VIP Program also places a strong emphasis on celebrating positive student behavior. To that and, we have established "Caught in the Act". Any Verde student who does a good deed can be "Caught in the Act" by a teacher, administrator or fellow student. Students who are "Caught in the Act" are immediately sent to the Student Improvement Center to receive warm congratulations and a prize. VIP is supported by a grant from the S.H. Cowell Foundation, TANF Performance Incentive Funds and a grant from the Zellerbach Family Fund. ' In comparison, school attendance rates across all elementary schools in West Contra Costa Unified School District have only slightly increased over the same period(from 94.1%to 94.8%). C�inuow ccs a� 0 CN Co CL N Lm- 00 a CO > Muow M E ■ .. E .- CL . . pow CN au cog s uwaw CD 46 > a co -,� CN > cn 0 ■ +dry'' L LUuOW a C) cv T E � $uwOw k 2 v) CF) 0- 9 tauow > c c . ■ • O I?uxuow ce) g cyi � _� o 0 « co pepue,ad Sho iOOLIOS% co et YIUOW CN Z I qluoW E 0 CD p 6 6 41uoW CL CL N E W UiuoW .0 6 4)uoW C c CN 7 .C2 8 tpuoW m "7C3 G7 « > C7 t 41UOW Nr° CY) a5 VCP 9 WOW co 41uow Co CO to rri -(1) $1 4luoW > s 41uoW 8 8co ' juesgy sAe(3 11n.1 ja # i { ah as � i air Y Y y� �N q 4}-$RH'S 4 4 a i1 00) a Y g.. Pko A b. % i. A\Ta1 ass Fero Tolerance for Domestic Violence: System Change in Contra Costa County, California 1. Abstract of the Program The "Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence" initiative is a multi jurisdictional partnership, designed to ensure progress toward eliminating domestic and family violence and elder abuse in Contra Costa County, California. County staff, local law enforcement, the Courts and community service providers have banded together under the leadership of the Board of Supervisors to offer a comprehensive, coordinated, community-wide response aimed at truncating the progressive cycle of domestic and family violence. Established in 2000, the "Zero Tolerance" initiative is a long-term investment in the health, safety and well-being of the County's most vulnerable victims, children and elders. The initiative emphasizes misdemeanor-level interventions, innovative uses of technology, development of effective interagency protocols and measurable performance indicators to track the County's "return on investment" over time. "Zero Tolerance" activities are showing early indications of improved safety for victims and children, increased accountability for offenders and streamlined, coordinated service structures that better serve the public. 2. The Problem/Need for the Program In February, 2000, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors declared a policy of "zero tolerance for domestic violence." This policy was established because the Board found that, although the law enforcement and service provider communities had identified reducing dornestic/family violence and elder abuse as priorities, and had devoted significant resources and effort to reducing these crimes, domestic violence and elder abuse were on the rise. Moreover, these crimes were primarily committed against women, vulnerable children and elders. For example, the number of domestic violence arrests in Contra Costa County in 1998 was 154% higher than the number of arrests in 1988. Children were present in one out of every three domestic violence incidents reported in the County between 1997-99. Three out of five domestic violence incidents reported to law enforcement agencies involved parties with a prior history of domestic violence. Both the human toil (injury, death and trauma) and the fiscal toll (high-cost crisis services and impact on the justice sectors) to the County were substantive and systemic. A coordinated, comprehensive approach to eliminating domestic and family violence and elder abuse was determined to be potentially cost-effective, beneficial for the public and most likely to break the generational, traumatic and progressive cycle of violence. Vto- liumcE zem Tof+ ncefor Doffmft-vkmnce» Contra Costa County,California 3. Description of the Program Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach, the Board of Supervisors approved a multi-agency system improvement effort, the "Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence" initiative. "Zero Tolerance" initiative partners included the Superior Court, the Sheriffs, District Attorney's and Public Defender's Offices, the Employment and Human Services, Probation and Health Departments and community service providers (STAND! Against Domestic Violence, Elder Abuse Prevention and Bay Area Legal Services Foundation). The "Zero Tolerance" initiative was formulated and coordinated by a team in the County Administrator's Office, which had researched best practices statewide and interviewed local staff in all the participating agencies. Each partner agency was required to submit a funding request, a description of proposed services and to identify measurable performance indicators. Start-up "Zero Tolerance" initiative activities were launched in October, 2000 (hiring and training of staff, development of contracts and service planning) and system-wide interventions began in January, 2001. The Board required quarterly progress reports on performance measures, challenges and accomplishments, and future planning for the initiative. System-wide improvements included: ➢ Establishment of a multi-agency, misdemeanor post-conviction calendar (or "Domestic Violence Court") to hold batterers accountable earlier in the cycle of violence, ensure offenders' attendance at mandatory programs, improve access to services such as substance abuse treatment, and align Court activities across family, criminal, civil and probate sectors; A Increased numbers of Sheriffs detectives to screen and investigate misdemeanor cases; ➢ Creation of an Elder Abuse prosecution unit, hiring of Case Preparation Assistants for domestic violence cases and coordination of misdemeanor domestic violence case prosecutions in the District Attorney's Office; > Extension of a West County Restraining Order Clinic pilot project, a joint effort between the Superior Court and the Legal Services Foundation; ➢ Additional Victim/Witness program outreach to misdemeanor victims and children, helping them access additional state funds earmarked for local victim services; ➢ Training and new referral resources for physicians, and comprehensive training for mental health and other service providers, developed and delivered in the Health Services Department to improve victim and family access to services; ➢ Establishment of CaIWORKs (TANF) and Child Protective Service Domestic Violence Liaisons in local human services offices to better identify and serve high-risk victims and children; 2 LEMIM Zero-Toteranee forponresile Violence: Contra Costa County,California ➢ Additional Probation staff to intensively supervise a greater number of violent felons in domestic violence cases, and to initiate active supervision of misdemeanor offenders through the Domestic Violence Court; ➢ Training and community networking/education programs for elder abuse prevention, developed and delivered regionally in the County; Tracking the development of a County-wide Family Violence Prevention Action Plan by the Health Services Department (through an extensive community input process). 4. Use of Technology Several technology-related activities were implemented as part of the "Zero Tolerance" initiative. Through the joint efforts of the Superior Court and the Sheriffs Office, a procedure was implemented to have protective orders issued by the Court entered into a state-wide Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) system by Sheriffs personnel, thereby eliminating the need for victims to deliver this information to the Court and Sheriff. Information entered into this system is accessible by law enforcement personnel statewide. ➢ An existing, centralized computer system (Sheriffs Domestic Violence Tracking System), which retains domestic violence reports and supplemental information from multiple law enforcement agencies County-wide, was refurbished and enhanced. This system already tracked valuable statistical data such as the number and geographic location of children who were exposed to domestic violence. New fields for Probation and Child Protective Services information were created. In addition, technical staff"linked" this system to systems in 14 local law enforcement agencies. A 4-hour training was offered to enhance the capability of local polio to utilize the system. System information is also available to other agencies such as Child Protective Services and the Court. ➢ The District Attorney's Office improved computerized reporting capability to better track cases through the system as adjudicated, improving on the previous point-in--time capability. ➢ In the Sheriffs Department, a Domestic Violence resource screen, with critical information such as current restraining order data, was created and made available to all patrol deputies through their Mobile Data Computers in patrol vehicles. TOLE ICE 3 =ZeroTorrance 1hrDomsstk V1b encw. Contra Costa Counter,California 5. The Gast of the Program Approximately $2,000,000 annually in County General Funds and existing revenue streams such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) are deployed to finance the "Zero Tolerance" initiative. This funding supports new positions, technology improvements, staff training, community capacity-building and increased enforcement costs. The County considers the "Zero Tolerance" initiative, with its emphasis on misdemeanor-level services, to be a long- term investment, designed to reduce expensive crisis services over time. Agencies are tracking data quarterly, measured against baselines (where possible) to determine progress toward these reductions. Annual costs are allocated as follows: Sheriff($484,000) $151,500 Victim Protection 215,000 Domestic Violence Unit 97,500 Data Enhancements District Attorney $324,000 Misdemeanor and Elder Abuse prosecution Public Defender $103,000 Increased Legal Representation Costs Probation ($479,000) $187,000 Felony Intensive Supervision 78,000 VictimtWitness Services 214,000 Misdemeanor Probation Services Courts ($113,500) $ 52,500 Victim Restraining Order/Filing Assistance 82,000 Restraining Order Clinic Pilot Project Human Svcs. ($328,000) $103,000 Child protective Service DV Liaisons 225,000 CaIWORKs (TANF) DV Liaisons Health Services $100,000 Physician/Medical Service Provider Training Community Svcs. $200,000 Victim and Children's Services Elder Abuse Services $10,000 in project administration start-up costs helped fund a County-wide "Zero Tolerance" symposium on domestic and family violence. The approximately 70 participants developed and prioritized system improvements that drove initial implementation and focused future planning on two areas: developing centralized coordination of domestic and family violence and elder abuse-related activities; and establishing multi-disciplinary teams to coordinate victim, offender and child services and activities. 4 ZMASu+rt - Znro oferance forDeames Cc Violence- Contra Costa County,California 6. The Results/Success of the Program Results of the"Zero Tolerance" initiative were immediate and encouraging: ➢ The Domestic Violence Court handled 40 cases in the first month. In the first few months of operation the Court caseload quickly grew to 186 cases. The Court issued 25 bench warrants resulting in 16 defendants taken into custody and identified/tracked 68 related cases (civil, probate, family law). It also succeeded in better enforcing probation violations and drastically reduced the number of repeat offenses among those supervised in this Court. The Court also created a "Crossover Committee" to better track and align orders in criminal, civil and probate cases. ➢ Initial Sheriff's data showed a doubled rate of misdemeanor domestic violence filings, and an increased rate of felony filings attributable to increased capacity for investigating domestic violence offenses. ➢ The Sheriffs Domestic Violence Tracking System has input 16,231 reports from 1997-2001. Since "Zero Tolerance" was implemented, calls from other agencies have gone from an average of 20 to an average of 50 per month. The District Attorney's Elder Abuse Unit posted 14 convictions in its first 90 days of operation and established an elder abuse hotline (1-866-ELDER-OK/1-866-353-3765). ➢ The number of misdemeanor cases filed by the DA went from 664 in the baseline year to 708 in the first tracking year, and the conviction rate went from 79% in the first quarter to 84% for the year. While in the baseline year only 5 misdemeanor cases went to trial, there were 22 misdemeanor domestic violence trials in the first tracking year of"Zero Tolerance". ➢ The West County Restraining Order Clinic prepared 'I 19 proposed domestic violence orders in the first 3 months of "Zero Tolerance" reporting; 72°lay of the orders processed in the Richmond Branch Court during this period were prepared through the Clinic. ➢ In its first 90 days of operation, the Sheriffs office entered over 1,600 orders and other documents into the statewide DV Restraining Order System and was able to avoid hundreds of duplicate or erroneous entries. Their entry rate is now within one day and they have developed special handling processes for long weekends. ➢ In the first 60 days of outreach, the Victirn/Witness Program contacted over 160 misdemeanor-level victims and helped a significant number to access the state program for services such as relocation and counseling. ➢ The comprehensive Victim Resources brochure was updated and 10,000 were made available for distribution. Over 1,200 activity books for children from the Judicial Council of California ("What's Happening In Cour)were distributed. s 'T�RAIIiCS Zero tolerance-forpomesdc Menctr Contra Costa County,California ➢ The rate of Public Defender-represented clients nearly doubled, from 12% to 20% in the first six months and the office experienced an increase in probation violation cases. In mid-2001, the County Administrator's Office surveyed all County Departments for information on existing policies and management training to meet the needs of County employees who may be victims of domestic or family violence. In partnership with Blue Shield of California, the County Administrator's Office is planning policy development and training for senior County managers in Spring, 2002 to address this issue. Also in 2001, the Sheriffs Department initiated an in-custody batterer's intervention program in its West County Detention Facility and made plans to expand the program countywide. Can a parallel track, the County's Advisory Council Against Domestic Violence worked with certified Batterer's Program service providers to establish criteria allowing inmates participating in in- custody intervention programs to count participation in these programs toward mandatory 52- week batterer's treatment programs when released. In July, 2001 the Governor signed into law SB 425 (Torlakson), the "Contra Costa Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence" Act, making Contra Costa the first "Zero Tolerance" county in California. SB 425 gave the Board of Supervisors authority to increase fees for certified copies of certain vital records, to fund governmental oversight, coordination and support of the County's "Zero Tolerance" initiative. The bill requires Contra Costa County to track performance measures related to the initiative and report back to the Legislature on the success of the program in 2005. 7. Worthiness of an Award There are two unique features to the "Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence" initiative. First, "Zero Tolerance" interventions are concentrated at the misdemeanor level, which for understandable reasons (given the urgency of addressing egregious felonies) had not been the focus of activities before the initiative was created. By addressing domestic and family violence at the misdemeanor stage, serious trauma and injury are more likely to be avoided. Scarce resources go farther, reach a broader constituency and improve the quality of life of more of the County's residents. Second, "Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence" is a system-wide effort that takes into account the role of each partner in contributing to reductions in crime, violence and trauma related to domestic and family violence and elder abuse. Under the leadership of the Board of Supervisors and the coordination of the County Administrator's Office, partner agencies have been successful in identifying and addressing gaps in services, reducing overlaps and duplication of services, leveraging existing resources, developing new interagency protocols and agreements, and better coordinating and integrating services. Each agency's commitment to quantitative data collection ensures that progress can be tracked over time, course corrections made, and eventual reduction in crisis costs documented. VMCR wkiNNO Zero rW ni4 for DG*4 tenc+a'- Contra Costa County,California However, while quantitative performance measures are necessary and desirable, they cannot tell the whole story of the effectiveness of the Zero Tolerance" initiative. in the words of one domestic violence survivor: "/came to apply for assistance at the Antioch Ca1VVORKs office after being homeless for the last few months by choice. After meeting with [my eligibility worker], she had me talk with [the intensive services case worker]. Then she had me meet with [the STANDI domestic violence liaison working in the CalWORKs office]. Without these three ladies, I wouldn't have been able to do what l am able to do now. Prior to knowing them i only knew what i did not want. After working with them, I knew what I wanted. When one of them did not have the answer to my question, that person went to someone else who did have the answer. They did a good job, even when I fought them. They would not give up on me. ... When / was a child, 1 was scared whenever I saw the County car. l was told that those are the people who take kids away. Now 1 know that people who work for the County and the people at STAND! are there to help me." UMAM IMPLEMENTATION OF SMART GROWTH ACTION PLAN Sponsoring Departments: Board of Supervisors and Community Development The long term economic health of Contra Costa County, as well as the rest of California, depends, in part, on a change in our growth patterns--to new forms of more sustainable development which expand wisely at the urban fringe and to renewed economic growth and investment which revitalizes existing communities, many of which have been left behind in the California economy. In August, 2000 the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors adopted boundary modifications to the County's Urban Limit Line limiting future urban development in selected areas of the county. As part of this action the Board acknowledged that(l)reinvestment in our communities is essential to reverse the trend toward"two California's"--one in poverty and the other enjoying economic prosperity and (2) stronger regional cooperation and planning are required to foster sustainable growth goals. Consequently, concurrent with that decision the Board of Supervisors initiated a Smart Growth Action Plan as a collaborative effort between the county and its 19 cities, and neighboring counties, to engage the public and community organizations in the development and implementation of the Smart Growth Action Plan, The purpose of the collaborative Smart Growth Action Plan is to develop strategies, programs and policies to manage urban growth and preserve quality of life for residents while assuring that the county addresses affordable housing needs and the geographic imbalances between employment and housing opportunities. Elements of the Smart Growth Action Plan include: participation in the Inter-Regional Partnership of Bay Area and Central Valley counties; the joint county-cities "Shaping Our Future project;" a countywide inventory of vacant and underutilized lands; community and Internet based planning efforts including completion of transit village plans for the Pleasant Hill and the Pittsburg-Bay Point BART Station areas; and, a revitalization plan for the commercial core of the El Sobrante area. "PARTNERSHIPS IN ACTION" CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BUILDING INSPECTION DEPARTMENT The Contra Costa County Building Inspection Department initiated a program that provides comprehensive building services to cities within the county. "These services include the following. plan check, field inspections, building official duties, code enforcement, grading, public information, administration/coordination of building standards, project management, and accounting. The County Building Inspection Department can provide any one or more of these services to any city within the county that is in need. In its effort to market the program, the Department developed a brochure and other marketing materials to describe the range of services being offered. In addition, the Department developed a standardized contract and a staffing module to fill a city's needs. As a result, the Department has enhanced inter-governmental coordination with cities. By providing services to city residents, the County Building Inspection Department is also able to improve code interpretation consistency and increase the cost effectiveness of the various services. The "Partnerships in Action" program has been mutually beneficial. It has enabled cities to obtain expertise on an as needed basis with minimal cost. It has also allowed the County to utilize its staffing capacity more efficiently and utilize its resources more effectively by spreading its fixed cast of technical infrastructure and administration, while increasing revenues. Performing new and varied tasks such as building official and project management duties at power plants and other locations provide a unique training opportunity and professional growth for existing staff. As an example, when the Cities of El Cerrito and Hercules were ready to hire a Building Official they turned to the County and hired the staff who had been working for them through the"Partnerships in Action" program. C,90 The following attachments were not available at the time the packets were assembled: Pronram County Department 1} Breast Cancer Partnership -- Health Services Department 2) Vida Sana en Vivo — Health Services Department �OL v. Vida Sana En Vivol Health Services Dq atrtment With a growing Spanish-speaking population, it was necessary for Contra Costa County to find new ways to deliver health information in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner, womng with the coun"perated 7V station and an advisory bard of employees and cMMunity leaders,CCtiS developed tato regular television programs. Vida.Sana provides"canned" Spanish language health shows using professional quality vid+em. Vida Sanas En Vivol is a live, 30-minute,twice-monthly call-in show that provides timely health information to the local Spanish-speaking community,with emphasis on family and children's health. Community-based partners that provide services to the Spanislwspescicing community and local artists are showcased. Two local women serve as the perrrme it husks and experts from communi4-organizations and CCHS answer questions and provide information in Spanish. Breast Cancer Partnership Health &wvkes Department In 1995 the Contra Costa County health departments Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS), took the lead in bringing together madIcAl providers,agencies,health advocates s and breast cancer survivors to form the Contra Cum Breast Cancer Partnership. Its main purpose was to administer the state4unded Breast Cancer Early Detection Program to provide free clinical breast ems, mammograms and additional diagnostic services to low-income, uninsured and underinsured women. Growing throughout the mid-and late-90s,the Partnership became a diverse coalition of nearly 400 breast cancer survivors, providers, advocates, and community agencies. in addition to facilitating other agencies` efforts,the Partnership kmned an Afr#can American Task Croup, a Lesbian Task Farce and a Latina Task Group, with each group achieving substantial outreach into their respective communities. The overall goal of the Partnership was to foster collaboration between various groups and agencies In order to decrease breast cancer mortality rates through diagnosis of the disease in its early, highly survivable stages. In 2001,statistics were compiled deirnonstrating elimination of the prior disparity for early detection of breast cancer among various etfinicities.