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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 05161989 - IO.1 To: � Board of Supervisors FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE c DATE: June 19, 1989 0••,, =. ~` osr9`covr�'� � SUBJECT: STATUS REPORT ON VARIOUS CHILD CARE ISSUES Specific Request(s) or Recommendations(s) & Background & Justification RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Authorize the Social Services Director to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a voucher program as outlined in his attached report to our Committee dated May 31, 1989 and forward his recommendation to the Internal Operations Committee on October 26, 1989 for review and recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. 2. Authorize the Social Services Director to execute an extension of the current contract with the Community Services Department for GAIN child care services so as to extend such contract through November 30, 1989, pending completion of the RFP noted above and the preparation of a contract based on that RFP. 3. Request the Social Services Director to supply information on the Phillips/Reeves Child Protection Act of 1987 (Health & Safety Code Section 1597.80 et seq.) to GAIN participants, urging that for their protection and protection of their children they request any prospective baby- sitter to register with the Department of Justice so that a criminal records clearance is available for the parent to evaluate before deciding to retain such a baby-sitter to care for their children. 4. Request the County Administrator to discuss with Assemblywoman Speier's staff the possibility of an amendment that would insure that donations by private industry to the Child Care Partnership Fund established by AB 1853 are deductible for income tax purposes pursuant to existing provisions of law. Continued on attachment: YES Signature: Recommendation of County Administrator Recommendation of Board Committee Approv Other: Signature(s): T 44RS SUN WRIGHT MC PEAK - - - Action of Board on: ! June 27, 1989 Approved as Recommended x Other Vote of Supervisors I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN X Unanimous (Absent III ) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE Ayes: Noes: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON DATE SHOWN. Absent: Abstain: Attested a7 i9819 cc: Social Service Director Phil Batc elor, Clerk of the Board 4 Community Services_ _--__ __ __ of Supervisors and County Administrator Redevelopment..Director County Administrator_ y ,Deputy Clerk �,cv=.i Administrator aJGYVav�/i111711L 17G�Jd1 LLllGllC-' - B Director of Personnel --- ------- ---- - -Clerk ---- Acting Director,Community Services Department 5. Request the County Administrator`-�--,'forward to the Deputy Director of the County's Redevelopment Agency all available information on existing and proposed child care income tax deductions for employers with the request that the Deputy Director of the Redevelopment Agency provide this information to the Contra Costa Centre developers for their information. 6. Authorize the Internal Operations Committee to meet with the Child Care Task Force and others interested in child care issues on October 26, 1989 to review the status of child care legislation and other child care-related issues which have been considered by the Child Care Task Force in the past. 7. Leave this item on referral to our Committee. BACKGROUND: Our Committee last reported to the Board of Supervisors on the subject of child care on May 16, 1989. Anumber of assignments were made as a result of that report. Staff from the Social Services Department, and County Counsel's Office met with our Committee on June 19, 1989 to receive reports on several of these issues. In terms of GAIN child care, the Social Services Department has designed a voucher program(see attached memo from the Social Services Director dated May 31, 1989) which will allow the department to make child care payments to a contract organization which,in turn,will pay the child care provider. We believe that this program protects the County from liability as the"employer"of the child care provider and still insures that the provider will be paid directly,thus insuring payment and hopefully encouraging more licensed child care providers to participate in the GAIN child care program. From the survey of members of the Child Care Task Force it appears that the most convenient times for meetings with our Committee are Wednesday and Thursday mornings. We have, therefore, set Thursday,October 26, 1989 for our next meeting with the Task Force. At this meeting we will review what the Legislature and Governor did with child care legislation during 1989 and will also receive an update on GAIN child care,the county's sick and emergency child care program and other related child care issues. County Counsel has advised our Committee that the County cannot require that exempt child care providers register under the Phillips/Reeves Act with the Department of Justice. As an alternative we are asking the Social Services Director to provide information on the Phillips/Reeves Act to all GAIN participants and urge that they require any exempt child care provider with whom they are thinking of contracting to care for their children to register under the Phillips/Reeves Act. In this way the parent has some additional level of assurance that the child care provider has not been convicted of a crime which would render the provider ineligible for licensing if licensing were , required. Kate Ertz-Berger, Executive Director of the Contra Costa Child Care Council is working with the Contra Costa Council on a meeting between the Child Care Task Force and the Council's Child Care Subcommittee, which we hope to have scheduled in late July. We are also asking the County Administrator's office to provide an update on child care tax credits which are available to private sector employers to Jim Kennedy, Deputy Director of the Redevel- opment Agency with the request that he make this information available to the Contra Costa Centre developers. Our Committee will make a further report to the Board of Supervisors on this subject after our October 26, 1989 meeting with the Child Care Task Force. - 2 - SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONTRA COSTA COUNTY TO: Supervisor Tom Powers DATE: May 31, 1989 Supervisor Sunne McPeak INTERNAL OPERATIONS 'COMMITT' E-- FROM: James A. Rydingsword CC: Arthur Walenta Director, Social Service Dept. Scott Tandy Yvonne Bullock ShirleyKalinowski SUBJ: GAIN Child Care (Ref. I.O. Commmittee June 19, 1989) Your Committee recommended that the Social Service Department exprore the possibility of a voucher system for the payment of .GAIN child care. This would enable the provider of the child care to be paid directly. Our GAIN staff has reviewed with County Council using a voucher system as a method of payment "for GAIN child care. As we envision it, the voucher system would work as follows: 1. Our department's GAIN Case Management staff would certify, on a monthly basis, the number of hours of • child care (both licensed and exempt from licensing) for which each GAIN participant is entitled. 2. The certificates would be sent directly to the Child Care Contractor each month. The provider of the child care would bill the Child Care Contractor each month for each GAIN participant. The Contractor would issue payment for the child care hours up to the .maximum number of hours certified by the Case Manager. 3. The Child Care Contractor would, at the end of each month, bill the Social Service Department for the amount that was actually paid to GAIN providers. 4 . The child care payments Will be paid directly by our department to clients where child care is provided in the client's own home. We originally had concerns about removing tasks from the GAIN Case Managers and contracting them out to an outside agency. However, with the certificate system we have tentatively developed, the Case ,Managers will be replacing the direct payment of child care to the GAIN participant with a certificate to the Child Care Contractor. We may also be proposing that the Case Managers complete all child care plans, rather than continue the current practice of having the contracted agency complete plans for GAIN participants who choose Gen 9c (New 3/86) licensed care. This will hopefully eliminate any reduced GAIN funding from the State Department of Social Services. Because we are currently under contract with the Community Services Department until August 31, ,1989, we plan to continue with our current policy and procedures until the contract expires. If the above certificate procedure is approved, we will immediately begin the process of state approval of a change in our GAIN plan, and subsequent Request For Proposal. LA:ed LA5/IOC.mem