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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06061995 - 1.88 1.88 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Adopted this Order on June 6. 1995 by the following vote: AYES: Supervisors Rogers, Smith, DeSaulnier, Torlakson, Bishop NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None SUBJECT: Grand Jury Report No. 95-05 Department of Social Services Ethnic Insensitivity in the Foster Care & Adoption System IT IS BY THE BOARD ORDERED that Grand Jury Report No. 95-05 be REFERRED to the Family and Human Services Committee. I hereby Certify that this%a true and correctcopy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supero ors on the date ATTESTED: ll of S BpenUors aW(GHEnd G�ountY Clerk Admin Board By ' y cc: County Adminstrator Family & Human Services Committee Grand Jury County Counsel A REPORT BY THE 199495 CONTRA COSTA COUNTY GRAND JURY 1020 Ward Street Martinez, CA 94553 (510)646-2345 Report No. 9505 Contra Costa County Department of Social Services Ethnic insensitivity in the Foster Care & Adoption System RECEIVE' yMAY34 OF CLERK ONTRA COSTASCo ISQRS Approved by the Grand Jury. Date: �— Clyde Varkhurst Grand Jury Foreman Accepted for Filing: Date: t J i s l John .Va ePoei Judge of th Superior Court `yam/ SECTION 933 (C) OF THE CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE §933. Comments and Reports on Grand Jury Recommendations. (c) No later than 90 days after the grand jury submits a final report on the operations of any public agency subject to its reviewing authority, the governing body of the public agency shall comment to the presiding judge of the superior court on the findings and recommendations pertaining to matters under the control of the governing body, and every elective county officer or agency head for which the grand jury has responsibility pursuant to Section 914.1 shall comment within 60 days to the presiding judge of the superior court, with an information copy sent to the board of supervisors, on the findings and recommendations pertaining to matters under the control of that county officer or agency head and any agency or agencies which that officer or agency head supervises or controls. In any city and county, the mayor shall also comment on the findines and recommendations. All such comments and reports shall forthwith be submitted to the. presiding judge of the superior court who impaneledthe- grandjury. A copy of all responses to grand jury reports shall be placed on file with the clerk of the public agency and the office of the county clerk, or the mayor when applicable, and shall remain on file in those offices. One copy shall be placed on file with the applicable grand jury final report by, and in the control of the currently impan- eled grand jury, where it shall be maintained for a minimum of five years. Leg.H. 1961 ch. 1284, 1963 ch. 674, 1974 chs. 393, 1396, 1977 chs. 107, 187, 1980 ch. 543, 1981 ch. 203, 1982 ch. 1408 §5, 1985 ch. 221 §1, effective July 12, .1985, 1987 ch. 690 §1, 1988 ch. 1297. Cross-References Admissible evidence. Penal Code §939.6. - "Grand jury" defined. Penal Code §888. Grand jury report to be based only on own investigation. Penal Code §939.9. Contra Costa County Department of Social Services Ethnic Insensitivity In The Foster Care & Adoption Program SUMMARY: Is long term foster care in the best interest of the children? Are critical issues such as the welfare, education and security of a permanent home being properly addressed for the children in our foster care system? Is there ethnic insensitivity being displayed in the way the children and their case records are handled by social workers? These are questions-that have been brought to the attention of the Grand Jury as a part of the long continuum of the public's concern and outrage over our County's foster care and adoption system. Ethnic insensitivity must be purged from our County or we risk the future of our most valued asset: Our Childrenl INTRODUCTION: Many years ago, when the County foster care program was established, the foster family was used for a short period of time as emergency care for a child. Now, it has become a permanent way of life for many children. - The foster care system is administered by the Children's Services Division of the Contra Costa County Department of Social Services. In order to determine if ethnic insensitivity is present in the case management of children in the foster care system, the Grand Jury, assisted by a court order to allow review of confidential case files, reviewed a sampling of case records maintained on the children in the system. These records were reviewed at each of the three (3) divisions of Children's Services: East, Central and West Contra Costa County. The purpose of the Grand Jury's investigation was to determine if ethnic insensitivity is a factor in the excessive length of foster care and the resulting low rate of permanent placement of children in the system. FINDINGS: The 199495 Contra Costa County Grand Jury finds that: 1 Based upon the sampling of case records reviewed, there appear to be significant differences in case documentation between non-minority and minority children. Page 1 Contra Costa County Department of Social Services Ethnic Insensitivity In The Foster Care & Adoption Program Findings-continued... 2. Case records and court reports reviewed for non-minority children were consistently more detailed, better prepared and oriented toward family reunification, adoption, or guardianship than were the case records reviewed for minority children. 3. Court procedures require a minimum of twenty-four (24) months to review parental rights, leaving a.child in the foster care system for at least that long without a permanent plan. 4. Minority children's case records had court reports showing six (6) month continuances ordered by the Court. This was due to an oversight in the notification of a parent about the court proceedings that were going to take place. Predominately minority, not.non- minority, children were victims of this oversight. 5. Contra Costa County has over 1700 children currently in the foster care system. Approximately 1300 of these children are minorities. The largest minority represented is African American. CONCLUSIONS: The 1994-95 Contra Costa County Grand Jury concludes that: 1. During the examination of children's case records, the Grand Jury consistently noted: A. well-documented permanency plan present in non-minority children's case records, and; B. the case records of minority . children 6equently did not contain any evidence of a permanency plan. . 2. Records reviewed did not,exhibit reasonable and consistent efforts on the part of social workers to research and document, in detail, the background of the minority child. This causes considerable delay in "processing" minority children through the system. This was in obvious contrast to the consistent and detailed efforts exercised on behalf of non- minority children. 3. There is an inconsistency in proper notification of parents of court proceedings. Page 2 Contra Costa County Department of Social Services Ethnic Insensitivity In The Foster Care & Adoption Program Conclusions continued... 4. There is a disproportionate number of minority children in the Contra Costa County foster care system and they remain in the foster care system for a longer period of time than non-minority children. RECOMMENDATIONS: The 1994-95 Contra Costa County Grand Jury recommends that: 1. Within six (6) months, the Contra Costa County Department of Social Services implement a training program for all social workers, setting and maintaining higher standards for case record documentation including court reports. 2. Within sixty (60) days, develop cultural sensitivity training programs to ensure that the social workers meet the needs of all the children in their care. 3. Within six (6) months, develop and implement a system to monitor case records for quality and consistency._ This system should include routine reports to the Director of Social Services Department on improvements made in the quality of documentation as well as the relative rates for placement of minority and non-minority children. 4. Within six (6) months, develop a public awareness program to communicate the children's needs to the community in order to increase the availability of permanent placement to the hundreds of children, minority and non-minority, alike who linger in the County's system. COMMENTS: The Grand Jury believes that the quantity of minority children and their length of stay in the foster care system could be dramatically reduced if the Children's Welfare Division of the Contra Costa County Department of Social Services would put greater emphasis in early family intervention and preservation programs. These services should include; temporary relative placement, family preservation, maintenance and support. This would redirect the entire foster care program by keeping minority children as well as non- minority children, out of the time consuming and cumbersome bureaucratic system. Page 3