HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03181997 - D1 D.l
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Date: March 18, 1997 Matter of Record
SUBJECT: Public Comment
The Board of Supervisors heard comments from the following people:
Al Simmons, AMARCH, 2935 Linden Avenue, Berkeley, commented on
Black children placement in County foster care facilities;
Jeffrey Polisner, 500 Ygnacio Valley Road, #325, commented on Keller
Canyon Landfill property valuation.
THIS IS A MATTER FOR RECORD PURPOSES ONLY
NO BOARD ACTION WAS TAKEN
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Grand jury: foster care favoring white kids
By Chris Lewis better prepared and oriented toward children in the foster care system,
STAFF WRITS family reunification, adoption or of which approximately 1,300 are
guardianship than were the case re- minorities,the report pointed out.
Contra Costa County's foster cords reviewed for minority Fabella said the report fails to
care program is insensitive to mu- children,"the report concluded. take into account that 70 percent of
nority children and keeps them in But one program administrator the minority children are placed
the system longer than Caucasian said she reviewed what she believes with relatives — such as
children, the county grand jury re- are the same 12 case files and found grand-
orted. mothers and aunts—who prefer to
p no basis for the jury's conclusions. remain as foster parents. She said
After reviewing a sample of case "I agree there are too many mi- they often prefer not to adopt and
files, the jury found significant dif- nority children in the system and don't get the same financial incen-
ferences in the way reports were agree it's a problem that needs to tive as legal guardians. She said she
prepared for minority children. as be addressed, but l disagree it's be- is working with the County Welfare
compared to reports prepared for cause of ethnic insensitivity of Directors Association to find ways
Caucasians. stiff," said Danna Fabella, assistant to move relatives off foster care, re-
"Case records and court reports welfare director of the services bu- ducing the payment costs and the
reviewed for nonminority children reau. time-consuming court process for
were consistently more detailed, The county has more than 1,700 tracking their status.
• Thursday,June 1, 199S Contra Costa Times-3A
Foster Care
LJJ ste--- is
labeled
insensitive
Grand jury reports
minorities hurt most
By MICHAEL HYTHA
Staff w•der
4L .RRTINEZ A disproportion- Al Simmons.vice cresident of the
ately high percentage of minority Association for Minority Adolescents
children remain in Contra Costa's in Residential Care Homes,said mi-
foster care system because of"eth- Wont:children are more frequently
nic insensitivity," the counry grand placed in large group homes that
jury reported Wednesday. earn millions of dollars from the fos-
terThe grand jury, the county's care system.
court-appointed watchdog on local "Instead of them trying to help L
government,found that the case files them, they put those kids in a
of white children were consistently pipeline to be cared for by people
more detailed and geared toward that-don't care that much about
famih reunification. adoption or black folk," Simmons said. "It's
guardianship than the records of mi- racism pure and simple."
norm-children. Grand jury Foreman Clvde
"Ethnic insensitivity must be Parkhurst said the grand jury was
purged from our county,or we risk � unable to substantiate that allega- i
the r.:;ure of our most valued asset: tion.Grand jurors based their find- i
our c:Wclren!"the report says. logs on a sample of cases from
The grand jury's accusations. throughout the county
coming on the heels of two scathing Danna Fabella. the county's as-
reports last year,will be examined. sistant social services director,
count, officials said. , agreed that minonry children tend
But Supervisor Jeff Smith of Mar to enter foster care more than their
tinez. one of two supervisor work- white counterparts and spend more
ing closely on an overhaul of the fos- time in it. But she disagreed about
ter care and adoption system, said the reasons.
he has seen no evidence of dis- 1 "'rhea reports of abuse and neglect
crimination. f are more likely to come out of im-
"This will make it a racial issue povenshed areas." she said. "If you
instead of an adoption issue. and I look at the impoverished communi- {
think that's a disservice."Smith said ties. they are more likely to be mi
of the three-page grand jury report. nortry."
Last year's grand jury accused
the county of"bureaucratic child
abuse"for leaving children in foster
care for years rather than speeding
their adoption.
Although more mildly worded.
Wednesday's report pointed to dis-
crimination as a cause of the prob-
lems.