HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 07151997 - C44 F&HS - 02 C . 9 �
To: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
�.,�.;. .. ...o� Contra
FROM: FAMILY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE r�` ,
Costa
July 7, 1997 County
y
DATE: r ivVe i 1,
SUBJECT: STATUS REPORT ON THE SERVICE INTEGRATION PROJECTS
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. ACCEPT the following report from the Family and Human Services Committee
on the status of the Service Integration Projects.
2. DIRECT the County Administrator's staff to report to the Family and Human
Services Committee during the month of December on the status of the
Service Integration Projects since July.
BACKGROUND:
On March 4, 1997, the Board of Supervisors approved a report from our Committee
which included the following recommendations:
1. ACCEPT this report from the Family and Human Services Committee on the
status of the Family Service Centers in North Richmond and Bay Point and the
multi-disciplinary Service Integration Teams(SIT)which staff the centers.
2. AUTHORIZE the Family and Human Services Committee to meet at the Bay
Point Family Service Center on June 9, 1997,to receive a further report from
staff on the status of the Family Service Centers and tour the facility.
3. DIRECT the County Administrator's Office to report to the Family and Human
Services Committee again on June 9, 1997 regarding the status of the Family -
Service Centers, with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary issues that
remain unresolved and to discuss organizational issues which should be
brought to the attention of the Board of Supervisors.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES 31GNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD MMITTEE
APPROVE �A�
TH
SIGNATURES MARK DeSAULNIER DONNA GEJR
duly q 5, 1997
ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
_ I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ATTESTED July 15, 1997
Contact' PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
CC: SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
See Page 3 lJ' /1LG��2.�irJ
BY �i o1J DEPUTY
CA
F&HS - 02
4. DIRECT the County Administrator's Office to include in the report to the Family
and Human Services Committee the feasibility of duplicating the concept of
Family Service Center in other areas of the County.
S. EXPRESS the Board's thanks to the Family Service Center Project Manager, Bill
Wiedinger,and his staff for sharing with us their views about the success of the
Family Service Center concept and for making it possible for our Committee to
hear directly from some clients who are actually using the services about the
concern and attention they receive from the staff. .
On July 7, 1997 our Committee met at the Bay Point Service Integration site with the
County Probation Officer, Terry Starr, staff from the County Administrator's Office
and a number of the Service Integration Team staff and representatives from other
agencies.
Sara Hoffman and Nina Goldman, Acting Service Integration Program Manager,
from the County Administrator's Office, reviewed the attached report with our
Committee. Ms. Goldman noted that the two prominent themes for the Service
Integration Teams (SIT) have been collaboration and community involvement. She
reviewed the accomplishments of the Teams to date. She noted the increased
employment rates at the SIT sites, compared with the Social Service District Office
statistics. She also noted the percentage of young people who are on probation who
have remained in school.
A number of staff from Public Health, the Schools, Mental Health, Social Service,
and Probation testified to the value and importance of the SITS and the unique level
of trust they have been able to generate in the community. This is, perhaps, less
true in North Richmond than in Bay Point, but remains one of the main strengths of
both of the sites. Our Committee agreed to send a letter to the AC Transit Board of
Directors supporting the request of the North Richmond site for additional
transportation in the North Richmond area. The staff from Bay Point noted the
importance of providing support to families where a parent has gone to work and as
a result the AFDC check is eliminated. The security of knowing that a check was
always due on the first of the month and that the check will no longer be there is a
difficult adjustment for many individuals to make, even with the realization that it has
been replaced with a check resulting from employment. Several staff members
spoke to the outreach efforts they are making in the community. A number of the
efforts are outlined and documented in the attached written report.
Terry Starr spoke of his concern about having a Deputy Probation Officer on the
streets in North Richmond at the current time when things appear to be explosive in
that area. We would strongly suggest that the Sheriff be asked to meet with staff
from the North Richmond SIT site in an effort to review and plan for any necessary
security steps that should be taken to protect staff.
In response to a question from Supervisor DeSaulnier about whether the SIT sites
have made a difference in the lives of people, several staff noted that individuals
who have to move out of the area are upset at having to have their case records
transferred back to the main district office for the Social Service Department, rather
than the SIT office.
Hearing the success stories that are taking place in the community is truly
heartwarming to us and demonstrates the importance of the Service Integration
Project concept.
-2-
F&HS - 02
cc: County Administrator
Social Service Director
Health Services Director
County Probation Officer
Mental Health Director
Public Health Director
Sara Hoffman, Senior Deputy County Administrator
-3-
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
651 Pine Street, 10th Floor
Martinez, California 94553
Telephone: 335-1052
DATE: June 9, 1997
TO: Family and Human Services Committee
Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier
Supervisor Donna Gerber
FROM: Sara Hoffman.,* %
Senior Deputy Administrator
SUBJECT: Service Integration Update
I. Introduction
Contra.Costa's two multi-disciplinary SlTeams are located at the Bay Point and North
Richmond Family Service Centers. The charge of the SlTeams is to work with families who
historically have posed some of the greatest challenges to service providers: multi-problem
families involved in three or more County programs who live in the County's lowest income,
highest risk communities. The service integration program strives to achieve the following
three goals: (1) to increase family economic self-sufficiency, (2) to improve family stability;
and (3) to expand community capacity to support children and families.
This report presents some of the highlights of the activities, successes and challenges of
Contra Costa County's Service Integration Teams (SlTeams) during the first five months
of 1997. In particular, the report focuses on progress in the area of collaboration, both
collaboration among disciplines on each particular SITeam and collaboration between the
SlTeams and the broader communities they serve. The report also provides an update on
other issues, including progress toward obtaining waivers through the program's Assembly
Bill (AB) 1741 status. The report closes with a discussion of some of the upcoming
challenges facing the Service Integration Program.
II. Year-to-date Outcomes for 1997
A critical aspect of the Service Integration program is its emphasis on tracking participant
outcomes. Using the outcomes tool, the SlTeams are able to judge their success based
on measurable improvements in the lives of children and families. In the first four months
of 1997, both SlTeams continued to see notable increases in the well-being of the North
Richmond and Bay Point families.
1
North Richmond SlTeam Outcomes
During the first four months of 1997, 27 AFDC recipients served by the North
Richmond Family Service Center obtained employment. In contrast, during the first
four months of 1996, only 7 AFDC recipients served by the North Richmond Family
Service Center started work. Thus, the North Richmond SlTeam has brought
about a nearly 300 percent increase in the number ofAFDC recipients moving
into the labor force relative to last year's performance.
The employment rate of AFDC recipients served by the North Richmond
S/Team has continued to rise considerably. In April 1997, 19.2 percent of the
AFDC recipients served by the North Richmond SlTeam reported earned incomes.
In contrast, in April 1996 only 14.1 percent of the AFDC recipients served by the
North Richmond SlTeam reported earned incomes. (While some of this rise in
employment may be attributable to welfare reform and other external factors, the
fact that the increase in the share of working AFDC recipients was less dramatic at
the Richmond District Office--rising from 12.8 percent in April 1996 to 16.2 percent
in April 1997 -- indicates the particular successes of the North Richmond SlTeam.)
During the first four months of 1997, the share of North Richmond youth on
probation enrolled in school remained over 85 percent.
Of the 47 families receiving child welfare services from the North Richmond
Family Service Center during the first four months of 1997, court involvement
was necessary in only 3 cases.'
Bay Point SlTeam Outcomes
49 AFDC recipients served by the Bay Point Family Service Center obtained
employment during the first four months of 1997. This number is slightly below the
commensurate 1996 year-to-date total of 53. This difference was due in part to a
particularly slow January in 1997 (with only 9 individuals obtaining work). However,
a comparison of February-April 1997 with February-April 1996 indicates a
21 percent increase in 1997 over the previous year's totals.
z The percentage of AFDC recipients served by the Bay Point SlTeam has risen
substantially. In April 1997, 21.4 percent of the AFDC recipients served by the
Bay Point.SITeam reported earned incomes. In contrast, in April 1996 only 15.9
percent of the AFDC recipients served by the Bay Point SlTeam reported earned
' Please note that the numbers for January and February 1997 include the cases of one Child
Welfare Social Worker,while the numbers for March and April 1997 include the cases of two Child Welfare
Social Workers. The second Child Welfare Social Worker is a new member of the North Richmond
SlTeam and only recently began tracking outcomes.
2
incomes. Over the same time period, the share of persons working also rose, but
less significantly, for AFDC recipients served by the Antioch District Office, a
comparable population (from 15.4 percent in April 1996 to 18.4 percent in April
1997).
Despite the high levels of poverty and unemployment in Bay Point, the share of
AFDC recipients with employment remained consistently higher for those
served by the Bay Point SlTeam than for AFDC recipients served across the
County. The percentage of AFDC recipients with employment ranged from 20.9 -
24.3 percent for Bay Point SIT AFDC recipients during the first four months of 1997
versus a range of 18.7 - 20.1 percent for the County as a whole.
During the first four months of 1997, the share of Bay Point youth on probation
enrolled in school remained over 84 percent.
III. Collaboration across Disciplines
Cross-disciplinary collaboration is an important strategy used by SlTeam members to
improve the well-being of families that face numerous barriers and that are involved with
multiple service providers.
Integrated Probation and Mental Health Services for Youth on Probation
In North Richmond, the SITeam's Deputy Probation Officer and EPSDT Mental Health
Clinician joined forces to initiate a weekly teen group for minors on probation. This formal
partnership grew out of growing recognition by these two SlTeam members of the
overlapping service needs of this population. Initiated this spring, the teen group was
awarded a grant of$6,000 from the Zellerbach Family Fund. Expected outcomes include
improved school attendance and lower rates of recidivism for the youth participating in the
group.
Expanded Partnerships with the Mount Diablo Unified School District
Through the generosity of the Mount Diablo Unified School District's Healthy Start
program, two school Family Resource Specialists have been members of the Bay Point
SlTeam for the past several years. The three-year funding for Healthy Start ended this
May. Because the partnership has been so valuable to Bay Point families, funding for at
least one of the Family Resource Specialists has been extended for another year.
Additional school/SlTeam collaborations have grown out of this partnership with Healthy
Start. For example, the Bay Point SITeam's Mental Health Clinician worked with the
school district to establish an Anger Management Group this year.
3
Forging New Linkages Between Public Health and Child Welfare
One of the valuable lessons learned during the early years of the service integration
program is the frequent linkages between health issues and a family's involvement with
the child welfare system. The North Richmond SlTeam has translated this knowledge into
an informal intervention strategy. The Public Health Nurse and Child Welfare Worker now
frequently partner in their work with families. While it is hard to prove in any given case
that the removal of a child from his or her home was avoided, anecdotal evidence suggests
that this team's ability to resolve both parent and child health issues in a timely and
effective manner is eliminating child placements that otherwise might have occurred.
IV. Collaboration between the SlTeams and the Broader Communities
The effectiveness of the SlTeams' interventions is far stronger when coordinated with the
work of other community-based organizations and agencies. In addition, strong, trusting
relationships with community members and program participants in Bay Point and North
Richmond are vital to the success of the Service Integration Program. During the first half
of 1997, both SlTeams made substantial progress toward deepening these community ties.
Broad-based Employment Initiatives Underway in Bay Point and North Richmond
In recognition of the far-reaching impacts of federal and state welfare reform, the Bay Point
and North Richmond SlTeams initiated efforts in early 1997 to develop community-wide
employment strategies in both communities. As part of this effort, broad-based
employment collaboratives have been established, Bay Point Works and the North
Richmond Employment Collaborative, comprised of SlTeam members, a wide range of
community-based organizations and community members. Attachment A provides a
membership list for each of the collaboratives.
The collaboratives began meeting regularly in April 1997 and are in the process of putting
together proposals for developing a comprehensive employment services system in each
community. These proposals will include strategies for addressing employment-related
issues such as transportation and child care. The groups have been invited to submit
these proposals to the Zellerbach Family Fund in August 1997 and plan to request three
years of funding.
SlTeams Partnering with Adult Education and Others
In Bay Point, the Mount Diablo Adult Education Program is working with the SlTeam and
various community-based organizations to start a Youth Employment Network. In North
Richmond, the SlTeam joined forces with West Contra Costa Adult Education, the
Consolidated School District, the Contra Costa Private Industry Council and the
Foundation for Understanding and Enhancement to develop an $120,000 proposal to
support computer training programs as a means of increasing client employability. The
4
proposal was funded through the Community Development Block Grant program. The
North Richmond SlTeam is also partnering with the school district and FUNEN to provide
adult basic education, general education and word processing classes to North Richmond
SIT participants at the Family Service Center.
Out-stationing of SlTeam Members Resulting in Earlier Intervention
SlTeam staff increasingly are doing out-station work in other community venues. In North
Richmond, for example, the Mental Health Clinician, the Child Welfare Worker and the
Public Health Nurse make weekly visits to the Verde Elementary School. Similarly, the
North Richmond SITeam's Probation Officer spends one afternoon a week at Richmond
High School. As a result of this high community visibility, these SlTeam staff members
have received a number of referrals on situations in the early intervention stages.
Repeatedly, SlTeam staff have been able to address these issues early on, reducing the
need for expensive crisis intervention.
Site Exchanges with Other Family Resource Centers in California
The Greater Bay Area Family Resource Network (GBAFRN) recently received foundation
funding to build linkages among a number of California's Family Resource Centers.
Contra Costa's Family Service Centers were invited to be a part of this exchange. The
exchange includes staff site visits to each of the participating centers. This May staff from
the Bay Point and North Richmond SITeams visited centers in Sacramento and Placer
County. In July, Contra Costa and San Francisco will host their colleagues. The GBAFRN
grant will also cover the cost of site linkages and information exchange via the internet.
The May site visit proved extremely valuable for SlTeam staff, who were able to exchange
information with other sites and seam about successful strategies and practices underway
elsewhere.
North Richmond Community Garden Growing Strong
Last year the North Richmond SlTeam established a community garden on the premises
of the Family Service Center. With generous donations from West County Sanitary District
(compost) and numerous nurseries, community members and dedicated SlTeam staff (on
their own time) helped to get the garden going. In the late summer and fall of 1996, the
garden provided a ready supply of healthy food to North Richmond residents. This year
the SlTeam has joined with the Laotian Organizing Project of the Asian Pacific
Environmental Network to expand the garden. As a result, a number of Laotian families
living in North Richmond recently began planting their crops.
Active Bay Point SlTeam Involvement in Community Events
The Bay Point SlTeam continues to be active and involved in the community. The SlTeam
has had booths at all of the large community events, including the recent Cinco de Mayo
celebration. In addition, the Bay Point SlTeam staff continues to run successful
5
employment workshops.
V. Other Updates
Approval by the State of Contra Costa's Re-investing in Self-Sufficiency and
Employment (RISE) Initiative expected on June 5, 1997
In 1996, Contra Costa County was able to submit the RISE Initiative waiver package to the
federal and state governments under AB 1741. This waiver requests the elimination of a
significant quantity of duplicative and non-productive paperwork and activities from the
workload of SIT Eligibility Workers. All of the time savings are to be reinvested in
productive activities aimed at increasing the employment and family stability of SIT
families. On May 5, 1997, California Health and Welfare Secretary, Sandra Smoley,
submitted the package to the California Legislature for approval. As of the writing of this
report, approval is expected on June 5, 1997.
Congressman George Miller's Office Visits the North Richmond SlTeam
Charles Barone, Legislative Director for Congressman George Miller, visited the North
Richmond Family Service Center on May 28, 1997. Mr. Barone and several other staff
from Congressman Miller's office toured the site and met with members of the SlTeam,
representatives from the Partners in Health and Center for Health programs (now located
at the North Richmond Family Service Center) and community members. Mr. Barone and
his staff expressed a great deal of admiration for Contra Costa's Service Integration
program.
VI. Challenges
While the Service Integration Program continues to steadily progress, it also faces a
number of challenges. These challenges include:
Reexamining the Organizational Structure of the Service Integration Program
Organizational restructuring has focused on two key areas. The first area is in re-
examining the role of the Service Integration Management Team (SIMT). Members of the
SIMT, who currently include the SlTeam facilitators, the SIT Program Manger, employee
organization representatives, school district staff, functional supervisors of SlTeam
members, representatives from the County Administrator's Office and other departmental
staff, recognize that the role of this body needs to change to meet the evolving needs of
the Service Integration Program. The SIMT is currently undergoing a process to clarify
and reconfigure its role and membership.
The second area of focus for organizational restructuring involves the roles of various staff
members involved in the Service Integration Program, including the need to clarify
6
responsibility for systems development and operations management. As part of that effort,
the Service Integration Program Manager is working with the employee organizations, in
the meet and confer process, to examine, among other issues, the feasibility of
establishing a Team Leader position at each site.
Institutionalizing and Standardizing Service Integration Policies and Procedures
One of the on-going challenges of a new and innovative program is to allow the program
to creatively develop, while simultaneously keeping all of those involved in the program
up-to-date on current policies and procedures. An additional challenge lies in recognizing
the different service needs of the Bay Point and North Richmond communities, while
simultaneously maintaining the integrity of the service delivery model.
cc: Phil Batchelor
John Cullen
Terry Starr
Bill Walker
STMT
Bay Point SlTeam
North Richmond SlTeam
7
ATTACHMENT A
BAY POINT WORKS PARTICIPANTS
NAME ORGANIZATION
Joyce Adams St. Vincent de Paul
Grizelle Apodaca GBAFRN
Myrtle Ballard EDD
Jim Bouquin New Connections
Linda Chandler Private Industry Council
Josie Cheney Bay Point Family Service Center
Rich Clarke Healthy Start
Robin Currie* Bay Point Family Service Center
Keva Dean Bay Point Family Service Center
Joan Freitas EDD
Debra Giles Los Medanos Residents Council
Nina Goldman County Administrator's Office
Francis Greene Pittsburg Pre-School Coordinating Council
Lollie Gutierrez Ambrose Recreation and Park District
Pamela Hayes Goodwill
Bobbie Hicks Healthy Start
Ken Jones New Connections
Bob Lanter CCC Private Industry Council
Velma Knox Lee Bay Point Family Service Center
Charee Lord St. Vincent de Paul
Lupe Lucero, Battered Women's Alternatives
Marcy Martinez Rubicon Employment Services, Inc.
Carolyn McGinnis Bay Point Family Service Center
Pauline Mendez Bay Point Resident/GAIN Prep
Merrilee Olivarez Bay Point Family Service Center
Ashok Patwardhan FUNEN
Milton S. Perez Pittsburg Pre-School Coordinating Council
Deborah Polk Bay Point Family Service Center
Baheejah Sabir Los Medanos Residents Council
Tonya Spencer* Bay Point Family Service Center
Janet Sullivan Mt. Diablo Adult Ed.
Patricia Thompson YWCA
Lilya Valladolid Family Stress/GBAFRN/Los Medanos Residents Council
Nola Walker Bay Point Project
Francine Waxman YWCA
Ivan Williams Bay Point Family Service Center/Park and Rec Board
Vivian Williams Family Support Project/Bay Point
*Bay Point Family Service Center contact person for Bay Point Works Bpwkorg2.list, as of 5/22/97
NORTH RICHMOND EMPLOYMENT COLLABORATIVE
NAME ORGANIZATION/AFFILIATION
SITeam North Richmond Family Service Center
Bill Weidinger North Richmond Family Service Center
LaOuida Gray North Richmond Resident
Josefina Macias North Richmond Resident
Gurbachan Singh North Richmond Resident/Super Cab
Surinder Singh North Richmond Resident/Super Cab
Charlene Sutton North Richmond Resident
Joe Wallace North Richmond Resident/Healthy Neighborhoods Proj.
James & Katherine Webb Webb Tours
Donald Holly Neighborhood House of North Richmond
Michelle Jackson Neighborhood House of North Richmond
Corrine Sain North Richmond Senior Center
Sary Tatpaporn United Laotian Community Development, Inc.
Bernetta Connelly GBAFRN
Whitney Dotson Center for Health
Larry Hill Partners in Health
Amal Bose FUNEN
Ashok Patwardhan FUNEN
Ray Smith FUNEN
Joyce Adams St. Vincent de Paul
Charee Lord St. Vincent de Paul
Sharon Tucker HIPPY
Stanley Anderson City of Richmond/Richmond Works
Upesi Mtambuzi Richmond Works
Barbara Hughes Rubicon
Ren6 Carranza Verde School
Claudia Nelson West Contra Costa USD
Roz Plishner West Contra Costa USD
Sherry Hirsch Rubicon
Stuart Lichner Rubicon
Vera Abels Center for Human Development
Ruth Bolden-Mays Greater Richmond Social Services, Inc.
Beth Campbell Housing Authority of CCC
Linda Chandler Private Industry Council
Mattie Lawson Project Pride
Louisa Petite FMCH
David Romain Parent Involvement Network
Candy Rose Contra Costa College
Belinda Smith Community Development
Sheryl Walton Healthy Neighborhoods Project
nrwkorg.lst