To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marla Stuart, Employment and Human Services Director
Report Title: Agreement #20-392-1 with California Department of Social Services, Resource Family Approval Program
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Employment and Human Services Director, or designee, to execute a non-financial Agreement with the California Department of Social Services to provide legal consultation and representation services associated with the Resource Family Approval Program for the period July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact.
BACKGROUND:
The Resource Family Approval (RFA) Program is a unified, family-friendly and child-centered caregiver approval process to license foster homes, approving relatives and non-relative extended family members as foster care providers and approving adoptive families. It establishes a set of standards for resource family approvals which allow for the safety, permanence, and well-being of the children who have been victims of child abuse and neglect and decreases the length of time for each child to obtain permanency. California Department of Social Services (CDSS) provides legal consultation and legal representation services in administrative action appeals associated with the RFA Program. Pursuant to Government Code section 30029.7 subdivision (a)(3), the County and CDSS may enter into an agreement for CDSS to provide services or activities related to RFA. Employment and Human Services (EHSD) desires to renew the Agreement with CDSS in alignment with the government code.
On September 7, 2021, the Board of Supervisors approved an Agreement with CDSS to provide legal consultation and legal representation services in administrative action appeals associated with the RFA Program for the period July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024 (C.133). This Agreement will renew the prior approved Agreement for a term July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027.
This Agreement contains mutual indemnification and insurance language, which has been reviewed and approved by County’s Risk Management Department.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Should the proposed action be rejected by the Board of Supervisors, EHSD will not have additional legal representation capacity to address RFA appeals.
CHILDREN’S IMPACT STATEMENT:
This agreement supports all five of the community outcomes established in the Children's Report Card: 1) "Children Ready for and Succeeding in School"; 2) "Children and Youth Healthy and Preparing for Productive Adulthood"; 3) "Families that are Economically Self Sufficient"; 4) "Families that are Safe, Stable and Nurturing"; and 5) "Communities that are Safe and Provide a High Quality of Life for Children and Families" by providing legal services to support the appeals process for caregivers seeking resource family approval to care for youth involved in Contra Costa County child welfare.