To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marla Stuart, Employment and Human Services Director
Report Title: Gift Cards for Client Meals/Incidentals
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent, or designee, to purchase, on behalf of the Employment and Human Services Director, gift cards totaling $30,000, to provide Children and Family Services (CFS) Social Workers with the ability to provide meals and/or basic incidentals for CFS children in foster care.
FISCAL IMPACT:
$30,000: funded as follows; $21,000 70% State, and $9,000 30% County funds.
BACKGROUND:
While complying with court orders and State mandates, including completing mandated monthly contact visits, removal or placement of a child, or other emergency circumstances, an Employment and Human Services Division CFS Social Worker may need to provide food and/or other incidentals necessary for the child/ren’s ongoing well-being. Currently, CFS Social Workers make these purchases with personal funds and seek reimbursement for the associated costs from the County. This creates a significant financial hardship for CFS Social Workers. Providing gift cards in lieu of reimbursement will significantly reduce out of pocket expenses and repayment delays to the CFS Social Workers and allow for a controlled mechanism for purchasing these items.
The gift cards would include:
100 each Taco Bell, Burger King, and Panera gift cards, each with a $20 value, totaling $6,000.
200 each Chick fil A, In N Out, Jack in the Box, McDonald’s, and Starbuck’s gift cards, each with a $20 value, totaling $20,000.
100 each Target and Walmart gift cards, with a $20 value, totaling $4,000.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The consequences of a negative action are the continued financial hardship placed on social workers to provide supplemental and incidental needs of youth in care, as well as the needs of youth being delayed due to lack of resources available to the social worker to provide incidental meals and material needs.
CHILDREN’S IMPACT STATEMENT:
The service provided under this contract supports all five of Contra Costa County’s community outcomes: (1) “Children Ready for and Succeeding in School”; (2) “Children and Youth Health 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 gift cards for meals, and basic incidentals for youth in CFS care.