To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marla Stuart, Employment and Human Services Director
Report Title: Private Adoption Agency Reimbursement Program
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Employment and Human Services Director, or designee, to issue on behalf of the County payments pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code 16122, to Private Adoptions Agencies in an amount not to exceed $800,000 to provide adoption assistance for the period of July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this action will result in the expenditures of up to $800,000 and will be funded by 50% State 2011 Realignment Funds, 50% Federal, to be budgeted in FY 24-25 and FY 25-26,
BACKGROUND:
On May 17, 2022, the Board approved item C.39 authorizing payments to Private Adoption Agencies in accordance with The Private Adoption Agencies Reimbursement Program (PAARP) incentive program, providing for private adoption agencies to recruit adoptive families for children who would otherwise remain in foster care because of age, membership in a sibling group, medical or psychological disability, or other circumstances that would make adoptive placement of these children especially difficult (reference Welfare and Institutions Code Section 16122). Since the initial implementation of PAARP in 1999, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has been responsible for collecting and processing claims from private adoptions agencies, including reimbursement of standardized rates to the private adoption agencies for adoption support with the passage of Assembly Bill 1301, the claiming and reimbursement process shifted to the county child welfare agencies.
Effective July 1, 2020 as outlined in All County Letter 20-85 dated August 20, 2020, county child welfare agencies assumed local control of the PAARP and are required to compensate licensed private adoption agencies for the costs associated with supporting families through the process of adopting children and Non-Minor Dependents eligible for Adoption Assistance Program benefits.
• The PAARP reimbursement for children adopted by resource families approved by dually licensed private nonprofit foster family and adoptions agencies is eight thousand dollars ($8,000) each.
• The PAARP reimbursement for dually licensed private nonprofit foster family and adoption agencies that, upon the request of the County, provide adoption support activities for adoptive placement and/or finalization for resource families that were approved by the County or another Foster Family Agency (FFA), is six thousand six hundred dollars ($6,600) each.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The County would not be in compliance with AB1301.
CHILDREN’S IMPACT STATEMENT:
This contract supports all of the Contra Costa County’s community outcomes of 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”