Minutes from 10/29/12 Bay Area Manager’s Meeting

Present: Wendy Kinear-Rausch, Debbie Powell, Christine Lerable, Pravin Patel, Emily Nicholl, Chua Chao, Sophia Isom, Gumaro Garay, Mary Garrison

Absent: Robin Luckett, Jonathan Weinberg, Karl Porter, Bob Harper, Mignon Evans, Neely McElroy, Rebecca Feiner, Marjorie Lewis, John Tsutakawa, Lois Rutten, Joan Miller,

Faith Battles, Jacqui Butcher-Rankin, Patricia Perkins, Mark Holguin, Janet Atkins

Hot Topics shared by Participants:

  • Relooking at Family to Family
  • Union Issues
  • Attempted Face to Face Contacts
  • ER Staffing and Caseload Issues
  • Katie A.
  • AB 12
  • Succession Planning
  • Title IVE Waiver
  • Staffing
  • Core Practice Model, SOP, Signs of Safety, CAPP

Agenda Items:

1) Katie A. All still waiting for CDSS to send out settlement/recommendations and practice guide. New name for Katie A. implementation – Core Practice Model. San Mateo and Santa Clara will be early implementers. How long will county have to access services after assessment? CWS/CMS Release 6.7 has a page for Katie A. Who is required to use – only Early Implementers? See Action Items.

2) Sustainability and Structure BAMM 1-11-13 is the last time Mary G. will be our facilitator.Group is in favor of rotating facilitator, agenda development and minute taker. Chua Chao will do agenda for January 11, Wendy Kinear -Rausch will facilitateand Pravin Patel will do minutes. On January 11 – plan out rest of year. We will still meet in Oakland, but will need to keep BAA informed of date changes and room reservation needs. Hopefully, everyone can come in January to participate in developing calendar for the year.

3) Regional Contract on SSI applications Will this contract include completion of application as well as identification of potential children? Several counties already have contracts that include completion of application. We need to know the costs per county before we can recommend. See Action Items.

4) Sharing foster home and adoptive home studies with the applicant- what is county practice If they ask, do they get a copy? Some counties give home study pages that relate to applicants input, but not SW assessment and sign-off. CCL has concerns about giving to family as SW may not be as honest. Also, applicants are taking their homestudies to other agencies. See Action Items.

5) AB 12

  • Impact to Permanency What is happening - Legal Guardianships rescinded so youth have more placement options after 18 or keeping dependency open or not doing LG until after 16 years of age or at all. Reunifications being contested by attorneys or advocates to remain eligible after 18. Seeing much higher numbers of youth staying in than anticipated, costs are up, permanency efforts not happening. We predicted these things, now have data to show. BAMM should consider providing recommendations to BARCC, (white paper) to address our concerns and unintended consequences. BARCC could take to CWDA.
  • THP-FC What are counties doing? New, unknown providers stating interest. How are they being assessed? Should we have a regional approved list, or have CWDA provide support letters similar to group homes? Suggestion – create a Google Document Share to post information on other’s experiences with providers. See Action Items.

6)DOJ CLETS- How do counties get criminal history on birth parents? Some counties mentioned they use the same DOJ request form that they use for possible relative placements. Logic is that CLETS at initial removal is needed to see whether or not child would be returned to parent instead of placement. Santa Clara County will send a copy of their request form to Solano. See Action Items.

7)Referrals and Registered Sex Offenders (RSO) List Notification Some counties reported – if they know that a child is in the placement home, they will generate a referral and go out. If no children in placement home, or not likely to be used, no referral generated. Homes are put At Capacity in Placement Tab so no one can use them. There is confusion about what to do with RSO notifications. Counties not responding to addresses that are apartment units or trailer parks without specific numbers.

8)IVE Waiver – Which counties were opting in? Santa Clara, Solano, and San Mateo have submitted Intent to Participate. Discussion about savings formulas and the idea of using savings to fund AB 12 costs. Can opt out of waiver with 3 months notice. Probation regionally pushing waiver as it allows for more claiming opportunities.

9)Attempted Face to Face Contacts - Per State Audit, attempted contacts by ER do not count anymore. Think creatively on IERs and 10 days. Don’t wait until the last day. Document efforts to find people. Go where child is, just can’t wait for school hours. Santa Clara uses PMshift after 3 p.m. to assure children are seen. See Action Items.

10)Succession Planning – Counties discussed their Mentoring and Professional Development Programs. Some counties have hired consultations, double filled position for 3 to 6 months for training. Not all have formalized procedures. Reminder to work with unions as one county’s program stopped by Union due to concern around Fairness and Equity. What can BAA support? See Action Items.

11)Front End Reorganization–ER caseload fluctuations continue to be a challenge.

  • Santa Clara CountyER hands off to DI after removal. Original Re-org had ER handling until J/D, but union opposed as too much work. Average referral count 9, 14/worker max, with Spanish Speakers getting 75% of 14. Just hired 22 new SWs. DI SWs most overworked.
  • Santa Cruz – in month two of combined ER/DI re-org. Ongoing unit picks up early. Check with Melissa D. or Abby W. if you want update.
  • S.F. – ER takes until Detention. Team has been out to counties, looking at options. They are combining ER and court dependency workers. DI worker may go out on referrals. Also, non-case carrying SWs may take 10days.
  • Solano – All Sups have combo units – Intake/ER, ER/Court Intake. ER files petition 9 – 12 average/worker
  • Marin – has ER carry through J/D
  • San Mateo – Utilizing Hotline Workers for 10 days. Adoption and Licensing may help on Hotline. 16/worker
  • Monterey - ER carries until Removal

12) Bay Area ER Supervisors Group – Group is moving forward, letting go of past. Need counties to participate (nominated by Directors) in order for it to succeed. Guests may come if cleared by Agency. May do Asilomar Conference again.

Action Items:

  1. Katie A. – Mary will check to see if all counties are required to use Katie A. Page in CWS/CMS Release 6.7
  2. Regional Contract on SSI applications – Mary will send questions back to BARC
  3. All e-mail county adoption practices around release of home studies to applicants. How much to share with family, how much sharingwithin agency?
  4. AB 12–Google Document Share for THP-FC – Wendy will assign a staff person to look in to this option
  5. AB 12 – Mary will send out results of CDSS/CalSWEC AB 12 surveys regarding county numbers of Extending, Exiting and Reentry NMDs.
  6. AB 12 – All e-mail written procedures to Maria Corona – San Benito County request
  7. DOJ CLETS – Santa Clara will share copy of their combined request form
  8. Attempted Face to Face Contacts – Mary will get clarification from Directors on expectation
  9. Succession Planning –Alle-mail out written policy and procedures of agency or county succession planning or professional development practices
  10. Bay Area CPS Supervisor Group – Mary will resend flyer
  11. FFA Placements – Karl Porter’s agenda item – defer to next time.

Next Meeting – 1/11/13 in Oakland from 9:30 to 12:30 pm

Next Agenda

  1. Follow up on above action items
  2. Criminal Background Checks on Parents – continued (Debbie Powell)
  3. AB 12 – Bring data to next meeting – Actual numbers of exiting, extending and re-entry youth and also permanency barriers.
  4. FFA Placements (Karl Porter)

Respectfully Submitted by:

Christine Lerable

10-31-12