COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Human Services Agency

DATE:

April 29, 2002

BOARD MEETING DATE:

May 21, 2002

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Maureen D. Borland, Director, Human Services Agency

Stuart Oppenheim, Northern Regional Director

SUBJECT:

Agreement with Edgewood Center for Children and Families

Recommendation

Adopt a resolution authorizing the President of the Board to execute an Agreement with Edgewood Center for Children and Families (Edgewood) in the amount of $785,631 for the administration of the Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP) for the period of July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2003.

Background

On June 1, 1998, the Human Services Agency, Children and Family Services Division received a two-year grant for $180,000 from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) under AB1193 to provide kinship support services to relative caregivers of children. Such services include case management, peer mentoring, counseling and support groups. Edgewood was selected to contract as a sole source to develop the KSSP services for the County of San Mateo due to their experience in developing and providing similar services to the City and County of San Francisco. There were also no competitors that provided similar kinship support programs in the Bay Area. The initial State grant for KSSP from CDSS has subsequently been changed to an annual allocation.

To expand services of the San Mateo County KSSP, the Human Services Agency and Edgewood collaborated to apply for a David and Lucille Packard Foundation Grant for $124,700, and was awarded the grant on September 24, 1999. The term of the David and Lucille Packard Foundation Grant was extended to October 31, 2001 with the balance of $70,631 being carried forward in this agreement to assist in sustaining KSSP services. On April 3, 2001, the Board approved an Agreement with Edgewood for $241,136 to provide KSSP services for the term of October 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001.

During the first three years of the program, Edgewood located two permanent Kinship Support Centers in East Palo Alto and South San Francisco. The two site locations are where the most San Mateo County relative caregivers reside. The program provides respite activities and education to assist relative caregivers in parenting and to help them maintain their emotional and physical health.

During FY 00-01 Edgewood successfully met CDSS goals as well as San Mateo County Kinship Support Services Program outcomes. The program served 171 children living with relative caregivers and a total of 107 relative caregivers. There are 25 children who receive tutoring twice a week, 25 to 30 relative caregivers who attend weekly support groups, and 10 families who attend weekly recreational services.

Discussion

Over 8,000 children in San Mateo County live with relative caregivers other than their parents. If these relatives were not able and willing to care for these children, many of them would need foster homes. Over 40% of the children served by the Human Services Agency under the Dependency Juvenile Court are placed with relative caregivers. These relative caregivers offer an invaluable service to the Agency and the children.

The KSSP program will provide counseling, recreation and respite services to 215 relative caregivers and 320 children in FY 01-02. The children will be offered tutoring and homework assistance. Edgewood Center has taken an active role in working with the Human Services Agency in designing services to relatives caring for Dependents of the Juvenile Court as part of the Family to Family Initiative.

In FY 02-03 the plan of the KSSP program is to offer the same services to 260 relative caregivers and 375 children. In addition they will do immediate outreach to relative caregivers of Dependent children of the Juvenile Court as part of the Family to Family Initiative. As some of the funding for previous years went to start up costs for the two service sites, there will be a decrease in funding for FY 02-03 without adversely affecting the program.

This Agreement is being submitted late because the State did not authorize the Targeted Case Management rate, a new funding source, until late February and Edgewood Center was required to resubmit a budget based on the rate. We are requesting that the contract be backdated to 7/1/01 to allow us to access the remainder of the David and Lucille Packard Foundation grant which was spent prior to the end of the grant period of 10/31/01; however we cannot access the money without a contract to cover those months.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The desired outcomes of KSSP are to stabilize the placement of the child and to give support and respite to the relative caregivers.

Performance Measure

Source of Data

Actual
FY00-01

Projected
FY 01-02

Projected
FY 02-03

Percent of children in the families served who will remain with the original caregiver and who will not enter the foster care system.

Program case records

100%

100%

100%

Vision Alignment

The Agreement with Edgewood for KSSP services keeps the commitment of Ensuring basic health and safety for all and goal number 6: All children grow up healthy in safe and supportive homes and neighborhoods. The Agreement contributes to this commitment and goal by providing services to relative caregivers and the children to strengthen and support the caregiver child relationship, stabilize the placement and support the mental health, physical health and overall well being of relative caregivers.

Fiscal Impact

The term of this Agreement is July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2003. The total obligation is $785,631, of that amount $440,631 is appropriated for FY 2001-02 and $345,000 is appropriated for FY 2002-03. Of that, $673,000 is funded through State and Federal Funds comprised of Child Welfare Services Funds, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Funds and Targeted Case Management Funds. $70,631 is funded through a Packard Grant and the balance of $42,000 is Net County Cost.