Children and Family Services (CFS) recognizes the need for continuous quality improvement efforts to ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of children in San Bernardino County. The department is committed to a rigorous review of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to improve service delivery with the ultimate goal of ensuring better outcomes for children and families. Children and Family Services Leadership has continuous access to qualitative and quantitative data for review and analysis and are provided support by Statistical Analysts from the Human Services Research Outcomes and Quality Support (ROQS) team.

Accomplishments:

• CFS upgraded smart phones and purchased computer tablets to facilitate use of applications and access to information and forms by social workers in the field.
• Two focus areas for CFS have been reducing racial disproportionality in child welfare and rigorous staffing recruitment and retention efforts.
• In partnership with the Child Welfare Development Services (CWDS), CFS graduated its first cohort of staff from a Cultural Responsiveness Academy to help address the disproportionate number of African American families in the Child Welfare System.
• In the last year, CFS has recruited and promoted 224 staff, which includes social workers, office/fiscal/administrative staffing and supervisors, managers and one Deputy Director to support the Mission of the Department.

Goals:

• Utilize quantitative and qualitative data to support CFS supervisors and managers in identifying and promoting practices that work well and areas of opportunity.
• Continue to increase the number of CFS staff at all levels who enroll in and complete the Cultural Responsiveness Academy training.
• Continue to increase the use of Child and Family Team (CFTs) meetings proven effective in engaging families early and increasing permanency by decreasing the number of children removed from their homes and facilitating their quick return home - when it is safe to do so.
• Continue to recruit and retain staff in order to reduce caseloads.

Marlene Hagen
Director, Children and Family Services