BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
SB 1279 (Wolk) - Child welfare services: information access and
outcomes.
Amended: April 9, 2012 Policy Vote: Human Services 6-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: May 24, 2012 Consultant: Jolie Onodera
SUSPENSE FILE.
Bill Summary: SB 1279 would:
Establish Legislative intent authorizing the Department
of Social Services (DSS) to receive information held by
other state agencies as it relates to outcomes for youth
involved in the child welfare system.
Authorize the Director of the Employment Development
Department (EDD) to release specified quarterly wage data
to the DSS for the purposes of carrying out the
requirements specified in the bill.
Require the DSS to consult with state and local agencies
and other appropriate entities to identify key outcomes for
youth, including, but not limited to, outcomes associated
with education, criminal justice, employment, suicide, and
racial, ethnic, and other disparities within those
outcomes.
Require the DSS to provide to the Legislature by January
1, 2015, information regarding progress in identifying
those outcomes, timelines for monitoring and reporting, as
well as findings and recommendations regarding
implementation of the provisions of the bill, including any
statutory, regulatory, and/or fiscal barriers.
Fiscal Impact:
Minor to potentially significant impact to DSS staff
resources or redirection of existing staff in the low
hundreds of thousands of dollars (General Fund) to comply
with the provisions of the bill. Costs would be dependent
on the extent to which the DSS utilizes the resources and
expertise of the California Child Welfare Council.
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Ongoing annual costs of less than $20,000 to the DSS for
reimbursement to EDD for disclosure of quarterly wage data
(assumes quarterly data request of 250,000 to 4 million
individuals at a unit cost of $0.005 to $0.001 per unit).
Additional administrative cost of $1,500 to contract with
EDD covers development, processing, and contract
maintenance costs over a three-year contract.
Major cost pressure potentially in the millions of
dollars, both one-time and ongoing, to the extent the DSS
recommendations indicate significant information technology
system changes would be required to effectively receive
data securely from other agencies for efficient monitoring
and reporting, as well as require substantial resources and
regulatory changes within various state agencies.
Background: Existing law requires the DSS to establish the Child
and Family Services Review (CFSR) System, an outcomes-based
review process that focuses on the effectiveness of services to
families and children as they move through the child welfare
system and by measuring client outcomes. The review process
consists of Peer Quality Case Reviews, County Self-Assessments
and System Improvement Plans to assess, monitor, and track the
performance of county child welfare systems.
The Child Welfare Council, an advisory body established in 2006
by the Legislature, is co-chaired by the California Health and
Human Services Agency and the state Supreme Court, and is
comprised of representatives across the child welfare spectrum,
including the legislature, courts, state agencies, counties,
service providers, advocates, and consumers. The Council is
charged with developing recommendations to improve outcomes for
youth in the child welfare system through increased
collaboration and coordination among programs, services, and
processes administered by the multiple agencies and courts that
serve youth in the child welfare system.
Proposed Law: This bill establishes Legislative intent
authorizing the DSS to receive information held by other state
agencies as it relates to outcomes for youth involved in the
child welfare system, for purposes of monitoring those outcomes
and improving the operations of the child welfare system. The
bill also authorizes the Director of EDD to release quarterly
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wage data to the DSS, to the extent permitted by federal law.
Specifically, the bill requires DSS to consult with state and
local agencies, child welfare advocates, and other appropriate
entities, as determined by the Director of DSS, to identify key
outcomes for children in the child welfare system, including,
but not limited to, outcomes associated with education, criminal
justice, employment, suicide, and racial, ethnic, and other
disparities within those outcomes. Indicators are to reflect
outcomes at the point of separation from the system, as well as
outcomes after separation, including at least one point in time
at least five years following separation.
By January 1, 2015, DSS is to provide the following information
to the budget and appropriate policy committees of the
Legislature:
The progress in identifying outcome measures for the child
welfare services system, including measures of outcomes for
youth who leave the system, as they relate to the key
outcomes previously noted;
The progress in monitoring those outcomes, including but
not limited to, the timelines for monitoring and reporting,
the process to be used, and any funding or staffing
requirements at the state or local level to enable
implementation;
Findings and recommendations for implementing the
provisions of the bill, including information on common
statutory, regulatory, or fiscal barriers identified, as
well as recommendations for overcoming those barriers.
Related Legislation: SB 1258 (Wolk) 2012 would require the
Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) to establish a system for
monitoring specified outcomes for veterans. The bill would
require the department to submit reports to the Senate and
Assembly Committees on Veterans Affairs on the establishment of
the system and on any outcomes for veterans identified by the
department, as provided. The bill would also enable the DVA to
receive quarterly wage data from the EDD. This bill is scheduled
to be heard today in this committee.
AB 636 (Steinberg) Chapter 678/2001 requires DSS to enact the
Children and Family Services Review System which establishes an
outcomes-based review process administered by the Outcomes and
Accountability Bureau.
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Staff Comments: This bill would result in increased workload for
DSS to consult with various agencies to identify key outcomes
for youth and provide the specified information to the
Legislature. Resource needs would range from minor to
significant and would be dependent on the degree to which the
DSS utilizes the Child Welfare Council as a resource to assist
in meeting the provisions of this bill.
This bill authorizes the DSS to receive quarterly wage data from
EDD. The EDD would require reimbursement from DSS for all costs
associated with the disclosure of wage information through a
three-year contract setting forth the necessary safeguards on
confidentiality and disclosure as required under federal law.
The volume of data requests is unknown at this time, but costs
would be charged on a sliding scale per unit basis. For 250,000
to 4 million records, EDD would charge $0.005 to $0.001 per
record, respectively, resulting in annual costs of less than
$20,000. An administrative charge of $1,500 per three-year
contract would cover EDD costs for development, processing, and
maintenance.
The DSS is required to report its findings and recommendations
to the Legislature by January 1, 2015. There would be major cost
pressure potentially in the millions of dollars, both one-time
and ongoing, to the extent the DSS recommendations indicate
significant information technology system changes would be
required to effectively receive data securely from other
agencies for efficient monitoring and reporting, as well as
require substantial resources and regulatory changes within
various state agencies.
To the degree any requirements successfully improve the
efficiency of operations of the child welfare system,
significant future costs savings to the state and counties could
be realized.
Recommended Amendments: This bill contains codified findings and
declarations. In the interest of code clarity and efficiency,
staff recommends this bill be amended to place the findings and
declarations in an uncodified section of the bill.
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