Report 2018-126 Recommendation 14 Responses

Report 2018-126: Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services: It Has Not Adequately Ensured the Health and Safety of All Children in Its Care (Release Date: May 2019)

Recommendation #14 To: Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services

To strengthen and improve its quality control processes, by November 2019 the department should implement a tracking system to monitor the implementation and results of recommendations resulting from child-death reviews.

1-Year Agency Response

The planned enhancements to the Critical Incident & Fatality Tracking (CIFT) system that the Department's Risk Management Division (RMD) uses to track analyses and findings/recommendations stemming from child fatality/near fatality reviews have been completed.

Prior to the enhancement, RMD managers needed to take the information inputted into the Departmental Assignment Control System (DACS) by the regional offices/special programs and manually transfer the information into CIFT. CIFT now imports entries from DACS and enables RMD managers to use CIFT to oversee regional office/special programs responses to the recommendations. As a result of the upgrade, RMD managers can monitor efforts to improve practices and approaches to service delivery through CIFT without having to refer to DACS.

CIFT is duly functional as a tracking system to monitor the implementation of recommendations resulting from child death reviews. It has been determined that further integration of the DACS system features is not necessary for CIFT at this time.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

The department has implemented the CIFT system, which includes areas for it to note and track action taken related to recommendations from the Risk Management Division.

6-Month Agency Response

As stated in the Department's previous response, the Risk Management Division's (RMD's) Critical Incident & Fatality Tracking (CIFT) database primarily tracks analyses and findings/recommendations relating to Child Fatality/Near Fatality reviews and is not well-suited for the purpose of tracking implementation of actions related to those recommendations. However, the Department utilizes a separate Departmental Assignment Control System (DACS) to assist in tracking implementation, as DACS allows for the uploading of reports, the entry of periodic updates, and the monitoring of strategies that regional offices use to address RMD's recommendations. RMD currently uses both CIFT and DACS to track recommendations and implementation, respectively.

The Department's Business Information Systems Division is actively programming enhancements to CIFT to allow for integration of DACS's implementation-tracking features. These enhancements will reduce the reliance of staff having to switch back and forth between the two systems continually while monitoring the implementation and results of recommendations resulting from child death reviews. A prototype of the streamlined CIFT system was approved by RMD and the system upgrade is slated for release in January 2020.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

Currently, DCFS uses a tracking system called Critical Incident & Child Fatality Tracking (CIFT) to track data related to child fatalities and near fatalities and to automate the workflow of the DCFS Child Fatality/Near Fatality (CF/NF) team. In addition to tracking data (e.g. case practice strengths and missed opportunities, court involvement, case type, DMH involvement, etc.) which is used to inform the CF/NF team's resulting analysis, this system also tracks findings and recommendations. DCFS is working with BIS to further enhance the CIFT system to include better delineation of recommended action items, and to track the implementation of recommendations.

Additionally, the Department's Risk Management Division (RMD) developed a Lessons Learned Collaborations program to promote self-reflective work environments and explore strategies/practice tools that enhance critical thinking and support child safety and well-being. (The Department's RMD takes critical or reoccurring issues, themes, or practices from its death reviews and reconciles recommendations for best practice in Lessons Learned bulletins for its workforce.) Through three phases of Lessons Learned modules in each regional office, the Risk Management Division (RMD) coordinates interactive, collaborative training sessions that emphasize a culture of learning, facilitate skill development, and expand leadership capacity around evaluating case practices. Regional office participation in each phase is tracked and logged.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2018-126

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.