Report 2018-126 Recommendation 5 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 #5 To: Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services
To ensure that it protects children by completing investigations, assessments, home inspections, and background checks in a timely manner, by November 2019 the department should conduct annual reviews of community organizations that perform home environment assessments to ensure that they complete these assessments on schedule.
6-Month Agency Response
In May 2019, the Department completed monitoring reviews of all contracted Relative Home Assessment Services (RHAS) Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) that provided Resource Family Approval related services in 2017 and 2018. In November, the Department began conducting reviews of the RHAS CBOs that provided services in 2019, and are on schedule to complete them by the end of the year. As part of the 2019 evaluations, the Department is ensuring that the corrective actions identified in the earlier reviews are implemented.
- Completion Date: August 2019
- Response Date: November 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented
60-Day Agency Response
The monitoring reviews for all contracted Relative Home Assessment Services (RHAS) Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) that provided RFA-related services in 2017 and 2018 have been completed. The results of the evaluations are under review, and letters for each contracted agency are being drafted. The Department will conduct follow-up reviews as necessary throughout the remainder of 2019 to ensure that identified Corrective Action Plans are properly implemented.
Efforts are underway to enhance the existing RFA database system (Binti) with functionalities and features that allow for more efficient review processes.
- Estimated Completion Date: November 2019
- Response Date: July 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2018-126
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.