San Luis Obispo County

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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services
A Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
Published Semi-Annually
Effective Date May 31, 2009
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page Placements by City and Placement Type
3 Regional Overview 4 Placement Moves
While in Foster Care 5 Length of Time in
Foster Care 6 Placement of Children Within
Their Own Community 7-8 Sibling
Placements 9 Ethnicity 10 Language
11 Age Disparities 12 Teens
13-14 Medical Conditions 15
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE BY CITY AND PLACEMENT
TYPE
As of 05/31/2009, there were 300 SLO County
children in foster care placements 248 placed
in this County and 52 placed in homes in other
counties or other states. Approximately 57 of
all children in placement under DSS supervision
are placed with relatives or with non-relative
extended family members (NREFM), which is the
most beneficial type of placement for children
who must be removed from their own parents.
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57
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In the past six months, the percentage of
relative/NREFM home placements decreased by 6,
but guardianship placements increased by the same
percentage (6). We went from having one child
to 18 children in a guardian home. In addition,
Foster Family home placements have increased by
3.
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6
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Relative/ NREFM Home
FFA Home
Foster Family Home
Group Home
Guardian Home
Small Family Home
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE REGIONAL OVERVIEW
Distribution of all In-County Placements by Region
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
Note Data on this page excludes children placed
outside of San Luis Obispo County.
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE Number of
Placements Family-to-Family Outcome Fewer
placement moves for children in foster care.
Despite our best efforts, 70 children,
representing 23 of those in foster care on
5/31/09, experienced 5 or more placements. Of
those, 35 were reunified when safety concerns
were resolved, but subsequently were placed back
in foster care due to new safety concerns.
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster
Care LENGTH OF TIME IN FOSTER CARE Family-to-Fami
ly Outcome Shorter length of stay in foster
care.
San Luis Obispo Countys goal is to transition
children out of foster care and into safe and
stable families in the shortest possible time.
As of 05/31/2009, 110 (36.7) of the 300
children in foster care had been in placement for
more than two years. Over the last six months
the number of children in care for more than five
years decreased from 11.5 to 8.7.
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN WITHIN THEIR HOME
COMMUNITY Family-to-Family Outcome More children
placed in their own community.
For children who must be in Foster Care,
placements with a relative or extended family
member within the childs home community is the
best possible option. All cities in the county
are included in one of the six service areas
shown on the chart. For example, the Arroyo
Grande area includes Grover Beach, Pismo Beach,
Shell Beach and Oceano. Refer to following page
for further information regarding types of
placements relative to this outcome.
Note Ideal Service Area designations are not
appropriate in all cases, so the data in this
chart represents only 274 of the children in
foster care as of 5/31/09. (Actual number of
children shown in red.)
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN WITHIN THEIR HOME
COMMUNITY Family-to-Family Outcome More children
placed in their own community.
The charts demonstrate that when we are able to
place children with relatives or extended family
members, they are much more likely to remain in
their home community they also show how well SLO
County Department of Social Services is doing in
locating and placing children with kin. These
statistics are based upon the 300 in Foster Care
Placement as of 05/31/2009.
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN WITH THEIR
SIBLINGS Family-to-Family Outcome More siblings
placed together.
The most current statistics available for sibling
placements are dated October 1, 2008, at which
time there were 206 children in placement who
have one or more siblings. Of those, 148 (72)
were placed with all or some of their siblings.
Studies show that maintaining sibling
relationships is of vital importance to the
wellbeing of children. Oftentimes, children who
are abused or neglected by their caregivers form
especially strong ties to one another. The
emotional support of the sibling bond may nurture
a sense of stability and continuity and help to
provide a sense of safety for children in foster
care placements.
Source Center for Social Services
ResearchUniversity of California at Berkeley
Data as of October 1, 2008
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster
Care ETHNIC GROUPS AGE 0-18 Family-to-Family
Outcome Reduce disparities associated with
race/ethnicity.
Note There are comparatively very few Black,
Asian, and Native American children who are in
Foster Care in SLO County. Therefore, the
percentages fluctuate significantly with only
minor changes in the numbers. The actual number
of children in Foster Care compared to total
population is shown in the chart below.
The Department consistently works to minimize any
potential disparity through the use of
evidence-based practice and the provision of
staff training.
Census Demographics from UC Berkeley Center for
Social Services Research Based on Projections of
U.S. 2000 Census
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report Data As
Of 05/31/2009
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
LANGUAGE
There are 11 children in Foster Care (3.7 of the
total 300 children) who speak Spanish as their
primary language. As of 05/31/2009, these
children were placed as shown in the chart above.
As with all placements, every effort is made to
place monolingual children with relatives or
extended family members in their home
communities, and to ensure that they are placed
with adults who are able to communicate with
them.
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
AGE DISPARITIES Family-to-Family Outcome
Reduce disparities associated with age.
Important Note The age groupings shown here
are slightly different from prior reports. Each
group now represents a 3-year span of ages (with
the exception of 18 years olds).
This chart illustrates that San Luis Obispo
County has a disproportionate number of teens in
placement. However this disparity is less than
in prior years. Over the last 12 months the
percentage youth 12 17 years old in foster
care, compared to all children in care, has
declined by 3 - AND - the number of 12-17 year
olds in foster care dropped from 156 to 125.
See the following page for more information on
teens in foster care.
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
TEENS Family-to-Family Outcome Reduce
disparities associated with age.
The percent of teens in foster care for more than
5 years decreased from 20 to 15 since the last
report dated 11/30/ 2008.
Our efforts focus on changing the ideals,
concepts and philosophies of Permanency to
proactive planning and best practices. It is our
commitment to ensure that each youth who leaves
foster care has permanent lifelong connections
with caring, committed adults. We actively
search for extended family members and facilitate
contacts with siblings who have been separated.
Every youth in Foster Care who is age 16 or older
will have a Transitional Independent Living Plan
which includes services designed assist them with
education and career planning, housing, money
management skills, and social skills.
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot of Children in Foster Care
TEENS Family-to-Family Outcome Reduce
disparities associated with age.
Of the 300 children in foster care as of
5/31/2009, 120 (40) are age 13 or older. The
number of teens in placement has remained
relatively stable over the past six months. A
total of 33 teen foster care cases were closed,
and 32 new ones were opened between 12/1/2008 and
5/31/2009. Of the 33 cases closed, 14 closed due
to emancipation.
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
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San Luis Obispo County Department of Social
Services Snapshot Children in Foster Care
MEDICAL CONDITIONS
Approximately 89of children currently in Foster
Care have one or more physical or mental health
conditions requiring treatment. The chart shows
some of the more common conditions. Although
less common, we also have children in care who
are blind, deaf, have diabetes, seizures,
congenital heart disease, and a wide range of
other conditions. This data is based upon
CWS/CMS case records of the 300 children in
foster care as of 05/31/2009.
Source CWS/CMS Business Objects Report
Data Effective As Of 05/31/2009