Practice Innovations in Orange County Promising practices to work with immigrant and Latino families Demographics General Population Orange County is the 3 rd most populous County in California: 3,010,232 Orange County has the 2 nd greatest youth (0-17) population in California: 736,659 Ethnic breakdown of the population: White 44.0% Latino 34.0% Latino subset: Mexican 29.0% Asian 18.0% Puerto Rican 0.4% Black 2.0% Cuban 0.3% Other 3.0% Other Latino 5.0% Percentages may not always total to 100% due to rounding Median family income in Orange County: $79,146 (U.S. Census Bureau: 2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates) Social Services Population Orange County children receiving financial assistance through CalWORKs in 2011: 46,429 Child abuse and neglect reports on children received in 2011: 34,948 Children brought into protective custody in 2011: 1,018 Ethnic breakdown of children brought into custody: White 33.0% Disproportionality Index: White 0.75% Latino 58.0% Latino 1.71% Asian 3.0% Asian 0.16% Black 5.0% Black 2.50% Other 1.0% Other 0.33% Percentages may not always total to 100% due to rounding Elimination of Racial Disparity and Disproportionality (ERDD) The ERDD Advisory Group was formed in late 2007. The members of the ERDD Advisory Group represent public and private child welfare agencies, community-based organizations, program administrators, educators and juvenile justice systems examining the over-or-under representation of minority children in child welfare systems/foster care, compared to their representation in the general population in Orange County. There are about 80 members in the ERDD Advisory Group with a core of about 20 individuals that regularly attend all meetings. In January 2011 there was a significant change in the leadership and direction of the PRESENTATION FOR THE CHILD WELFARE LATINO PRACTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 1 OF 5
ERDD Advisory Group when SSA began sharing the chairmanship of the ERDD Advisory Group with the Probation Department and the Health Care Agency effectively pushing this effort outside the boundaries of SSA. As the result of examining the available data, the ERDD has formed subgroups from time to time to develop practice innovations through the use of the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle. Promising practices involving the Latino Community Include: Cultural Brokers Background: Orange County has experienced a disproportionate number of Latino and African American children entering the Child Welfare System. Also, there has been an increase of Middle Easterner and Arab immigrants which has presented linguistic and cultural challenges for law enforcement and child welfare workers. As such, we plan to work as a collaborative between targeted communities and cities to prepare cultural brokers to assist potential clients at the point of a Child Abuse Registry (CAR) referral. The purpose of this newly developed relationship between cultural brokers, potential clients, and SSA/CFS is to enhance communication, maintain a safe environment for the child, place children who must be removed to a family or friend that is safe and familiar to the child, and assist the mother and/or father by supporting and guiding them through this critical period. Historical Perspective: Cultural brokering is an ancient role that can be traced to the earliest recorded encounters between cultures. The term cultural broker is an individual who acts as a middleman, negotiator, or broker between government agencies and the communities they are involved in. Different definitions of cultural brokering have evolved over time. One definition states that cultural brokering is the act of bridging, linking, or mediating between groups or persons of different cultural backgrounds for the purpose of reducing conflict or producing change (Jezewski, 1990). A cultural broker is defined as a go-between, one who advocates and supports on behalf of another individual or a group. (Jezewski & Sotnik, 2001). Precedent: The Department of Social Services Children and Family Services in Fresno, California conducted a PDSA practice change study on this issue as related to African American and Latino youth and discovered that a disproportionate number of the African American and Latino youth and families were impacted by this practice; more than youth and families from other ethnic or racial groups. To date, Fresno Social Services Children and Family Services have permanent Cultural Brokers that respond with ER workers on cases with positive impact on the community. Goal: To assure that all African American, Latino, Arab, Middle Eastern and/or API families involved in an immediate child welfare investigation in Orange County have a Cultural Broker assigned at the time the social worker responds and makes initial contact with the family. Cultural Brokers will serve as mediators at the most basic level, bridging the cultural gap by communicating differences and similarities between cultures. They may also serve in more sophisticated roles-mediating and discussing complex processes within organizations, government, communities, and between interest groups or countries. The role of the Cultural Broker will be that of a liaison, cultural guide, mediator, and catalyst for change. Partners: Mexican Consulate, Casey Family Programs, Access California, Latino Health Access and Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA). Training: Margaret Jackson, who is an independent consultant/trainer and co-created the Fresno model of Cultural Brokers, conducted an in-depth training on May 9th and 10th for all the potential Cultural Brokers in Orange County. A refresher Cultural Broker and Court Protocol training is planned for the beginning of 2013. Implementation: Pending the signature of a miscellaneous order by the Presiding Judge of the Orange County Juvenile Court, the second stage of the cycle (Do) is expected to start on February-March 2013. PRESENTATION FOR THE CHILD WELFARE LATINO PRACTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 2 OF 5
Father Engagement Background: Data confirms a trend occurring across California regarding the increase in non-participating fathers in dependency cases. Research indicates that father involvement in dependency cases expedites reunification. Goal: To increase fatherhood engagement in support of timely and effective reunification practice. Strategy: Build on existing birth parent mentoring program structure by supporting the hiring of a successfully reunified birth father for a period of 9 to 12 months who will be a resource in the development of a variety of activities in support of the development of father engagement practice in the County. Tasks for this birth father role include: to participate in an advisory function to County leadership, develop capacity as a trainer and spokesperson to speak on the issue, assist in the development a training component and provide coaching for other birth parent mentors and volunteers on fatherhood engagement. Partner: The current provider of birth parent mentorship Family Support Network (FSN) will hire and supervise this birth father role. FSN has a very positive history as a contracted provider for the County and specifically on hiring constituents. Casey Family Programs has also been a partner in this endeavor. Implementation: Two bilingual (Spanish-speaking) and bicultural father mentors were hired by FSN and are currently mentoring fathers in the dependency system. A father support group has also been developed where fathers can teach each other what works and what doesn t. Mentoring ranges from three to six months duration. The Father Mentors program continues to seek an experienced therapist in group facilitation willing to work pro bono with the two father mentors who are inexperienced. Although the main goals of this PDSA has been met. The challenge is to identify funding sources in order to maintain the effort and hire more father mentors. Training: Orange County is the first county in California to formalize Father Engagement training and make it mandatory for Children & Family Services (CFS) staff. Presentations about father involvement efforts have been extended to Juvenile Court staff, County Counsel, bench officers, attorneys, etc. Replication: A group from Clark County, Nevada visited the CFS Team Decision Making unit in October 2012 for two days to learn more about the fatherhood engagement efforts; and now, with funding provided by Casey Family Programs, they are moving forward to establish a parent engagement task force. Ancillary Results: The Court Services Search unit in CFS conducted a pilot with ten families wherein they attempted to locate missing fathers ahead of the detention hearing (72 hours after removal of child) rather than waiting to initiate search 10 days after removal. The pilot yielded positive results allowing social workers to meet with the fathers at the detention hearing and engage them into the reunification process. This process has now been integrated in current practice. Social Services Agency Multi-Cultural Advisory Committee The Multi-Cultural Advisory Committee (MCAC) was formed in 1992, combining the efforts of the Spanish- Speaking Workers Forum and the African American Roundtable. Since that time, the Social Services Asian Forum, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans-Gendered (LGBT) League, and the Middle Eastern Multicultural Association have been added and the door is always open to any future self-identified groups that represent a diverse set of cultural values and strengths. The MCAC consists of a cross-section of Executive Management and employee s representative of the diversity of all Divisions of the Social Services Agency and the population served. The mission of the MCAC is to provide a means to address diversity and multi-cultural issues within SSA and to ensure the delivery of multi-culturally sensitive and competent services to the community. The Spanish-Speaking Workers Forum was formed in 1987 and adopted their bylaws in 1994 with the purpose of providing unity, cohesiveness and advocacy within the Agency related to issues affecting Latino PRESENTATION FOR THE CHILD WELFARE LATINO PRACTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 3 OF 5
clients. The Spanish-Speaking Workers Forum has formed workgroups from time to time to address specific areas of concern. Toolkit for Working with Immigrant Families & the Mexican Consulate in Santa Ana Assisting immigrant families through the dependency system forces social workers to sometimes navigate through obscure areas to facilitate reunification or identify permanency planning arrangements. Taking advantage of a Memorandum of Understanding between the County of Orange and the Consulate of Mexico in Santa Ana that had become effective on December 15, 2008, representatives from the Spanish-Speaking Workers Forum met with the Mexican Vice Consul in Santa Ana in 2010 to develop a strategy to address issues impacting the lives of immigrant families who come to the attention of the Agency. A workgroup named Working with Immigrant Families was formed with representatives from the Mexican Consulate, SSA s Training and Career Development Program, County Counsel, and social workers from the programs that work with immigrant families to develop this advanced training. The workgroup identified and addressed specific practice areas where early engagement with the consulate may help preclude bringing children into custody or help expedite the reunification process. These intersection points were used to develop the final training and supporting documents contained in the toolkit. The training has been given twice in 2012 for staff in Children & Family Services, Probation, Court Programs, Financial Services, Adult Protective Services and the Mexican Consulate in Santa Ana and surrounding counties. The curriculum alongside with the training handouts has been posted in the MCAC s Intranet website for easy access to everyone in the Social Services Agency. The information contained in the Social Worker s Toolkit for Working with Immigrant Families is intended as a general overview on the intersection of immigration and child welfare cases. It is not intended to replace legal advice from County Counsel nor should it be a substitute for supervisory direction. It should also be noted that Casey Family Programs has requested a meeting with the Orange County Social Services Agency and the Mexican Consulate in Santa Ana to learn more about building collaboration between consulate and government agencies as Casey Family Programs prepares to station one of their staff with Homeland Security in Washington DC. Children and Family Services Immigration Liaisons As the result of the creation by Congress of the Special Immigrant Juvenile status in 1990, Orange County Children & Family Services saw the need to create a position that would have special training in the complex application process of obtaining Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) for undocumented dependent children. The individual in this position was designated with the title of Immigration Liaison and works with the assigned social worker and the dependent to obtain SJIS status prior to the termination of dependency. By facilitating this process, when the dependent child becomes independent, he/she will be able to thrive in American society legally and not run the risk of being deported by (ICE) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. With the Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act of 2008 and other programs available to gain lawful status, the Immigration Liaison function was expanded to two positions in order to better serve our dependent youth, expedite immigration applications and allow for the Immigration Liaisons to work closely with Homeland Security, the various consulates, and other community partners such as the Social Security Administration. With time, in addition to developing expertise in the SIJS process, the Immigration Liaisons have become very familiar with the following methods for gaining lawful status: Permanent Residence Under Color of Law (PRUCOL) Family Visa Petition through birth, step or adoptive relatives PRESENTATION FOR THE CHILD WELFARE LATINO PRACTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 4 OF 5
Violence Against Women Act Petition (VAWA) Cancellation/Waiver of Orders of Removal/Deportation Asylum and Temporary Protected Status U Visa for victims of qualifying crimes T Visa for victims of trafficking Inherited or Derived U.S. Citizenship The Immigration Liaisons also provide in-house education on immigration issues and regularly attend the following meetings: Southern California Counties International Services Committee (SCCISC) Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, Community Based Organization Quarterly Meetings, Los Angeles Field Office Social Security Administration (Social Security Cards) U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, Application Support Centers (Biometrics/Fingerprints) Consulates Vendors (Immigration Medical Examiner & Immigration Photo Studio Staff) For Additional Information on These Practices Please contact: Jorge L. Solé, M.A. Deputy Director Social Services Agency Children and Family Services Continuing Family Services (714) 704-8890 Jorge.L.Sole@ssa.ocgov.com PRESENTATION FOR THE CHILD WELFARE LATINO PRACTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 5 OF 5