A lack of staffing at Family and Children Services is creating a “toxic environment” for personnel and causing more stress for clients, the Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury reports recently after investigating complaints.
According to a report titled: “Mendocino County Family and Children Services: The Broken Process at Family and Children Services,” the 2023-24 Grand Jury initiated an investigation into that unit of the county’s Social Services Department “because of a complaint regarding reports filed late to the Superior Court and short-staffing due, in part, to unfilled positions and a four-day workweek, which leaves the FCS offices closed to the public on Fridays.”
The report explains that it was soon discovered that “there had been several investigative reports produced by past grand juries regarding issues in FCS, (which) is of concern to our community and to the disenfranchised fostered children in Mendocino County. Social workers are required to produce reports from the time the child/children are removed from their home (and) when vulnerable families are separated, an anxiety-fueled frustration is created, and the longer the separation, the more toxic the stress.”
When trying to determine why this was occurring, “the Grand Jury found that not only was there no easy fix, but there was more than one problem to solve. However, one of our findings produced a shining star: there are talented, dedicated people who work at FCS and who attempt to provide quality services to the children and families of Mendocino County. (But) late report filing, short-staffing, added responsibilities, a short workweek and other roadblocks cause cases to be delayed. Getting families through the court process, into counseling and into family reunification or placement as soon as possible is crucial in order to minimize the trauma to children in foster care.”
“Everyone in FCS interviewed by the Grand Jury demonstrated a genuine passion for improving the lives of children. They all confirmed some challenges need to be addressed in the FCS units serving children at risk. The Grand Jury would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication that brought about changes and improvements such as the use of waivers and the new DSS Unity Team in Social Services.”
The report goes on to explain that “Grand Jury interviews with FCS employees found that employees report a toxic work environment because of overwork caused by understaffing. This, in turn, causes difficulties in recruitment and retention and unfilled positions stress existing employees as they work to fulfill needs. Stress-related absenteeism, high employee turnover and medical leave are common, and … staffing needs are addressed by allowing and encouraging overtime for current workers rather than hiring additional staff.”
The findings of the reports include:
- No matter what efficiencies are put in place, the most effective measure by far is addressing low staffing issues. Low staffing leads to late reports, late filings, and extended time in the system that indisputably causes trauma and harms children.
- FCS employees demonstrate a genuine passion for the work of improving the lives of children. Short-staffing, missed deadlines and excessive overtime means they are unable to provide the quality of services desired. Consequently, staff suffers from morale injuries and burnout.
- FCS regularly fails to meet the legally mandated timelines for the filing of court reports. This results in some court proceedings having to be continued, to the detriment of children, families, and the court.
- When FCS fails to meet legally mandated timelines for the filing of court reports they are not providing the children and families with due process, possibly creating a civil rights violation liability for Mendocino County.
- Reducing overtime requires filling open staff positions and increasing salaries to boost morale and reduce burnout.
- It is difficult to decipher the FCS budget. Lack of specific line items causes lack of transparency and understanding of how the money is used.
- Based on funding from the State of California and Mendocino County to FCS, it appears that the county could increase staff positions and/or salaries in FCS, thus boosting morale and reducing burnout.
- The current four-day workweek and Friday office closure within Mendocino County FCS are detrimental to public access to services.
The recommendations in the report include:
- FCS address understaffing which leads to high caseloads and low worker morale, frequently contributing to high worker turnover, a toxic culture and lack of experienced workers.
- FCS work with Human Resources to address and increase staffing.
- FCS management find ways to provide coverage for absent Social Workers to alleviate heavy caseloads for other staff members.
- FCS management and social workers develop a strategic plan that will eliminate late court reports.
- FCS management be required to encourage immediate approval of a new SIP plan that addresses FCS staffing issues.
- FCS immediately fill vacant staff positions.
- Mendocino County use monies in the FCS budget for staffing, reducing overtime and salary adjustments.
- Mendocino County and FCS explore ways to keep the FCS offices open 5 days a week while allowing employees to maintain their four-day/ten-hour shifts by implementing staggered schedules.
- The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors create a committee whose sole mission is to independently and accurately evaluate the status of timely court filings by FCS.
The Grand Jury notes that its “recommendations are realistic and achievable. They will result in better outcomes now and in the future. Past Grand Juries have addressed these issues; it appears to be time to act. The Grand Jury urges Family and Children’s Services leadership and the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors to adopt the recommendations and thanks all involved for their cooperation in this investigation.”
Read the full report on FCS and other Grand Jury reports here:
