On welfare and in juvie – dual clients get lost
(Calif.) County systems responsible for tracking youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems are unable to accurately identify these children and keep tabs on their academic progress, according to a recent survey.
Of the six counties included in the California State Auditor’s report released last week, five were unable to identify the total number of youth considered dually-involved. In addition to each county employing a different method of tracking, there was also a lack of integration between the welfare and juvenile systems within each county.
“These systems don’t have the proper data infrastructure to both share vital information with each other and know what is happening with a young person, like whether or not they are succeeding, and what that young person needs because of this fundamental lack of coordination and tracking,” said Patricia Soung, senior staff attorney and policy associate at Children’s Defense Fund – California. “It’s not just a lack of data, but a lack of partnership between these agencies and systems that shape the day-to-day life of a youth.”
Many dually-involved young people often do not receive the services they are entitled to, such as counseling or gang prevention efforts, because each system assumes the other is providing them, Soung said in an interview.
Research has long suggested that children involved in the child welfare system often have lower achievement levels in school, and are more likely to struggle with homelessness, behavioral health disorders, unemployment and criminal justice involvement in their early adult years. Those involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems tend to have even worse outcomes, according to the auditor’s report.
In 2005, the Legislature established the statewide Child Welfare Services/Case Management System database to provide welfare services and probation agencies a common place to document and track children involved with both systems. The report, however, found that information regarding case histories, demographics, services delivered, and placement and contact information was often incomplete or inaccurate.
Currently, counties determine how to track dually-involved children, as well as their outcomes, at On welfare and in juvie – dual clients get lost :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: