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California

Demonstration Type:	Flexible Funding
Approved:	March 31, 2006
Implemented:	July 1, 20071
Expected Completion:	Last day of the 20thquarter after implementation
Interim Evaluation Report Expected:	(Date Pending)
Final Evaluation Report Expected:	(Date Pending)

Target Population

California’s flexible funding demonstration will target title IV-E-eligible and non-IV-E-eligible children ages 0-19 currently in out-of-home placement or who are at risk of entering or re-entering foster care.

Jurisdiction

Two counties in California—Alameda and Los Angeles—are implementing the demonstration. 

Intervention

Under its flexible funding demonstration, California will receive a capped allocation of title IV-E funds that it will then distribute among participating counties in annual allotments.  Participating counties will utilize their annual allotments of title IV-E funds to expand and strengthen child welfare practice, programs, and system improvements.  Specifically, counties may choose to implement expanded programs in such areas as early intervention services, crisis intervention services, intensive child welfare services, and services that expedite and support permanency.
 
In the county five-year implementation plan the participating counties identify specific programs and services that will be developed, improved, or expanded using their allotment of IV-E dollars.  Under the demonstration, Alameda County proposes to redirect financial resources from the existing congregate group home model to family-based resource homes and community-based services that more directly engage children and families with health, mental health, education, social, and self-sufficiency supports to achieve higher level of safety, permanency, and well-being. 

Los Angeles County aims to improve community partnerships, improve service delivery and create new accountability structures.  Their plan proposes the development, implementation, and expansion of a wide array of programs and supports to provide individualized services to children and families.  The service array is strength-based, family-centered, child-focused, and community-based and will span the continuum across early intervention, crisis intervention, intensive services, and permanency services.  The county has identified universal and specific needs and requirements for the dependent and delinquent foster care populations to be served under the demonstration.    

Evaluation Design

California plans to implement an interrupted time series design for the evaluation of its demonstration that will analyze historical changes in child welfare outcomes.  Using this method, the State will observe patterns in key child welfare outcomes prior to the start of the demonstration and will then track changes in these outcomes during the course of implementation.  To measure longitudinal changes in outcomes, the State will establish a baseline for each outcome measure prior to the start of the demonstration and will report progress on the outcome at selected time intervals. 

Process Evaluation

The evaluation will include interim and final process analyses that describe how demonstration services were implemented and identify how these differed from services available prior to the demonstration.  In particular, the process evaluation will compare the availability and intensity of family preservation, reunification, and permanency support services prior to and after implementation of the demonstration. The process evaluation will also examine the overall implementation of the demonstration, including the identification of implementation barriers and facilitators.

Outcome Evaluation

The State’s outcome evaluation will measure longitudinal changes across participating counties in key safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes.  As identified in the State’s Terms and Conditions, major outcome measures of interest include the following:

• Number and proportion of children with a subsequent substantiated report of abuse or neglect within a specified time period

• Number and proportion of children in foster care with a substantiated report of abuse or neglect while in foster care

• Number and proportion of children who receive a face-to-face contact with a child welfare professional within a specified period following a report of abuse or neglect

• Average number of social worker visits, as appropriate, per child in placement or per child with an active child welfare case

• Rate of recurrence of abuse or neglect in homes where children did not enter out-of-home placement;

• Number and proportion of children who are reunified within 12 months of removal from the home

• Number and proportion of children who are adopted within 24 months of removal from the home

• Number and proportion of children who re-enter out-of-home placement

• For children in out-of-home placement, the average number of changes in placement setting within 12 months of removal from the home

• Number and proportion of children placed in foster care with all or some of their siblings

• Number and proportion of children in out-of-home placement who change placement settings, and the direction of change in the restrictiveness of the placement setting (i.e., to a less restrictive or more restrictive setting)

• Number and proportion of Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) eligible children placed in culturally appropriate foster care settings as defined by ICWA

• Number and proportion of children transitioning to self-sufficient adulthood as measured by (1) attainment of a high school diploma, (2) enrollment in college or another post-secondary education program (e.g., vocational training), and (3) employment status or availability of other means of financial support

Cost Study

California’s cost study will examine the costs of key elements of child welfare services received under the demonstration and compare these costs with those of child welfare services prior to the start of the demonstration. Specific issues that will be addressed by the State’s cost study include the following:

• Overall changes in foster care maintenance expenditures and associated administrative costs

• Shifts in child welfare expenditures away from foster care maintenance to alternative services, supports, and programs provided through the waiver demonstration

• Whether, and the degree to which, the demonstration increases the variety of alternative services, supports, and programs for which title IV-E funds are utilized

Evaluation Findings

Evaluation findings are pending implementation of Arizona's demonstration.

¹California originally planned to implement its flexible funding demonstration by January 1, 2007.  In late 2006, the State received approval to extend the implementation date to July 1, 2007. Back

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