MERGER OF STATE AND COUNTY CHILD WELFARE PROGRAMS

Background

The purpose of Assembly Bill 1 (AB 1), passed in the 2001 Nevada Legislature's Seventeen Special Session, is to improve outcomes for children and families - to improve the safety and well-being of children in custody and to reach permanency for children more quickly. Two strategies were approved and funded to achieve these goals. First, to increase efficiencies and reduce duplications, foster care, adoptions and related programs, currently the responsibility of the Nevada Division of Child & Family Services (DCFS), are being transferred to Clark County and merged with county child welfare services. Second, to reduce caseload size and to increase services for foster children, the Legislature appropriated funds for additional foster care/adoptions case management positions and children's mental health programs

Oversight and Implementation

Various committees have been formed to ensure that AB 1 is implemented in an efficient and coordinated manner.

Statewide

The Legislative Committee on Children, Youth and Families, created by AB 1, is comprised of 10 members, five senators and five assemblypersons. The Legislative Committee will meet six times during this biennium to study issues and make recommendations to the Legislature regarding the provision of child welfare services, and receive reports on the activities of the three regional Mental Health Consortia (Clark County, Washoe County, Rural Nevada).

The Governor's Committee and the Stakeholders Committee includes representatives from the Governor's Office, the Legislative Council Bureau, the State Budget Office, the Nevada Department of Human Resources and the Division of Child & Family Services, Washoe County and Clark County. This Committee addresses policy and resource issues related to the transfer of state child welfare services to the counties to ensure that integration is accomplished efficiently, effectively and sensitively.

The Statewide Integration Committee consists of child welfare administrators and managers from DCFS and Washoe and Clark counties. The Committee implements the policies established by the Governor's and Stakeholders Committees, and serves as a working committee to coordinate, plan, prioritize and complete tasks related to the merger. It also assists in maintaining communication between regions so common issues can be addressed with consistency throughout the state.

Southern Nevada

In Southern Nevada, Clark County's Director of Child Welfare Services and the Child Welfare Integration Team, made up of DCFS and Clark County members, guide and facilitate the planning and implementation of merger activities. State and county staff - through Implementation Teams, and stakeholders - through the Advisory Committee on Child Welfare Integration, are involved in making recommendations on the merger and ways to improve services.

The membership of Southern Nevada's Mental Health Consortium mirrors the membership of the Advisory Committee to ensure coordination across the child welfare and children's mental health systems of care. Per AB 1, each January, Consortium members must submit a plan for meeting the needs of Clark County children with emotional disturbances. DCFS Southern Region staff facilitates the activities of the Consortium.

Plan for Merger

In July 2001, Clark County Manager Thom Reilly directed that a new child welfare department be formed to assume responsibility for the child welfare programs transferring to the County from the State, as well as the child welfare programs the County currently administers-Child Protective Services and Child Haven. This new child welfare department is named the Clark County Department of Family Services (DFS). The remaining juvenile justice programs at the County-Juvenile Detention, Probation Services and Spring Mountain Youth camp-will be named the Department of Juvenile Justice Services (DJJS). These changes took effect July 1, 2002.

DFS is anticipated to have nearly 400 full-time employees when the merger is complete. Programs will be phased in over the coming year according to the following schedule.

Co-location of services

Another strategy to improve services to children and families is through better coordination among the various systems of care. Child welfare, juvenile justice, children's mental health and early childhood services will eventually be co-located in each of five geographic service areas-referred to as Central, West, South, East and North. DCFS, DFS and DJJS have implemented these five parallel service areas, which are defined by zip code.