Los Angeles County Self-Assessment Report

Los Angeles County Self-Assessment Report
expansion of services, resources, and activities needed by children and their families.
PIDP families, both DCFS families and non-DCFS families, will have access to the full
range of services, resources, and activities across the prevention spectrum.
DCFS designed the PIDP using a $5 million fund balance from FY 2005-06 via a
Request for Information (RFI) process initiated in May 2007. A total of $4.75 million will
be awarded to 8 contracted lead agencies for each of the 8 SPAs for the 12 month
period. The remaining $250,000 is reserved for project evaluation.
Lead agency funding will be utilized as follows:
• 50% aimed at fulfilling Healthier Community goals such as decreasing social
isolation for vulnerable/fragile individuals/families who have not yet come to the
attention of the department, thereby decreasing the number of children requiring
intervention and supervision by DCFS.
• 30% aimed at fulfilling Stronger Families goals such as increasing community
connections for families who come to the attention of DCFS and who choose
supportive services on a voluntary basis, reducing the potential for repeat referrals
that may lead to substantiated maltreatment.
• 20% aimed at fulfilling Thriving Children goals by providing preventive services and
activities to families with substantiated cases of maltreatment, preventing further
maltreatment and reducing the negative impact of maltreatment.
The County and DCFS (regional offices), with its CBO partners and their networks, will
be able to develop, implement and evaluate placed-based and time-limited prevention
strategies across the diverse communities which comprise LA County to see their
impact on child abuse and maltreatment through a broad prevention spectrum of
services, sources and activities. The evaluation results of these strategies will be used
to: (1) determine their replicability/sustainability; (2) revisit and rethink its current service
contracts (such as its Promoting Safe and Stable Families contracts) so as to
incorporate the findings into future year contracting and (3) leverage additional funds to
support and sustain the most effective aspects of the initiative.
Importance of DCFS addressing Primary Prevention
The Prevention Initiative Demonstration Project must address root causes that weaken
families and communities, preventing healthy childhood development - such as poverty,
joblessness, poor education, lack of affordable housing, community crime (including
exposure to violence and domestic violence), lack of health and dental care,
homelessness, substance abuse, social isolation and racism - in order to prevent family
problems from becoming crises.
121