Los Angeles County Self-Assessment Report

• Expansion of Special Investigation Unit (SIU)/ Dual Supervision Unit which
collaborates with staff from the Department of Children and Family Services and the
Department of Mental Health to assess, incorporate placement and placement
history, health, mental health, educational, family and other relevant information, and
develop a case plan and joint recommendation to determine which status will best
serve the interests of the youth and the protection of the community. SIU will be
expanded and enhanced to include use cross-systems case assessment and case
planning.
• Multi-Disciplinary Community Crisis Teams will be established to help families
experiencing domestic violence and conflict, dealing with family substance abuse
issues, and engaging in risky and maladaptive behaviors. Group home provider
treatment staff, schools, and community-based services providers, including
Wraparound and Family Preservation providers will partner with the Placement
aftercare deputy probation officers (DPOs) and County agencies in providing
individualized in-home services to probation families in crisis.
• Expansion of Placement Assessment Centers –In 2005, two group home sites, Boys
Republic and Rancho San Antonio, were selected to establish Placement
Assessment Centers (PACs) to provide a more comprehensive assessment for
suitable placement minors. These assessments include a determination of
psychosocial, educational, and mental health status as well as substance abuse use
and gang involvement. The resulting extensive assessment packet information
enables staff to make a more informed placement decision for these youth.
All of the above strategies, initiatives and programs play a significant role in laying the
foundation for change in L.A. County, and, because of practice and policy changes,
both Probation and DCFS has made progress in achieving safety, permanency, and
well-being for children and families. In Section III, the Department Of Children and
Family Services’ performance on the Federal outcome measures is described and
analyzed, along with a narrative assessment of the outcomes. Again, due to the lack of
a state-wide data tracking system, Probation’s performance on the Federal outcome
measures is not available; therefore, Section III, Child Welfare Outcomes will not have
any probation information, except for Measure 8A—Independent Living, since both
DCFS and Probation share this resource and data is collected on both populations.
Some of those measures will be discussed in Section IV, Systemic Factors.
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