Alameda County Faces Scrutiny Over Self-Reported Fixes to Child Welfare Audit
Wahab questions whether County's Children and Family Services has truly implemented reforms prescribed by a recent state audit; Fremont mayor's social is media is blowing up; 100 days to June Primary
☕️MORNING BUZZ
Vol. VI, No. 1,204
—Questions persist about the county’s response to a state audit that found its Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) failed to meet state standards for protecting children, despite claims that some of the required remedies have been completed.
The Board of Supervisors’ Social Services Committee is scheduled to hear from DCFS this afternoon amid continuing scrutiny from State Sen. Aisha Wahab, who has questioned whether the department’s claims are verifiable.
Wahab requested the state audit last year following the death of 8-year-old Sophie Mason, a Hayward resident who was found dead after prolonged neglect by her mother. A lawsuit filed by the family alleged that repeated attempts to get county social services to monitor the child were largely ignored.
County officials are expected to again address the audit at this morning’s hearing and outline which of the auditor’s recommendations they say have already been implemented.
—However, at a task force meeting convened by Wahab last week, a representative from the state auditor’s office said the department’s assertions were self-reported and include no documentation.
Wahab, who was herself a foster youth, pressed the county to provide evidence. “Clearly more work needs to be done,” she said. “We are asking the county to follow the laws that protect children. This is the bare minimum.”
According to the department, six of the audit’s 15 recommendations have been completed, including mandatory shadowing for new employees and notifying relatives within 30 days when a child is removed from the system.
Several of the most critical recommendations remain in progress, the department said, including measures to improve supervision and speed up emergency response investigations.
More on State Auditor’s Report:
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