DPSS Executive Progress Report TO COMPRESS

A T R A N S F O R M A T I O N A L J O U R N E Y EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

Nov 2020

Pictured: Romney Snyder and her adopted son Tyler

Dear Supervisors and Executive Team: Thank you for your commitment to the wellbeing of Riverside County’s 2.5 million residents. Your support for the health, safety and economic stability of our communities has been instrumental in helping DPSS navigate these unprecedented times. I also want to thank my leadership team and sta ff . Together, we took the helm of DPSS just weeks before the coronavirus hit in March. As demand for our services skyrocketed, and while so many of our sta ff were also personally impacted by the pandemic, our team continued delivering services with passion, dignity, and unrelenting focus to address our customer needs. Overnight, we shifted the way we deliver services to the nation’s tenth most populous county. We accelerated our long-term plans to transition our 4,300-member workforce to telework, from 10% to 80% of sta ff working from home. Within a month, our goal for business continuity was seamless, balancing the need to serve those in crisis and o ff ering flexibility so our employees can address the extra familial demands brought on by the pandemic. As I reflect on our journey this year, several important accomplishments stand out. Most customers are now accessing benefits online or through our call centers and lobby visits are limited. Access to services is more e ffi cient. We continue to explore flexible pathways best suited for the A T R A N S F O R M A T I O N A L J O U R N E Y B E G I N S

Sayori Baldwin Director

populations we serve. Productivity is up and sta ff job satisfaction is high. Internal and external communications have increased. We maintained our conservative approach to spending, implementing cost cutting strategies such as consolidating facilities that saved $1.7 million per year. Automation and innovation continue to occur with the goal of modernizing the way we deliver services. Our protective service workers are continuing their critical mission of conducting safety and welfare checks on at-risk community members. Importantly, case workers are collaborating with many agencies including our public health partners and first responders to keep at-risk children and adults safe during heightened social isolation. We have joined new and existing civic, faith and community partners to strengthen the safety net around our most vulnerable neighbors. While we’re still in the early stages of our transformation, we are clearly gaining momentum to achieve our goals of operational excellence, world-class customer service, and creating a learning organization that supports a competent and engaged workforce. We have begun the fundamental work to establish a system of continuous quality improvement. We are building on our leadership and organizational readiness to tackle our long-term strategic planning e ff orts in 2021, with a laser focus on Transforming Organizational Performance (TOP). We know our biggest challenges are still ahead. We are prepared to serve higher numbers of vulnerable children, families and seniors. Many are facing extraordinary challenges from job loss, economic insecurity and social isolation. With strong alignment between our organizational goals and those of the County Executive O ffi ce, we are confident in our contributions to Riverside County’s 2030 Vision of One County Strong and the Best Place to Live, Work, and Play, Thriving Riverside County, California. Thank you for entrusting me and our executive team to lead a dynamic and mission-driven organization that focuses on people and communities. I have been honored to serve as Director these past eight months. With your support, we look forward to a fruitful and rewarding year ahead. 1 RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

Support and improve the health, safety, independence and wellbeing of individuals and families. O U R M I S S I O N An innovative organization where caring professionals collaborate to provide the most effective solutions to customers. O U R V I S I O N

O U R T O P G O A L S OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE Strengthen and stabilize individuals and families, through timely,

CUSTOMER SERVICE PARTNERSHIPS Meet our customers’ complex needs through coordinated service delivery.

quality, and e ffi cient delivery of programs and services.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Build a learning organization with high performing and an engaged workforce focused on customer center outcomes.

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2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

A L I G N I N G O U R G O A L S

Our transformational journey to create a culture of continuous quality improvement began this year. As we enter 2021, DPSS is preparing to embark on a 3-year strategic plan that aligns our department to Riverside County’s goals. This report highlights the accomplishments of our leadership team and sta ff to e ff ectively modernize our infrastructure to support healthy, safe and sustainable communities. We are leveraging the strengths of our internal and external partnerships. Our collective e ff orts are resulting in a strong safety net that is easily accessible, well-coordinated and holistically supportive of the family-centered approach. We are driven by our values to achieve Top Organizational Performance. Our accomplishments reflect Riverside County’s values of collaboration, accountability, diversity, integrity, respect and customer-focus. The DPSS Goals of Operational Excellence, Customer Service Partnerships and Workforce Development are fully aligned with Riverside County’s 2020 Goals of Healthy Communities, Modernization, Fiscal Strength and Public Safety. Our proudest work, highlighted here, reflects our strong collective commitment to Riverside County’s 2030 Vision of One County Strong, the Best Place to Live, Work, and Play, and Thriving Riverside County, California.

Jennifer Claar Managing Director

T O P G O A L S

As part of our Annual Action Plan for FY 19-20, we accomplished the following activities:

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE • Compliance with Client Service Standards • Performance Dashboard • Facilities Consolidation Plan • CQI Roadmap and Implementation • Funding Plan Sustainability Plan for General Relief

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT • Hiring and training of over 700 new sta ff • 90% Compliance with County Mandated Trainings • 80% Annual Evaluation • Communication & Transparency • Sta ff Engagement Strategies and Support(Coaching and Training) • High Job Satisfaction Rate (3.7 out of 5)

CUSTOMER SERVICE PARTNERSHIPS • More than 500 Flexible Service Contracts to Provide Customer Services • 100 Inter-Department Collaborative Agreements (RUHS, HHPWS, First 5, County Counsel, RCIT others)

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

M E A S U R I N G T O P P E R F O R M A N C E

An executive dashboard was created as part of our TOP quality initiatives to provide near real- time information to support organizational performance. This strategic approach provides accurate information to ensure timely and quality decision making. Dashboards enable leadership the agility they need to implement continuous quality improvements. Managerial excellence is vital to supporting the most vulnerable populations in our communities.

DPSS Executive Dashboard

RIVERSIDE COUNTY DPSS DASHBOARD FY 19/20 Goal 19/20

Staff

Budget

91% Actual 4.078

92% Actual $1.1B Customers 24% 759,047

CHILDREN’S SERVICES

Benefits

Child Visits

90% 96% 90% 78% 90% 39% 9% 15% 8% 12% 90% 82% 90% 96% 90% 81%

Goal

19/20 Goal 19/20

Timely Investigations

12% $1.5B

CWS Family Permanency (By 12 Months) SSD-Welfare Program Participation

40% 30%

Timely Disposition (40 Days) Re-Abuse (within 12-Months) Foster Care Re-Entry

44% 38%

Goal 19/20

ADULT SERVICES

IHSS Provider Growth Rate

Client Satisfaction Survey

APS Client Visits

10% 7%

90% 92%

Timely Investigations

CalWORKs WPR 50% 49% Welfare Benefits Approval 45% 38% IHSS Benefits Approval 50% 48%

Timely Disposition (45 Days) Re-Abuse (within 6-Months)

Call Center Answer Rate 90% 89%

10%

15%

Self-Service Utilization N/A 37%

Maltreatment in IHSS

18% 21%

Health&Independence Increased Access to Basic Benefits & Services

Safety Timely & Comprehensive Assessment

Customer Service Improved Services to Clients

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

STAFF PRODUCTIVITY

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

17%

9%

Backlog

Vacancy

14% Probationary

4%

Overtime

Formal Coaching Evaluation Promotion Employee Engagement

10%

111 Hiring Days 82% Telework

Training

Absences

3.8

92%

13%

17%

72%

87%

Retention

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2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

S E L F S U F F I C I E N C Y

“

We rapidly shifted our service delivery model to make sure families and individuals could access the essential resources they needed during the pandemic. Our focus on customer service, timeliness and e ffi ciency will continue unabated as we help our communities recover from this global economic crisis. ALLISON GONZALEZ Assistant Director, Self Su ffi ciency Division 2020 HIGHLIGHTS ”

MODERNIZED TOOLS Self Su ffi ciency led the use of new technologies for business and training platforms to conduct meetings, customer interviews and sta ff training. We collaborated with Human Resources to use new virtual technologies for interviewing candidates for employment. TIMELY PROCESSING OF RECORD-HIGH APPLICATIONS During the height of the pandemic, CalFresh received a record-high number of 96,062 applications— the highest in any C-IV county across the State—with 98% processed timely. Delinquent applications were reduced in Medi-Cal by 89% (March to September) and Self Su ffi ciency by 70%. Medi-Cal state referral backlog reduced by 91%. WRAPAROUND HOMELESS SERVICES In collaboration with the Housing, Homelessness Prevention and Workforce Solutions Department and RUHS Behavioral Health, we expanded our wraparound services to now include the General Assistance (GA) population, who are adults without dependents. During the first quarter of the new fiscal year, the GA program had an average caseload of 2,024. We are helping customers become self-su ffi cient through mental health services, temporary shelter solutions and substance abuse and job readiness programs. WELFARE TO WORK CURRICULUM Sta ff responded to the COVID pandemic limitations by developing distance learning curriculum that customers can complete from home in a new virtual classroom. Cell-Ed was implemented to provide education and training through a mobile device so our customers can continue gaining skills to become self su ffi cient. SELF SERVICE EXPANDS ACCESS At 44%, we have the highest rate statewide of customers opting into at least one of our self-service platforms. Through marketing e ff orts such as online videos, mailers and direct outreach, we have maximized the use of self-service platforms to link our customers to needed services.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

BY THE NUMBERS

47% increase in enrollment of self- service tools (text alerts, C4Yourself Online Accounts, C4Yourself Mobile App).

Mar-Sept; 96% of all CalFresh applications were processed timely, exceeding the 90% federal requirement

47%

96%

89% The use of new workload

2020 vs Mar-Sep 2019) 19%

19% increase in the number of CalFresh apps received (Mar-Sep

distribution technologies resulted in an 89% decrease in Medi-Cal application processing times

NEW FUNDING, INCREASED HEALTH COVERAGE We received a state grant to partner with Riverside University Health System to increase Medi-Cal program access in its 13 Federally Qualified Health Centers countywide. By increasing Medi-Cal coverage, we are reducing county costs and improving access to healthcare and behavioral health services.

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IMPROVED PARTNERSHIPS, BETTER ACCESS Our collaboration e ff orts with Riverside County Corrections and the Department of Probation resulted in 2,525 new Medi-Cal applications.

INCREASING SELF SUFFICIENCY The Employment Services Program (ESP) continues to collaborate with county economic development partners, Human Resources-TAP, California Dept. of Rehabilitation, community colleges and key stakeholders to improve capacity for on-the-job training programs countywide. We have increased ESP customer participation and reduced their reliance on CalWORKs.

TOP RATED CALL CENTER Our Riverside Regional Call Center service level is top rated in California, exceeding state standards by answering 98% of all calls within 30 seconds.

IMPROVING HEALTH OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN We partnered with First 5 Riverside to expand the Home Visitation Program for Families with Children. Together, we implemented the evidence-based SafeCare home visitation program for families in the Children’s Services and Self Su ffi ciency programs. Our teams contacted more than 3,200 first time mothers in the CalWORKs program, achieving a 22% opt-in rate for voluntary enrollment in SafeCare. 01

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2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

NEED FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN 2021

Community partners, public agencies and volunteers have rallied to ensure the needs are met of thousands of individuals experiencing food shortages during the pandemic. Programs such as CalFresh and Restaurant Meals have played an important role in meeting the nutritional needs of children and adults. Since April, the state has issued more than $82 million in emergency CalFresh Allotments to 75,000 Riverside County households to replace free meals during school closures. Other sources of nutrition are also helping households weather the economic crisis. The state has issued 281,000 children in Riverside County more than $102.5 million in pandemic emergency food benefits since April. As short-term relief programs wane, we are preparing for an increased need in food assistance. We will be focused on increasing participation in the CalFresh program to reduce hunger among low-income and working class households.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

IAN’S PATH FORWARD No one in Ian Madrigal’s family had ever graduated high school. It wasn’t a surprise that the teen foster youth found himself failing and on the brink of dropping out when Project Graduate stepped in. Project Graduate is a partnership between the Riverside County Bar Association, the Superior Court and Children’s Services. Volunteers invest hundreds of hours helping struggling youth like Ian tackle their academic challenges and achieve milestones they never thought possible. In June, Ian earned his high school diploma with nearly straight A’s. He celebrated his milestone with his mentors from Project Graduate, and today Ian is contemplating college while he works. Youth in foster care like Ian often experience academic challenges as a result of the upheaval they’ve su ff ered. In California only half of foster youth graduate from high school in contrast to nearly 90% of their counterparts. DPSS collaborates with stakeholders to ensure strong supports for thousands of older youth in foster care. More partners and more resources are needed to increase academic help and help foster youth navigate into adulthood and healthy, productive lives.

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2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

C H I L D R E N ’ S S E R V I C E S

“

Children’s Services is pushing itself to achieve accountable practices, transparency and quality child and family-centered outcomes. Our transformation relies on all levels of sta ff engagement to understand the “why” of our work, and how our roles relate to the organization’s key strategic priorities: Core Practice and Continuous Quality Improvement, Strong and Valued Workforce, and Strategic Partnerships. CHARITY DOUGLAS Assistant Director, Children’s Services Division 2020 HIGHLIGHTS ”

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SUPPORT FOR A STRONG AND VALUED WORKFORCE We continue to employ trauma-informed care and strengths-based frameworks through consistent sta ff training and supervision. Coaching and a learning mindset foster an environment where employees feel valued and supported to achieve their full potential.

300 NEW EMPLOYEES In partnership with Human Resources, we onboarded 300 employees resulting from our continuous hiring process. We are working closely to train and support our new employees to ensure they are prepared to meet the complex needs of children and families. CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT BEGINS We partnered with the Casey Family Foundation to develop our Continuous Quality Improvement plan, which o ff ers training, reports and internal infrastructure to support our transformation process. We continue to plan and implement recommended process improvements identified by independent external reviews. CQRB TO IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY, PRACTICE, AND OUTCOMES Our Continuous Quality Review Board (CQRB) was established to examine procedures and practices that impact children and youth in care and their families. The CQRB is intended to identify policy and practice gaps, improve practice, and promote transparency.

EXPANDED CASE QUALITY REVIEW We completed a targeted and in-depth case reviews of 885 cases to identify countywide issues and practice trends.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

BY THE NUMBERS

4,344 calls per month on average to the Child Abuse Hotline (through July 2020)

1,140 investigations of child abuse or neglect per month on average (through July 2020)

4,344

1,140

847 children have exited from placement (i.e. adoption, reunification, guardianship - through August 2020)

216

847

216 children have been adopted (through August 2020)

ENGAGING KEY STAKEHOLDERS We continued to work with the California Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to enhance communication between CASA and sta ff ; expanding opportunities for children and youth in the foster system and advocating for services for a stable future. PARTNERSHIPS TO IMPROVE CHILD WELFARE SERVICES We are transforming our child services through interagency collaboration with RUHS, the Riverside County Sheri ff ’s Dept., County Counsel, Probation and Juvenile Court. We have developed joint training and processes for care coordination. An improved warrant process, a reduction in emergency room trips, and joint case management of youth involved in child welfare and juvenile probation are all tangible results of our strengthening partnerships.

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PARTNERSHIP WITH FIRST 5 EXPANDS PREVENTION SERVICES We completed our formal agreement with First 5 Riverside to partner with them to operate our Family Resource Centers. This partnership is intended to enhance prevention e ff orts, expand the scope of community-based services, and blend child abuse prevention funds to service expansion.

TRANSITION INTO A REMOTE CPS HOTLINE/CALL CENTER First among Southern California counties, our Central Intake Center sta ff answers child abuse report hotline calls from home, using new technologies to operate a permanent telework business model.

EXPANDED USE OF MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAMS (MDT) We are partnering with key stakeholders to coordinate our service delivery for diagnosis, treatment and planning of cases involving suspected child abuse and neglect. More high-risk child abuse investigations are being referred to the multidisciplinary team to improve outcomes and services to children and families. 01

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2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN OF COLOR Black children make up 6% of Riverside County’s population under 18, but they are more likely than their peers of other races to experience abuse allegations, substantiation, entry into foster care and longer stays in the system. Alongside our public health, academic and community partners, Children Services has committed to improving the outcomes for Black children. We are embarking upon an aggressive quality improvement initiative to identify causes and adopt practices that bring quality outcomes to all children and families. This transformational initiative aligns with the Board of Supervisors declaration in September that racism in Riverside County is a public health crisis. This crisis leads to persistent discrimination in housing, education, employment and criminal justice. The personal toll of abuse and neglect cannot be measured.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

THOUSANDS OF JOURNEYS HOME Zakiyyah Lateef and Abdul Shaheed estimate they’ve fostered more than 2,000 children since opening their home 30 years ago to children in need of short and long-term family support. “The best part is watching the kids come out of their shells after being neglected and abused,” Lateef said. Most of the foster youth choose to call her Miss Mom and her husband Mister Dad. They were among eight foster parents to earn the Caregiver of the Year Award 2020 from DPSS and the Riverside County Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Commission. Children in foster care experience a variety of challenges as a result of the trauma they’ve su ff ered. We are working closely with our resource families and community to jointly address adverse childhood experiences. We will continue to work alongside the Riverside County Child Assessment Team and others to provide children and families with trauma-focused and culturally competent services.

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2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

A D U L T S E R V I C E S

“

Adult Services quickly adapted to the COVID-19 environment by optimizing technologies and redefining our service delivery models— all while keeping the health and safety of our sta ff and customers at the forefront. I am continuously inspired by the dedication, professionalism, and compassion that our sta ff , county partners and the community share for our vulnerable adults and seniors. TODD BELLANCA Assistant Director, Adult Services Division 2020 HIGHLIGHTS ”

100 DAY CHALLENGE TO ELIMINATE SENIOR HOMELESSNESS We co-led the county’s e ff ort to end senior homelessness. Dedicating 16 APS social workers and 9 Social Service Assistants to provide intensive case management and care coordination, we partnered with Riverside County O ffi ce on Aging, RUHS-MH, and HHPWS to serve 200 seniors through Project RoomKey and transitioned 100 seniors to permanent housing. MODERNIZATION IMPROVES EFFICIENCY & ACCESS Technology has improved overall operations and increased opportunities for customers to easily access services. In 2020, Adult Services successfully automated many of its processes from a paper to digital format. The APS and IHSS casefiles went paperless. This resulted in need for less space; heightened security of confidential records and increased access to case records while reducing courier services between more than a dozen o ffi ces countywide. CONSOLIDATED MAIL CENTER A single centralized mail center has allowed us to eliminate 12 mail locations. Heightened e ffi ciencies have allowed a reduction in sta ff needed to send, receive, process, and scan incoming and outgoing mail. We also converted 14 fax lines to e-fax. Leveraging our Adult Protective Services state grants, we partnered with O ffi ce on Aging and Habitat for Humanity to feed thousands of seniors, assist with emergency housing, and extend case management services to seniors and dependent adults with complex needs. EMERGENCY HOUSING AND FOOD ASSISTANCE FOR SENIORS AND THOSE WITH DISABILITIES

1 2 4 3 5

MAPPING CUSTOMER LOCATIONS Our planning e ff orts improved through the GIS Client Pin Maps. This technology allowed us to identify client locations using data from multiple programs, and to better forecast sta ffi ng needs and resource deployment.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

BY THE NUMBERS

98%

99%

99% Enrollment of IHSS caregivers/ clients into the state mandated Electronic Visit Verification system

98% Timely Intakes and 99% Reassessment Compliance Rate for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS)

1,300 APS referrals received per month and 1,200 IHSS applications received per month

2,500

58,000

58,000 abuse and neglect calls received to the APS hotline monthly

6 7

EXPEDITED IN-HOME CAREGIVER PROCESSING More than 1,000 IHSS caregiver applicants are being processed and oriented each month, eliminating backlog and reducing wait times from 4 months to less than 2 weeks. City partners made this possible by allowing us to use large facilities for caregiver orientation and processing.

9 8 EMERGENCY HOUSING AND FOOD ASSISTANCE FOR SENIORS AND THOSE WITH DISABILITIES Leveraging our state grants for adult protection, we partnered with O ffi ce on Aging (OOA) and Habitat for Humanity to feed thousands of seniors, assist with emergency housing, and extend case management services to seniors and dependent adults with complex needs. MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS Our Multidisciplinary Teams improve safety outcomes for protective services clients in adult protection and in-home services by enhancing collaboration and service provision among partner agencies. On average, APS conducts 110 MDT meetings per year, coordinating care for the most complex cases of abuse. Our MDT handled approximately 800 consumer fraud and 60 capacity assessments, geriatric assessments, and forensic evaluations. USE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY EQUALS BETTER SERVICE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS Processing times for IHSS applications have been reduced by 70%. IHSS employment verification requests were reduced by 86%; from 60 days to 7 days. 01 ONLINE REPORTING FOR ELDER ABUSE Elder abuse is known to be widely underreported. Our new web-based reporting system for mandated reporters makes this process easier and more convenient, supporting the role of law enforcement, first responders, hospital personnel and others to report and respond to elder abuse.

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2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

AGING POPULATION TO CHALLENGE RESOURCES Diane Long is a caregiver with In-Home Supportive Services in Riverside County. She is one of 33,000 IHSS caregivers that Adult Services and the Public Authority work with to help meet the daily needs of 40,000 elders, dependent adults, and minors with disabilities, allowing them to live safely in their own homes. Ms. Long recently rallied civic members and partners such as Inland Empire Health Plan and O ffi ce on Aging to help restore utilities and the dilapidated home of a disabled client in the City of Corona. “I’m a caregiver at heart. God seems to place me with people who need the help, and I’m glad to do it,” says Long, who believes the home improvements helped give her client new hope. Riverside is the tenth most populous county in the nation with 2.5 million residents. In coming decades, the county’s 60-plus population is projected to swell by more than 200%. Thousands more caregivers will be needed in coming years to keep pace with the growing need for in-home support services. Through the IHSS Advisory Board Committee, DPSS Adult Services and the Public Authority have established strong partnerships with the United Domestic Workers, O ffi ce on Aging, along with IHSS consumers and providers to provide feedback on improving the IHSS program.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

MULTIDISCIPLINARY PARTNERSHIP WINS AWARD When Adult Services social worker Gaby Reyes struggled to get a homeless woman o ff the streets, she turned to a team of county agencies for help. The targeted multidisciplinary Homeless-Focused CARE Team launched in 2018 to solve complex issues around homelessness just like the case Reyes was dealing with. The National Association of Counties recognized the team’s success with a 2020 Achievement Award for improving county services. Medical, behavioral health, social services, law enforcement and housing representatives comprise the specialized CARE team. Reyes’ case was one of its first. Since that time, the team has successfully managed more than 100 high-risk homeless cases. Reyes recalls the client was resistant to help and had di ffi culty trusting her or any of the providers at first. “It was great to see her finally get the help she needed,” Reyes said. Collaborative and integrated partnerships involving justice, health, social services and community advocates are key to closing gaps in services. These partnerships will become increasingly important to managing resources and delivering high quality results in complex cases. 16 2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

A D M I N I S T R A T I V E S E R V I C E S Strong and trusted partnerships with internal and external stakeholders strengthen our mission to support and improve the health, safety, independence and wellbeing of individuals and families in all Riverside County communities. “ ” MARIANNA SARMIENTO Assistant Director, Administrative Services Division

2020 HIGHLIGHTS 1 2 READINESS WHEN RESPONDING TO CRISIS DPSS provided sta ffi ng resources to the Department Operations Center to aid in the pandemic crisis. The department also supports Mass Care and Shelter Operations alongside the Emergency Management Department. DPSS partners with American Red Cross to support community emergencies such as the Mecca Microburst, Apple Fire, El Dorado Fire and the Snow Fire. We also developed a formal agreement to use school sites in catastrophic emergencies impacting communities in the County of Riverside. PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITY FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICES By leveraging our community and county partnerships, we were able to expand our restaurant meals program, implement master agreements for foster youth with special focus on emergency and commercially sexually exploited children, and expand work experience/subsidized employment opportunities to ensure self-su ffi ciency. SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS We improved our internal and external communication with a new Community & Government Relations Team; the team deployed a robust mainstream and social media calendar to engage and inform stakeholders and customers. Our social media following increased over the past few months by more than 100% with over 4,000 followers. GETTING THE WORD OUT Thanks to widespread support from our community, we launched a countywide digital billboard campaign to inform the public about the risks of abuse and neglect during school closures. Business and civic partners donated digital billboard space for DPSS, currently remaining active in over 20 locations. CONNECTING TO DIVERSE COMMUNITIES IN REAL TIME DPSS participated in several live social media events with trusted partners such as Public Health and TODEC (Training Occupational Development Educating Communities) Legal Center, reaching thousands of Spanish and English-speaking residents on subjects from cash benefits for immigrants and self-su ffi ciency programming. 4 3 5

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

BY THE NUMBERS

689 individual training classes have been held virtually (includes new and current sta ff )

77%

689

77% reduction in worker’s compensation claims

1,000 PCs have been deployed to sta ff to telework with an additional 500 to be deployed in the coming weeks

87% 87% decrease in repetitive motion injuries

1,000

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THE POWER OF GIVING Since March, the department’s Special Investigations Unit sold close to 400 commemorative patches and raised $3,325 for Michelle’s Place, a resource center in Temecula that provides more than 10,000 free services a year to individuals and families battling all types of cancer.

TRANSITION TO VIRTUAL TRAINING ENVIRONMENT All training programs have transitioned to a virtual environment except for CWS/CMS computer-based program, representing 98% of all training. More than 600 individual courses have been made available to sta ff . NEW DATA DASHBOARDS PROVIDE TIMELY PERFORAMANCE TRACKING Part of our readiness for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is the completion of an organizational-level performance dashboard. The purpose of the dashboard is to automate, simplify, and frequently produce a comprehensive snapshot of key performance indicators. SIMPLIFIED BUSINESS PROCESSES TO IMPROVE PROCUREMENT AND FORMAL AGREEMENT TIMELINES We worked closely with the Purchasing Department and O ffi ce of County Counsel to streamline e ff orts for procuring services. We successfully deployed one master agreement consolidating all foster care services. We standardized all boilerplates and Form 11 motions to expedite execution of agreements. TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT FOR BUSINESS CONTINUITY We deployed new technology tools such as call forwarding, Jabber, VPN, CIV Adobe & Java Resources to support the transition into a full-time and permanent telework model. Riverside County Information Technology’s was key to helping us ensure a timely and successful transition during the pandemic, which was necessary to continue serving our customers and community. 01

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2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

JUDICIAL PARTNERSHIPS SERVE CRUCIAL ROLE Filing a grievance or appealing a denial of self-su ffi ciency benefits can be daunting. Customers can rely on Appeals Supervisor Terry Pickering to expeditiously resolve their appeals. Chief Juliet Macaulay and administrative law judges with California Department of Social Services praised Pickering’s responsiveness at an October statewide meeting. Among California’s 58 counties, the judges gave Riverside County high marks for conducting timely hearings and responses. A total of 3,385 administrative hearings were held in the first nine months of 2020 with the fewest held in May. The number of hearings has been steadily climbing. “Having a good relationship with the State Hearing Division helps make the appeals process smoother,” says Pickering, who also chairs the Southern California Appeals Committee. In the coming year, we will continue to focus on strengthening our judicial partnerships in protective and administrative hearings through collaboration, communication and transparency.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

FAITH PARTNERS SEEK RESOURCES FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES

The Faith in Motion (FIM) collaborative was established by Children’s Services nearly 15 years ago. The network of church partners from many faiths helps fill resource and service gaps for more than 4,000 children in Riverside County’s child welfare system on any given day. Faith partners celebrate graduations and holidays by providing festivities and gifts for foster youth of all ages. When the pandemic struck in March, volunteers from Faith in Motion sewed tens of thousands of masks to help DPSS workers and clients of all ages stay safe. The primary goals of the collaborative are to recruit and retain resource families from within the faith-based community, and to support and encourage foster family youth and their families. Today, Faith in Motion has grown in number and strength, with some 60 churches belonging to the Faith in Motion collaborative. About five of every six are in the western and southwestern regions of Riverside County. Faith in Motion is expanding recruitment of churches across the county. We are continuing to enlist faith partners to bring resources to the diverse families and children of Riverside County.

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2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

F I N A N C E & F O R E C A S T I N G

“

We are enhancing our stewardship of public funds through e ffi cient and e ff ective management practices that ensure the delivery of vital resources to families and individuals in need. MONICA BENTLEY Assistant Director, Finance & Forecasting Division

”

2020 HIGHLIGHTS 1 2

STRONG AND VALUED FINANCIAL LEADERSHIP We maintain a strong relationship with the California Welfare Directors Association (CWDA), serving in a leadership role in the CWDA Finance Committee. We provide guidance and feedback for changes and implementation of programs and their financial impacts, and o ff ering training and technical support to other counties.

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE We continued our conservative approach to spending and fiscal responsibility by spending 92% of the approved budget for FY 19/20.

4 3 5

MANAGING BUDGETS The DPSS budget is in excess of $1 billion. Amidst a global pandemic and budget uncertainties, we instituted several measures to provide agile management of financial resources.

CLOSE MONITORING OF PAYMENT & REVENUE CHECKS & BALANCES Part of maintaining our financial strength is to prioritize the use of one-time funding, limit spending discretion, partner with other programs and agencies to leverage funding resources and conduct continuous budgetary analysis. MODERNIZATION PROCESS We shifted from a paper timesheet to an electronic timekeeping system for the department’s 4,300 employees. The transfer to digital timekeeping eliminated the need to manually enter more than 4,000 timesheets every two weeks. It also eliminated the need to manually key 13,200 entries for quarterly time studies. Electronic timekeeping has heightened e ffi ciency and timely reporting to assist in agile executive decision making. The move also supports the department’s long-term telework model.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

BY THE NUMBERS

$1.1

$8.6 MILLION

$1.1 billion total budget managed for the department

$8.6 million recovered through collection e ff orts

BILLION

$1b BILLION

processed $56

One billion dollars in expense claims processed

$56 million in contract invoices

MILLION

6 7 9 8 LEVERAGING COMMUNITY PROGRAMS & TIMELY VENDOR PAYMENTS We further improved timely processing of contracts and payment delivery by streamlining processes to develop, review and approve agreements, allowing DPSS to pay vendors as quickly as possible. COUNTY RESTRUCTURE OF COMMUNITY PROGRAMS We partnered with the new Housing, Homeless Prevention and Workforce Solutions Department (HHPWS) to consolidate the county’s homeless services into one distinct agency, transitioning the financial oversight for the Continuum of Care. We cross-trained the HHPWS sta ff to ensure that the new department’s executive team has a full understanding of the HUD/Homeless funding, budget process, and HUD/Homeless regulations. IMPROVED DAILY RECONCILIATION OF EBT CASH ISSUANCE AND MAIN PAYROLL Our enhanced reconciliation strengthened oversight and continued high compliance with regulations regarding the monitoring of benefit activities between C-IV and SARS. Our revised processes included obtaining data from multiple financial reporting systems. MORE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE OUR EFFICIENCIES We partnered with RCIT to developed import capability of time study from HRMS to the DPSS time study application, ensuring we continue to have access to ongoing data for claiming purposes. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE We started preparing for the DPSS-wide planning and implementation of the CQI and Strategic Planning process by assessing where we are and where we need to go. Improving our current financial processes to meet the needs of our internal and external customers support the long term DPSS and County goals linking fiscal strength with a healthy community. 01

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2020 EXECUTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

HELPING FAMILIES MAKE A PERFECT MATCH (cover photo) By the time Romney Snyder was 18, her parents opened their home to a total of 86 foster children. She always knew she would follow in their footsteps and foster but something happened one day that made her think about becoming a forever family. A 7-year-old boy in a group home shared his dream with Synder that “someday somebody’s going to pick me.” She decided then that she would provide at least one child the permanency of a loving family through adoption.

Today Snyder is the mom to three adopted sons. This year she finalized adoption of her youngest son, Tyler, 16, who has Down Syndrome. “He’s a beast of an athlete,” Snyder says of the bright-eyed teenage acrobat. “Tyler has “Get-Down Syndrome because he will dance to any music whether or not we can hear it.” Many children with special needs in Riverside County are waiting for forever families.

To report child abuse or neglect, please call 1-800-442-4918 To report elder/dependent adult abuse or neglect, please call 1-800-491-7123 For more information on Self Su ffi ciency programs, please call 1-877-410-8827 or visit www.c4yourself.com For more information in In-Home Supportive Services, please call 1-888-960-4477 or visit www.riversideihss.org

@rivcodpss