Agency Told to Keep Closer Oversight on Group Homes

Children’s social workers, county administrators and a newly created task force were directed Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to keep closer tabs on the nearly 500 group homes that care for foster children.

The orders came two months after a grand jury excoriated many of the group homes, which care for more than 3,000 abused and neglected children. The report also said that state and local regulators had not done nearly enough to assure adequate care.

The board took its action after a 2 1/2-hour hearing in which it heard conflicting views--from child advocates calling for more stringent regulations to group home operators and some former foster youths who said hundreds of facilities have been unfairly tarnished by the sins of a relative few.

The board directed that:

* The county children’s agency impose fines when children receive poor care, including over-medication--one of the most significant problems cited by the grand jury.

* Social workers visit foster children at least once a month when they are placed in the homes. Currently, workers sometimes visit less often, under exceptions to the state-mandated requirement.

* Managers for the Department of Children and Family Services continue unannounced spot visits to group homes for another year. The checks were initiated by agency Director Peter Digre after the grand jury’s critique.

* The children’s services agency track complaints against group homes, perhaps through its newly installed computer system. Now, social workers have no central location for recording complaints about the facilities.

* A task force be created and given three months to study group homes and their clientele before recommending further reforms or alternative methods of care.

Digre, whose department was stung by criticism that it supervised the homes poorly, said he welcomed most of the recommendations. He said a system of $50 to $1,000 fines that his agency has already written into a proposed three-year contract with the homes will allow for more subtle corrective actions rather than just shutting facilities down.

“Before we had an atomic bomb or nothing,” Digre said. “This will allow us to be more incremental.”