Fresno County foster kids still months from moving to Clovis Campus. What’s going on?
The Fresno County foster children who are the hardest to house are still months from being placed in a new facility, much later than originally projected, county staffers said on Tuesday.
The abhorrent conditions that some children under the county’s care face came to light in October, and then-county Chief Administrative Officer Jean Rousseau said the kids would be moved by Thanksgiving into a new building in Clovis where county employees were also relocating.
Instead, the children will remain in the temporary location until likely the end of April, because of construction issues prolonged by a lack of material held up in the supply chain, according to Paul Nerland, who took over as CAO in December.
“In an effort to react quickly, initially there was discussion to move to the Clovis Campus more quickly but, upon further assessment, we’re not going to move until it is perfect and every safety measure is put in place,” he said. “This is a much more measured approach.”
The Fresno Bee reported in October that some of those foster children under the county’s care were left to sleep on yoga mats or tables, could not shower and were given unhealthy food while staying at the Child Protective Services office in downtown Fresno.
Photos of the conditions became public and set off an outpouring of discontent from county social workers.
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County officials said they found a temporary solution at the old University Medical Center until a more permanent place for the children is ready.
Young people there have access to showers and hot food, according to county staffers.
Officials say they interacted with about 2,800 foster youth last year, and about 30 make up the group that is hardest to house. Those children are often dealing with mental health issues or recovering from trauma, which could include being sexually exploited.
Officials have said the children can be hard to place not only because of their personal challenges but also because there is a lack of housing.
They also have argued state bureaucracy has been a roadblock to getting the children placed. For example, the state does not allow the children to be moved to a neighboring state.
Social workers
Social workers said they have been drawing attention to the problems in Fresno County for years, but were ignored by management. They have also pushed for more training and better pay to better prepare workers and to retain them.
The county’s Department of Social Services has started scheduling training for workers dealing with children having mental health episodes, among other classes, according to Katherine Martindale, deputy director of employment services for Fresno County.
The county in November announced the interim director for social services as 30-year employee of the department Maria Aguirre. The previous director, Delfino Neira, announced he was leaving weeks after the scandal became public.
Aguirre said Tuesday the foster youth problems were her top priority. “This is a very important task for me,” she said. “This is my priority as interim director and will continue to be my focus.”
Pandemic pay
The board of supervisors the same day approved a $1,500 essential worker payment to any employee who works 32 hours or more in a week through the pandemic. Employees who work fewer hours will get a $750 payment under the deal.
The total payment works out to about $4 million.
Supervisor Brian Pacheco with the support of other supervisors ordered a pay study for employees, including social, eligibility and mental health workers, among others, to make sure Fresno County pays a competitive wage.
“As the chairman of this board, I don’t believe any of our employees should be leaving for another county for a higher rate of pay,” he said. “We are the largest county and we should lead in that effort.”
This story was originally published January 18, 2022 at 12:28 PM.
