This situation is not sustainable’: Mendocino County Grand Jury Reports on Dire Conditions at Its Family and Children’s Services Division

[Image from Can Stock Photos]

This year’s report notes that the situation has been the subject of two previous Grand Jury reports: one in May of 2015, and another in June of 2017. Eight years ago, the Grand Jury announced its investigation with this grim summary: “The Mendocino County Family and Children’s Services Agency is one of the lowest scoring child protective services agencies in the State of California (State). In spite of a dedicated, caring, hardworking staff, the agency appears to be falling further behind. Every performance indicator points to understaffing as the main culprit.”

Understaffing appears to go back to 2011, when base salaries were cut by 2011 and, “There was an exodus of experienced staff…Testimony termed the level of morale as ‘almost malignant.’” At that time, the Grand Jury reported documented instances of retaliation and “Lack of respectful communication,” concluding that, “Fear is always a morale problem.” Oddly, in the report that followed two years later, the Grand Jury itself took some responsibility for low morale at the agency, reporting without evidence that, “The critical content of the 2014-15 Report, intended for the BOS (Board of Supervisors), inadvertently devastated staff and resulted in loss of morale in the Department.”

Employees still report a toxic work environment due in large part to overwork caused by understaffing, which in turn is caused by difficulties in recruitment and retention. This year’s report notes that there are no state waivers available to ease the educational requirements for staff. Half of the social workers providing emergency response and family maintenance services and all of their supervisors are supposed to have a Masters degree in Social Work (MSW). These requirements are not being met. In 2017, there was a state waiver, and lack of staff was cited dozens of times in the analysis of the department’s shortcomings. The first finding of that report was that the 2011 exodus and lackluster recruitment “has resulted in the hiring of inexperienced workers with a higher than normal turnover rate and a need for on-the-job training.” While the 2017 report cites “The County’s pervasive drug culture,” a number of other social ills, and the lack of a competitive salary scale, this year’s report concludes that, “Understaffing does not appear to be related to funding issues.” Ninety-five percent of the department’s funding comes from federal grants and sales tax revenue. Turnover is up to one-third of the staff every year, with employees reporting that it takes two years on the job to become competent.

Multiple reorganizations of the department, including one in 2013 and two in 2016-2017, have resulted in low morale. A lengthy hiring process and stagnant recruiting efforts continue to contribute to a shortage in staff. And the workload in Mendocino County is higher than the state average, with 56.2 investigations of child abuse and neglect per 1000 children. The state average is 34.5 investigations per 1000 children. And Mendocino County’s timely response to referrals for immediate investigation in the last quarter of 2022 was 80.3%, compared to a statewide average of 95%.

The Grand Jury reports on this topic have grown sparser each year. The explosive 2015 document filled 29 pages, with appendices and graphs and a gruesome newspaper story about a four-year-old child who was beaten with a coat hanger and handcuffed to a table. Forty findings and eighteen recommendations indicated an expectation that the situation was salvageable.

The 13-page report from 2017 contained a single appendix pertaining to salaries for social workers, while this year’s report topped out at ten pages, including an attachment with some definitions of various protocols. Two of the four recommendations address recruitment and retention. A third recommendation, that the department create internships, refers to a suggestion that internships and field placements for MSW students could swell the ranks of qualified employees.

The final recommendation is that the department encourage a positive workplace environment. Efforts to this end are already underway, including regular all-staff meetings, training and mentoring, employee appreciation and acknowledgment, and a monthly newsletter. 

The report, while succinct, does not mince words, stating that, “This situation is not sustainable.”