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L.A. County votes to expand services for children ages 0–5 in foster care
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved a motion directing the Department of Children and Family Services to develop a countywide plan to expand specialized supports for infants and toddlers in the child welfare system and report back with implementation recommendations.
Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday approved a plan to expand specialized services for children ages 0–5 who are involved with the county child welfare system.
The motion, introduced by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and coauthored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, directs the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to produce an expansion plan for the county’s Young Children in Care (birth-to-5) work and to report back with specific recommendations, timelines and partnership strategies.
The matter matters because children under 5 make up a large share of cases: Supervisor Horvath cited DCFS data that as of June 5 about 2,500 family maintenance cases and nearly 3,700 out‑of‑home cases involve children 5 and under, figures she and other supervisors said show the age group accounts for roughly 37% and 30% of those caseloads respectively. The motion asks county leaders to better link DCFS staff with early‑childhood experts and community‑based providers to address the distinctive developmental and safety needs of infants and toddlers.
"The 0 to 5 population has unique needs and requires specialized support and resources, and we can and must do better to support them," Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said during debate. Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell invoked the adage, "When you know better, you do better," and said Los Angeles County has long‑standing local early‑childhood infrastructure that should be tapped to support the expansion.
Supervisors said the motion will promote partnerships with First 5 LA, the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the Commission for Children and Families, the Department of Public Health and community organizations. As presented to the board, the expansion would aim to provide DCFS regional offices with access to early‑childhood subject‑matter expertise, strengthen family‑support interventions and increase capacity for trauma‑informed mental health services for very young children.
The board moved the item by Supervisor Mitchell, seconded by Supervisor Horvath. The motion passed on a 5–0 vote.
Next steps specified in the board action include a report back from DCFS with an expansion plan and implementation recommendations; the board will consider that report when received.
