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Children's budget project expands countywide data collection to map services for children and families
Summary
The Office of Children and Families Policy and Social Services Agency reported expanded countywide data collection for the Children's Budget to better map county investments in programs serving children and families and to inform priorities amid federal policy changes.
The Finance and Government Operations Committee received the quarterly update on the countychildren's budget data collection project and approved receipt of the report.
Sarah Duffy of the Social Services Agency and newly arrived Dr. Heidi Emerling, director of the Office of Children and Families Policy, told the committee the project is entering a second phase. County staff have expanded data collection to departments across the county to create a centralized resource describing programs for children and families, funding sources and populations served.
"The purpose of the project is to create a more robust centralized internal resource with county investments pertaining to children and families to help inform future policies and help identify funding gaps," Duffy said.
Partners include the Office of Budget and Analysis, the Division of Equity and Social Justice and the Social Services Agency Research and Evaluation team. Staff reported that data submission speeds vary by department, classification categories need harmonizing and the team is working on technical assistance and consistency in program categorization.
The presenters emphasized the project's timing amid federal changes referenced in the meeting as "HR 1," which could reduce federal funding and increase the need for the county to identify and prioritize local services. The team said the work will help the board understand which programs rely on federal grants and which use local general funds.
Next steps include refining data-collection processes, producing draft program findings for the children's budget and publishing more accessible public-facing dashboards, with a public dashboard update expected in November.
Public comment during the item included a speaker who said the dataset risked undercounting children denied services; the speaker asked the county to ensure accurate inclusion of children who are not served so policy decisions are based on complete information.
The committee voted to receive the report.
