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County to pilot social workers at schools to connect families with services, reduce stigma
Summary
The committee received a DFCS proposal to locate social workers at two school sites in high-referral ZIP codes to help educators and families access resources and to assist in mandated-reporting decisions; staff aim to open the first site in August.
Department of Family and Children Services staff told the Children, Seniors and Families Committee on Feb. 27 about a proposed CANS community-based social worker pilot that would station DFCS social workers at school sites in high-referral ZIP codes to improve referrals, connect families to resources and provide training for educators on mandated reporting.
DFCS said the pilot grew from frontline social-worker input and aims to place one social worker in San Jose and a second site in Gilroy, chosen for high referral counts. The department described a phased timeline: continue design discussions with social workers and schools, finalize the pilot model, finalize staffing in partnership with labor and sign MOUs with school partners; staff hope one site will be ready to open at the start of the school year in August and a second site between August and January of the 2025'26 school year.
The pilot focuses on meeting families where they are, easing stigma about child-welfare involvement and improving resource connections so that educator-reported concerns that turn out to be non-safety resource needs can be addressed without an intrusive investigation. DFCS said the pilot would include training on child-welfare practices and mandated-reporting rules for school personnel and would build referral pathways to community-based organizations.
Committee members praised the place-based approach and urged continued updates. Chairperson Arenas credited Maxine King (a CANS staff member mentioned during the discussion) for suggesting the idea and said the county should explore locating services in other community hubs as the pilot matures.
Action: the committee received the report and requested status updates at the next CSFC meeting. The motion was moved by Supervisor Young and seconded by Chairperson Arenas; the tally was recorded as 2-0 in favor.
