The Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) reported midyear progress on its corrective action plan (CAP) during the Nov. 20 Children, Seniors and Families Committee meeting.

Director Wendy Kinnear Rausch said California Department of Social Services (CDSS) staff conducted an on‑site midyear review on Oct. 7 using the same methodology as the prior review. The CDSS team examined a sample of 55 referrals and cases and reported improved use of structured decision‑making assessments, better documentation of safety plans and appropriate escalation where required.

Wendy said DFCS has completed about 55% of the 75 CAP action items, with another 37 items in progress, and that many remaining items involve policy and procedure updates expected to extend into June. DFCS also said it had actionized safety tools and observation checklists for child and family team meetings, and that an external coach is supporting quality monitoring.

The department described pilots to increase in‑county placements, including a live community pilot in Gilroy and an upcoming launch in Franklin‑McKinley School District; DFCS asked the public for more caregivers to help keep sibling groups and high‑acuity youth in county.

During public comment a parent (Ben Z) repeated earlier allegations that DFCS has not provided a screening for his children and questioned whether staff were favoring two connected individuals; the commenter called for leadership changes. DFCS did not offer a formal response on the record during the meeting beyond its CAP status report.

The committee voted to receive the CAP midyear report and supervisors requested ongoing feedback loops, staff affinity group input on communications, and opportunities for offline follow‑ups to address specific community concerns and data requests.