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Rules Committee recommends appointments to new Foster Care Improvement Task Force to address disproportionality
Summary
The committee reviewed and recommended 15 initial appointments to a Foster Care Improvement Task Force charged with implementing recommendations to reduce disproportionate representation of African American children in foster care; the panel also approved necessary residency waivers.
The Rules Committee advanced a slate of recommended appointments to the Foster Care Improvement Task Force, a 15-member body the Board authorized to develop and implement changes aimed at reducing disparate outcomes for children and families in San Francisco's foster-care system.
Applicants introduced themselves and described relevant experience. Toby Eastman (Larkin Street Youth Services) described work running transitional housing for former foster youth and 15 years in social work; Patricia Nelson Doyle (Bayview Hunters Point Family Resource Center) described her role in the Disproportionality Project, which documented that African American children make up a disproportionate share of local foster placements. Other applicants represented domestic-violence services, youth legal advocacy and child-welfare organizations.
Committee members proposed seat assignments during the hearing (for example, Toby Eastman for seat 3; Patricia Scott for seat 5; Patricia Nelson Doyle seat 6; Crystal Peck seat 10; Michelle Burns seat 11; Bill Bettencourt seat 15) and acknowledged several seats remain open until additional applications are received. The committee moved the recommended appointments forward with the required residency waivers for non-city residents noted in the record.
Next steps: the committee report will list the recommended appointments and residency waivers for final action by the full Board; staff said they will process outstanding applications and bring subsequent appointments forward in a follow-up report.
