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HHSA outlines child‑welfare improvements but warns proposed cuts would still leave service risks
Summary
HHSA presented a multi‑million dollar deficit and a reduction plan that preserves frontline social workers while cutting support positions and contracts; directors said recent performance gains reduced caseloads but rising adoption assistance and declining federal matches drive costs.
Health & Human Services Agency Director Monica Morales and Child Welfare Director Marissa Green briefed the board on May 5 on a $12.4 million HHSA shortfall (about $1.75M general fund and ~$10.7M non‑general fund) and on proposed reductions intended to address the agency’s portion of the county’s structural gap.
Green highlighted a decade of improved child‑welfare outcomes: entries to foster care and total children in care have dropped substantially and average social‑worker caseloads are “the best they’ve ever been.” Yet she cautioned that adoption assistance payments remain elevated—Yolo County currently pays adoption assistance to roughly 705 children at a base rate of about $1,301 per month—and that fewer children qualify for the federal reimbursement match, which increases county costs.
To close the gap, staff proposed eliminating a mixture of vacant and filled positions, reducing some community‑based contracts by half rather than fully eliminating them, trimming overtime and using limited one‑time balances. Green said the agency’s reductions prioritize preserving social‑worker practitioner roles—“when it comes to keeping kids safe... I have to have a social worker”—but acknowledged further cuts would add operational pressure and could “devastate the system of care.”
Supervisors asked detailed questions about whether overtime would rise after cuts, how long‑term adoption and foster‑care costs are changing, and what further state actions (for example, a proposed July 2027 tiered rate structure) might mean for county expenses. Director Morales said the agency has already reduced positions and contracts in prior years and is attempting to moderate risk while meeting state mandates.
Ending: The board accepted the presentation, asked staff for further details on child‑welfare impacts and on HHSA’s proposed use of reserves and restricted funds, and left final budget decisions for the June recommended budget hearing.
