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Advocates press Santa Clara County supervisors for independent probe after child‑death report
Summary
Community advocates and child‑welfare providers pressed the Board of Supervisors to require independent review and staffing changes after the Child Death Review Team report; the board approved a staff referral to return with feasibility and resource recommendations.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on June 2 heard urgent public testimony calling for independent investigations and immediate staffing and process changes in the county’s child‑welfare system.
Speakers representing social‑work unions and community organizations described recurring safety concerns highlighted in the Child Death Review Team report. "How is it that social workers, supervisors and managers can be put on leave but the executives continue to work and make decisions affecting workforce, children and families? There’s no confidence and trust by the workforce with the S.S.A. executives," said Paula Thank, chief steward for Local 521, during public comment.
Supervisor Sylvia Arenas framed the board’s response around transparency and system improvements. She asked administration to provide detailed follow‑up on staffing, workforce capacity and a feasibility assessment for integrating behavioral‑health screening into child‑welfare investigations. County staff told the board they would return with a timeline and the resources required to implement the recommended changes.
Advocates had asked the board to consider independent review avenues, including referral to the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights. Several speakers emphasized that the deaths described in the report were not isolated incidents and that systemic change — including better coordination, early intervention and workforce investment — is needed to prevent future tragedies.
Board members said they would continue the discussion through the child‑welfare reform agenda items already on the calendar and seek concrete steps from administration. The board approved a referral directing staff to return with feasibility findings and next steps for addressing the report’s recommendations.
The action directs staff to lay out the resources and timeline needed to implement any changes and to describe how state policy shifts (noted in recent CDSS guidance) affect local operations. Administration said it would provide those details in an off‑agenda report and in follow‑up to the board’s child‑welfare reform item.
