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Alameda County officials report progress, timelines after state audit of child welfare
Summary
Alameda County Social Services directors told the Board of Supervisors they have addressed several recommendations from a California state audit and outlined timelines — including a December 16 board review of the system improvement plan and contract work to be finished by Feb. 2026 — while supervisors pressed for public dashboards and monthly committee reporting.
Andrea Ford, director of the Alameda County Social Services Agency, told the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 25 that the agency has begun implementing recommendations from a California state audit of its child welfare work and will supply regular updates to the board.
Ford introduced Michelle Love, assistant agency director for the Department of Children and Family Services, who reviewed the audit timeline and the agency’s response. Love said the state auditors reviewed a sample of cases (for example, 36 children and 125 possible services for a specific timeliness measure) and that auditors’ 10 recommendations were expanded to 15 to separate multi-part tasks. She said four recommendations are complete and others are in progress, with some contractual and reporting tasks expected to be finished by February 2026.
Why it matters: The audit criticized aspects of documentation, timeliness and case coordination in an agency that serves vulnerable children. Supervisors said they want measurable monthly progress and a public dashboard so that residents and elected officials can track hiring, vacancies, response times and sibling-placement outcomes.
Love described specific steps the agency has taken: mandatory shadowing for new workers, enhanced court-report templates pushed to staff this week, implementation of a relative-notification process beginning Sept. 29, and a family-finding RFP currently in selection. She said the agency will post its presentation and responses on its website once digital accessibility checks are complete.
Supervisors pressed staff on recruitment and retention. Love said from Jan. 2023 to Oct. 2025 the county received 568 bachelor-level applications but hired 49 people; master's-level recruitments produced higher conversion and retention rates. She said retention among those hired has been strong but that many applicants did not meet minimum qualifications, and that outreach to universities and internship programs remain key recruitment strategies.
Board members also focused on measurement. Ford and Love committed to presenting a suggested public-facing dashboard showing key metrics — including vacancies, percent of emergency responses completed within 24 hours, and the 10-day response measure — and to returning to the board at six-month intervals with progress reports. Love said the county’s system-improvement plan (SIP) will come to the board for approval Dec. 16.
On the audit’s sample-based findings, Love noted the auditors reviewed a small cohort of cases and recommended improved documentation when services are referred but not delivered (for instance, when a youth refuses a scheduled appointment). She said that court reports have been updated to require that staff record reasons services were not completed.
Supervisors also asked how the agency is coordinating with behavioral health and other partners; Anika Choudhury, interim health director, confirmed behavioral health teams work with social services and the two agencies convene state-mandated interagency teams for children’s services.
Next steps: Love said the agency submitted a 60-day progress report to the state auditors on Nov. 22 and will file another status update in six months and a final response within a year. The board asked staff to produce monthly Social Services Committee metrics beginning in January and to return sooner if additional issues arise.
Quotes: “We are committed to transparency, collaboration, and continuous quality improvement as we address these critical issues affecting our community’s most vulnerable children and families,” Andrea Ford said. Michelle Love added: “We have implemented supervisor training, mandatory shadowing for new workers, and enhanced court-report documentation to address the auditors’ recommendations.”
The board discussion concluded with members pressing for more regular data, a public dashboard and the agency’s engagement with unions and community partners. The board did not take formal action but directed staff to return with the SIP on Dec. 16 and to provide periodic updates.
