TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Allison Haley - District Attorney
REPORT BY: Sophie Johnson - Staff Services Manager
SUBJECT: Application and Acceptance of Funding for Electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report System Program
RECOMMENDATION
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District Attorney requests approval of and authorization for the Chair to sign a Certificate of Assurance for Compliance document that authorizes the District Attorney to apply for and sign grant Subaward documents with the California Office of Emergency Services in the anticipated amount of $200,000 for the one (1) year term of June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024 for the electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report system (ES) program.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Approval of the recommended action will allow the District Attorney to apply for and sign grant subaward documents, including applications, amendments, extensions, and modifications, thereof, for the electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report (SCAR) system program in Napa County. This subaward program is administered by the California Office of Emergency Services to provide Children’s Justice Act (CJA) Federal grant funds to improve the system of sharing information for suspected child abuse cases by establishing an electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report (SCAR) system that will be used by the District Attorney, local law enforcement and the Child Welfare Service.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
This item is discretionary, there is no mandate for the County to establish of an electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report (SCAR) system program in Napa County. However, there is an opportunity to continue to receive grant funding to improve the sharing of information regarding suspected child abuse between the District Attorney, Child Welfare Services and local law enforcement agencies. The grant funding provided would result in no net increase in County General Funds. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
Appropriations for the following fiscal year will be budgeted accordingly. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If this item is not approved, the District Attorney, Child Welfare Services and local law enforcement agencies will not be able to obtain CJA funds to continue with the project of converting a paper/fax notification system into a streamlined electronic system reporting suspected child abuse cases in Napa County. |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Healthy, Safe, and Welcoming Place to Live, Work, and Visit |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) released a request for proposal on January 26, 2022 for the electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report (SCAR) system program. This program was originally started in Los Angeles County, in 2015 after recognizing the grave consequences of not having an electronic system through which Child Welfare Services (CWS), local law enforcement and the District Attorney could efficiently communicate reports of suspected child abuse. Fresno, Santa Barbara and Yolo Counties have more recently received funding from Cal OES via the California Children’s Justice Act (CJA) Task Force to establish their own electronic SCAR system.
The District Attorney’s office was successful in receiving initial grant funding of $200,000 for a one (1) year term of June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023 to establish an electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report system with the cooperative participation of the County Child Welfare Services department and local law enforcement agencies.
Cal OES is now providing a non-competitive grant application of $200,000 for the CJA federal grant funds for the one (1) year term, June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024 to continue the development and establish an electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report (SCAR) system.
Today’s recommended action will authorize the Chair to sign the Certificate of Assurance of Compliance (COAOC) document, which authorizes the District Attorney to apply and sign for the grant subaward including extensions, modifications or amendments thereof.