About RBS
Residentially-Based Services Reform : Overview
California's Residentially-based Services Reform initiative seeks to transform the state's group homes, currently providing long term congregate care and treatment, to programs combining short-term residential stabilization and treatment with follow along community-based services to reconnect youth to their families, schools and communities.
The California Alliance of Child and Family Services convened a workgroup of concerned stakeholders in November 2004 to reassess the roles of group homes in the public systems of care for children and youth. The diverse stakeholders' group included family members, emancipated foster care youth, child and family advocates, county and state public agency officials, representatives of the legislature, and care provider representatives.
After meeting monthly for nearly a year, the workgroup reached consensus on a framework for a new system of residentially-based services (RBS) that would enhance services and expedite permanent family placement for youth needing some time in a residential setting. RBS reforms the way group homes are utilized in California, the range of services they offer and how they are reimbursed for these services.
The framework document (Framework for a New System of Residentially-based Services in California) provides a vision for transformation that:
- Transitions group homes from a structured often long-term living environment for children who have experienced multiple failed placements in foster family homes to an intensive short-term intervention tasked with returning children to their own homes or to another permanent and stable family setting in as short a time possible.
- Provides for the range of behavioral and/or therapeutic interventions necessary to overcome major obstacles to children living in their own homes or other stable family setting, including two new and critical categories of services which group homes are now not authorized or funded to provide:
- Family support services while the children are in the program to prepare families to be able to successfully care for the children when they are discharged.
- Post-discharge follow along services to assure that children are able to remain and thrive with their families after they leave the group living arrangement.
- Defines a number of major RBS program features, including:
- Comprehensive up-front assessment of children by county placing agencies.
- Matching of individual children's needs with an appropriate RBS program.
- Involving children and families in treatment and placement decision-making.
- Ensuring quality facilities, programs, and services.
- Achieving permanency or stability in a family setting for children at discharge.
- Identifying and measuring outcomes for children and care providers.
- Developing a new payment system linked to performance that provides funding sufficient to cover reasonable costs associated with provision of necessary RBS services.
In 2007, the efforts of stakeholders have begun to come to fruition with the passage of AB 1453 (Soto), support of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), financial support from Casey Family Programs, and the creation of the RBS Reform Coalition, the efforts of stakeholders have begun to come to fruition.
The legislation authorizes selection of four counties or consortia of counties that, with private partners, will implement alternative program and funding models consistent with the RBS framework document. Los Angeles and Alameda Counties, both involved in California's federal Title IV-E capped allocation waiver project, are designated by name in the bill should they wish to participate. The lessons learned from these projects will inform planning for statewide implementation of RBS reform due to the Legislature in 2011.
A team of consultants has been brought together to provide needed training and technical assistance to the four counties or consortia. Guiding the process is a statewide leadership team including representatives of the California Legislature, CDSS, county welfare directors, the Department of Mental Health, chief probation officers, Casey Family Programs, Sierra Health Foundation, the California Alliance, and others. Counties are preparing letters of intent for inclusion as one of the four early implementers, with technical assistance to be provided by the consulting team.
Four applicants have been selected as early implementers: a Bay Area Consortium of four counties including San Francisco, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Solano; Sacramento County; Los Angeles County; and San Bernardino County. A Kick-Off Meeting on May 16, 2008 initiated the design phase and the demonstration sites have been working diligently through the summer and fall to develop their alternative program and funding models for RBS reform. Casey Family Programs is providing support for a Local Implementation Coordinator for each county/consortium and technical assistance tools and consultation are being utilized at each stage of the process.
A staggered timeline has been established to manage workloads for both local partnerships and CDSS and to support a process for CDSS approval of both the program and funding elements of the RBS reform plans. Sierra Health Foundation also became a partner in this effort in 2008 joining with Casey Family Programs to support the CDSS review, approval and monitoring processes. The goal is to complete decision-making on all RBS Plans by December 2008 and begin implementation of the projects in January 2009.
