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Date: |
September 1, 2026 |
03 |
Title
Approve Three-Year Children’s Trust Fund Funding Proposal (Districts: All)
End
Overview
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board) has continued ongoing efforts to support the prevention of and response to child abuse and neglect. These efforts include a focus on strengthening families by identifying and addressing the needs of children and youth who are in public charge, as well as those whose safety and welfare may be at risk. The Child and Family Strengthening Advisory Board of San Diego County (CFSAB) is charged with recommending funding proposals for child maltreatment prevention and intervention services to ensure the safety and well-being of children and families. The CFSAB represents a broad cross-section of community and child welfare stakeholders including individuals with lived experience, resource parents, public and private child and family-serving systems, judicial health and education systems, and representation from Board supervisorial districts. Some of the duties and responsibilities of the CFSAB include:
• Recommending improvements in services to families and victims who are in the public charge, as well as children, youth, and families whose safety and welfare may be at risk;
• Serving as the designated child abuse prevention coordinating body and local Children's Trust Fund (CTF) body as set forth in California Welfare and Institutions Code Sections 18965 et seq. and 18982 et seq. regarding proposals to be funded by the CTF; and
• Recommending proposals to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors that the CFSAB agrees merit funding.
Input on proposed services and activities were gathered from the community at CFSAB and workgroup meetings. The CFSAB recommendations to continue funding Voluntary Guardianship Services, Pre-Petition Services and Special Education Legal Advocacy, Kinship Caregiver Support and the Family Connection Hub are consistent with previous CTF allocations. They represent CFSAB’s assessment that these services continue to be a priority to support sustainable, equitable services for low-income families and families of color residing in underserved communities.
State law directs the CTF to fund child maltreatment prevention and intervention programs operated by private nonprofit organizations or public higher education institutions with recognized child welfare expertise. The CTF is supported by revenue from birth certificate fees, license plate fees, court restitution fines, Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention funds, grants, and private gifts. Today’s actions request the Board to approve and ratify the CTF Three-Year Funding Proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 through FY 2028-29 and authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, or designee to approve expenditures in accordance with the CTF Funding Proposal.
This item supports the County vision of a just, sustainable, and resilient future for all, specifically those communities and populations in San Diego County that have been historically left behind, as well as our ongoing commitment to the regional Live Well San Diego vision of healthy, safe and thriving communities. This will be accomplished by upholding sustainable practices to provide just and equitable access to prevention, intervention, and family strengthening services, and opportunities for participation to ensure all children, families, and communities in the region flourish and thrive.
Body
Recommendation by Chief Administrative Officer:
1) Approve and ratify the Child and Family Strengthening Advisory Board of San Diego County Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) Three-Year Funding Proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 through FY 2028-29.
2) Authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, or designee, to approve expenditures in accordance with the CTF Three-Year Funding Proposal.
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Equity Impact Statement
The Child and Family Strengthening Advisory Board (CFSAB) advances equity by ensuring that funding for child maltreatment prevention and intervention is informed by diverse community voices and directed toward families most impacted by systemic inequities. Representing a broad cross section of stakeholders, CFSAB recommends services that strengthen families, prioritize child safety, and promote justice by focusing investments on low-income families and families of color in underserved communities. Guided by community input and aligned with sustainability practices, CFSAB supports efforts that reduce system involvement, increase family stability, and expand kin placements, so that children remain connected to their families and communities whenever possible.
Sustainability Impact Statement
Today’s actions support the County of San Diego (County) Sustainability Goal #1, to engage the community in meaningful ways and Sustainability Goal #2, to provide just and equitable access to County services by providing prevention, intervention, and family strengthening services. The Children’s Trust Fund funding proposal supports keeping families together through kinship placements and preventing children from entering foster care by strengthening families’ ability to meet their own needs, increase self-sufficiency, and reduce trauma to help achieve healthy, safe, and thriving communities.
Fiscal Impact
Funds for this request are partially included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-28 Operational Plan in the Health and Human Services Agency. If approved, this request will result in estimated costs and revenue of $1,950,000 in FY 2026-27 and estimated costs and revenue of $1,950,000 in FY 2027-28. The three-year funding proposal for FY 2026-27 through FY 2028-29 is an estimated total cost and revenue of $5,850,000. The funding source is the AB 2994 Children’s Trust Fund. There will be no change in net General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
Business Impact Statement
N/A
Advisory Board Statement
This item was presented to the Child and Family Strengthening Advisory Board as an informational item on July 24, 2026.
Background
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board) has taken a strong leadership role in supporting efforts to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect. These efforts focus on strengthening families by identifying and addressing the needs of children and youth who are in the public charge as well as those whose safety and welfare may be at risk. On March 26, 2019 (11), the Board adopted Ordinance No. 10598 (N.S.) repealing and replacing provisions in the San Diego County Administrative Code to establish the Child and Family Strengthening Advisory Board of San Diego County (CFSAB). The CFSAB was created to enhance the ability of the County of San Diego (County) to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect. The intent of the CFSAB is to serve as a platform for cross-sector collaboration in the prevention, detection, treatment, and legal processing of child maltreatment cases and support of countywide activities that promote family strengthening, in addition to the transparent monitoring of the County’s child welfare system.
Furthermore, the CFSAB is charged with oversight and planning responsibilities for the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) to ensure the safety and well-being of children and families. The CTF consists of funding from birth certificate fees, license plate fees, child maltreatment court restitution fines, Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention funds, grants, and gifts or bequests from private sources. California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 18966 directs the CTF to be used for child maltreatment prevention and intervention programs operated by private nonprofit organizations or public institutions of higher education with recognized expertise in fields related to child welfare. Following these criteria, the three-year CTF Funding Proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 totaling $1,950,000, FY 2027-28 totaling $1,950,000, and FY 2028-29 totaling $1,950,000 (Attachment A) was developed and brought before the CFSAB prior to final submission to the Board.
The CTF Funding Proposal for FY 2026-27 through FY 2028-29 recommends annual funding of $1,950,000 for the following existing services and activities:
A. Voluntary Guardianship Services, Pre-Petition Services and Special Education Legal Advocacy: $550,000 (CTF funded share of total contract in the amount of $655,499)
Funds in the amount of $550,000 will be allocated to the County, Health and Human Services Agency, Child and Family Well-Being Department (CFWB) to support the continuation of an existing contract with a nonprofit provider for the ongoing provision of legal services to include:
• Guardianship counseling for parents;
• Assistance to relatives with low income who seek to obtain legal guardianship of children;
• Education and training on the guardianship and dependency court process to caregivers, agencies and organizations, and other county residents;
• Establishing legal guardianship with a relative through Probate Court;
• Assistance with legal counseling and services that may impact a child's stability in their home such as outstanding warrants, immigration services, and eviction notices.
• Collaboration and/or representation of relative and non-related caregivers of youth in foster care in the areas of:
o Special Education;
o Compliance with Individualized Education Plans; and
o School-related disciplinary matters.
The Contractor provides legal guardianship services to approximately 273 families annually and representation in special education matters to caregivers of approximately 67 new and duplicated youth annually. The current contract is set to expire on January 31, 2029.
B. Kinship Caregiver Support: $400,000 (CTF funded share of total contract in the amount of $1,373,652.28)
Funds in the amount of $400,000 will be allocated to support the continuation of primary and secondary prevention services through existing CFWB contracts for kinship support. These funds support services and resources for formal and informal kinship families and strengthens community support and connections, with an emphasis on kinship families of color residing in underserved communities.
These funds support kinship caregiver programs and activities including:
• Support groups for caregivers and their family members;
• Navigation services to identify caregiver needs and linkages to services and resources;
• Case management;
• Family finding services;
• Expedited delivery of critical tangible supports upon placement to secure and maintain safe and stable placement; and
• Social connection activities.
The current contract is set to expire on June 30, 2030. Approximately 261 families receive case management services each year and 280 families receive emergency kinship support annually.
C. Family Connection Hub: $1,000,000 (CTF funded share of total contract in the of amount - $1,901,795)
Funds in the amount of $1,000,000 will be allocated to support the continuation of contracted services provided through the Family Connection Hub to serve children and families through CFWB. This allocation will sustain services under the existing contract, which is set to expire on June 30, 2029.
The Family Connection Hub continues to demonstrate strong outcomes, meeting or exceeding key benchmarks in referral responsiveness, assessment timelines, and service connection. In CY 2026, the program received 181 referrals, with 95% receiving initial contact and 99% receiving navigator assignment within one business day. A total of 95 families has enrolled in services, supporting 190 children. Of those, 170 children were eligible under Family First Prevention Services Act, the federal framework focused on prevention. Assessments were completed within 10 days for 92 families (97%), and 143 Family Well-Being Plans have been developed. The Family Connection Hub operates at full capacity and is well positioned for expansion based on sustained demand and performance.
Today’s action requests the Board approve and ratify the CFSAB CTF Three-Year Funding Proposal and authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, or designee, to approve expenditures in accordance with the CTF Funding Proposal.
Linkage To The County Of San Diego Strategic Plan
Today’s action aligns with the County of San Diego 2026-2031 Strategic Plan initiatives of Sustainability (Economy and Resiliency), Equity (Health and Housing), and Community (Engagement, Quality of Life, Communications, and Partnership), as well as the regional Live Well San Diego vision. This is accomplished by providing increased and equitable access to prevention, intervention, and family strengthening services and supports to ensure the safety and well-being of children and families.
Respectfully submitted,
Ebony N. Shelton
Chief Administrative Officer
Attachment(s)
Attachment A - The three-year CTF Funding Proposal for FY 26-27 through FY 28-29