Board OKs Changes in Children’s Services : Social programs: The supervisors approve a plan to overhaul the child welfare system. Addressed are 10 issues identified by the state.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a far-reaching plan Tuesday for overhauling the county’s troubled Department of Children’s Services, while board Chairman Pete Schabarum blasted state officials for failing to provide funding to correct the problems.

The so-called “corrective action plan” is the county’s answer to a litany of complaints from state authorities, who have threatened to take over the child welfare system, which has an annual budget of $457 million, if services to abused and neglected children do not improve soon.

During deliberations Tuesday, Schabarum had no kind words for the Legislature and state Department of Social Services, saying their regulations are “a little bit absurd” and their officials are “very short on making constructive criticism and providing necessary funds.” As a result of state budget cuts, the county will lose $19 million in child welfare services funds this year.

Moreover, Schabarum accused the county Commission for Children’s Services, a 15-member citizens advisory panel appointed by the supervisors, of acting like “hotshots” and spending too much time complaining to the press and meddling in department affairs.

He then ordered county Chief Administrative Officer Richard B. Dixon to provide him by next week with a proposed ordinance that would restrict the commission’s authority. The commission, which in the past has been highly critical of the county agency, has been fighting board attempts to scale back its power.

When Supervisor Mike Antonovich protested, Schabarum replied: “The next time Mr. Antonovich’s appointee (to the commission) pops off, the next day the ordinance (will be) on the agenda.”

After the meeting, Commission Chairwoman Beth Lowe said Schabarum’s barbs were “not constructive. . . . I think we ought to be working alongside the board and alongside the Children’s Services Department.”

There was little discussion among the supervisors about the overhaul plan, although Supervisor Deane Dana called it a good “first step” and Antonovich praised it as “the boldest, clearest and most professional response” to the state’s charges.

In light of the board’s vote, the state must review the overhaul proposal and decide whether to make good on its threat. Kathleen Norris, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Social Services, said her agency will spend a month examining the plan and consulting with key legislators before making a recommendation. The final decision rests with the Legislature.

“We will view it in a positive light and hope that it works out,” Norris said, adding that her department is “encouraged” by the county’s efforts and would prefer that the county keep local control of the system, which serves 55,000 children.

The complex document, which includes 123 pages of text and about 50 pages of charts, identifies problems at nearly every level within the department.

It acknowledges that the department has failed to define its mission properly, is not adequately training its social workers and operates under policies that conflict with one another or are unclear.

The plan lists 10 critical issues identified by the state that need immediate attention, and another 15 issues that will be addressed later. Among the top priorities: responding faster to reports that children are in immediate danger, meeting state guidelines that require a court hearing within 48 hours after a child is removed from his parents, and improving counseling services for abused and neglected children.

The plan marks a milestone for the Department of Children’s Services, which came under fire earlier this year amid allegations that it had failed to close foster homes where children were being physically and sexually abused.

Those disclosures, as well as the state’s repeated complaints, prompted the county to give up its authority to license foster homes; that job is now handled by the state. They also led to the resignation of the department’s former director and the installation of Elwood Lui, a retired appellate judge, as interim manager.

In an impromptu press conference after the board’s vote, Lui said that while it is important for the county to keep local control of its agency, he believes the state should retain control of foster home licensing. It poses too much of a conflict, he said, for the county to act as an advocate for foster children while at the same time regulating their foster parents.

Lui also said he was “surprised by the severity of the problems” he found when he took over the county agency in early August. He said management has been largely to blame for failing to provide the department’s social workers with a clear direction and procedures that are easy to follow.

“There’s no hiding behind the fact that management issues are always at the core of the department,” Lui said. “So if you are going to assess any blame, I think you have to start with the top management.”