Cap of 4 Children Per Foster Home Urged

As a consequence of a 19-month-old boy’s death late last year in a Glendale foster home, Los Angeles County officials may reduce the number of children who can live in a foster care home from six to four.

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky proposed Tuesday that the Department of Children and Family Services cap the number of children in foster homes “to reduce the stress on parents and on kids.”

Peter Digre, director of the children’s services agency, immediately embraced the idea and suggested that a limit of four children per foster household is possible.

“It makes all the sense in the world,” said Digre. “It would be a really significant quality of life enhancement for kids.”

Under state law, foster families are allowed to house up to six foster children each. Los Angeles County has imposed a tighter restriction--allowing foster parents to care for a total of six children, regardless of whether they are their own offspring, adopted or foster children.

The new proposal would cap the number of children in a foster household at four, regardless of where they come from. Exceptions could be made to keep siblings together or for other special cases, Yaroslavsky suggested.

The proposal is scheduled to be heard by the full Board of Supervisors at a future meeting.

Tuesday’s discussion grew out of the death last Dec. 29 of Julio Gonzalez, who allegedly was beaten to death by his foster parents in a home that they shared at one time with three other foster children and the couple’s two natural children. Five of those children were under the age of 4, including Gonzalez’s twin brother. The twins had health problems.

Officials said they had not determined conclusively that the number of children in the home contributed to the death. “We have to take into consideration things like the age of the children and any health problems” in deciding how many children to put in a home, said one county official. “It’s just common sense.”

The dead toddlers’ foster parents--Fernando Enriquez Paz and Maria del Carmen Elizabeth Paz--both have pleaded not guilty to murder and child abuse.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday reviewed details of the case in closed session. Sources said the supervisors received a report that said county social workers and a private doctor had seen the Glendale toddler frequently, but failed to detect signs of abuse.

“The telltale signs slipped right past these professionals,” said another source.

Danny Ramos, a field representative with Service Employees International Union Local 535, said front line workers already are overburdened by excessive caseloads and onerous paperwork that cut down on the time workers actually have to visit foster children.