Report 2011-101.1 Recommendation 20 Responses

Report 2011-101.1: Child Welfare Services: California Can and Must Provide Better Protection and Support for Abused and Neglected Children (Release Date: October 2011)

Recommendation #20 To: Social Services, Department of

To ensure that vulnerable individuals, including foster children, are safe from sex offenders, Social Services should complete follow up on any remaining address matches our office provided in July 2011 and take appropriate actions, as well as relay information to Justice or local law enforcement for any sex offenders not in compliance with registration laws.

1-Year Agency Response

Social Services reported that it finished following-up on the outstanding address matches that our office provided in July 2011. In addition, it stated that it reported erroneous address data that it identified through the investigations to Justice. In a few instances, we questioned the appropriateness of the actions taken by county CWS agencies in which they allowed sex offenders to remain in homes of children in the CWS system. Social Services stated that in certain circumstances counties do not have an obligation under current regulation or policy to remove children from homes due to the presence of a registered sex offender. However, counties are still required to determine the immediate risk and take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of children in these instances. Social Services indicated that counties have discretion over the action they take and that in certain situations it may be determined appropriate for a child to be in the home of a registered sex offender. (See 2013-406, pp. 115-116)

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

All Recommendations in 2011-101.1

Agency responses received after June 2013 are posted verbatim.