A report from the San Diego County grand jury
recommends creating separate adult and children units for the county's In-Home
Supportive Services program, which serves disabled adults and children and
seniors.
San Diego County's In-Home Supportive
Services program, which serves disabled adults and children and seniors, needs
a makeover.
That's the gist of a new report from the
county grand jury. The report was prompted by a complaint about a social worker
employed by the county program.
During a home visit, the social worker
misinterpreted the actions of a severely disabled 10-year-old, which resulted
in a two-month investigation of the parents on allegations of child abuse. The
charges were eventually dismissed.
Grand jury foreman Bob O’Connor said social
workers in the program should deal with either children or adults.
“They have a wide variety of cases from
adults to minors, and I think they’re not focused on any one particular age
group or disability," O’Connor said.
The grand jury's report also says social
workers who handle children need more specialized training in the behavior and
medical limitations of children who are disabled.
About 7 percent of the In-Home Supportive
Services caseload involves children under 18.
The program is administered by the county's
Aging and Independence Services division. It's a state-mandated program that
receives funding from federal, state and county governments.
May
27, 2015
KPBS
By
Kenny Goldberg
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