Child welfare: workload ratios: incentive payments.

Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to contract with an appropriate and qualified entity to conduct an evaluation of the adequacy of the current child welfare services budgeting methodology and make recommendations for revising the budgeting methodology, including appropriate caseload levels, supportive services, and preventative services, in order to accurately and adequately fund the system. This bill would require, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, the department to provide incentive payments to counties that meet the child welfare services targeted workload ratio recommendations included in that evaluation. The bill would explicitly require the incentive payments to be separate from, and in addition to, funds allocated to counties for child welfare services from the Local Revenue Fund 2011.