REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 26, 2021
FROM
MARLENE HAGEN, Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Out-of-Country Travel to Guatemala City, Guatemala for Reunification of Dependent Child with Parent
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve out-of-country travel expenses in an amount not to exceed $1,200 for a dependent child and a Children and Family Services Social Service Practitioner to travel to Guatemala City, Guatemala to reunify the child with the child’s father.
(Presenter: Jonathan Byers, Assistant Director, 387-2782)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The travel expenses for the dependent child and a Children and Family Services Social Service Practitioner and will not exceed $1,200 and will be 100% funded by Realignment 2011. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Human Services Administrative Claim 2021-22 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Children and Family Services (CFS) provides services to reunify dependents of the San Bernardino County Juvenile Court (Court) with their families pursuant to California Welfare and Institutions Code sections 202 and 361.5, which may include transportation costs for placement. CFS has obtained authorization from the Court to return a dependent child, age 13, to the child’s father who resides in Guatemala. The travel Visa for the child expires on November 13, 2021.
On March 15, 2021, for the child’s safety, CFS removed the child from the child’s home due to the mother’s death. On June 29, 2021, the Court granted CFS permission to reunite the child with the child’s father in Guatemala. The child has Guatemalan citizenship and is eager to be reunified with the father. CFS coordinated with the Office of the Procuraduria General de la Nacion (PGN), equivalent of CFS in Guatemala, to conduct a home assessment and interview of the father and PGN cleared the father to receive custody of the child. A CFS Social Service Practitioner (SSP) will accompany the child on the flight to Guatemala City, Guatemala in the interest of the child’s welfare and will meet a PGN representative and a member from the child’s family at the airport. PGN will take custody of the child and coordinate the return to the father. The CFS SSP will return to California the same travel day. Travel dates are flexible and will occur as early as October 28, 2021, but no later than November 13, 2021, based on coordination with PGN and the child’s family. County Policy 08-04 requires approval by the Board of Supervisors for this out-of-country travel.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Julie Surber, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 30, 2021; Finance (John Hallen, Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on September 30, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on October 5, 2021.