5180 Department of Social Services
Program Descriptions

25 - SOCIAL SERVICES AND LICENSING

The Department of Social Services monitors and oversees the operational program aspects of social services programs through the development of policy, regulations, and procedures for the delivery of services to clients, and the monitoring and evaluation of services delivered.

25.15 - In-Home Supportive Services:
The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program provides services to enable eligible persons to remain safely in their own homes as an alternative to out-of-home care. Eligible persons are aged, blind, or disabled persons who receive federally funded Medi-Cal or otherwise meet the program's income and resource requirements. There are three programs that provide in-home care: the Personal Care Services Program, the IHSS Plus Option Program, and the IHSS-Residual Program.

25.20 - Recipient Supplementary Payment:
The Recipient Supplementary Payment program, which was eliminated October 1, 2009, provided supplemental payments to individuals who were participating in the Personal Care Services Program, the IHSS Plus Waiver Program, or the IHSS Plus Option Program when their Medi-Cal share of costs were higher than their IHSS-Residual share of costs.

25.30 - Children and Adult Services and Licensing:
The Children's Services component consists of three major areas: Child Welfare Services, Adoptions, and Child Abuse Prevention.

Child Welfare Services provides emergency response, family maintenance, family reunification, and permanent placement services for abused and neglected children and their families, as well as services to assist transition age youth who are emancipating or have emancipated from foster care. The program also provides for training and technical assistance for administrators and staff.

The Adoptions Program: (1) provides agency (relinquishment) adoption services through 5 state offices and 28 licensed county adoption agencies; (2) conducts studies of all independent adoption placements through seven state offices and three county adoption agencies; (3) provides technical and programmatic services to 30 licensed county adoption agencies that provide agency (relinquishment) adoption services; (4) provides technical and programmatic services to private adoption agencies that provide agency and intercountry adoption services; (5) reimburses licensed private adoption agencies for expenses incurred in placing special needs children; and (6) provides adoptive home recruitment activities through directly provided and contracted services.

The Child Abuse Prevention Program provides funding, training, and technical assistance for the development and sustainability of child abuse prevention and early intervention programs, education and outreach materials, activities, and services for at risk families and their children.

The Department also has County Services Block Grant funding which includes Adult Protective Services. In this program, counties provide appropriate Adult Protective Services to California's functionally impaired dependent adults and the aged who live in their own homes.

The Community Care Licensing Program is a regulatory enforcement program with the responsibility of protecting the health and safety of children and adults residing or spending a portion of their time in out-of-home care. The program includes prevention, compliance, and enforcement components.

25.35 - Special Programs:
The Department has several special programs that include the following: Specialized Services, Access Assistance to the Deaf, and Refugee Program Services.