Title
Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services, or his designee, to sign the Tri-County Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) Project Agreement for the period March 1, 2015 through June 30, 2015 with Santa Cruz County Human Services Department, and San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services, or his designee, to sign the Tri-County Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) Project Agreement for the period March 1, 2015 through June 30, 2015 with Santa Cruz County Human Services Department, and San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Senate Bill (SB) 855 amends Section 300 of the Welfare & Institutions Code (W&IC) to extend jurisdiction of the juvenile court to children who are identified as being commercially sexually exploited, and whose parent/guardians have failed, or have been unable, to protect them. In response, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has developed The Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) Program. This program is elective for counties who wish to receive funding for the purpose of developing and implementing a protocol to address prevention and intervention services for children who are victims, or at risk of becoming victims, of commercial sexual exploitation.
In an effort to be innovative and proactive with the CSEC Program, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties have agreed to develop a Tri-County CSEC Protocol with the goal of creating an effective program which will serve the needs of the three counties within and across county jurisdictions. These efforts aim to recognize common barriers and strengths within the three counties, to include: limited funding made available by CDSS for protocol development, limited resources for CSEC victims in the counties, the clos...
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