Foster Family Agency to Close, County Says

A Carson-based foster family agency that faced the loss of its state license over financial and safety issues has agreed to voluntarily close its doors, Los Angeles County officials said Friday.

International Foster Family Agency, one of the largest private agencies with Los Angeles County contracts, had handled a peak of 400 foster children and their foster parents but that case load has dwindled to about 90. The county now will have to find other foster agencies to oversee services for them.

International officials, who also had contracts with Riverside and San Bernardino counties, did not return calls seeking comment.

International has been the focus of state and county investigations for allegedly failing to ensure the health and safety of children under its supervision and for questionable management practices.

In recent months, Los Angeles County stopped sending children to the agency, citing noncompliance with state regulations. Both the state and county had been working with International executives on a plan to improve operations.

But county officials said the agency had failed to resolve several key management issues.

“They could not comply with the actions we needed,” said Genevra Gilden, director of quality assurance for the county Department of Children and Family Services. “We could not verify that they had the proper board of directors in place and could never find the administrator. There seemed to be a lot of dissension in the ranks, and it looked like it was becoming less and less viable in terms of management. We told them we were going to take action, and they told us they would close down voluntarily.”

International has had government contracts to recruit and train foster parents and to monitor the care of children they place with those families.

In the year ending June 2001, the Carson agency received more than $6.5 million in foster care funds from Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, according to a Los Angeles County audit.

The audit criticized how money was spent at the agency, including $320,000 in questionable expenses and a $227,000 annual salary paid to former executive Louise Fernandez. Fernandez was fired in September 2002 and then sued, alleging she was improperly terminated. A Superior Court judge this week partly agreed with her on procedural grounds and ordered the agency’s board of directors to review how her dismissal was handled.

Los Angeles County officials are working with the agency to keep children in their foster homes and to have those homes recertified -- ensuring they meet health and safety standards -- with other foster agencies, which is required by law.

Gilden said the county is taking steps to ensure that no children are endangered.

“As a precautionary measure, we are alerting social workers to make extra visits to see kids and to talk to the foster parents and kids to make sure things are stable,” she said.

Sandra M. Jackson, a deputy director for Children’s Services in Riverside County, said International’s Perris office had notified officials that it would likely be closing as well. The office supervises about 30 children in foster homes, and the county has had no problems with its operation, she said.

“The agency is still functioning, but we are positioning ourselves in the event we have to move kids to another agency that can recertify homes,” Jackson said.

San Bernardino County officials could not be reached to determine the number and status of children there.

In January, the state moved to revoke International’s license, citing such violations as allowing unqualified staff to evaluate potential foster families, failing to perform adequate criminal background checks and failing to make timely reports of alleged sexual abuse.

State officials said Friday they were still in negotiations with the agency and would not confirm that is it closing. The agency’s license is in intact, but that could change, said Department of Social Services spokeswoman Blanca Castro.

“At this point we are working with the board of directors to ensure that foster families are served and that those services are uninterrupted,” she said.