The elements defined in the Continuum of Care Reform (CCR) are interdependent and require changes in existing regulations, policy and practice by the California Department of Social Services and the California Department of Health Care Services. This reform necessitates county welfare departments, county mental health plans, and service providers build the necessary infrastructure to reform existing policy, hire and train staff to implement new requirements and build the new program models. These providers include: Foster Family Agencies (FFAs), Group Homes, Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans (MCPs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Fee For Service (FFS) providers.

In order for true reform to take place, a clear, shared understanding of what is required from county welfare departments, county mental plans and providers must be in place. Additionally, outcome measures and systems for tracking performance will need to be developed to ensure the resources dedicated to CCR are delivering the expected outcomes. Lastly, automation of complex payments systems and performance and outcome monitoring systems must be in place to operationalize the requirements defined in CCR.

Given the infrastructure and capacity building needed to support this complex systems reform, implementation of CCR is expected to be an incremental process rather than a single event.

The following timeline outlines what County Child Welfare Services (CWS) activities and implementation may look like assuming the deliverables outlined in California Department of Social Services Implementation Dashboard are on track.

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