In L.A. County, youth enter the foster care system through the Dependency or Delinquency Courts, supervised by either the Department of Children and Family Services or the Probation Department. The Placement Services Bureau (PSB) serves youth whom the courts have ordered to be removed from home and placed in either Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTPs) or in relative or non-relative care. Generally, youth receive this type of dispositional order after less restrictive court sanctions have not resolved the family, emotional, or other identified issues that might play a role in the youth’s delinquency. The bureau places youth in environments best suited to meet their individual needs, which may include a smaller group home environment, a larger foster home facility, or a small foster family home. Youth may also benefit from outreach and prevention services available through the foster care system that are designed to prevent them from being removed from home which includes services such as family therapy, multi-systemic therapy, family preservation, or wraparound services. Placement Services Bureau The bureau is comprised of the following operations: Placement Administrative Services, Residential-Based Services, Child Trafficking Unit (CTU), Placement to Community Transition Services (PCTS), Youth Development Services, Transitional Jurisdiction Services, Transitional Housing Program and Placement Permanency and Quality Assurance. During 2018, PSB served 1,405 youth in STRTPs. Currently, the Probation Department contracts with 40 STRTP providers throughout Los Angeles and its neighboring counties, and an additional 10 non-contracted, out-of- state providers to best serve our foster care population. An additional 90 youth were placed with Resource Families (formerly known as foster parents) for a total of 1,495 suitably placed youth this year. Additionally, PSB supervised youth in the community through the Child Trafficking Unit and Placement to Community Transition Services programs. In 2018, CTU supervised 50 youth and families and through PCTS, the Functional Family Probation and Functional Family Therapy programs supervised 740 youth in the community. Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) and Group Home (GH) Population Average Age 17 From 1/1/2018 to 12/31/2018 1,405 Total STRTP/GH Population 70 Resource Family MALE Population 1,110 STRTP/GH MALE Population 25 Resource Family FEMALE Population 477 Number of Suitable Placement Completions (JT, JT/AB12, HOP, Resource Family Placements) 295 STRTP/GH FEMALE Population 114 Average Length of Stay in Days in STRTP/GH Placement All Populations 219 Average Length of Stay in Days for STRTP/GH Placement Completions (JT, JT/AB12, HOP, Resource Family Placements) JT: Jurisdiction Terminated, HOP: Home on Probation: Placement youth whose order was changed from Suitable Placement to Home on Probation. NOTE: Jurisdiction was not actually terminated; it is the code used to show the exit of a youth from placement to home on probation. L.A. County Probation Department | 2018 Annual Report 19 18 L.A. County Probation Department | 2018 Annual Report