Child Care Service Resources and Referral

Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE)

SCCOE is the official state contracted Child Care Resource and Referral Agency serving Santa Clara County.

Immediate Child Care

The term immediate refers to approving full-time child care prior to the client attending a Welfare-to-Work (WTW) Orientation/ Appraisal.  Full-time care is no longer computed based on certified need for care. All WTW mandatory clients are to receive a full-time approval, unless they subsequently request part-time care.

As part of the process, the CalWORKs Employment Services (CWES) Engagement Unit follows the process below:

1. Authorizes child care full-time by completing and mailing the client the CalWORKs Stage One Child Care Authorization Form (CCP 8) using a refreshed daily listing of approved CalWORKs WTW mandatory individuals.
2. The CWES phone number listed on the CCP 8 will be the phone number of the Associate Employment Counselor (AEC)/Employment Counselor (EC) who mails the form.
3. The child care authorization begin date on the CCP 8 must match the CalWORKs cash aid approval date. The month of approval counts as month 1, including if it is a partial month. The 24-month approval end date is the last calendar day of month 24.
4. The Child Care Program Block's Application Date is to match the CalWORKs begin date of aid.  The Begin and End Dates for child care must match the dates listed on the CCP 8.  Document the child care approval period with a Journal Entry in CalSAWS using Journal Entry Type, "WTW" along with "Child Care" in the Short Description field.  
5. The following CalWORKs families are not eligible for an immediate and continuous child care approval: Adults receiving SSI, ineligible non-citizen adults, non-needy caretaker relatives, CalWORKs 60-month timed-out adult(s), WTW exempt individuals who have not signed a WTW Plan (WTW 2), and WTW sanctioned individuals who have not signed a Curing Plan (WTW29).

Exception: For two-parent families, the participant who still has time remaining on the CalWORKs 60-month time limit is eligible for child care, regardless of the cash aid status of the other parent in the home, if the other parent is unable or unavailable to provide child care.

Example: In a two-parent family, where one parent is timed-out and the other is participating in WTW, the participating parent requests child care because the timed-out parent is employed.  The family is eligible for child care because the timed-out parent is unavailable to to provide it.

Note:  Clients back on aid who are receiving child care via the Alternative Payment Programs (APPs) are not to receive the CCP 8; document with a Journal Entry using Journal Entry type "WTW" with "Child Care" in the Short Description field.  

6. When the client returns the completed CCP 8 along with child care packet forms, the Child Care Approval (NA 832) is issued to the client with the approval begin date matching the date listed on the CCP 8, if child care is utilized prior to Orientation; or the first day child care is used, whichever is later.

Note: The NA 832 may be issued prior to client attending the WTW ORE/Appraisal activity.

Referrals for Ongoing

The following are the steps the AEC/EC and client take to identify child care needs:

A. The Assigned AEC/EC:

• Discusses child care needs with the client.
• Provides the client with the Parent’s Guide to Choosing Child Care.
• Utilizes the DEBS Referral Application to send a Child Care Resource Referral to the SCCOE.
• Advises the client to:
  • Follow up on the referral if the client has not heard back from SCCOE within 2 business days by calling (669) 212-5437, or
  • Use the SCCOE website to complete an online application at the following website: https://www.childcarescc.org/child-care-application
  • Contact the Community Care Licensing Division at (408) 324-2148 to verify the child care provider's license status is valid.
  • Notify AEC/EC of the final child care provider selection.
• Provides child care packet per established procedures: Scheduling Process - Immediate and Continuous Child Care
• Enters a Journal Entry in CalSAWS using Journal Type, "WTW" along with "Child Care" in the Short Description field.  

B. The Client:

• Evaluates child care provider referrals.
• Uses the SCCOE online application to obtain referrals, contacts the Community Care Licensing Division at (408) 324-2148 to verify provider’s license status.
• Notifies the assigned AEC/EC of the final child care provider selection.
• Submits completed child care packet to AEC/EC.

C. The Assigned AEC/EC:

• Approves and authorizes child care per established procedures.

Reminder: Follow up with the client to ensure that child care is processed in order to attend their WTW activity timely.

Using DEBS Referral Application for Child Care Resource Referrals

Child Care Resource Referrals to the Santa Clara County Office of Education will be sent using the DEBS Referral Application.

 

The AEC/EC will initiate an external referral to the SCCOE using the DEBS Referral Application.  The DEBS Referral Application will generate an encrypted email that will originate from the AEC/EC's email account, and will be sent to the shared email pools for esichildcare@ssa.sccgov.org and childcarescc@sccoe.org.  A referral will be generated by following the steps below:

Step	Action
1.	Access the DEBS Referral Application through the web address: http://DEBS Refer (sccgov.org) or through the DEBS Refer icon listed under SSA Applications.
2.	Once in the DEBS Referral Application click the [Add a Referral] icon to create a new referral.
3.	Enter the client’s information and click [Search].  Select the client you are referring.  The DEBS Referral Application will automatically populate the client’s information.
4.	Verify the client’s information is entered correctly on the right-hand side (update manually if needed).
5.	Select: WTW in the Program field, Child Care Resource and Referral in the Referral Type field, and Santa Clara County Office of Education in the Provider Name field.  The Received Consent and Date Required Follow Up fields are automatically populated.
6.	In the Referral Comments field, add the child care need details.  Include the following:  Client’s activity (such as work, school, job search), Child’s information (name, date of birth, school, special need, etc.), Required care (days, hours, start date, end date), and any other pertinent information.
7.	The User’s information will automatically populate under Agency Information.  Ensure this information is correct, and manually update if needed.
8.	Select External Referral
9.	Click [Generate PDF]
10.	Click [Email Referral] to generate the email template in Outlook.  Preview the referral slip from the email prior to clicking [Send].  The email will automatically attach the referral slip with information obtained from the DEBS Referral Application.  The email will automatically add a subject line with the client’s initials.
11.	Click [Send]

The AEC/EC will update the referral in the DEBS Referral Application by following the steps below:

Step	Action
1.	Search by case number
2.	Click [Feedback] next to the appropriate referral.
3.	Select the appropriate option under Referral Outcome.
4.	Click the [Save Folllow-Up] button.