Greetings, brothers and sisters! On April 24, 2025, the UPE team met with the County about a new policy for the Sacramento Welcome Homes (SWH). The policy's purpose is to address the implementation of an Emergency Intervention Plan (EIP) that uses techniques within the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) model.
First and foremost, let us say that UPE does not believe the County should be in the Welcome Home business altogether! With that being said, your UPE team read through the policy and asked the department questions regarding house meetings, who is to attend, and whether attendance is mandatory. Have all staff been TCI certified? If not, when will they be? Is the staff still meal prepping? UPE is under the impression that there are now prepared meals for the youth. UPE also asked the department to identify who they are referring to when they say, "the assigned Social Worker" (SW).
Per the department, the house meetings are for the youth to attend, and their attendance is not mandatory. Not all staff have been TCI certified, but the department plans to have all staff certified no later than the end of April. UPE asked the department to add a note to say only those employees certified in TCI can use the techniques. While the staff is not expected to meal prep, this would be considered an engagement activity for the youth if they are interested in that. The department stated they would change the language from the "assigned Social Worker" to the case carrying Social Worker.
