Los Angeles County Children S Planning Board

Responding to growing complaints of costly and ineffective services for children in Los Angeles County, the Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to establish a planning council to promote coordination among hundreds of public and private children's agencies.

Los Angeles County has made significant progress in reducing teen births and child poverty levels and in boosting childhood immunizations, but troubling geographic and ethnic inequalities in children's welfare persist, a new study has found.

A blue-ribbon committee convened last year to study children's services in Los Angeles County has concluded that a 20-member Children's Planning Board is "urgently" needed to coordinate the 1,300 private and public agencies serving children in the area. "All of these agencies are looking at their own programs, doing the very best they can, completely oblivious to everybody else," committee chairman David W. Fleming said Monday as he released the panel's conclusions.

This year, the Los Angeles County Children's Planning Council will send out half a dozen workers, maybe more, to determine how they can help various support agencies save families. Although admittedly a small number for a huge task, the workers will be a significant step for the council, whose 30-odd board members include representatives from the health, child welfare, business, education, philanthropic and community services fields.

This year, the Los Angeles County Children's Planning Council will send out half a dozen workers, maybe more, to determine how they can help various support agencies save families. Although admittedly a small number for a huge task, the workers will be a significant step for the council, whose 30-odd board members include representatives from the health, child welfare, business, education, philanthropic and community services fields.

Los Angeles County has made significant progress in reducing teen births and child poverty levels and in boosting childhood immunizations, but troubling geographic and ethnic inequalities in children's welfare persist, a new study has found.

Responding to growing complaints of costly and ineffective services for children in Los Angeles County, the Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to establish a planning council to promote coordination among hundreds of public and private children's agencies.

A blue-ribbon committee convened last year to study children's services in Los Angeles County has concluded that a 20-member Children's Planning Board is "urgently" needed to coordinate the 1,300 private and public agencies serving children in the area. "All of these agencies are looking at their own programs, doing the very best they can, completely oblivious to everybody else," committee chairman David W. Fleming said Monday as he released the panel's conclusions.