Title: Enhancing the Service Array in Child Welfare: (1) Assessing the Capacity of a Jurisdiction/State to Meet the Individualized Needs of Children and Families AND (2) Creating and Implementing a Resource and Capacity Development Plan
1Enhancing the Service Array in Child
Welfare(1) Assessing the Capacity of a
Jurisdiction/Stateto Meet the Individualized
Needs of Children and FamiliesAND(2) Creating
and Implementing a Resource and Capacity
Development Plan
- National Child Welfare Resource Center for
Organizational Improvement (NRCOI) - National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data
and Technology (NRCCWDT) - A Service of the Childrens Bureau/Training and
Technical Assistance Network - Administration for Children and Families
- U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
- April 28, 2008
2Two Main Goalsof This Service Array Process
- To assess a jurisdictions service array Does
the jurisdictions service array have the
capacity to achieve positive outcomes for
children and families? - Four elements of the jurisdictions service
array capacity are assessed - Child welfare practice.
- Child welfare leadership and culture.
- Current services.
- Needed new services.
- 2. To create and implement a Resource and
Capacity Development Plan to enhance the
jurisdictions capacity to serve children and
families through an appropriate and flexible
child and family service array that will achieve
positive outcomes.
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3This Service Array ProcessIs DESIGNED to
- Engage the states leaders as active stakeholders
in the development and provision of
outcomes-based services for children and families
in the child welfare system (state leaders
include agency leadership, community leadership,
funding resources, providers, multiple
stakeholders). - Enhance relationships across the various child-
and family-serving systems. - Clarify for leaders (state leadership, community
leadership, funding sources, providers, and other
supports for families) the importance of their
participation in improving the child welfare
system which will also benefit them and their
work. - Enhance working relationships across the various
child- and family-serving systems.
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4This Service Array Process Is DESIGNED to
(continued)
- Assist internal and external community
stakeholders in formulating the core values and
principles that need to guide the work of the
child welfare system. - Address practice at both the casework and system
levels. - Provide a mechanism through which a jurisdiction
at the local level can continually assess and
enhance its capacity to address the
individualized needs of children, youth, and
families. - Build the states/tribes/stakeholders capacity
at the system level to assess and enhance the
service array on an on-going basis. - Incorporate information from already existing
needs assessments previously conducted and build
on existing planning processes.
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5The REQUIREMENTS for this Service Array Process
are
- Built on the fact that jurisdictions must meet
the individualized needs of children, youth, and
families in the child welfare system. - Predicated on the establishment of a child
welfare practice model that is based on the
practice principles of the Child and Family
Services Review (CFSR) family-centered,
community-based, individualized services, and
enhanced parental capacity.
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5
6The REQUIREMENTS for this Service Array Process
are (continued)
- Data driven so that jurisdictions and states can
assess and improve performance utilizing outcome
measurements in the CFSR. - Collaborative in nature and necessitates the
building, strengthening, and maintaining of a
Stakeholder Collaborative in the jurisdiction as
well as community partnerships in the delivery of
services. - Built on the recognition that state, tribal, and
community stakeholders, along with the state
and/or local child welfare program, hold
ownership of the outcomes for children and
families and consequently share responsibility
for ensuring that services and resources are
available for families when they are needed.
7The CFSR and the Service Array
- Item 35 The State has in place an array of
services that assess the strengths and needs of
children and families and determine other service
needs, address the needs of families in addition
to individual children in order to create a safe
home environment, enable children to remain safe
with their parents when reasonable, and help
children in foster and adoptive placement achieve
permanency. - Item 36 The services in item 35 are accessible
to families and children in all political
jurisdictions covered in the States Child and
Family Services Plan. - Item 37 The services in item 35 can be
individualized to meet the unique needs of
children and families served by the agency.
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10A Seven-Step Process
- Creation of the State Service Array Steering
Committee. - Creation of the Community Service Array Steering
Committee AND the Community Stakeholder
Collaborative. - The Assessment Process (Four Assessments) and
Writing the Consolidated Assessment Report. - Creation of the Resource and Capacity Development
Plan. - Consolidation of the Resource and Capacity
Development Plan. - Adoption of the Resource and Capacity Development
Plan. - Implementation of the Plan and Monitoring
Progress.
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11Step 1 Creation of the State Service Array
Steering Committee
- Initial Membership
- Child Welfare Leadership Team
- Child Welfare Program Staff
- Contract Management Staff
- Financial Staff
- Data and Technology Staff
- QA/CQI Staff
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12Step 1 Creation of the State Steering Committee
(continued)
- Develop a work plan and timeline to implement the
service array process in the state, including - The selection/recruitment of a pilot jurisdiction
to begin the process. - Technical assistance for pilot jurisdiction.
- Train the trainer for rest of the state.
- Create a Child and Family Snapshot template for
utilization by jurisdictions with assistance from
NRCCWDT.
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13Child and Family Snapshot
- Template for incorporating data and information
available about each jurisdiction involved. - Portray children and families entering the child
welfare system and their overall well-being. - Inform processes of assessing capacities and
developing Resource and Capacity Development Plan.
14Child and Family Snapshot (continued)
- Utilize data and information available from child
welfare agency (e.g., data system, QA/CQI data,
etc.) and other sources. - Each jurisdiction can then add to that
information provided in the template. - Utility available from NRCCWDT to extract
core data from NCANDS and AFCARS submissions
and auto-populate an Excel workbook.
15Step 1 Creation of the State Steering Committee
(continued)
- Expand Steering Committee to incorporate key
leaders from other areas, such as the courts, the
tribes, child abuse prevention, family support
and early childhood services, as well as the
juvenile justice, education, domestic violence,
health, mental health, and substance abuse
systems at the state level, representatives of
the business, faith, and labor communities and,
importantly, birth parents, family caregivers,
and youth. - Reach consensus on state-wide philosophy, values,
and principles of child welfare system through
facilitation and training provided by NRCOI (see
handout on Training Modules).
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16Step 2 CREATION OF THE COMMUNITY STEERING
COMMITTEE and the Community Stakeholder
Collaborative
- Creation of Community-Level Steering Committee in
the pilot jurisdiction - Multidisciplinary Membership.
- Appointment of Point Person/Coordinator.
- Completion of a Work Plan in conjunction with the
State-Level Steering Committee that will lead the
jurisdiction through the service array process.
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17Step 2 CREATION OF THE COMMUNITY STEERING
COMMITTEE and the Community Stakeholder
Collaborative (continued)
- Work Plan Entails
- Reviewing state-wide philosophy, values, and
principles of the child welfare system - Tailored training (see Training Modules).
- Reviewing existing needs assessments conducted in
the jurisdiction. - Preparing the Child and Family Snapshot.
- Recruiting and retaining a wide range of
traditional and non-traditional stakeholders for
the Community Stakeholder Collaborative. - Planning on how to involve birth parents, family
caregivers, and youth.
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18Step 2 Creation of the Community Steering
Committee and THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER
COLLABORATIVE (continued)
- Rationale for the Community Stakeholder
Collaborative - No one individual knows all the services and
supports in a jurisdiction collective pooling of
knowledge. - No one agency by itself can ensure child safety,
permanency, and well-being. - Creating a constituency for child welfare.
- Creating more effective community partnerships so
services can be coordinated and integrated.
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19Step 2 Creation of the Community Steering
Committee and THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER
COLLABORATIVE (continued)
- Types of stakeholders needed
- Public and private sector providers of child
welfare services. - Birth parents, family caregivers (resource,
foster, kinship care, and adoptive families), and
youth, who have experience with the child welfare
system. - Court, legal, and law enforcement officials,
including staff of the Administrative Office of
the Court (AOC) and the Court Improvement Program
(CIP), and CASA volunteers.
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20Step 2 Creation of the Community Steering
Committee and THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER
COLLABORATIVE (continued)
- Types of stakeholders needed (continued)
- Tribal representatives.
- Mental health, substance abuse, and domestic
violence services providers. - Educators, health care providers, home visiting
program staff. - Child abuse prevention advocates and staff.
- Other key providers (e.g., housing, food
resources, transportation, recreation.).
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21Step 2 Creation of the Community Steering
Committee and THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER
COLLABORATIVE (continued)
- Types of stakeholders needed (continued)
- Elected officials and administrators, including
legislators and legislative staff. - Representatives of the business, faith, labor,
and media communities. - Other public sector employees, community-based
organizations, and representatives of entities
such as the United Way and local foundations.
22Step 2 Creation of the Community Steering
Committee and THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER
COLLABORATIVE (continued)
- Work Plan includes
- Scheduling Meetings of the Community Stakeholder
Collaborative - 1st MeetingFull Day
- Engagement, training, and beginning
- 2nd MeetingFull Day
- Reporting out strength and weaknesses in
capacities - 3rd MeetingFull Day
- Finalization of Capacity and Resource Development
Plan - Quarterly Meetings After 3rd Meeting
- Monitoring Implementation
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23Step 3 The Assessment Process (1st Meeting)
- Training, Education, and Information
- Establish Work Groups
- Work Group 1 Assess the capacity of the
jurisdiction on Safety Outcomes 1 and 2. - Work Group 2 Assess the capacity of the
jurisdiction on Permanency Outcome 1. - Work Group 3 Assess the capacity of the
jurisdiction on Permanency Outcome 2. - Work Group 4 Assess the capacity of the
jurisdiction on Well-Being Outcome 1. - Work Group 5 Assess the capacity of the
jurisdiction on Well-Being Outcomes 2 and 3.
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24Step 3 The Assessment ProcessCapacities/Outcome
s
- Work Group 1
- Does this jurisdiction currently have the
capacity to flexibly meet the needs of children
and families by individualizing services to - Make certain that children are, first and
foremost, protected from abuse and neglect?
(Safety Outcome 1) - Provide that children are safely maintained in
their homes whenever possible and appropriate?
(Safety Outcome 2)
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25Step 3 The Assessment ProcessCapacities/Outcome
s (continued)
- Work Group 2
- Does this jurisdiction currently have the
capacity to flexibly meet the needs of children
and families by individualizing services to - Make sure that children have permanency and
stability in their living situations? (Permanency
Outcome 1)
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26Step 3 The Assessment ProcessCapacities/Outcome
s (continued)
- Work Group 3
- Does this jurisdiction currently have the
capacity to flexibly meet the needs of children
and families by individualizing services to - Provide that continuity of family relationships
and connections is preserved for children?
(Permanency Outcome 2)
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27Step 3 The Assessment ProcessCapacities/Outcome
s (continued)
- Work Group 4
- Does this jurisdiction currently have the
capacity to flexibly meet the needs of children
and families by individualizing services to - Make sure that families have enhanced capacity to
provide for their childrens needs? (Well-Being
Outcome 1)
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28Step 3 The Assessment ProcessCapacities/Outcome
s (continued)
- Work Group 5
- Does this jurisdiction currently have the
capacity to flexibly meet the needs of children
and families by individualizing services to - Provide that children receive appropriate
services to meet their educational needs?
(Well-Being Outcome 2) - Make sure that children receive adequate services
to meet their physical and mental health needs?
(Well-Being Outcome 3)
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29Step 3 The Assessment ProcessWork Group Roles
- Roles in the Work Groups
- Chair/Co-Chair of Work Groups
- Facilitating the meetings
- - Recorders in Work Groups
- Provide notes of Work Group Meetings
- Assist in producing typed documents
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30Step 3 The Assessment ProcessFour Assessments
- Four Assessments
- First Assessment Assessment of Current Practices
in the Jurisdiction as They Relate to the
Capacity Being Assessed. - Second Assessment Assessment of Current
Leadership and Systemic Culture in the
Jurisdiction as They Relate to the Capacity Being
Assessed . - Third Assessment Assessment of Current Services
in the Jurisdiction as They Relate to the
Capacity Being Assessed. - Fourth Assessment Assessment of Any Needed
Non-Existing Services in the Jurisdictions as
They Relate to the Capacity Being Assessed.
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31Step 3 The Assessment ProcessProducing Reports
on Assessments, Consolidation into One Assessment
Report
- The work groups will produce four (4) reports for
each capacity being assessed for the Stakeholder
Collaborative and the Community Steering
Committee - Assessment of Practice.
- Assessment of Leadership and Culture.
- Assessment of Current Services.
- Assessment of Needed New Services.
- Four reports are consolidated into one Assessment
Report. - See Tool Kit for suggested formats/templates.
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32Step 4 Creation of the Resource and Capacity
Development Plan (2nd Meeting)
- 2nd Meeting held 2 months after 1st Meeting.
- Work groups present assessment of respective
capacities - Discussion, feedback, and recommendations.
- Opportunity for entire Stakeholder Collaborative
to provide input to the work groups.
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33Step 4 Creation of the Resource and Capacity
Development Plan (continued)
- The composite Resource and Capacity Development
Plan entails - Reforming current practices to enhance the
capacities. - Improving systemic culture to enhance the
capacities. - Enhancing current services that are important to
building the jurisdictions capacities. - Establishing utilization estimates for new
services that have been identified as needed to
enhance the capacities. - Incorporating a continuous quality improvement
process which evaluates the effects of changes on
outcomes for children and families.
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34Step 4 Creation of the Resource and Capacity
Development Plan Between 2nd and 3rd Meetings
- Five (5) work groups meet to complete the
development of their strategies for the Resource
and Capacity Development Plan - Goals of the Strategy.
- Action Steps of the Strategy.
- Tasks to Complete in the Strategy.
- Timeframes for the Completion of the Strategy.
- Intended Effects (specifically focusing on data)
of the Strategy. - Continuous Quality Improvement Process Utilizing
Data for the Strategy. - Persons/Groups Responsible for the Strategy.
- Prepare to present strategies to the Stakeholder
Collaborative at the 3rd Meeting.
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35Step 5 Consolidation of the Resource and
Capacity Development Plan (3rd Meeting)
- 3rd Meeting held approximately 2 months after 2nd
Meeting. - Each work group presents strategies for enhancing
the groups respective capacities. - Discrepancies are resolved and needed
integrations are finalized in the Resource and
Capacity Development Plan.
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36Step 6 Adoption of the Resource and Capacity
Development Plan
- The Resource and Capacity Development Plan is
reviewed by the State Steering Committee and the
Community Steering Committee. - An implementation plan of selected priorities is
created and agreed to by the two steering
committees.
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37Step 6 Adoption of the Resource and Capacity
Development Plan (continued)
- For recommendations and priorities regarding
services, changes required to implement the plan
(for example, utilization estimates, costs,
financing strategies, contracting methodologies,
policies, procedures, etc.) are identified and
pursued. - At the first quarterly implementation meeting
(within 3 months of 3rd Meeting) the priorities
and implementation plans are presented and the
support and participation of the Community
Stakeholder Members are enlisted.
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38Step 7 Implementation of the Plan and Monitoring
Progress
- Continual monitoring and evaluation of the
priorities and the implementation plan and its
effects on child welfare outcomes. - Continual evaluation of funding strategies to
support the priorities and implementation plan. - Implementation work groups can be used to assist
in prioritized initiatives. - Barriers are addressed and successes are
celebrated.
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39Typical Timeline for the Full Process
- State contacts CB Regional Office, NRC, forms
State Steering Committee, recruits Local Steering
Committee, completes work plan. - Creation of the Local Steering Committee AND
creation of the Community Stakeholder
Collaborative in the pilot jurisdiction, Steering
Committee develops work plan. - First meeting of the Community Stakeholder
Collaborative. - Second Meeting of the Community Stakeholder
Collaborative.
- Months 1 and 2.
- Months 2 and 3.
- Beginning of Month 4.
- Beginning of Month 6.
40Typical Timeline for the Full Process (continued)
- Third Meeting of the Community Stakeholder
Collaborative. - First Quarterly Meeting of the Collaborative.
- Second Quarterly Meeting of the Collaborative.
- Third Quarterly Meeting of the Collaborative.
- Fourth Quarterly Meeting of the Collaborative.
- Beginning of Month 8.
- Beginning of Month 11.
- Beginning of Month 14.
- Beginning of Month 17.
- Beginning of Month 20.
41Creating Regional and State Assessments and
Resource and Capacity Development Plans from
County/Jurisdictional Assessments and Plans
- Some States are beginning to experiment in
developing regional and state assessments and
plans after completion of county/jurisdictional
assessments and plans. - For example, in Maryland, the Eastern Shore
counties have all completed the assessments and
plans and are now looking at region-wide trends
and needs, with the goal of working with the
regions legislators (local and state) to
increase resources. - Maryland is also planning on the completion of
the process in all 24 jurisdictions and then
looking at state-wide trends and needs.
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42Adaptation of the Process
- There may be jurisdictions that do not want or
need to assess all the child welfare capacities
listed in the accompanying document. - For example, a jurisdiction that has undergone
the CFSR can decide to adapt this service array
process as part of its Program Improvement Plan
(PIP) to assess only those non-conforming
outcomes/capacities and to create and implement a
Resource and Capacity Development Plan to improve
capacities in those areas. - For example, a jurisdiction that has identified
the need to build capacities to support its
efforts to impact portions of its system, such as
reducing children in residential care, can choose
to assess select capacities.
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43Contact Information
- Steven Preister, Associate Director, National
Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational
Improvement - DC Office
- 6824 Fifth Street, NW
- Washington, DC 20012-1906, telephone/voice
202.723.0320 - fax (same, call first).
- spreister_at_usm.maine.edu