The Collaboration of AdoptUsKids National Adoption and Foster Care Summit

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The Collaboration of AdoptUsKids National
Adoption and Foster Care Summit

• Spotlight on
• Adoption Opportunity
• Youth Permanency
• Grant Cluster
• August 3, 2006
• 1030 AM to Noon

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PANEL MEMBERS

• Beth Brindo, MSSA
• Teen 2 Homes Project Manager
• Director of Adoption, Bellefaire JCB, Ohio
• Diahanna Roberson, MSSA
• Teens 2 Homes Project Coordinator
• Adoption Supervisor, Bellefaire JCB, Ohio
• Marilyn Panichi, MSW
• Family Connections Project Project
  Administrator
• Exec. Director, Adoptions Unlimited, Inc.,
  Illinois
• June Dorn, MSW
• Family Connections Project Project
  Liaison
• State Adoption and Guardianship Manager, State
  of Illinois

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

• Developing Adoption Services and Supports for
  Youth Who Wish to Retain Contact with Family
  Members in Order to Improve Permanency Outcomes
• The purposes of funding these demonstration
  projects are to 
• (1) Demonstrate the effective implementation of
  strategies for introducing the concept of open
  adoption to youth and/or sibling groups who
  prefer to maintain contact with birth families
  and/or siblings
• (2) Demonstrate effective implementation
  strategies for connecting youth to adults to
  promote a range of permanency options,
  particularly adoption and open adoption, and
  including guardianship and kinship care
• (3) Demonstrate the effective models of youth
  leadership and collaboration between youth,
  siblings and other family members, caseworkers
  and possible adoptive families in planning for
  youth permanency
• (4) Evaluate the processes and outcomes of these
  strategies and models
• (5) Disseminate information about these
  strategies and models so that other
  States/locales seeking to implement effective
  open adoption programs for youth and sibling
  groups have a demonstrated resource for guidance,
  insight, and possible replication.

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PROGRAM INTRODUCTIONS

• Teens 2 Homes
• Bellefaire JCB
• Ohio
• Family Connections Project
• Adoptions Unlimited, Inc.,
• Illinois

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GOALS OBJECTIVES

• GOAL
• Increase and improve permanency outcomes for
  youth age 12 and/or sibling groups in the pubic
  child welfare system especially those who wish
  to maintain contact with family members
• Production of an evidence-based youth centered
  permanency model that can be replicated in
  communities across the country as the states work
  to meet Child and Family Service Review (CFSR)
  standards.
• OBJECTIVES
• Replace resistance with interest in permanency
  options among youth over age 12 and/or sibling
  group in the child public/welfare system,
  especially the youth who wish to retain contact
  with family members
• Connect youth to adults to promote a range of
  permanency option, particularly adoption, open
  adoption, and including guardianship and kinship
  care
• Demonstrate an effective permanency-planning
  model in which youth leadership and collaboration
  among youth, siblings, other family members,
  caseworkers, and possible permanency parents are
  critical components
• Evaluate the processes and outcomes of Project
  TEENS 2 HOMES to provide an evidence based model
  for promoting open adoption for youth and sibling
  groups
• Disseminate information about Project TEENS 2
  HOMES to provide a model for other communities
  and regions seeking to implement effective open
  adoption programs for youth and sibling groups

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Public / Private
PARTNERSHIPS

• Project TEENS 2 HOMES is committed to the
  public-private partnerships with five child
  welfare agencies in Ohio.
• The Ohio Public Agency County Partners are
• Cuyahoga Geauga
• Lorain Summit
• Tuscarawas

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Public /
Private Partnership
COLLABORATION

Partners Meeting 1

• Public / Private Partnership Keys to Success
• We come to the table as stakeholders, not in a
  control -recipient relationship , but as
  partners.
• Equality in planning and decision-making roles
• Activities meet real needs
• Roles are clearly defined
• Opportunities are provided for reflection and
  feedback on the program and on participants
  personal involvement
• A commitment to support the partnership
  participation process and establish a peer group
• Opportunity to develop skill
• Everyone gets something from the meeting
• Success are acknowledged and celebrated
• (Adopted from Youth Involvement Developing
  Leaders and Strengthening Communities, Bruce
  Swinehart, Partners for Youth Leadership,
  Boulder, CO)

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Public / Private
Partnership
COLLABORATION
Partners
Meeting 2

• Organization of Partners Meeting
• When Meet quarterly
• Where Revolving agency sites
• Who Project coordinator, Project Manager,
  liaisons from
• the five county agencies,
  consultants, evaluator.
• Time All day or half day. Breakfast and Lunch is
  provided.

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PROGRAM
ACTIVITIES

• PEER GROUPS
• DAY CAMP
• YOUTH LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
• COMMUNITY CHORUS
• TEENS 2 HOMES MENTORS
• CIRCLES OF SUPPORT
• TRAINING
• Parent Child Welfare Professional
• Youth Legal professionals
• RESPONSE TEAM
• EVALUATION

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Youth and Teens

• Activity participants
• are a integrated group
• of teens and youth
• who have any of these
• custody permanency
• plans in place.

• Permanent Custody
• Guardianship
• Kinship
• Adopted
• Foster Care

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ENGAGING
YOUTH DAY CAMP COMMUNITY CHORUS YOUTH
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

• Positive Youth Development
• Teens and youth have a central and meaningful
  role in all program activities
• Increase self-esteem and empowerment
• Discuss barriers to permanency
• Maintain relations with birth/kinship families
• Expression of feelings

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CAMP

• Camp TEENS 2 HOMES will be an intensified version
  of the TEENS 2 HOMES Peer Groups with a two week
  session, 10 days from 830 a.m. to 330 pm
• The first two week session will be a training for
  the 16-18 year olds, to be counselors / peer
  mentor for the second two-week session in which
  the participants will be ages 12-15. The teenage
  counselor will receive a stipend for their
  position as a counselor.
• The camps goal is to create a supportive
  environment that will allow the youth to discuss
  their emotions and life issues

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CAMP
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CHORUS

• Designed to bring together youth from the child
  welfare system, case workers, adoption triad
  members, TEENS 2 HOMES mentors, and interested
  members of the community to enjoy music together
• Creation of a choral program to educate the
  community about the importance of permanency for
  all children and recruit families.
• Provides a setting in which people can appreciate
  youth functioning in normalized situations as
  regular children

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CHORUS
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YOUTH LEADERSHIP
COUNCIL
Composed of the leaders from the camp, chorus and
peer groups Development of a panel presentation
to reach out to prospective permanency parents
Provide insight in understanding of other youth,
adoption and legal professionals, and permanency
parents Goal is to provide youth with a voice to
articulate how they feel, what they want, and
what they need
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EVALUATION PLAN

• Use of qualitative and quantitative approaches to
  address evaluation
• Qualitative approaches rich descriptive
  findings
• Quantitative approaches reduce activities and
  outcomes to numeric form
• A combination of both produces the strongest
  information for evaluating the program

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CONTACT INFORMATION

• Teens 2 Homes
• Beth Brindo, MSSA
• Bellefaire JCB
• Director of Adoption, Project Manager
• 22001 Fairmount Boulevard
• Shaker Heights, OH 44118
• [phone]
• brindob_at_bellefairejcb.org
• Family Connections Project
• Marilyn Panichi, MSW
• Adoptions Unlimited, Inc.
• 120 W. Madison St. Suite 800
• Chicago, Illinois 60602
• [phone]
• mrp_at_adoptinfo-il.org

Teens 2 Homes Diahanna Roberson, MSSA Bellefaire
JCB Adoption Supervisor, Project
Coordinator 22001 Fairmount Boulevard Shaker
Heights, OH 44118 [phone] robersod_at_bellefai
rejcb.org Family Connections Project June Dorn,
MSW State Adoption and Guardianship
Manager State of Illinois 100 W. Randolph, Sixth
Floor Chicago, Illinois 60601 (312)
814-6858 JDorn_at_idcfs.state.il.us

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ADOPTIONS UNLIMITED, INC.

• 120 WEST MADISON STREET SUITE 800
• CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
• AUGUST 3, 2006

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AUI, INC. - STRUCTURE

• Operates the Adoption Listing Service in
  partnership with IDCFS
• Administers the Infant Adoption Awareness
  Training Program in Illinois - in partnership
  with Spaulding for Children, Michigan
• Operates the Recruitment Response Team in
  Illinois - in partnership with AEA/AUK
• Administers the Family Connections Project
• Administers the Heart Gallery of Illinois - in
  partnership with IDCFS, Lt. Gov. Office, and
  volunteers

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PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

• ADOPTIONS UNLIMITED, INC
• IDCFS
• JUVENILE COURT
• LSSI
• ILLINOIS YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD
• ILLINOIS ADOPTION ADVISORY COUNCIL
• ADOPTION PRESERVATION PROGRAMS
• THE CRADLE
• ISU CENTER FOR ADOPTION STUDIES

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FAMILY CONNECTIONS PROJECT WORKGROUP

• SATURDAY A.M. MONTHLY MEETINGS
• SUB-WORKGROUPS - FACILITATED BY CURRICULUM
  WRITERS
• FAMILY
• WORKER
• YOUTH
• LEGAL

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FAMILY CONNECTIONS PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

• Achieve permanency for youth 14 years while
  maintaining past connections
• Create adoption openness awareness among project
  participants and partners
• Improve skills of workers in mediating and
  negotiating among youth, birth relatives/significa
  nt connections, and permanent family

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FAMILY CONNECTIONS PROJECT Program Elements

• Curriculum Development
• Mediation Training
• Youth Involvement
• Youth Workers Tasks
• FCP Staff Tasks
• Child/Family Team Meetings
• Agreement Negotiation
• Connect Family with Adoption Preservation Agency
  Support Group

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FAMILY CONNECTIONS PROJECT EVALUATION

• PART I NEEDS ASSESSMENT
• What are current attitudes toward openness?
• What are perceived barriers to openness?
• Workers survey of public/private
• Youth focus group
• Foster Parents survey public/private
• Court Personnel survey and focus group

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FAMILY CONNECTIONS PROJECT EVALUATION

• PART II
• What is the impact of training on key players?
• Pre-Post tests with workers
• Focus groups with youth after training
• Survey of judicial personnel after training
• Pre-Post tests with foster parents

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FAMILY CONNECTIONS PROJECT EVALUATION

• PART III
• How does mediation of open permanency
  arrangements impact youths contact with
  significant others and achievement of permanency?
• Demonstration and Control Groups (50 Youth each)
• Contact with significant others for 2 years
• Level of achievement of permanency goal
• Quarterly meeting with project staff

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Discussion / Questions
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CONTACT INFORMATION

• Teens 2 Homes
• Beth Brindo, MSSA
• Bellefaire JCB
• Director of Adoption, Project Manager
• 22001 Fairmount Boulevard
• Shaker Heights, OH 44118
• [phone]
• brindob_at_bellefairejcb.org
• Family Connections Project
• Marilyn Panichi, MSW
• Adoptions Unlimited, Inc.
• 120 W. Madison St. Suite 800
• Chicago, Illinois 60602
• [phone]
• mrp_at_adoptinfo-il.org

Teens 2 Homes Diahanna Roberson, MSSA Bellefaire
JCB Adoption Supervisor, Project
Coordinator 22001 Fairmount Boulevard Shaker
Heights, OH 44118 [phone] robersod_at_bellefai
rejcb.org Family Connections Project June Dorn,
MSW State Adoption and Guardianship
Manager State of Illinois 100 W. Randolph, Sixth
Floor Chicago, Illinois 60601 (312)
814-6858 JDorn_at_idcfs.state.il.us