Title: The Service Array in Child Welfare: A Process for Assessment and Resource Development
1The Service Array inChild WelfareA Process for
Assessment and Resource Development
- Training Facilitators and Reporters
- National Child Welfare Resource Center for
Organizational Improvement - A Service of the Childrens Bureau, U.S.H.H.S.
- June 27, 2006
2Rationale for the Process
- To improve outcomes for children and families in
child welfare, a range of services and supports
are needed, from preventive to remedial. - Services and supports must be available,
accessible, and of good quality or reasonable
efforts have not been made. - Another equally important agenda creating a
viable, continuing community stakeholder group
for the jurisdiction.
3States/Jurisdictions Who Have/Are/Will Use(d)
This Process
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- Utah
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
4The CFSR and the Service Array
- Services are required to help children safely
return to their families from which they have
been removed. - Pre-placement preventive services are required to
help children at risk of placement remain safely
with their families. - Services are required to help children who cannot
return home achieve permanence. - These services must be accessible on a statewide
basis. - Services must be individualized based on needs of
the child and the family.
5The Continuum of Child Welfare Services
- Community/Neighborhood Prevention/Early
Intervention Services (1-27). - Investigative/Assessment Services (28-36).
- Home-Based Interventions/Services (37-55).
- Out-of-Home Interventions/Services (56-82).
- Child Welfare System Exit Services (83-96).
6Purposes of the Processfrom simple to complex
- Could use to create a Service Directory for the
jurisdiction. - To prepare for the CFSR, the Statewide
Assessment, and/or in developing a PIP around the
Service Array. - Meet the CAPTA grant requirement to conduct an
annual inventory of services. - This process could be used to help define the
array of services needed in a system of care when
a specific population has been targeted.
7Purposes of the Processfrom simple to complex
(continued)
- Can be used by a tribe, state, region, county,
city, etc. to improve the service array. - Can lead to better collaboration between service
providers and a functioning community
stakeholders collaborative.
8Flexibility of the Process
- This process has been used now in multiple
states/jurisdictions. - Each state/jurisdiction has modified the process
to meet its own needs. - No two jurisdictions has done the process the
same way. - Some very creative applications
9A Six-Step Process (generic model)
- Creating a community stakeholder group or
building on an existing one. - Developing and sharing with the stakeholder group
a data profile on children and families in the
child welfare system in the jurisdiction. - Completing the Service Array Instrument with the
stakeholder group. - Reporting on the results of using the Instrument.
- Preparing a Resource Development Plan.
- Monitoring the effectiveness of Plan
implementation.
10Forming/Convening the Community Stakeholders
Collaborative
- An existing group or creating a new one.
- Size of the group.
- Ideally, the collaborative has some authority and
legitimization to change or influence the service
array in the jurisdiction. - Participants need to understand the time and work
commitment involved.
11Rationale for theCommunity Stakeholder Group
- 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.
12Kinds of People Needed
- Public and private sector providers of child
welfare services. - Mental health, substance abuse, and domestic
violence service providers. - Educators, health care providers, home visiting
program staff. - Court, legal, and law enforcement officials,
including CASA volunteers.
13Kinds of People Needed (contd)
- Consumersclients, former clients, foster
parents, birth parents, kids who grew up in the
system. - Other key providers (e.g., housing, food
resources, transportation). - Elected officials.
- Representatives of the business, faith, and labor
communities.
14Roles in the Process
- Community Stakeholders Collaborative (possibly
with a Steering Committeee.g., Pulaski County,
VA). - A community organizer.
- A facilitator.
- A recorder.
- A report writer.
15Preparing for the First Meeting
- Letter to the community stakeholders (but so much
more! Community organization). - Preparation of the child and family data profile.
- Recruit and prepare a good recorder.
- A set of transparencies and an overhead
projector. - Handouts needed for the participants
- The Technical Services Sheet, Service Array.
- Copy of the Continuum and sample completed
service sheet. - Instructions for completing the five questions.
16Preparing the Data Profile
- Data sources can include current child welfare
outcomes, pertinent information and data from the
last CFSR/PIP, a small case read, key stakeholder
interviews, and consumer focus groups. - The Data Profile Report should include
- Child and family demographics.
- Whats bringing these children and families into
the child welfare system (underlying causes and
pertinent service needs). - Current outcomes.
17The First MeetingSharing and Discussing the
Data Profile
- Welcome, purpose, importance, time and work
commitment. - Sharing and discussing the data profile.
- Instruction we now need your qualitative
knowledge of the service array as community
stakeholders to determine what these families
need.
18The First MeetingAdministering the Instrument
- Approximately one day to complete (different
jurisdictions have done this differentlye.g.,
Nebraska). - Review instructions for completing the five
questions. - Aim for a consensus for the groups answers.
- Make sure recorder captures in detail location of
services and comments. - Service definitions.
- Preparing the the next meeting.
19Writing the Reports Report 1
- Report 1 is simply a transcription of the
information captured by the recorder. - Can become the basis of a service directory for
the jurisdiction.
20Report 2 Drawing Conclusions in Each of the
Five Service Categories
- Strong Services
- Needed Community Ed.
- Not Meeting Enough Need
- Advocacy/Service Barriers
- Service Duplication/ Shifting Resources
- Non-Existing Services
- Staff/Volunteer Issues
- Funding Issues
- Better Coordination/ Collaboration with Other
Stakeholders - Quality Improvement Needed
- More Diversified Services
- Law/Policy Change
- Other _________
21Report 3
- A one page matrix.
- Easy to use in preparing the Resource Development
Plan.
22The Second and Subsequent MeetingsPreparing and
Implementing Plan
- May take several meetings to complete the
Resource Development Plan. - Handouts needed Reports 1-3, Work Sheets
Preparing a Resource Development Plan. - Review the three reports and their purposes.
- Divide into five groups and give instructions.
- Provide assistance to subgroups if they need it.
- Prepare for the next meeting.
23The Third and Subsequent MeetingsFinalizing,
Implementing, Monitoring
- Finalizing Plan may take several meetings.
- When complete, each subgroup presents to the
whole group for discussion, critique, changes. - Next, focus on implementing the Plan
- Collaborative has the influence, authority,
legitimacy to make the plan happen? - If not, how to access decision makers to make the
plan happen? - Assignments who will do what, by when?
24Monitoring the Effectivenessof Plan
Implementation
- Important to keep meeting around implementation
issues. - Implementation will not just happen.
- Participants report back on progress, brainstorm
on challenges and barriers. - Could be an annual process to assess progress and
to modify the plan as needed.
25Developing a Regional Plan
- If the Region has just a few counties, can
complete the process in each county. - If multiple counties, other options sub-regions,
natural clusters 2-3 representative counties. - Each region develop a plan, timetable, personnel
involved, etc.
26Materials Needed forTrain the Trainers
- Technical Services sheet, Service Array.
- Continuum sheet, with sample completed service
sheet. - Instructions for rating the services.
- The Service Array in Child Welfare (May, 2003).
- Service Sheets transparencies.
- Blank Reports 1-3.
- Preparing a Resource Development Plan (Work
Sheets). - Train the Trainers Power Point Presentation.