Keeping Families Together

1
Keeping Families Together

• Tiffany M. Blackburn,
• Foster Care and Adoption Specialist
• MALDI - Action Research Presentation
• December 1 - 3, 2008

2
Our Goal

• To demonstrate a practice model that effectively
  engages relative caregivers of Milwaukee County
  in making informed choices about foster care
  licensing and permanency options for the children
  in their care.

3
Why Milwaukee County?

• The state of Wisconsin was chosen for the
  Minority Adoption Leadership and Development
  Institute (MALDI), as a result of the selection
  Milwaukee County was identified as an area by the
  Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare (BMCW) as
  having a disproportionate number of minority
  children in out of home care, and our willingness
  to address this issue.

4
Demographics of Milwaukee County

• Out of the 72 counties in the state of
  Wisconsin, Milwaukee County is the largest, most
  urban county.

5
Demographics of Milwaukee County

• In 2007, Milwaukee County had
• 951,242 people
• 377,729 household
• (29.50 with children under the age of 18)
• 225,126 families
• Within Milwaukee County, there are
• 19 cities and villages.
• u us

6
Racial Demographics of Milwaukee County

• Racial and ethnic groups
• 62.2 White
• 24.2 Black or African American
• 2.4 Asian
• 8.8 Hispanic/Latino
• 2.4 Bi-racial or other races

7
Children in Out of Home Care in Milwaukee County

• 2,907 children in the BMCW system (1/1/08).

8
Children in Out of Home Care
9
Racial Demographics of Children in Out of Home
Care
10
Children Placed with Relatives
11

• Keeping Families Together

12
Relative Placements

• Allow children to reside with family members and
  not strangers.
• Allow BMCW staff to preserve and build on family
  connections.
• Allows for BMCW to maximize our placements.

13
Areas for Improvement

• Families are overwhelmed with information at the
  time of crisis.
• Relative caregivers do not receive adequate
  assistance to balance family responsibilities
  with public child welfare responsibilities.
• The community as a whole lacks understanding and
  confidence in the BMCW system.

14

• Building the Practice Model

15
Target Population

• Approximately 30 unlicensed relative caregivers
  were
• chosen for inclusion in this project based on
  meeting
• all the following criteria
• Currently caring for one or more relative
  children who entered care within the prior 5 to 7
  months,
• Relative caregiver has no prior foster care
  license denial, and is
• Not currently actively involved in applying for
  or being studied for foster care licensing.
• No criminal history that would disqualify them
  from obtaining a foster care license

16
Participants

• Our final pilot group was composed
• of 8 families
• 1 married couple
• 7 single caregivers, all of whom are women
• 11 children (ages 2-17)

17
Practice Model

• Engage, Educate, License

18
Strategies for engaging, educating and supporting
families through licensure.

• Offer relative specific information sessions in
  targeted neighborhoods which allow relatives to
  relate to one another.
• Provide direct access to ongoing Case Managers,
  Foster Care and Adoption workers, and Permanency
  Consultants
• Assist individuals throughout the application and
  home study process
• Tailor training materials to increase inclusion
  of relative experiences.

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• Engagement

20
Initial Contact

• Introductory letters were sent to the
  identified relative caretakers informing them
  that they had been chosen to be a part of this
  pilot program
• Explaining collaborative effort with Ongoing Case
  Management, Foster Care/Adoption Specialist, and
  Training Partnerships
• Presenting the benefits of licensure
• Future contact by a Permanency Consultant to talk
  about Foster Care licensure.
• Encouraging relative caregivers to attend the
  Relative Informational meeting
• Providing information for the contact person for
  this pilot project.

21
Permanency Consultant Contact

• Created a uniform script with individualized
• information
• Highlighted the difference in current kinship
  payments vs. foster care payments
• Offered childcare during the information meeting

22
Focus on the benefits of licensure

• Greater financial support from foster care
  payments vs. kinship payments.
• Increased permanency options for the
  child/children placed in their home if
  reunification is not achieved, such as adoption
  or Subsidized Guardianship.
• Assignment of their case to a Foster Care and
  Adoption Specialist, in addition to their Ongoing
  Case Manager to assist their family in receiving
  additional resources.

23
Accessibility to Informational Meeting

• Held on a Saturday for convenience
• Located within their community
• Child care provided

24
The Informational Meeting

• 5 relative caretakers attended
• One provider brought other family members to
  learn about licensure process
• Permanency Consultant
• Spoke about importance of permanence for the
  children
• Discussed options such as adoption or
  Subsidized Guardianship
• State governed timelines that drive cases
• MALDI Project Leader
• Facilitated the meeting, supported relatives,
  and answered questions

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Informational Meeting (contd)

• Child Care volunteer
• Relative Licensing Specialist
• -Answer questions about the licensure process
• Licensed relative
• -Provide personal information on why and how
  she/he became licensed.
• Supervisor
• -Answer any questions and support staff and
  relatives

26
Informational Meeting Survey

• 7 surveys were completed
• All participants agreed that
• -location was good
• -presenters were knowledgeable, polite and
  positive
• -information provided was helpful

27
Survey Results

• 100 found the materials and staff helpful
• 100 thought staff were knowledgeable
• 100 liked the location

28
Survey Results

• Relatives felt that there should have been more
  time spent on
• The steps to become licensed
• Personal experiences
• The kinds of assistance available after adoption

29
Survey Results (contd)

• Participants said that they expected to learn
• the steps in becoming a licensed foster
  parent.
• ..how to control a (relative) child that is
  very much out of control.
• how to encourage a heavy-hearted child.

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Post Meeting Follow-up

• Collaborate with case professionals to inform and
  problem solve if needed
• Letter to relative caretaker thanking them for
  their participation in meeting
• -Reiterating the first steps to Foster Care
  licensure, benefits of licensure, and
  permanency options
• -Directing relative to Ongoing Case Manager or
  Permanency Consultant for further assistance

31
Monitoring and Transitioning

• Monitored cases
• Collaborated to resolve any issues
• Transition relative families and staff for
  project closure

32
Project Wrap-up

• Sent letter to relative caretaker
• Thanking them for being a part of pilot
• Informing them that pilot is going to be ending
• Providing them with further contact information
• Providing them with a project closing survey

33
Relative End of Project Survey

• 5 surveys were sent to relative caretakers.
• 2 responses received

34
Relative Survey Results

• Of those surveys received
• 100 felt they were more knowledgeable on foster
  care and adoption
• 50 stated that they had not spoken to them about
  foster care licensure prior to informational
  meeting
• One caregiver wrote, It would have been nice to
  have been informed about this (foster care
  licensure) earlier.

35
Ongoing Case Manager Survey

• End of Project surveys were sent to Ongoing Case
  Managers
• 5 were sent out
• 3 response were receive

36
Ongoing Case Manager Survey Results

• Of those that responded
• They agreed that having someone in this role was
  helpful, and it benefited their families.
• They appreciated that relative caretakers had
  extra support
• They agreed that there should not be a difference
  in services between Foster Care and Kinship Care
• They felt that the relatives were well informed
  on permanency options.

37
Desired Outcomes

• Gain participation of relative caregivers in
  foster care licensing information sessions
• Increase relative caregivers applying and
  obtaining foster care licensure
• Relative caregivers will be ideally positioned
  for the full range of permanency options to
  include subsidized guardianship and adoption if
  timely reunification is not possible.

38
Relative Caretaker Updates

• Out of 8 families, 1 person has applied and will
  become licensed
• 1 relative has obstacles, but working on
  licensure
• 1 child, ICPC with grandparents from aunt
• 1 family not interested in licensure
• 2 children reunified
• 3 children still with relatives, no advancement
  towards licensure

39

• Thank you!