Child Welfare System Redesign:

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Child Welfare System Redesign

• Systems Change through Collaboration

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For years CPS was a closed system. People on
the outside didnt know what was going on. Now,
we have opened our doors to invite clients and
the community to come to the table with us and
learn how we operate. The way to collaborate
with the community is to educate them, so they
know what our system is and what people need to
do to get their children back. Everybody needs
to see what the big system is and see all the
efforts we are making to keep kids in the
community. CPS representative
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Introduction and Background

• Historical context 1997, high profile child
  deaths, shift from family preservation to child
  safety
• CPS Response Increased caseloads, foster care
  placements, system overload (peaked in 2000)
• Community Response 1998 Family Support
  Collaborative leading to creation of a prevention
  platform for family support services Birth
  Beyond home visiting and Family Resource Centers
  in 9 designated high risk areas

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Levels of Collaboration

• Public-private DHHS/CPS with CBOs
• Planning, funding, and implementation of services
• Family Support Collaborative and Committee
  structure/membership
• Multi-Disciplinary Teams Family Group Decision
  Making Team Decision Making
• Cross-site work groups position-specific work
  groups
• Program and evaluator
• Families and staff

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Evolution of Birth Beyond

• Emerging evidence-based models
• Data indicators used to identify 9 highest risk
  areas in Sacramento County
• Home visiting teams, MDTs, FRCs
• Developed logic models evaluation design
  pre-implementation
• Policies Procedures, 40-hr Training, Quality
  Assurance and Evaluation

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BB Examples of Collaboration Capacity Building

• Logic model development by FSC (identified
  process and outcome measures)
• Policies and Procedures creation (ongoing)
• Data collection forms and revisions
• Its All About the Data monthly meetings
• Staff engagement, all levels
• Data sharing among sites monthly reports
• Parent involvement Feedback, committees

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Nexus of BB and CPS Collaboration . . .

• 2000-present CPS redirected funding from PSSF,
  CAPIT, and CBCAP to Birth Beyond
• CPS staff participated with weekly MDT meetings
  at each of 9 sites
• Access to data for outcome follow up study
  (showing reduced reports to CPS)
• 2004 Sacramento County in first cohort for CPS
  Redesign Birth Beyond as partner

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CPS Before Redesign

• Annual trends 650,000 calls to CPS 92 receive
  no safety or change-oriented services
• 33 are repeat referrals
• CWS funding and policies allowed intervention for
  most serious cases only
• Redesign includes recognition of need for early
  intervention and individualized responses

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CPS with Redesign

• New CPS objectives include outcomes
  accountability
• Changes in CPS structurally, philosophically
• Emphasis on partnerships with CBOs, parents,
  youth, families faith community,
  culture-specific leaders
• Increased role in prevention and early
  intervention
• Pilot strategies Differential Response

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Differential Response

• Path 3 traditional CPS intervention
• Path 2 CPS and CBO partner to co-serve
• Path 1 CPS refers family to CBO
• Birth Beyond as partner ready to respond for
  Path 1 and Path 2
• Relationships already started, informal Path 1
  referrals had been underway

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Examples of Expanded Collaboration

• Ride-alongs, Birth Beyond and CPS staff
• New Differential Response teams with Resource
  Specialist Team (RST)
• Increased emphasis on family strengths and
  assets, use of Structured Decision Making tool
  for assessment with family vs. investigation
  about family

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. . . More examples

• Observed CPS visitation at FRC sites
• Co-serving families
• Parenting classes, instructors
• Hosting planning meetings for Redesign at FRC
  locations
• Team Decision Making at FRC site
• Recruitment and Support

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. . . And more examples

• First 5 Effective Parenting Initiative,
  collaborative planning and proposal
• Crisis Intervention services at each FRC site
• Outreach and Faith Partnership
• Community Engagement Specialists at each FRC site
• BB FRC services as aftercare component for FR,
  FM families sustained support plans

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Community Partnerships

• Improved relationships and communication between
  CPS and School Districts
• AmeriCorps members working with CPS former CPS
  parents or foster youth
• Outreach and engagement for recruiting foster
  families for placements in childs neighborhood
  e.g., Koffee Klatches
• Shared training and resources

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Engagement Families and Social Workers

• Shift from adversarial to alliance partnership
• CPS tradition of adversarial role, authoritarian
• Adversarial approach, contrary to social worker
  training, values, and interests
• Partnerships yield better results for all
• Re-orientation from investigation of family to
  assessment with family

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Engagement Families and Social Workers

• Family-centered practice promotes
• Stability and continuity in child and family
  relationships
• Focus on family strengths rather than deficits
• Use of familys natural support systems and other
  available resources
• Increased attention to client values and
  expectations, ethnic and cultural diversity
• Preserve focus on child safety

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Other Examples of Systems Change via Collaboration

• Workforce Investment Inclusion in change
• Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA)
• Increased relevance of and interest in data
• CPS working in neighborhoods, creating both
  formal and informal partners
• Team Decision Making (TDM) Includes families,
  community partners, youth

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Compare and Contrast
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CPS Accountability . . .
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How has collaboration enhanced CWS Redesign?

• Improved relationships between all types of
  providers in family support work
• Improved partnering on behalf of and with
  families
• More immediate access to services actions
  (MDT, TDM)
• Improved staff morale, parallel process
• Learning from BB learning from CPS
• Improved relationships with families engagement
• Preliminary data improved outcomes for children
  and families
• Sharing outcomes transparency and accountability

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Contacts

• Lynne Cannady. Project Director, LPC Consulting
  Associates lynne_at_lpc-associates.com
• Leland Tom, Deputy Director Department of Health
  and Human Services, CPS tomla_at_saccounty.net
• Laura Coulthard, Division Manager, Child
  Protective Services coultl_at_saccounty.net