Governor

1
FIRST PLACEMENT IS THE RIGHT PLACEMENT
Recommendations for Discussion July 24, 2002

• Governors Action Group for Safe Children

2
Initial charge to group

• Inventory existing assessment instruments and
  methodologies
• Recommend a comprehensive assessment methodology
• Apply assessment results to future placement
  decisions

3
GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• Issues of confidentiality should not impede
  helping children.
• Placement decisions should be child-focused and
  family-centered.
• Assessment instruments should be developmentally
  appropriate and culturally sensitive.

4
PATHWAY TO RECOMMENDATIONS

• Review of research literature
• Issue Paper on Assessment Methodologies
• Phone consultation with national experts
• Phone consultation with other states
• Presentations and review of current process by
  DFCS, DJJ, and GAHSC
• Survey of Frontline Workers

5
PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT

• Safety and need for out-of-home placement
• Risk assessment self, family, community
• Screening for need for futher assessment
• Level of care for residential placement

6
METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Theoretical basis
• Validity
• Reliability
• Empirical support

7
ASSESSMENT EXAMPLES

• Childrens services
• State-centralized phone center (Kansas)
• Juvenile justice
• Community assessment centers (pilots in Florida,
  Colorado)
• Case classification and service needs system
  (Multnomah County/Portland)
• Collaborative child welfare and juvenile justice
• Regional assessment units (Tennessee)
• Childrens placement teams (Connecticut)

8
IMPLICATIONS FOR A COMMON ASSESSMENT

• Who completes assessment?
• No state has a single point of entry
• Federal requirements for child welfare and
  juvenile justice can differ
• Child welfare services typically include younger
  children
• For child welfare system, Federal system counts
  the first removal/ placement as 1 out of 2
  allowed placements

9
SURVEY OF CURRENT GEORGIA SYSTEM WORKERS

• 234 DJJ, DFCS, GAHSC, MH frontline workers and
  managers
• Most important information needed
• Behavior/mental health needs (26)
• Child history/issues (25)
• Lacking on current assessments
• In-depth child info (particularly mental health)
  (37)
• Placement resources (23)

10
SURVEY CONCLUSIONS

• FPBP and other assessments provide good
  recommendations but arrive too late to assist in
  placement decisions.
• Respondents stress the need for assessment to
  have more in-depth knowledge about the child,
  specifically behavioral and mental health needs.

11
SURVEY CONCLUSIONS

• Respondents need to know type of available
  placement resources, admission criteria, and
  space availability.
• Overall, more placement resources are needed,
  especially for children who are sexually acting
  out, setting fires, and exhibiting other
  aggressive behaviors.

12
COMMON INITIAL ASSESSMENT COMPONENTS

• Require all state agencies that come into
• contact with a family or child for out-of-home
• placement to use and make available to
• authorized users common components including
• assessment information, demographics, and
• family history. Existing data sources will be
• reviewed prior to authorizing expenditures on
• collection of new information.

13
COMMON INITIAL ASSESSMENT COMPONENTS

• All common component information should be
• Automated
• Web-based, and
• Populate appropriate agency-specific assessment
  records.

14
COMMON INITIAL ASSESSMENT COMPONENTS

• Common data components would include safety, risk
  factors, resources (strengths) and family
  dynamics.
• There will be standard time frames for collection
  of common components, e.g. immediately, 24 hrs,
  within one week within one month.
• After collection of common components, individual
  agencies may have a menu of assessment
  instruments to use in specialized situations.

15
CROSS-AGENCY COLLABORATION

• Require agencies (DJJ, DFCS, DOE, Mental Health,
  Community Health) that deliver services to
  children to accept one anothers assessment
  findings once the assessment measures have been
  found to be culturally sensitive, developmentally
  appropriate, and methodologically sound.

16
CROSS-AGENCY COLLABORATION

• Provide cross-training to DJJ, DOE, DFCS,
• Juvenile Court Judges, Community Health,
• private and non-profit service providers,
• SAAGs and MH/DD/AD staff on the benefits
• and limitations of assessment process,
• interpretation of information, and knowledge
• of available resources to serve children and
• families.

17
FIRST STAFF IS THE RIGHT STAFF

• Involve a sufficient number of experienced staff
  (24/7 real time) as early as possible in the
  assessment process.

18
FIRST STAFF IS THE RIGHT STAFF

• Community intervention managers will provide
  coordinated case management cutting across
  agencies/providers. The manager can be from any
  agency but will take the lead in coordinating
  services with other agencies.
• The system of coordinated case management needs
  to have a consistent framework, including
  appropriate release points.

19
FIRST STAFF IS THE RIGHT STAFF

• The knowledge and skill set of the intervention
  managers should be defined and consistent across
  agencies.
• Trained and experienced staff should be involved
  in making critical intake decisions.
• In order to attract the most qualified staff, an
  incentive system should be set up including
  smaller caseloads (15-17 DFCS, 15 DJJ) and job
  rotation.

20
PREVENTING OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENTS

• Provide comprehensive assessments (including
  family conferencing) at initial contact with
  agencies (i.e. CPS) to prevent out-of-home
  placements.
• Track the number of prevented placements and
  redirect any saved revenue to services to
  children at risk of out-of-home placements.

21
PREVENTING OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENTS

• Evaluate current work in Community Partnerships
  for Protecting Children counties
• Share outcomes and implications for
  implementation in other communities.