Department of Children, Youth and Families Dr. Janice DeFrances, - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Department of Children, Youth and Families Dr. Janice DeFrances, Director Senate Task Force On DCYF and Family Care Networks Honorable Louis P. DiPalma, Co-Chairperson Honorable Catherine Cool Rumsey, Co-Chairwoman October 14, 2014 1

2

DCYF Mission: Partner with Families and Communities to Raise Healthy Children in a Safe and Caring Environment Diligent Foster Care Trauma-I nformed Recruitment Action Steps:  Engage in a cost/benefit analysis to Strategies: Objectives:  Create a coordinated, community-wide identify gaps in community and •Create a collaborative, statewide virtual message for resource family recruitment Resource Family Center to ensure financial resources that are inconsistent with child well-being and retention standardized training and practice, as  Create a diverse Coordinating Council  Partner with new and diverse community agencies well as maximizing financial and human and members to identify new families and resources by June 30, 2014. to serve as the leadership for diligent recruitment efforts resources. •Identify and implement the community-based  Identify and address any  Ensure that all resource family settings are supports needed to ensure that families have the policy/regulatory barriers that hinder therapeutic, trauma-informed and are enhanced appropriate resources to support the children in resource family recruitment/retention. with evidenced-based programs their care by June 30, 2014.  Create a logistical and financial  Improve the overall well-being of children and •Increase the knowledge and practice of kinship assessment of a virtual Resource families through the implementation of a trauma- placements with internal and external staff by June 30, 2014. Family Center by October 31, 2013 informed, adoption-competent approaches to well-  Train staff on policy and permanency practices, being and permanency outcomes such as kinship placement, child-specific permanency strategies, concurrent planning, etc. by December 31, 2014 Why the Need for change:  RI is challenged with an insufficient number of resource families to address the needs of children in care. Data demonstrates the following children are least likely to reside in families: 1) children with behavioral and/or mental health needs; 2) children of color; 3) older children (ages 12 and up) and 4) children who are part of sibling groups . 3

DCYF Mission: Partner with Families and Communities to Raise Healthy Children in a Safe and Caring Environment Right-sizing and I mproving Congregate Care Action Steps: Strategies: •Invite the Annie E. Casey Foundation Child  Implement intensive, evidence-based practices in the Objectives: Welfare Strategy Group to engage agency and community to increase the accessibility and •An evidence-based coaching visitation in a "Right-Sizing" assessment by October 31, availability of services to children and their families model will be identified to standardize  Expand the use of wraparound services to ensure that all families 2014. practice by June 30, 2014 and youth are supported through this approach •Re-allocate funds from Title IV-E waiver to •Psychotropic medication monitoring will be prioritized  Expand the use of youth "voice and choice" to identify more support community-based services to ensure that youth are receiving the needed and appropriate and permanent placements. and programs. appropriate medications by December 31, 2013.  Enhance the quality of group care settings. •Introduce the Building Bridges Framework in two •Hire a kinship investigator who will work  Create a "best practice" for all internal and external providers that congregate care settings (one in each network) by specifically with youth in congregate limit the use of congregate care as a placement. February 28, 2014.  Increase the level of knowledge around the impact of trauma on care settings to identify •Identify brief, evidence-based interventions that can be children and youth potential placements. utilized in congregate care settings by December 30,  Incorporate universal screening and assessment for trauma and •Assess child and youth well-being in 2013. behavioral health so that youth are matched to appropriate services congregate care verses family-based •Introduce crisis mobilization team to support youth in  Expand the trauma-informed, adoption competent workforce settings community settings by June 30, 2014. through training and collaboration •Expand the number of evidenced-based •Accurate outcome and satisfaction data is programs in the community by June 30, gathered for each child, youth and 2014. family, and it is used to •Incorporate the NCTSN Child Welfare Trauma Training improve individual services Toolkit into the CWI Training Curriculum for child and programs welfare workers and community providers •Chadwick Center to conduct Train the Trainer •Identify implementation plan for universal screening and assessment by December 2014 on the Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit by January 30, 2015 Why the Need for change: •CWI to offer Toolkit training 3 times per year  Children living in RI are more likely to be •Get technical assistance from Chadwick placed in group care than those in many Center and NYU Langone Medical other states. According to FY12 data, RI has Center around screening and assessment tools. the third highest percentage of youth in congregate care (over 30%)  Research shows congregate care may have a negative impact on the overall development of children. Children fare better in family care settings rather than in congregate facilities 4

DCYF Mission: Partner with Families and Communities to Raise Healthy Children in a Safe and Caring Environment Wellness: Workforce Development and Support Strategies: Objectives:  Support Wellness Committee work groups  Educate staff through training on the Action Steps: to provide a multileveled response that Communication Workgroup existence of secondary trauma and  Enhanced activities that bring staff addresses the physical, emotional, spiritual how to deal with it and psychological well-being of staff.  Provide a team of qualified trained certified together for social time.  1-Communication Workgroup (internal and external)  Staff recognition activities organized individuals to help staff deal with the trauma  2-Crisis /Education and Prevention Workgroup  Speakers bureau established associated with major events such as a client or  3-Physical Activity Workgroup  Contacts with media and advertising group staff death  On-going training on staff supervision  Create a climate that is Crisis/ Education & Prevention Workgroup understanding and  Establish critical incident team to supportive for staff  Educate supervisors on supervision techniques support department staff  Provide training to staff on secondary trauma or specific supervision model (re: reflective  Research feasibility of having staff “floaters” supervision)  Create safe & supporting physical space Physical Activity Workgroup  Respond to staff identification of repairs/enhancements related to Why the Need for change: physical sites  Organize or encourage physical activity to  Staff who experience secondary trauma reduce stress  Pursue outside resources to link staff to areas associated with their work have a lower level of well-being, experience more illness of interest and less effectiveness on the job. This then Staff Supervision Workgroup results in poorer outcomes for the children •Identify staff supervision model and families •Train supervisors on supervision model  Staff who are overwhelmed with the •Provide support in supervision model complexity and stress of their jobs tend to •Increase collaboration and cross-training bring the job home with them and have it around trauma-informed, adoption competent permeate all aspects of their life. There is a practice need to help support staff in achieving a healthy balance between work and home life.  Need a climate of awareness, understanding, support, respect and compassion toward each other 5