Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Permanency Enhancement Project (PEP) Statewide...
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Transcript of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Permanency Enhancement Project (PEP) Statewide...
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Permanency Enhancement Project (PEP)
Statewide Action Team Overview
Prepared by: Doris M. Houston, Ph.D. 12-22-09
Illinois State University
School of Social Work
Community Partnership Model:
• “The Community Partnership Concept reflects a decision making process that brings together local government, state agencies, elected officials, community agency directors, and local residents to collectively identify and implement a set of strategies perceived as being most effective in supporting children and their families” (Daro, Bu d d e, B a k e r, Nesmi th, & Ha r d e n,/CSSP 2 0 0 5, p.6 ).
"For these are all our children, we will all profit by or pay for what they become." — James Baldwin
Illinois Permanency Enhancement
Strategy
Differential Response
Court Improvement Projects
Anti-Racism Transformation
Teams
Family Advocacy Centers
Father Involvement Projects
University Partnerships
COMMUNITY ACTION TEAMS
Illin
ois
Per
man
ency
Str
ateg
y
Action Plan Process
• Track/review local permanency data
• Convene local stakeholders, decision makers, resource providers, DCFS involved families/youth (Action Team)
• Identify local permanency barriers
• Develop a strategic plan of action to remove barriers (Action Plan)
• Track and document change (Outcomes)
Goals &Outcomes
• Service Provider Domain
• Community Domain
• Agency Domain
• Court Domain
Improve Remain Home
Outcomes
Improve Return Home
Outcomes
Improve Adoption
and Guardians
hip Outcomes
Improve Cultural
Responsiveness
Targeted Action Plan Areas
• Changing Policy/Procedures• Improving Practice• Communication/ Engagement• Professional Development/Training• Resource and Service Development• Political and legislative advocacy
Partnerships
• Court- Communication, collaborative decision making, policies, and practice.
• Agency- Culturally responsive practice, accountability, community partnership.
• Law enforcement - Communication, collaboration to support family permanency.
• Families – Culturally responsive support, family advocacy,
differential response, fatherhood empowerment.
• Service Provider- Culturally responsive service, communication, community accountability.
• Community – Awareness, ownership, empowerment.
REGIONAL OVERVIEWS
Central Region
Team Development
• Relationship building with courts, community stakeholders to accomplish action plan goals.
• Each community addresses two permanency goals (disproportionality goal is required).
• Teams receive annual strategic planning to focus efforts and strategies
Central Region
Partnerships/Success• Court Partnerships and trainings
(Galesburg)• Intact family support (Champaign, Rock
Island); Parent mentoring (Bloomington)• Family Treatment Court (Danville)• Faith community outreach (Decatur,
Charleston)• Ongoing review/discussion of permanency
data (See 2009 fall report: ISU)
Central Region
Southern Region
Team Development
• Utilizing 4 main permanency goals and encouraging teams to choose two.
• Focusing on building relationships and community networking.
Southern Region
Partnerships/Success• Law Enforcement- Working with area police
departments to have workers come out on open cases to reduce hotline calls.
• Public Aid- arranged for families to keep their benefits if they are on track to have their child returned.
• Recruitment: Increasing diversity among action teams members.
• Courts: Quarterly meetings with the judges
Southern Region
Northern Region
Team Development
• Teams are still in developmental stage and are only required to choose one permanency goal.
Northern Region
Partnerships/Success• Team Planning: Training on strategic
planning and helping teams utilize logic model • Parents: Biological Parent Advisory Council
involvement with action teams • Schools: Educational advisors making sure
that school issues are addressed at meetings. • Community Outreach: Goal to build trust and
partnership with the community.
Northern Region
Cook Central Region
Team Development
• Currently working on solidifying teams and reaching out to birth parents
• The goal for all 3 teams in the Cook Central Area is to Remain Home
Cook Central Region
Partnerships/Success• Team Planning: Measurable objectives• Training: Community based agency trainings
on mandated reporting, family advocacy centers, and helping teams understand data.
• Psychological First Aid to all Action Team members.
• Educational advisors to all Action Teams
Cook Central Region
Cook North Region
Team Development
• 3 teams all chose same two goals (reduce over-representation, and maintain home)
• Currently Cook North has about one year of engagement.– Looking for leaders/co-chairs for the teams.– Currently the co-chairs are a representative from
DCFS and the LAN Liaison.
• Action plans developed (2008): Information gathering; recruitment/outreach
Cook North Region
Partnerships/Success• Marketing: Brochure for community
stakeholders shows what the action team is trying to do; shows data on disparities
• Outcomes: Established action steps, benchmarks, measurable outcomes
• Evaluation: Develop methods of evaluation• Support and Encouragement
Cook North Region
Cook South Region
Team Development
• 3 teams, currently developing with the suggested goal of remain home
Cook South Region
Partnerships/Success• DCFS worker Survey• Region Wide Brochure • Public Guardian; DCFS Legal; Judge Thomas
participation and partnership• Focus on remain home as the goal • Project to support parenting of teen wards as
it relates to the goal of remaining home.• Plan to develop a parent handbook about
what to expect when going to court
Cook South Region
University Partnerships• Support teams to engage stakeholders• Develop/refine action plans Strategic Planning
• Interpret permanency data• Help teams document and track progressOutcomes
• Training /strategic planning (outcomes)• Stakeholder Engagement
Training
• Community outreach• Special projects with action teams
Student Service Learning (ISU)
Statewide Action Team Web Site
• Information Dissemination– Community announcements– Team meeting minutes– Best practice research– Permanency data/reports
http://adoptionresearch.illinoisstate.edu/PEP/index.shtml
Next Steps• Reformulating action plans ( 2 year updates)• Field office outreach• Intensive evaluations with well developed
action teams• Statewide outcome evaluation (University
Partners)• Information dissemination of Action Team
Model