2014 Winter Webinar Series

Delivering and Sustaining Evidence Based Interventions (EBIs)
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC)
Attend one or both sessions!

Each of these sessions will feature a site that has implemented at least one evidence based intervention (EBI), and highlight how the EBI has been supported on an organizational level and experienced on a practice level.   From each jurisdiction we will hear three perspectives – a child welfare administrator, a provider directly managing the service, and a practitioner. The child welfare administrator and provider will discuss what it takes to support and sustain an EBI, and the practitioner will describe how the intervention works in practice.   Presenters will explore the challenges involved in delivering EBIs, and lessons learned about maintaining these effective programs and practices over time.  

Objectives
Participants in this session will:
- Learn about critical strategies for supporting and sustaining EBIs in the face of challenges;
- Have an increased understanding of how a specific evidence based intervention is utilized in the real world context of families and children in the child welfare system.

Webinar!January 14, 2014: Incredible Years in San Diego
Learn about San Diego’s experience with delivering and sustaining Incredible Years, a set of parent, child and teacher trainings designed to prevent, reduce and treat behavioral and emotional problems in young children.  To access the NRCPFC overview of Incredible Years, click here.

Roseann Myers, Assistant Deputy Director, Policy and Program Support, Child Welfare Services, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency
Angela Rowe, Senior Operations Director, Vista Hill ParentCare and Incredible Families
Sara Cole, Program Manager/Therapist, Vista Hill Incredible Families

 

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information (pdf)
- Presentation: Delivering and Sustaining Evidence-Based Intervention (PDF) or (PPT)
- Presentation: Vista Hill Incredible Families (PDF) or (PPT)
- Parenting Reminders (pdf)
- Parenting Practices Interview (pdf)
- Teacher Examples (pdf)

Articles:
- Damashek, A., Bard, D. & Hecht, D. (2011). Provider Cultural Competency, Client Satisfaction, and Engagement in Home-Based Programs to Treat Child Abuse and Neglect. Child Maltreatment 17:56-66.
- Aarons, G., Hurlburt, M., & Horowitz, S.M. (2010). Advancing a Conceptual Model of Evidence-Based Practice Implementation in Public Service Sectors. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research (Open Access Online Journal).
- Brooks, S. (2011). Northern California's Journey of Learning Signs of Safety. Reaching Out (Northern California Training Academy Newsletter).
- Price, J. et al. (2008). Effects of Foster Parent Training Intervention on Placement Changes of Children in Foster Care. Child Maltreatment 13(1): 64-75.

Resources:
- Evidence Based Practices in Child Welfare Website (National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections - NRCPFC)
- Incredible Years (NRCPFC brief overview)
- National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) Website

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Webinar! January 28, 2014: Triple P in San Francisco
Learn about San Francisco’s experience with delivering and sustaining the Triple P Positive Parenting Program, a multilevel system of parenting and family support strategies developed for use with families from many cultural groups.  To access the NRCPFC overview of Triple P, click here.

Sylvia Deporto, Deputy Director, Family and Children’s Services, San Francisco Human Services Agency
Stephanie Romney, Director, The Parent Training Institute, San Francisco.
Judith Baker, Program Director/Consultant, formerly with South of Market Child Care, Inc.

Webinar File: Click here to view a recording of this webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information (pdf)
- Presentation: Delivering and Sustaining Evidence Based Interventions: Triple P in San Francisco (PDF)
- Readiness Assessment Triple P Level 4 and 5 (Word)
- Sample Focus Group Agenda (pdf)
- Sample Triple P Outcome Report (pdf)

Resources:
- Parent Training Institute Website
- Evidence Based Practices in Child Welfare Website (National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connection - NRCPFC)
- Triple P (NRCPFC brief overview)
- National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) Website

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Webinar! February 6, 2014: Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) for Courts and Child Welfare: Collaborations to Improve Outcomes
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for Legal and Judicial Issues (NRCLJI)

In this session court and child welfare partners from two states will discuss outcome data they are looking at, and collaborative court/child welfare efforts to improve outcomes.  The webinar will include perspectives from Minnesota - a county administered system where collaboration has focused on permanency outcomes, and Texas - a state administered system with collaborative work targeting education outcomes.   Presenters will explore the challenges they have faced and lessons learned as they work on building shared accountability and ongoing continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts.

Objectives
Participants in this session will:
- Learn about how courts and child welfare partners in two states are reviewing and using outcome data and information, and working together on system improvement efforts.
- Gain a greater understanding of the benefits and challenges of court/child welfare CQI work.

Christeen Borsheim, Director, Child Safety and Permanency Division, Minnesota Department of Human Services
Ann Ahlstrom, Staff Attorney and Manager, Minnesota State Court Administrator’s Office
Tiffany Roper, Assistant Director, Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families
Kelly Kravitz, Foster Care Education and Policy Coordinator, Texas Education Agency, Division of Federal & State Education Policy
Jenny Hinson, Division Administrator for Permanency, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services

Webinar File: Click here to view a recording of this webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information (pdf)
- MN Presentation: Minnesota's CJI - Collaboration on Using Using Data to Improve Outcomes (PDF) or (PPT)
- TX Presentation: Collaboration Moves Texas Data Exchange to New Level (PDF) or (PPT)
- MN: CJI 2007 County by County Data
- MN: 2010 Data Single Page Sample
- MN: 2011 Length of Time to Permanency Report
- MN: Advisory Committee Key Child Welfare Indicators and Judicial Branch Timing Objectives
- MN: 2012 Regional CJI Team Meeting Map
- MN: 2012 Key Child Welfare Data (calendar year 2011)
- MN: 2012 Children in Out of Home Care Data Map
- MN: 2011-2013 Summary of Performance on Federal Measures
- MN: 2012 CJI Priority Strategies Worksheet
- TX: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Resources:
- MN: Children's Justice Initiative Website
- MN: Children's Justice Policy (pdf)
- TX: Blueprint Education Committee Webpage
- TX: Foster Care & Student Success Website
- NY: Child Welfare Court Data Metrics - Key Indicators, 2013 Report
- National Center for State Courts: Judicial Leadership and Improving Child Protective Outcomes

2013 Fall Webinar Series

Webinar!September 26, 2013: "New Hampshirizing" Implementation Research: Making It Work for Your System
Join us for this discussion of lessons learned about implementation through the child welfare system change initiatives supported by the Northeast and Caribbean Implementation Center (NCIC), one of five regional Implementation Centers (ICs) that have been part of the Children’s Bureau Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Network over the past five years. Implementation stages and drivers will come alive as our presenters and child welfare leaders from New Hampshire discuss how these implementation research ideas have been applied as the agency has implemented a practice model.   Findings from the NCIC evaluation and observations across all the NCIC projects will also be shared as presenters explore what contributes to a strong implementation process, and how these projects can be sustained.

Objectives
Participants in this session will:
- Have an increased understanding of key strategies for successful implementation of change initiatives in child welfare.
- Learn how implementation stages and drivers supported implementation of New Hampshire's practice model.

Maggie Bishop, Director, Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), New Hampshire
Todd Crumb, Senior Planner, DCYF, New Hampshire
Penthea Burns, Northeast and Caribbean Implementation Center (NCIC) Site Liaison
David Lambert, Evaluation Director, NCIC

Webinar File: Click here to view a recording of this webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information (pdf)
- Presentation: "New Hampshiring" Implementation Research: Making it Work for Your System (PPT) or (PDF)
- Northeast and Caribbean Implementation Center Projects (pdf)

Resources:
From Northeast and Caribbean Implementation Center
- The Role of Implementation Drivers in Child Welfare Systems Change - A presentation from the Global Implementation Conference (PPT) or (PDF)

On New Hampshire's Practice Model
- Practice Model Fact Sheet (pdf)
- Beliefs and Guiding Principles - DCYF, DJJ (pdf)
- Practice Model Design and Implementation Project Logic Model (pdf)

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Webinar! October 29, 2013: Scaling Up an Evidence Based Intervention: A Discussion of Implementation
Are you working on implementing or expanding evidence based interventions in your child welfare system?  This session will highlight Kansas’s experience with selecting and scaling up Parent Management Training – Oregon Model (PMTO) to improve permanency outcomes for children and youth with severe emotional disturbances (SED) under the five-year federal Permanency Innovation Initiative (PII).   Presenters from the child welfare agency, contractors in the privatized system, and the university will briefly describe their first year of work to explore the population’s needs and select an intervention to address those needs, and then will focus on the activities and challenges of the next two years of implementation.    These leaders will share their experience with using implementation frameworks, developed out of implementation research, to guide their efforts, and what they have learned about the supports that are critical during the implementation process.

Objectives
Participants in this session will:
- Have increased understanding of the challenges and supports critical to implementing an evidence based intervention.
- Have increased knowledge of how implementation frameworks can help agencies implement an evidence based intervention.

Patricia Long, Program Administrator of Permanency, Kansas Department for Children and Family
Linda Bass, Vice President of Clinical and Well-Being Services, KVC Behavioral Healthcare, Inc.
Vickie McArthur, Director of Clinical Services, St. Francis Community and Family Services
Becci Akin, Assistant Professor, University of Kansas School of Social Welfare
Thomas McDonald, Associate Dean and Professor, University of Kansas School of Social Welfare

Webinar File: Click here to view a recording of this webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information (pdf)
- Presentation: Kansas Intensive Permanency Project: Scaling Up an Evidence-Based Intervention (PPT) or (PDF)
Additional Session Material:
- Defining a Target Population and Selecting an Intervention (updated 8/13) (pdf)
- Webinar Presentation of the above PPT to IV-E Waiver States (12/12 - under "Waiver Demonstration Webinars")
- "Active Implementation Frameworks for Program Success: How to Use Implementation Science to Improve Outcomes for Children", by Allison Metz and Leah Bartley, NIRN. Zero to Three. March, 2012.

Resources:
- Kansas Intensive Permanency Project (KIPP) - Grantee Profile (6/12)
- National Implementation Research Network - Active Implementation Hub

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2012/2013 Winter Webinar Series

Webinar! November 15, 2012: Building Systems to Support Trauma-Informed Practice
This session will begin with an introduction to trauma-informed child welfare systems, emphasizing how the pieces of a trauma-informed system can fit together to have a positive impact on outcomes.   It will then highlight the experience of two sites who participated from 2010 – 2012 in a Breakthrough Series Collaborative on using trauma-informed child welfare practice to improve placement stability.  Presenters from San Diego County, CA and Oklahoma will share their experience with building systems to support trauma-informed practice –such as supportive supervision, consistent policies and practice expectations, and an array of trauma informed intervention services.  Join us to learn about trauma-informed systems, and to explore the steps that you can take to build these systems, and lessons learned by sites engaged in this process.

Clare Anderson, Deputy Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Lisa Conradi, Chadwick Trauma Informed Systems Project, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, California
Debra Zander-Willis, Director of Child Welfare Services, San Diego, California
Annette Kirk Burleigh, Programs Manager, Trauma Informed Services, Child Welfare Division, Oklahoma Department of Human Services

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!*
* We apologize for the poor audio quality in this recording and are working on ways to improve.

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Addressing Trauma in Child Welfare: Promoting Well-Being for Children, Youth and Families (ACF) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Trauma-Informed Systems (Rady Children's Hospital, CA) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Development of Trauma-Informed Practice in San Diego (Child Welfare Services, San Diego, CA) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Creating a Trauma-Informed Child Welfare System: The Oklahoma Story (OK DHS) - Download as PPT or PDF
- All About Me ~ Infants (0-1 year) Form (Child Welfare Services, San Diego, CA)
- All About Me ~ Children (ages 1-17) Form (Child Welfare Services, San Diego, CA)
- Trauma-Informed Transition for All Children Resource Parent Letter (Child Welfare Services, San Diego, CA)
- Understanding Child Traumatic Stress for Parents and Caregivers

Follow Up Information:
- Chat Questions and Responses from Presenters
- Things to Try: Greatest Hits (from NCCD, provided by Debra Zander- Willis)

Resources:
See Below

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Webinar! January 10, 2013: Expanding Trauma-Informed Services in Child Welfare Systems (Cosponsored by the National Resource Center for Legal and Judicial Issues)
This session will highlight resources and strategies child welfare agencies, providers and courts can use to expand the availability of trauma informed services across child serving systems to improve outcomes.   Presenters will highlight resources available from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), and local leaders from three systems – child welfare, mental health and courts – will discuss the steps they have taken to expand trauma-informed services both within their systems and in collaboration with other systems.  Join in this discussion of barriers and possible approaches and resources you can use to develop trauma informed services across child serving systems.

Jane Halladay Goldman, Director of Service Systems, National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, Los Angeles, California
James Henry, Director, Southwest Michigan Children's Trauma Assessment Center, Western Michigan University
Luther Lovell, Children's Services Program Manager, Michigan Department of Human Services
Carrie Thompson, Youth Intervention Specialist, Mecosta-Oseola Community Mental Health, Michigan
Kay Jankowski, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Department of Psychiatry and Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center
Judge Susan Ashley, New Hampshire Circuit Court, 7th Circuit, Rochester, New Hampshire

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- The National Child Traumatic Stress Network Presentation - Download as PPT or PDF
- Southwest Michigan Children's Trauma Assessment Center (Michigan) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Expanding Trauma Informed Services in Child Welfare: A Court Perspective (New Hampshire) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Screening Checklist: Age 0-5 (Michigan)
- Screening Checklist: Age 6-18 (Michigan)
- Trauma-Informed System Change Instrument (Michigan)
- Trauma-Informed Removal Process Handout (Michigan)
- CPS On Call Guide - Abbreviated (Michigan)

Resources:
Screening and Assessment
NCTSN Learning Center:
On this webpage, 1) create a new account, then 2) log in - then go to course categories - then to continuing education
- Free on line speaker series and trainings
- Screening and Assessment for Trauma in Child Welfare Settings Speaker Series (April - Aug 2012)
- Screening and Assessment in the Juvenile Justice System Speaker Series

From the Children's Bureau:
Well-being Instruments for Early Childhood
Well-being Instruments for Middle Childhood and Adolescence

Child Welfare
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN): Child Welfare System Webpage:
- Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Workshop for Resource Parents (2010)
- Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit (2008)
- Birth Parents with Trauma Histories in Child Welfare: Fact Sheets (for parents, child welfare staff, judges and attorneys, mental health professionals, resource parents)

Chadwick Trauma-Informed Systems Project Webpage:
- Creating Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Systems: A Guide for Administrators (2012)

Trauma and Parenting: A Practice Brief: From ACS-NYU Children's Trauma Institute (2012)

Easing Foster Case Placement: A Practice Brief: From ACS-NYU Children's Trauma Institute (2012)

Creating Trauma-Informed Systems of Child Welfare: From the Center for Excellence in Children's Mental Health, University of Minnesota (2011)

Trauma-Informed Care Tip Sheets - From the Safe Start Center

Healing the Wounds: Children Exposed to Violence - A Guide for Families and Quick Reference Card (available in English and Spanish)

Trauma-Informed Child Welfare: Webinar from the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (2011)

From ACF
Integrating Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being for Children and Families in Child Welfare - A Summary of ACF projects in Fiscal Year 2012

ACF Initiative to Improve Access to Needs-Driven, Evidence-Based/Evidence-Informed Mental and Behavioral Health Services in Child Welfare: ACYF demonstration project

Integrating Trauma-Informed and Trauma-Focused Practice in Child Protective Service (CPS0 Delivery: ACF demonstration project

Promoting Social and Emotional Well-Being for Children and Youth Receiving Child Welfare Services: ACF Information Memorandum (IM)

Child Welfare Waiver Demonstration Projects: ACF Information Memorandum

Mental Health
NCTSN Members

NCTSN Empirically Supported Treatments and Promising Practices

SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices

California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare

From SAMHSA:
- National Center for Trauma-Informed Care
- Promoting Recovery and Resilience for Children and Youth Involved in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems

Courts
NCTSN Juvenile Justice System Webpage

Toolkit on Court-Involved Youth and Exposure to Violence

Trauma-Informed System of Care Website (National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges)

Secondary Traumatic Stress:
Addressing Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Child Welfare Staff: A Practice Brief: From ACS-NYU Children's Trauma Institute (2012)

The Resilience Alliance: Promoting Resilience and Reducing Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Child Welfare Staff: From ACS-NYU Children's Trauma Institute: Training Manual and Participant Handbook

General Resources:
Children's Bureau Express, 2/12, Spotlight on Trauma-Informed Care

Child Welfare Information Gateway

National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections: Hot Topics - Trauma-Informed Child Welfare

National Center for Trauma-Informed Care, SAMHSA

Child Welfare Journal: Special Issue on Trauma. Vol 90 (6), 2011


National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections Webcast (February 6, 2013) - Trauma Informed Practice with Children and Youth in the Child Welfare System

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2012 Spring Webinar Series

Webinar! March 27, 2012: Getting to Outcomes: An Approach to Implementing Systemic Change
This session will highlight the Getting to Outcomes (GTO) model, an approach to reaching desired outcomes that includes an array of specific steps, from forming an implementation team to ensuring sustainability.  Presenters will describe the 10 steps in the model, how the model was developed,how it is used in other fields, and lessons learned as it has been applied in child welfare agencies.  The session will feature the experience of New Hampshire which is currently using the process in implementing a practice model.  Join us for this discussion of the GTO model and what it tells us about the important steps in implementing systemic change in child welfare agencies. 

Anita Barbee, Professor and Distinguished University Scholar, Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville, Kentucky
Christine Tappan, Administrator, DCYF/DJJS Bureau of Organizational Learning and Quality Improvement, New Hampshire

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Getting to Outcomes: An Approach to Implementing Systemic Change - Download as PPT or PDF

Resources:
- Successful adoption and implementation of a comprehensive casework practice model in a public child welfare agency: Application of the Getting to Outcomes (GTO) model.  Article by Anita P. Barbee, Dana Christensen, Becky Antle, Abraham Wandersman and Katharine Cahn in Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 33, Issue 5, May 2011, Pages 622-633.
- Technical Report:  Getting to Outcomes: 10 Steps for Achieving Results Based Accountability, 2007.  By Shelley Wiseman, Matthew Chinman, Patricia A. Ebener, Sarah Hunter, Pamela Imm, Abraham Wandersman. Download at http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR101z2.html
- Example of GTO Applied in Other Fields: Little (PSBA) GTO: 10 Steps to Promoting Science Based Approaches (PSBA) to Teen Pregnancy Prevention using Getting to Outcomes  - April 2008
- New Hampshire's Practice Model Documents (Second section, fourth down)
- Children's Bureau Express Article: NH Uses Practice Model to Build PIP

Follow Up Information (Please contact NRCOI for additional information on any of these topics):
Organizational Readiness Survey
- Readiness for Staff Change Survey
QA Approach
- NH CQI Process
- Visual of PII Process
- CQI 33 SBC Items
Lens of Change Training
- Lens of Change

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Webinar! May 17, 2012: Assessing and Improving Organizational Culture and Climate
Research has pointed to the link between organizational culture and climate and the ability of organizations to implement evidence based practices and improve outcomes.  Come and learn about why it is important to assess and improve organizational culture and climate and hear about two different tools that child welfare agencies are using to do these assessments – the Organizational Social Context (OSC) measures and the Comprehensive Organizational Health Assessment (COHA).   A child welfare agency that has used each of these tools will describe the benefits and challenges of the assessment process in addition to their experiences with using the results to make improvements.  Join us for this discussion of conducting productive organizational assessments in child welfare agencies.

Michelle I. Graef, Associate Director, Midwest Child Welfare Implementation Center, Research Associate Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Center on Children, Families & the Law
Kristin Gilbert, Project Manager, Partners for Ohio's Families, Administrator, Justice Services, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Families and Children
Robin Leake, Director, Research and Evaluation, Butler Institute for Families, University of Denver, Colorado
Paul Fritzler, District Manager, Casper Local Office, Wyoming Department of Family Services

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Presentation: Organizational Culture and Climate in Ohio's Office of Families and Children - Download as PPT or PDF
- Presentation: Comprehensive Organizational Health Assessment (COHA) - Download as PPT or PDF
- COHA Instruments Summary 2012

Resources:
- Upper Leadership: How to develop your Organizational Social Context to maximize effectiveness (University of Tennessee - Knoxville)
- Research Articles on Organizational Culture and Climate and Organizational Social Context (Northeast and Caribbean Implementation Center website)

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Webinar! June 19, 2012: Coaching Change
Agencies are increasingly realizing that staff who have been trained in a new practice struggle to implement that practice in their day to day work without support from the organization around them.  This webinar will take an in-depth look at one site to explore the critical role of coaches, supervisors, and managers in supporting practice change.  New Jersey is implementing a new practice model, and presenters from one of the immersion sites will highlight how practice change has been supported at the local level.  Hear from a caseworker about their experience with practice change and from the staff who have supported that change.

Francine Scott, Deputy Director for Case Practice, Division of Youth and Family Services, New Jersey, Formerly Local Office Manager, Burlington East Local Office
John Ramos, Executive Assistant to the Director, Division of Youth and Family Services, New Jersey, Formerly Implementation Specialist
Jessica Payne, Family Services Specialist 2, Division of Youth and Family Services, New Jersey
Derek Bailey, Supervising Family Services Specialist 2, Division of Youth and Family Services, New Jersey

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- UPDATED Presentation: DCF Case Practice Model - Coaching Change: A Local Perspective (New Jersey) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Handout 1: Facilitator's Feedback Form
- Handout 2: New Jersey Family Team Meetings Master Coaching Skills Development Tool
- Handout 3: New Jersey Family Team Meetings Coaching Skills Development Tool
- Handout 4: Preparation Interview - Key Steps
- Handout 5: Solution-focused Questions
- Handout 6: Family Team Meetings Along the Case Continuum

Resources:
- New Jersey's Case Practice Model and Implementation Plan
- Implementing Practice Models - Child Welfare Matters NRCOI Newsletter
- Webinar: Implementing and Sustaining Practice Models with New Jersey and North Carolina (11/29/2011)
- NRCOI Practice Model Peer Network
- Coaching in Child Welfare - Child Welfare Matters NRCOI Newsletter

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2011 Fall Webinar Series

Webinar!September 29, 2011: Performance Based Contracting and Quality Assurance: Building Systems to Support Success
This session will highlight lessons learned by the Quality Improvement Center on the Privatization of Child Welfare Services (QIC-PCW) about performance-based contracting in public-private partnerships.   Presenters from the QIC-PCW will discuss the evaluation of the work of three demonstration sites, including the outcomes they achieved and common elements of success.  Public and private agency presenters from one of the sites – Missouri – will present their experience with working collaboratively to develop performance based contracts and quality assurance systems to monitor progress.  A representative from the Children’s Bureau Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Network will also discuss the ongoing T/TA resources available to help public child welfare agencies develop systems to effectively manage performance based contracts.   Join us for this discussion of approaches to structuring and monitoring performance based contracts. 

Crystal Collins-Camargo, Project Director, Quality Improvement Center on the Privatization of Child Welfare Services (QIC-PCW), University of Louisville
Leann Haslag, Children's Division, Missouri Department of Children's Services
Ryan Dowis, Cornerstones for Care, Missouri
Jerrie Jacobs-Kenner, Missouri Alliance for Children and Families
Peter Watson, Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI)

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Performance Based Contracting and Quality Assurance: Building Systems to Support Success (QIC-PCW) - Download as PPT or PDF
- National Quality Improvement Center on the Privatization of Child Welfare Services (website)
- The Road to Performance Based Case Management Contracts: Missouri's Experience - Download as PPT or PDF

Resources:
- Executive Summary: QIC-PCW Cross-Site Evaluation of Performance-based Contracting and Quality Assurance Systems in Child Welfare, March 2011
- Examples of Performance Based Contracts in Child Welfare Services, July 27, 2009

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Webinar! October 25, 2011: Resources for Supervisory Training
This session will present information about state approaches to child welfare agency supervisory training and support, and highlight one national resource – the Leadership Academy for Supervisors (LAS).  First, presenters will discuss what was learned from semi-structured interviews with child welfare training directors conducted by the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI), and show the information about state child welfare supervisory training now available on the NRCOI website.  Presenters will then highlight one example of a training resource for experienced supervisors focused on leadership – the LAS.   Participants will be able to see this national on line curricula developed by the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, and hear about how it is being adapted and used by states around the country.

Kate Emery, Graduate Assistant for NRCOI, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine
Gretchen Robbins, NRCOI Training Systems Lead, Senior Policy Associate, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine
Freda Bernotavicz, Team Leader, Leadership Academy for Supervisors
M.B. Lippold, Deputy Director of Staff Development, Indiana Department of Child Services
Arthur Atwell, Director, Children and Family Training, Office of Children, Youth and Families, Colorado Department of Human Services

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Sharing for Supervisors' Sake: A National Compendium of Resources for Training and Supporting Our Child Welfare Supervisors (NRCOI) - Download as PPT or PDF
- National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement Supervisor Training Project (website)
- Leadership Academy for Supervisors - Revised (NCWWI, Indiana, Colorado) - Download as PPT or PDF
- National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (website)

Resources:
- National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement Supervisory Training Project Fact Sheet, Oct 2011
- Leadership Academy for Supervisors Description, March, 2011
- Leadership Academy for Supervisors Brochure, August, 2011
- Leadership Academy for Supervisors Core Curriculum, December 2010
- Leadership Academy for Supervisors FAQs, July 2011

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Webinar! November 29, 2011: Implementing and Sustaining Practice Models
Across the country agencies are developing and implementing practice models – or principles (such as family centered services), approaches (such as teaming), and outcomes that guide the agency’s work.  In this session, presenters from two states further along in implementation will share the steps they took to move their practice model from paper into practice.  They will reflect on what has worked well, the challenges, and the lessons they have learned about what it takes to sustain practice change over time.   Join us for this discussion of effective approaches to implementation!

Patrick Betancourt, Child Welfare Policy Administrator, North Carolina Division of Social Services
Christine Norbut-Mozes, Associate Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Children and Families
Jo Ann Lamm, Consultant, Moderator

Webinar File: View the recording of the webinar!

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- North Carolina's Multiple Response System (North Carolina) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Child Welfare Reform: Implementing System Change (New Jersey) - Download as PPT or PDF

Resources:
- Implementing Practice Models - Child Welfare Matters Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2011
- National Resource Center for Organizational Improvement Practice Model Peer Network (website)
- North Carolina's Multiple Response System (website)
- New Jersey Department of Children and Families (website)
- New Jersey Practice Tools (four website links under "New Jersey")

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2010/2011 Winter Webinar Series

Webinar!December 14, 2010: Supervisors as Leaders of Practice Change:  Tools and Approaches
As child welfare agencies work to implement practice changes, there is an increasing recognition of the key role that supervisors play as the link between the day to day work of front line staff and the implementation of agency priorities.  This session will highlight tools and approaches agencies are using to recognize this critical role and to support supervisors as leaders of practice change.  The session will highlight the experience of two sites with learning labs, which provide opportunities for supervisors to meet together, and the more recent development of learning circles, which provide another structure for supervisors to think and learn with others.  Come and hear from trainers and supervisors about these two approaches to supporting supervisors and to helping them work more effectively with their staff. 

Susan Brooks and Jennifer Davis, Northern California Training Academy, University of California, Davis Extension
Sheila Searfoss, Executive Director, Family Facets, Missouri
Keri Talken, Children’s Services Supervisor, Cole County and Co-Chair, Supervisory Advisory Committee, Missouri
Anna McAdoo, Children’s Services Supervisor, St Louis City, Missouri
Dianne McDonald, Children’s Services Supervisor, Southern Region, Missouri
Charmaine Brittain, Program Manager, Butler Institute for Families, University of Denver, Colorado
Amy Espinoza, Supervisor, Denver County Department of Human Services, Colorado
Additional Supervisors TBA

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Teleconference Evaluation Form

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Strengthening Child Welfare Supervision with the Tools for Excellence Program (Northern CA) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Learning Lab Workshop (Missouri) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Learning Circles (Brittain and Espinoza) - Download as PPT or PDF

Resources:
From Northern California:
- Tools for Excellence: Project Model
- Tools for Excellence: Evaluation Plan
- Field Trainer’s Guide: 2009

From Missouri:
- Missouri Children’s Division Learning Lab Workshop

From Charmaine Brittain:
- Learning Circles (Handout)
- Learning Circles Manual, June 2010

Other Supervision Resources:
From National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI): 
- Strengthening Child Welfare Supervision: A Participatory Design Process (Fact Sheet and PowerPoint presentation)

From the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI):
- Leadership Academy for Supervisors

From the Southern Regional Quality Improvement Center:
- Learning labs developed under this federal grant - materials and findings

Follow-up Information:
- The presenters from Northern California have provided this information on the 360 survey.

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Webinar! January 20, 2011: Leading Efforts to Identify and Address Disparities: A Response to Disproportionality
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
This session will highlight strategies agencies can use to respond to disproportionality – the overrepresentation of a particular race or cultural group within a system in relation to their percentage in the general population.  This session will start with a presentation on how agencies can calculate their disproportionality rates and the value of producing and sharing this data.  Then presenters will highlight two key strategies agencies can use to respond to disproportionality.   We’ll examine the value of looking behind disproportionality data to identify specific disparities – differences in service or outcomes for children and families of one group relative to other groups.  We’ll explore approaches agencies can use to conduct this data analysis and to develop and implement specific strategies to reduce and eliminate those disparities.  Second, presenters will discuss the importance of engaging leadership in sharing data, supporting action, and building collaborations with communities and across systems.  Join agency presenters and national resource center representatives for this discussion of approaches to address disproportionality.

Larry Brown, National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
Peter Watson, Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Joyce James, Associate Deputy Executive Commissioner Center for the Elimination of Disproprotionality and Disparities, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Donald Baumann, Ph.D., Section Lead, CAPTA Evaluation Team, Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
Wendy Rickman, Division Administrator, Division of Adult, Children and Family Services, Iowa Department of Human Services

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Teleconference Evaluation Form

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Useful Metrics for Describing Disproportionality (Larry Brown) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Leading Efforts to Identify and Address Disparities:  A Response to Disproportionality (Texas) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Disproportionality in Child Welfare: The Use of Data and the Role of Leadership (Iowa) - Download at PPT or PDF

Resources:
On Data Analysis:
- An Analysis of Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality and Disparity at the National, State and County Levels.  Robert B. Hill. Casey-CSSP Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare. December 2007.

- Synthesis of Research on Disproportionality in Child Welfare:  An Update.  Robert B. Hill.  Casey-CSSP Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare.  October 2006.

- Positive Outcomes for All: Fresno County Institutional Analysis

On Strategies for Addressing Disproportionality:
- Breakthrough Series Collaborative: Reducing Racial Disproportionality and Disparate Outcomes for Children and Families of Color in the Child Welfare System, Casey Family Programs, Oronde Miller, Principal Author, July 2009. 

- Positioning Public Child Welfare Guidance: Disparities and Disproportionality

- Policy Actions to Reduce Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in Child Welfare:  A Scan of Eleven States.  Paper prepared for the Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare, October 2009 (amended June, 2010).  Available from the Alliance for Race Equity website

From Texas:
- Analysis of disproportionality provided to the legislature on January 1, 2006: Disproportionality in CPS: Statewide Reform Effort Begins With Examination of the Problem

- Development and implementation of remediation plan reported to the legislature on July 1, 2006: Disproportionality in Child Protective Services - Policy Evaluation and Remediation Plan

- Disproportionality evaluation

- Casey development of the Texas Summary and Chronicle

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Webinar! February 8, 2011: Collaborating with Courts to Reduce and Eliminate Disparities
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
This session will highlight initiatives within dependency court systems focused on reducing and eliminating disproportionality and disparities and how these can be resources for child welfare agencies engaged in work in this area.  Presenters will discuss the Courts Catalyzing Change initiative and the national agenda of court based reform strategies being implemented in model courts and in other sites.  This activity and the collaborative work happening through court improvement projects (CIP) provide potential resources for child welfare agencies.  Judges and child welfare agency leaders from two sites will discuss the value of collaborative work with courts, including the role of judicial leadership, court based tools such as the preliminary protective hearing benchcard, and joint planning under the CIP.   Join us for this discussion of the role of child welfare and court collaboration in reducing and eliminating disparities.

Nancy Miller, Director, Permanency Planning for Children Department, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Partners in the National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
Nan Waller, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge, Portland, Oregon
Erinn Kelley-Siel, Director, Children, Adult and Families Division, Oregon Department of Human Services
Michael Nash, Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court, Los Angeles Superior Court, CA
Maryam Fatemi, Deputy Director, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Teleconference Evaluation Form

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Collaborating with Courts to Reduce and Eliminate Disparaties (Nancy Miller) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Collaborating with Courts to Reduce and Eliminate Disparaties (Nan Waller & Erinn Kelley-Siel) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Collaborating with Courts to Reduce and Eliminate Disparaties (Michael Nash & Maryam Fatemi) - Download as PPT or PDF

Resources:
- Courts Catalzying Change website
- Right from the Start : The CCC Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard, A Tool for Judicial Decision-Making
- National Agenda
- Model Courts National Agenda Implementation Guide

National Agenda Implementation Tools:
- Sample Worksheet to Address Local Implementation of the National Agenda
- Sample Action Plan Worksheet to Implement the National Agenda
- Race The Power of an Illusion DVD information

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Webinar! March15, 2011: Strategies to Support School Stability and Continuity:  Part 1
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues, the National Resource Center for Youth Development, the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections and the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
This series will highlight promising practices from collaborative efforts to improve educational stability and continuity for children in child welfare systems.  This first session will start with a brief overview of federal laws, comments on tracking data on school stability, and insights from youth representatives on the importance of improving practice in this area.  This session will then highlight strategies that child welfare agencies can pursue within their own systems to improve educational outcomes, including considering proximity of initial placements when appropriate, building a child welfare culture that prioritizes attention to education, and engaging staff in focusing on educational services.  Join us for this discussion with youth, child welfare agency presenters and representatives of national resource centers.

Kathleen McNaught, National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues and the ABA Legal Center for Foster Care and Education
Nikki Grey, Youth Representative, Reno, NV
Erwin McEwen, Director, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Cindi Horshaw, Director, Program Policy Unit, Department of Public Welfare, Office of Children, Youth and Families, Pennsylvania
Jessica Feierman, Supervising Attorney, Juvenile Law Center, Philadelphia, PA

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Teleconference Evaluation Form

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Introduction to Topic (Kathleen McNaught) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Youth Perspective (Nikki Grey) - Download as PPT or PDF
- GIS: SchoolMinder - Illinois (Erwin McEwen) - Download as PPT or PDF
- The Pennsylvania Education Screen (Cindi Horshaw & Jessica Feierman) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Final Education Bulletin and Screen from PA (webinar will reference pages 18-24)

Resources:

General
- Blueprint for Change: Education Success for Children in Foster Care - Legal Center for Foster Care and Education
- Fostering Connections Act - Implementation Checklists for Education Provisions
- A Road Map for Learning: Improving Educational Outcomes in Foster Care
- Improving Educational Continuity and School Stability for Children in Out-of-Home Care - Casey Family Programs Breakthrough Series

On Educating/Educating Staff
- Endless Dreams video and train the trainer curriculum
- Advocating for the Educational Needs of Children in Out-of-Home Care (Manual)
- Advocating for the Educational Needs of Children in Out-of-Home Care: Training Curriculum for Caseworkers and Supervisors
- Advocating for the Educational Needs of Children in Out-of-Home Care: Training Curriculum for Foster Parents
- Make a Difference in a Child’s Life and Toolkit for Change

On Considering Proximity of Placement
- April 14, 2011 National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology (NRC-CWDT) Webinar: GIS in Child Welfare. Register for this webinar online.

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Webinar! April 12, 2011: Strategies to Support School Stability and Continuity:  Part 2
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues, the National Resource Center for Youth Development, the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections and the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
This second session in the series on school stability and continuity will focus on collaborative strategies with two key partners – education and courts.  We’ll highlight a variety of strategies that involve collaboration with education systems, including developing partnerships with education staff, interagency agreements to share data and improve communication, and tracking credits for older children.  We’ll also hear about collaborations with courts and the role courts can play in promoting educational stability and continuity for children in child welfare.  Join us for this discussion with child welfare partners and national resource center representatives.

Kathleen McNaught, National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues and the ABA Legal Center for Foster Care and Education
Michelle Lustig, MSW, Ed.D, Coordinator, Foster Youth and Homeless Education Services Program, San Diego County Office of Education, California
Honorable Suzanna S. Cuneo, Court Commissioner, Pima County Superior Court, Arizona

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Teleconference Evaluation Form

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Introduction to the Topic (Kathleen McNaught) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Strategies to Support School Stability and Continuity: Collaborating Across Systems - Working with Education and the Courts (Michelle Lustig) - Download as PPT or PDF
- Strategies to Support School Stability and Continuity: The Pima County Experience (Suzanna Cuneo) - Download as PPT or PDF

Resources:

From San Diego, CA:
- San Diego County Office of Education, Student Support Services:  Foster Youth Services website (click on "Programs & Services”)
- California Foster Youth Education Task Force
- Foster Ed Connect
- Issue Brief: AB 490: Partial Credits, February 2011
- San Diego County Office of Education, Foster Youth Services Academic Counseling Partial Credits Resource Table

From Pima County, AZ:
- Education Records Release Form
- Preliminary Protective Hearing Order
- Intergovernmental Agreement

On Partnerships with Education:
- Legal Center for Foster Care and Education:  Project Publications
Coming soon on this website: Making the Case:  Why Child Welfare Agencies Need Education Agencies to Focus on the Educational Stability of Children in Care and Making it Work:  How Child Welfare and Education Agencies Can Collaborate to Ensure School Stability and Improve Educational Outcomes for Children in Care

On Interagency Agreements – Sharing Data, from the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education:
- Solving the Data Puzzle: A 'How To' Guide on Collecting and Sharing Information to Improve Educational Outcomes for Children in Out-of-Home Care
- Mythbusting: Breaking Down Confidentiality and Decision-Making Barriers to Meet the Education Needs of Children in Foster Care
- Question and Answer Fact Sheet on Information Sharing, Legal Center for Foster Care and Education

On Partnerships with Courts:
- Technical Assistance Brief: Asking the Right Questions II: Judicial Checklists to Meet the Educational Needs of Children and Youth in Foster Care.  From the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
- Judicial Guide to Implementing the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 will be available soon at www.grandfamilies.org.

On Credit Transfer and School Completion:
- Question and Answer Fact Sheet on Credit Transfer and School Completion, Legal Center on Foster Care and Education

General:
- Blueprint for Change: Education Success for Children in Foster Care - Legal Center for Foster Care and Education
- Fostering Connections Act - Implementation Checklists for Education Provisions
- A Road Map for Learning: Improving Educational Outcomes in Foster Care
- Improving Educational Continuity and School Stability for Children in Out-of-Home Care - Casey Family Programs Breakthrough Series

From the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections:
- Fostering Connections and Education: Resources and Information
- Education and Child Welfare: Resources and Information

2010 Spring/Summer Teleconferences/Webinars

Webinar! March 25: Strategic Thinking to Align Initiatives and Integrate Management, Supervision and Practice
Child welfare agencies are in the midst of developing or implementing their second round Program Improvement Plans (PIPs), preparing for the 2009 Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR), and responding to requirements in consent decrees or other major planning initiatives.  This session will explore how strategic thinking can be employed to align multiple plans and make them more effective tools for moving the agency forward.  Presenters will describe what is meant by strategic thinking and discuss how this type of thinking has helped them to coordinate, integrate and align practice models and related initiatives to form more comprehensive approaches for making improvements.   Join us to hear about the resources available to help agencies focus their plans and actions effectively, and how colleagues in other States have embraced this challenge.

Melody Roe, Associate Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Jo Ann Lamm, MSW, Child Welfare Consultant, former Deputy Director, North Carolina Division of Social Services
Heidi McIntosh, MSW, Deputy Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Children and Families
Fernando Muñiz, MPA, Program Director, Bureau of Continuous Quality Improvement, Connecticut Department of Children and Families
David L. Fairbanks, Assistant Secretary for Programs, Florida Department of Children and Families

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Teleconference Evaluation Form

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Strategic Thinking (Melody Roe) PowerPoint Presentation - Download as PPT or PDF
- Utilizing Strategic Thinking in Our Child Welfare Work (Jo Ann Lamm) PowerPoint presentation - Download as PPT or PDF
- Strategic Thinking to Align Initiatives and Integrate Management, Supervision, and Practice (Heidi McIntosh & Fernando Muñiz, CT) PowerPoint presentation - Download as PPT or PDF
- Strategic Thinking and Child Welfare Program Improvement (David Fairbanks, FL) PowerPoint presentation - Download as PPT or PDF

Background Materials from our Florida presenters:
- Florida DCF Strategic Plan 2010 - 2014
- Florida DCF Child and Family Services Plan 2010 - 2014
- Florida's Center for the Advancement of Child Welfare Practice
- Florida DCF Quality Improvement Plan

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Webinar! April 13: Substance Abuse Treatment: Gone Astray in Service Array?
Co-sponsored by the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
This session will explore strategies child welfare agencies can use to expand access to substance abuse services for children and families in child welfare systems. Presenters will discuss the extent to which substance abuse needs are tracked in child welfare systems, the availability of substance abuse services, and approaches agencies can use to document the treatment gap and negotiate with treatment systems. Representatives from two jurisdictions that are actively addressing this issue will share the challenges and lessons learned in these efforts. Join us for this discussion of how to strengthen your service array in this critical area.

Sid Gardner, MPA, President, Children and Family Futures, National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
Sharon DiPirro-Beard, Program Coordinator, Sacramento Department of Health and Human Services
Jay Wurscher, Oregon Child Welfare Alcohol & Drug Services Coordinator, Children, Adults and Families Division, Office Safety and Permanency for Children, Oregon Department of Human Services

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Teleconference Evaluation Form

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Presenter Bios
- Substance Abuse Treatment: Gone Astray in Service Array? (PowerPoint Presentation) - Or download file as a PDF

Background Materials:
- Connecting the Dots: How States and Counties Have Used Existing Data Systems to Create Cross System Data Linkages
- The Child and Family Services Review Composite Scores: Accountability off the Track, 2009 by John R. Schuerman & Barbara Needell, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

Follow-up Information:
- To obtain a copy of the data dictionary that Sid Gardner referenced,
with definitions of acronyms from different systems, send a request to
Hanh Dao at the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child
Welfare/Child and Family Futures at hdao@cffutures.org.

- To discuss technical assistance with the National Center on Substance
Abuse and Child Welfare, contact Larisa Owen, Director of Technical
Assistance Services toll-free at 1-866-493-2758 or via email at
ncsacw@cffutures.org.

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Webinar! May 6: Building Ongoing Stakeholder Involvement in Program Improvement and the Life of the Agency
As child welfare agencies increasingly recognize that the outcomes of safety, permanency and well-being cannot be achieved by an agency acting alone, agencies are exploring how to build a culture that makes collaboration a way of life for the agency versus a sporadic event.  This session will explore approaches agencies are taking to structure ongoing stakeholder involvement in the continual work of making program improvements.  Presenters will describe strategies that can be used to build collaboration, and the structures agencies are using to continually work with partners.  Join us for this opportunity to learn about ways to build ongoing collaboration with critical stakeholders.

Steven Preister, Associate Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Kara Hudson, CFSR State Coordinator, Division of Adult, Children and Family Services, Iowa Department of Human Services
Michelle Muir, Executive Officer, Division of Adult, Children and Family Services, Iowa Department of Human Services
Rebecca Wells, Co-chair, North Carolina State Collaborative on Children, Youth and Families, and Department of Health, Management and Policy, UNC-Chapel Hill
Candice Britt, Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) Coordinator, North Carolina Division of Social Services
Katy Larsen, Director of Professional Community Development, Division of Child and Family Services, Utah Department of Human Services
Julie Steele, Co-chair, State Quality Improvement Committee and FNP Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Teleconference Evaluation Form

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Building Ongoing Stakeholder Involvement in Program Improvement and the Life of the Child Welfare Agency (PowerPoint presentation) - Or download file as a PDF
- A Community Eco-Map
- Iowa Partnerships - Or download file as a PDF
- North Carolina Collaborative for Children, Youth and Families (PowerPoint presentation) - Or download file as a PDF
- Utah's Quality Improvement Committees (PowerPoint presentation) - Or download file as a PDF

Background Materials:

From the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement:
- Fact Sheets: Stakeholder Involvement and Interagency Collaboration
- Curriculum: Community Partnerships and Linkages: Reaching out to Work Together (See Module 3 for Eco-Maps)
- CFSR Training Module: Engaging Community Stakeholders and Building Community Partnerships
- Newsletter: Stakeholder Involvement in Child Welfare

From Iowa:
- Iowa Child and Family Services Stakeholder Panel
- Iowa Department of Human Services Child Welfare Partners Committee
- The Child Welfare Advisory Committee
- Iowa Vision, Mission and Guiding Principles
- Child and Family Services Stakeholder Panel Charter

From North Carolina:
- North Carolina State Collaborative for Children, Youth and Families

From Utah:
- Quality Improvement Committees New Member Information Brochure
- Quality Improvement Committees Website

Follow-Up Information:
The change to Utah Code, formalizing the role of Quality Improvement Committees, that happened in the 2010 State Legislative Session is reflected in 62A-4a-117.

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Webinar! June 3: Implementing Effective and Efficient Services Through Court/Child Welfare Data Exchange
Co-sponsored by the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Legal and Judicial Issues and the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
Increasingly, child welfare agencies and courts are working together to exchange data to build more effective and efficient service systems which, in turn, improves outcomes for children and families. In this session, representatives of national organizations will provide an overview of data exchange efforts and their relationship to performance measurement and describe ongoing national initiatives and technical assistance available from the Children's Bureau's Training and Technical Assistance Network. They will join with representatives from child welfare agencies and courts to discuss lessons learned, and how some specific barriers - such as privacy concerns and communication between program and technology staff - have been addressed. Please join us to learn about and discuss the benefits and challenges of these collaborative efforts.

Gene Flango, Executive Director of Program Resource Development, National Center for State Courts, National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
Paul Embley, Chief Information Officer, National Center for State Courts, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
Diana Graski, Court Technology Associate, National Center for State Courts, National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
Kathy Chase, Child Welfare Business Analyst Supervisor and SACWIS Manager, Colorado Department of Human Services
Patrick Brooks, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Office of State Court Administration, Missouri
Angelina Palmiero, Child Welfare Program Specialist, Children’s Bureau

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Teleconference Evaluation Form

Handouts
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Implementing Effective and Efficient Services Through Court/Child Welfare Data Exchange presentation - Download as PPT or PDF

Background Materials:
- Court/Child Welfare Data Exchange Resources or Download as a PDF
- Court/Child Welfare National Exchange Template (NET) Task Force Flyer
- National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Family Service Domain Brief
- Improving Outcomes for Children Through Data Exchange, from Future Trends in State Courts, 2009

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Webinar! July 15: Working Across Systems to Improve Outcomes for Young Children
There is a growing awareness of the critical importance of development in the early years of birth to age five, and young children in child welfare systems often have pressing developmental needs.  This session will explore strategies agencies and their partners can use to successfully identify and address these needs.  Hear from national experts and representatives from sites that have been able to improve collaboration to bring about better outcomes for young children. Learn about strategies to engage early intervention, early care and education, health providers, courts, child welfare staff, and foster parents in efforts to enrich the early learning environments for these children, identify developmental concerns and refer children to critical services.

Sheryl Dicker, J. D., Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Department of Family and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Former Executive Director of the Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children, New York, NY
Helen Ward, J.D., Senior Research Associate, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME
Arthur Atwell, Director, Children and Family Training, Office of Children, Youth and Families, Colorado Department of Human Services
Erwin McEwen, Director, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
Kathy Goetz Wolf, Project Director, Strengthening Families Illinois

Webinar File: View the recording of this webinar!

Teleconference Evaluation Form

Handouts
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Working Across Systems to Improve Outcomes for Young Children (PowerPoint) - Sheryl Dicker - Or download as a PDF
- Children at Risk in the Child Welfare System: Collaborations to Promote School Readiness (PowerPoint) - Arthur Atwell & Helen Ward - Or download as a PDF
- The Future of IL DCFS: Supporting & Strengthening Families (PowerPoint) - Erwin McEwen & Kathy Goetz Wolf - Or download as a PDF

Background Materials:

From Sheryl Dicker:
- Ensuring the Healthy Development of Foster Children:  A Guide for Judges, Advocates, and Child Welfare Professionals
- Ensuring the Healthy Development of Infants in Foster Care:  A Guide for Judges, Advocates and Child Welfare Professionals
- Critical Connections for Children who are Abused or Neglected:  Harnessing the New Federal Referral Provisions for Early Intervention
- Harnessing the Hidden Influence of the Courts to Enhance Healthy Development of Foster Children
- Reversing the Odds: Improving Outcomes for Babies in the Child Welfare System by Sheryl Dicker, J.D.,  Brookes Publishing Company, Baltimore, MD, 2009. (Book)

From Colorado:
- Colorado Agency Letter on Developmental Screening Referral
- Children at Risk in Child Welfare:  Collaborations to Promote School Readiness – Website and Final Report

From Illinois:
- Six Protective Factors That Help Keep Families Strong
- Our Kids Deserve a Fair Start
- Ten Great Reasons to Partner with Preschool Staff
- Illinois School Readiness Initiative
- Strengthening Families Illinois website

Resource Lists:
- Child Welfare Information Gateway: Collaboration Between Child Welfare and Early Childhood Systems
- National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections: Early Childhood Development Issues
- Legal Center for Foster Care and Education: Blueprint for Change: Education Success for Children in Foster Care (See Goal #3 – Young Children Enter School Ready to Learn)

Other Initiatives:
- The Quality Improvement Center (QIC) on Early Childhood
- Interdepartmental Early Childhood 2010 Meeting convened jointly by the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services
- The American Bar Association’s Health of Court Involved Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers project

2009 Late Winter/Spring Teleconferences/Webinars

February 12, 2009: Training to Improve Practice in Rural Areas: Innovative Strategies and Resources
In rural and remote areas, child welfare agencies are often challenged to provide high quality services. In this session, presenters will describe strategies they have used to improve practice in rural areas, often involving extensive collaboration and innovative outreach approaches. Highlighted sites have just completed five year “Training for Effective Child Welfare Practice in Rural Communities” grants under Children’s Bureau discretionary grant program and will share their experiences and lessons learned. Come and join in this discussion of training approaches that can be successful in rural areas.

Katherine Cahn, Executive Director, Center for Improvement of Child and Family Services / Child Welfare Partnership, Portland State University School of Social Work
Christine Howell, Project Coordinator, Rural Success Project, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work
Dr. Mary Jo Garcia-Biggs, Assistant Professor and Distance Education Coordinator, Texas State University-San Marcos
Margaret Orrantia, Yaqui, MS and Tribal Elder, Tribal STAR Assistant Coordinator, School of Social Work, San Diego State University

Audio Files: Listen as MP3(20.4 MB)

Handouts:
Agenda and Contact Information

BACKGROUND ON ALL GRANTEE SITES:

Child Welfare Information Gateway Site on Rural Grants - http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/funding/overview/rural.cfm

Children's Bureau Express Articles

RESOURCES/HANDOUTS FROM INDIVIDUAL GRANT SITES:

Portland State University: http://www.rtg.pdx.edu/

Tribal STAR - http://theacademy.sdsu.edu/TribalSTAR/Welcome.htm
Tribal Star Recommendations
Tips for Following Protocol when working with Tribal Communities
Tribal Star Publications and Materials

NC Rural Success: http://www.ruralsuccess.org/

Texas State University - San Marcos -
http://www.socialwork.txstate.edu/On-Line-Masters-Program.html

Missouri State University - http://www.missouristate.edu/swk/58023.htm

San Jose State University - contact Connie Silva-Broussard at connie.silva-broussard@cihsinc.org

March 5, 2009: Experiences with Systems Change: Building Systems of Care
Co-sponsored by the National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care
This session will highlight the experiences and lessons learned of sites that have completed five year Children’s Bureau grants under the “Improving Child Welfare Outcomes through Systems of Care” program. Presenters will provide an overview of findings from evaluation data and explore two principles that emerged as key to the systemic change that is fundamental to systems of care: family involvement and interagency collaboration. Representatives from sites engaged in building systems of care will share the benefits and challenges of working with families and across systems to strengthen their services to children and families.

Raymond Crowel, Director, National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center (NTAEC) for Systems of Care
Other NTAEC presenters TBA
Susan Franklin, Systems of Care Program Manager, Jefferson County, CO
Holly Haman-Marcum, Co-Chair, Interagency Oversight Group and Delinquency Services and Treatment Program Manager, Jefferson County, CO
Judi Knittel, Family Engagement Unit Supervisor, Contra Costa County, CA
Cheryl Barrett, Parent Partner, Parent Partner Program, Contra Costa County, CA

Audio Files: Listen as MP3(21.0 MB)

HANDOUTS:
Agenda and Contact Information

From the National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center:
Two Defining Principles of Systems of Care (PowerPoint - we recommend printing two slides per page)

From Contra Costa County, CA:
Asking Ourselves What If (PowerPoint: text of full presentation - we recommend printing three slides per page)
Asking Ourselves What If (PowerPoint: photos/headings from presentation - companion to text)

From Jefferson County, CO:
Jefferson County Memorandum of Understanding
Interagency Oversight Group By-Laws
Interagency Oversight Group Annual Report

RESOURCES:

From Contra Costa County, CA:
Parent Partner Job Description
Parent Partner Training Plan

From Jefferson County, CO:
1451 Collaborative Management Program Legislation

On Systems of Care:
A Closer Look Series: Interagency Collaboration
A Closer Look Series: Family Involvement
Information on Children's Bureau Systems of Care Grantees
Systems of Care Resource Library
Resources on Parent Leadership from the National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (FRIENDS)

April 7, 2009: Improving Agency/Court Collaboration: Strategies for Success
Co-sponsored by the National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
Have you faced barriers as you have tried to improve collaboration with your court system? In this session, the National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues will describe the free technical assistance services that are available to courts and agencies to help overcome barriers to collaboration. We’ll also hear from sites that have had some success in improving collaboration as they have brought agencies and courts together in the CFSR process, in analyzing data and in developing and implementing action plans. Come join us to learn about and discuss strategies you can use to improve collaboration.

Jennifer Renne, Assistant Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
Timothy Travis, Consultant, National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
Judy Nord, Children's Justice Initiative (CJI) Manager, State Court Administrators Office, Minnesota Supreme Court
Larry Wojciak, CFSR Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Human Services
John Dinsmore, Director, Otter Tail County Human Services, Minnesota
Brad Vold, Supervisor, Child Protection, Otter Tail County Human Services, Minnesota
Patrick Betancourt, Multiple Response System Coordinator, Co-Chair, Court Involvement Workgroup, Division of Social Services, North Carolina
Karen Butler, Deputy Director, Youth & Family Services Division, Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services, North Carolina
Judge Louis A. Trosch, District Court, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Listen as MP3(20.4 MB)

Handouts
- Agenda and Contact Information

From Minnesota:
- Implementation Guide: Children's Justice Initiative
- Invitation and Registration Form: Regional CJI Team Meeting
- Minnesota Judicial Branch Policy

From North Carolina:
- North Carolina's Program Improvement Plan (PIP); 2nd Round (Court Involvement sections on p. 16 - 18; 60 - 83)
- Memorandum of Understanding

From the National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues:
- National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues website
- Court Improvement Project Contact List
- Engaging Court and the Legal System in in CFSRs: T/TA Available from the Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
- How the Resource Center can Help with the CFSRs
- How to Work with Your Court: A Guide for Child Welfare Agency Administrators, 2nd edition. 2004.
Order a free copy from the Child Welfare Information Gateway catalogue

Other Resources:
- Child Welfare Information Gateway: Collaboration with Courts

Follow-Up Information:
During the April 7 telconference a few resources were mentioned that were not posted on our website. Here is the information for how to access those resources:

- Two documents to help local/county areas in North Carolina develop local Memoranda of Agreement:
MOA Local Template and Developing a Local MOA
- Minnesota's Children's Justice Initiatives (This website has the drug and alcohol toolkit that Judith Nord mentioned.)
- Building A Better Collaboration: Facilitating Change in the Court and Child Welfare System. Available to order from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges ($10)
- Foundations for Success: Strengthening Your Agency Attorney Office. Order a free copy from the Child Welfare Information Gateway

Webinar! May 7, 2009: Evidence Based Practice in Child Welfare
Are you continually assessing the effectiveness of the services your agency provides? Many child welfare agencies are working to implement services that evidence has shown to be more effective in improving outcomes for children and families. In this session, a national expert will provide an introduction to evidence based practices in child welfare and advice for child welfare agencies on identifying and using these practices. Leaders and managers from agencies will also share the benefits and challenges they have faced as they have worked to adopt evidence based practices. The session will also include time for questions, so join us to learn and share in the discussion of evidence based practices in child welfare.

Richard Barth, Dean and Professor, University of Maryland School of Social Work
Gregory Rose, Deputy Director, Children and Family Services Division, California Department of Social Services
Debby Jeter, Deputy Director, Family and Children's Services Division, San Francisco Human Services Agency, California
B.K. Kubiak, Program Manager, Oklahoma Children’s Services, Children and Family Services Division
Marq Youngblood, Chief Operating Officer for Human Services Centers, Oklahoma
Mark Chaffin, Psychologist; Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Audio Files: Listen as MP3(21.2 MB)

Handouts
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Evidence Based Practice in Child Welfare: Download PowerPoint file or PDF file Revised 5/6/09

Background Resources and Reading
- California Evidence Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
- SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence Based Programs and Practices (NREPP): A searchable database of interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders
- Child Welfare Information Gateway: About Evidence-Based Practice
- Evidence Based Practice Resources from the National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice and Permanency Planning
- Primer Hands On: Child Welfare. Module 7 (service array and financing) of this system of care curriculum has a section on evidence based practice, covering examples, challenges to implementation and strategies and incentives for implementation.
- Guide for Child Welfare Administrators on Evidence Based Practice, American Public Human Services Association, 2005.
- Evidence-Based Programs to Prevent Children From Entering and Remaining in the Child Welfare System: Benefits and Costs for Washington, July 2008

May 28, 2009: Supporting Effective Child Welfare Supervision #1: A Framework
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning
This call will focus on a recently published framework to support effective supervision in child welfare developed by the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning and the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement. The presenters will discuss the components of child welfare supervision and identify the systemic and organizational supports required to empower supervisors to function effectively as leaders, change agents, and guides and monitors of their supervisees’ practice.

Susan Kanak, Policy Associate, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Peg Hess, Senior Consultant, National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning
Julie Atkins, Research Associate, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine
Crystal Collins, Assistant Professor, Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville

Audio Files: Listen as MP3(18.9 MB)

Handouts
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Building a Framework and Model for Child Welfare Supervision (NRCOI Fact Sheet)
- Building a Framework and Model for Child Welfare Supervision (Full Document)

Sections from Building a Framework and Model for Child Welfare Supervision
- Table of Contents
- Table 1 - Job Responsibilities Ranked Most Important by Kadushin Categories
- Table 2 - Job Responsibility Data Collection Table
- Literature Review

Additional Resources
- Southern Regional Quality Improvement Website

June 16, 2009: Supporting Effective Child Welfare Supervision #2: Moving Forward
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
This call will highlight approaches agencies are using to develop and implement effective supports for child welfare supervisors. Presenters will highlight the technical assistance services available from the National Resource Centers to help agencies organize a collaborative process to assess and make improvements in child welfare supervision. Agency representatives engaged in the process will describe the steps they have taken to strengthen supervision and will share their successes and lessons learned.

Steve Preister, Associate Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Joe Murray, Consultant, National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
Candice Britt, MSW, CFSR Coordinator, North Carolina Division of Social Services
Susan Savage, MSW, Acting Deputy Director, Missouri Department of Social Services
Kristy Perry, Supervisor, Person County Department of Social Services, North Carolina
Cara Roberts, Supervisor, Missouri Department of Social Services

Audio Files: Listen as MP3(18.6 MB)

Handouts
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Supporting Effective Child Welfare Supervision #2: Moving Forward (PowerPoint Presentation): Download PowerPoint file or PDF Revised 6/3/09
- Examples from Strategic Plans for Improving and Supporting Child Welfare Supervision
- Supervisor Time and Activity Log Example
- Supervisor Time and Activity Report Example

2008 Summer/Fall Teleconferences/Webinars

October 23, 2008: Bringing Prevention to the Table: Strategies for Improving Outcomes
Co-sponsored by the FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-based Child Abuse Prevention
Does your agency have adequate services in place to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect? If this is an area you are working on in your Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) and Program Improvement Plan (PIP), come and find out about the federal grants in every state for community based child abuse prevention (CBCAP), and how these grant programs can be useful to child welfare agencies. Presenters will discuss how you can work with your CBCAP agency to enhance your array of services and achieve better overall success in keeping children safe.

Julie Collins, Child Welfare League Project Director for the FRIENDS Resource Center
Ralph McQuarter, Minnesota Department of Human Services, Child Safety and Permanency Division

Audio Files: Due to technical issues, an audio recording of this session is not available--our apologies.

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Bringing Prevention to the Table: Strategies for Improving Outcomes (PowerPoint Presentation)
- Minnesota's Strategies for Improving Outcomes through Child Welfare/CBCAP Collaboration (PowerPoint Presentation)

Background Materials:
- From the FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention:
A CFSR page featuring:
Analysis of prevention in the 2000 - 2004 CFSRs and PIPs
Matrix of Prevention Services by State
Summary of State by State Activities
CBCAP Lead Agencies by State
CBCAP Legislation

- From the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI) :
Service Array Materials and Tools integrate prevention throughout and include a Mini-Module (#10) on “Bringing Prevention to the Table: Enhancing Service Array Capacity through State Child Welfare/CBCAP Collaboration”

- From the Children’s Bureau:
CBCAP 2007 Program Instructions: Appendix on collaborating with the CFSR/PIP and CFSP Processes

December 4, 2008: Recruitment and Retention of a Qualified Workforce Lessons Learned
Part 3 in the series "Recruitment and Retention of a Qualified Workforce"
Is your agency challenged to recruit and retain a highly qualified workforce? Join us for this look at what has been learned about effective recruitment and retention strategies. This session, held soon after the five year grant period closes, will highlight the lessons learned from the eight Recruitment and Retention projects funded by the Children’s Bureau. Representatives from three of the projects will describe their work and the results of the evaluations they have undertaken. These include tracking changes in the perception of the work environment, longitudinal data on workers and workforce retention and turnover data. During discussion times, other grantees and agencies on the line can share their own “lessons learned”.

Miriam Landsman, University of Iowa and Iowa Agency Representative TBA
Gary Anderson, Michigan State University and Michigan Agency Representative TBA
Mary McCarthy, State University of New York (SUNY)
Paul Brady, Commissioner, Schoharie County Department of Social Services, New York

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (21.0 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Reruitment and Retention Grantee Descriptions

From New York:
Organizational Innovations In Child Welfare Systems (PowerPoint Presentation)

From Michigan:
Recruitment and Retention (PowerPoint Presentation)

From Iowa:
- Retention in Public Child Welfare (PowerPoint Presentation)

Background Materials
- Audio recording of Part 1 in the series (04/29/2008)
- Audio recording of Part 2 in the series (05/20/2008)
- Child Welfare Information Gateway Workforce Page

2008 Spring Teleconferences/Webinars

April 24, 2008: Moving Forward: Using Tools and Technical Assistance
Part 1 in the series "Being Successful: Meaningful Collaboration to Improve Outcomes for Families with Substance Use Disorders"
Presented by the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare and the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
This session will highlight the resources available to agencies through the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW), and how these resources have been used to improve services to families affected by substance abuse. Hear a national perspective on strategies that work, and learn about practical tools that can be used to build collaborative efforts and stronger systems for identifying and successfully treating these families. Presenters will discuss the NCSACW’s 10 element framework for success, and the range of resources available: expert consultation, peer to peer networking, tools, publications, group facilitation and training. Find out how you can access this ongoing technical assistance, and about the Center’s In-Depth Technical Assistance resources.

Nancy Young, Director, National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, Irvine, CA
Cathleen Otero, Deputy Director, National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, Irvine, CA

Note: For this session, participants will be able to connect to a website to view a presentation in addition to calling in on an audio line. Watch for an email with instructions for participating!

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (20 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Moving Forward: Using Tools and Technical Assistance (PDF or PPT)
- 10 Element Framework Summary
- Summary of Five National Reports
- NCSACW Technical Assistance Products
- NCSACW Products in Development
- SAFERR-Understanding Substance Abuse

Follow-up Information
- Regional Partnership Grantees by State

April 29, 2008: Issues and Promising Strategies: Recruitment and Retention
Part 1 in the series "Recruitment and Retention of a Qualified Workforce"
In 2003, recognizing the impact of workforce issues on outcomes for children and families, the Children’s Bureau funded eight five-year projects to develop models of effective child welfare staff recruitment and retention. This series will feature information from those projects. In this first session, presenters will provide data on national trends in the child welfare workforce and the multiple costs of workforce issues for agencies, children and families. They will also provide an overview of promising strategies developed by the grantees to improve recruitment, selection and retention. A child welfare administrator who has taken a comprehensive approach to addressing workforce issues will discuss the steps taken and the difference this has made in a Colorado county.

• Freda Bernotavicz, Senior Research Associate, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine
• Cathryn Potter, Director, Butler Institute for Families, University of Denver
• Mary Berg, Child Welfare Director, Jefferson County Department of Human Services, Colorado

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (18.6 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Recruitment and Retention of a Qualified Workforce: The Foundation of Success (PowerPoint presentation)
- The View from the Agency Perspective (PowerPoint presentation)
- Recruitment and Retention Grantee Descriptions
- Visit the new workforce development webpage on this website for links and
resources

May 6, 2008: States and Communities Sharing Their Experience: Strength and Hope for Recovery for Children and Families
Part 2 in the series "Being Successful: Meaningful Collaboration to Improve Outcomes for Families with Substance Use Disorders"
Presented by the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare and the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
This session will highlight agencies that have built their capacity across child welfare, substance abuse treatment and courts, to screen, assess and treat families with substance use disorders. Hear how these sites got started in their collaborative efforts, the steps they took to strengthen their systems, and the technical assistance that has helped them along their way. Each site will also share lessons they have learned about overcoming the barriers to collaboration and to building a network of identification, referral and treatment services.

• Nancy K. Young, Director, National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
• Cathleen Otero, Deputy Director, National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
• Larry Pasti, Director, Bureau of Planning & Intervention Design, Strategic Planning & Policy Development, New York State Office of Children & Family Services
• Dan Griffin, Court Operations Analyst- Chemical Health, Minnesota Judicial Branch, State Court Administrator’s Office, Court Services Division
• Robert Long, Administrator for Access and Outpatient Services, Kennebec Behavioral Health, Maine
• Michael Brennan, Policy Associate, Cutler Institute for Child and Family Policy, Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine

Note: For this session, participants will be able to connect to a website to view a presentation in addition to calling in on an audio line. Watch for an email with instructions for participating!

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (20 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- States and Communities Sharing Their Experience: Strength and Hope for Recovery for Children and Families PowerPoint Presentation (PPT or PDF)

From Minnesota:
- Catch the Vision Tool Kit
- Parent Partner Handbook
- Statement of Shared Values
- Training Plan

From Maine:
- Memorandum of Understanding
- Pamphlet: Universal Substance Abuse Screening for Families in the Child Welfare System
- Strategic Plan

Additional materials from these states and other sites are available at the website of the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare

 

May 15, 2008: Lessons Learned: PIP Development
The PIP development process provides an opportunity for child welfare systems to move forward and the field has learned many lessons about this process in the past several years. This teleconference will highlight approaches that have helped agencies develop and implement comprehensive PIPs that involve critical stakeholders and focus on the key systemic themes related to improving child and family outcomes. For example, the benefits of a PIP Kickoff meeting and an early start on planning and collaboration will be discussed. Join the call and learn how you can make the most of the CFSR and PIP process for your child welfare system!

• Peter Watson, Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
• Steve Preister, Associate Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
• Lynda Arnold, Director, National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
• Members of the Federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) Team

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (20 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information

Background Materials
- Program Improvement Planning and CFSR Kickoff sections of the CFSR Training and Technical Assistance Package

May 20, 2008: More Promising Strategies: Recruitment and Retention
Part 2 in the series "Recruitment and Retention of a Qualified Workforce"
In this session, teams from three states will describe the promising strategies they have used to improve recruitment and retention of child welfare staff. All of these sites have implemented innovative initiatives that have had a positive impact on the child welfare workforce. They have addressed the array of issues that are critical to retaining staff – targeted and realistic recruitment and screening, strengthening supervision, leadership training, mentoring and organizational development. This session will include time for discussion, during which the other grantees and other agencies can share their experience and additional approaches that have been effective.

• Nancy Dickinson, Jordan Institute for Families, UNC School of Social Work, and North Carolina Agency Representatives TBA
• Virginia Strand, Children FIRST, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service and Connecticut Agency Representatives TBA
• Kathleen Coulborn Faller, University of Michigan School of Social Work and Agency Representatives TBA

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (19.8 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Recruitment and Retention Grantee Descriptions

From North Carolina:
- The Right Match

From Connecticut
- Initiating and Sustaining a Mentoring Program

From Michigan:
- Recruitment and Retention of Child Welfare Staff

Backgroud Materials
- Vist the new workforce development webpage on this site for links and resources

June 3, 2008: Building Systems of Care to Improve Child Welfare Outcomes
This teleconference will explore the value of systems of care for child welfare and highlight a new resource available to enhance the capacity of leaders to build these systems. Systems of care involve fundamental shifts similar to the changes that are part of many system reform efforts and central to the child and family services review process – towards coordinated, family-centered, strengths based, and individualized services for children, youth and families. We will hear about efforts to implement these reforms through the leadership of a State child welfare system, and presenters will highlight the components of the new curriculum Primer Hands On - Child Welfare: Training for Child Welfare Stakeholders in Building Systems of Care. Primer Hands On can be used in its entirety as a two day intensive training, or it can support training on particular aspects of systems of care by drawing on specific modules. Primer Hands On can also provide information, resources and examples to leaders working on pieces of reform efforts. We’ll also describe how the Primer Hands On materials can be used in conjunction with technical assistance (TA), and the TA available to agencies on building systems of care.

• Steve Preister, Associate Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
• Sheila Pires, Partner, Human Service Collaborative
• Katherine Lazear, University of South Florida
• Lisa Conlan, Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
• Rebecca Huffman, Program Manager for Regional Training Centers, Staff Development Team, North Carolina Department of Social Services

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (19 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Primer Hands On - Child Welfare Table of Contents
- Building Systems of Care: A Primer for Child Welfare and Primer Hands On - Child Welfare: The Skill Building Curriculum (PPT)
- Building a System of Care in Child Welfare: North Carolina (PPT)

Backgroud Materials:
- Visit the NRCOI website for Primer Hands On: Child Welfare information

June 17, 2008: Enhancing the Service Array in Child Welfare
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center on Child Welfare Data and Technology (NRC-CWDT)
Is your agency challenged by a lack of adequate services to meet needs? This teleconference will highlight a process agencies can use to bring together a broad group of stakeholders to assess and enhance the array of services available to children, youth and families. Presenters will describe the steps in the process designed to build the capacity of systems at the local, regional and state level to meet individualized needs and achieve improved outcomes. The service array process has recently been revised and updated. This call will highlight the technical assistance services available to agencies in this process and the experiences of agencies engaged in it.

• Steve Preister, Associate Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
• Melanie Swisher, Community Collaborative Partnership Coordinator, Division of Children and Adult Services, West Virginia
• Sue Hage, Program Manager, Regulatory Management, Division of Children and Adult Services, West Virginia

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (17 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Enhancing the Service Array in Child Welfare (PPT)
- Service Array Training Modules

Background Materials:
- Assessing and Enhancing the Service Array in Child Welfare (2 page fact sheet)
- Enhancing the Service Array in Child Welfare: Assessing the Capacity of a Jurisdiction/State to Meet the Individualized Needs of Children and Families and Creating and Implementing a Resource and Capacity Development Plan: A Description of the Process
- Achieving Successful Outcomes for Children: A Rationale for the Service Array Process and a Listing of the Capacities a Jurisdiction Needs to Flexibly Meet the Needs of Children and Families in the Child Welfare System
- Visit the NRCOI website for Service Array Materials and Tools

June 26, 2008: Building An Effective Child Welfare Training System
The value of training and professional development in a child welfare agency cannot be overstated. During this teleconference, the presenters will describe what an effective child welfare training system looks like - from both content and structural perspectives. Additionally, they will provide an analytic framework that a child welfare agency leadership team can use to assess the extent to which its training system produces a range of professional development opportunities resulting in a positive impact on children’s safety, permanency, and well-being.

• Susan Kanak, Policy Associate, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
• Susan Maciolek, Senior Project Manager, Massachusetts Department of Social Services
• Lori Herz, Senior Trainer, Rhode Island Child Welfare Training Institute

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (20.6 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Training System Catalyst Event Timeline and Evolution of Training System Structure (PPT)

Background Materials:
- Building Effective Training Systems for Child Welfare Agencies

2007 Fall Teleconferences

November 8, 2007: Supervisory Case Reviews: Tools to Monitor and Improve Practice
One of the lessons learned in the first round of Program Improvement Plans was the critical role of supervisors in monitoring and promoting improvements in practice – such as completing comprehensive assessments or increasing family engagement. One tool agencies are developing to help supervisors in this role is supervisory reviews, in which supervisors do regular structured case reviews with caseworkers focused on agency outcomes and desired practices. This call will feature the work of two states that have developed supervisory review processes as part of their quality improvement systems. Representatives will describe these systems, share the tools that are being used, and participate in a discussion of approaches to engaging supervisors in monitoring practice.

Skip Franklin, Programs Administrator, Children and Family Services, CQI Oklahoma Department of Human Services
Susan Savage, Children's Division Quality Assurance Manager, Missouri Department of Social Services
Christy Collins, Supervisor, Missouri Department of Social Services
Daryl Ingram, Supervisor, Delaware County, Oklahoma Department of Human Services

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (10.5 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Oklahoma Supervisory Review Permanency Instrument - 6.14.05 (Oklahoma is currently updating this tool to include changes being made for the current CFSR.)
- Oklahoma DHS Practice Standards
- Oklahoma DHS Practice Standards Flowchart (This is an evolving document and
changes have been made since this first version.)
- Missouri Supervisory Case Review Tool - CAN (Used for initial investigations)
- Missouri Supevisory Case Review Tool - FCS (Used for intact families being served at home or with a child in care)
- Fall 2007 Child Welfare Matters, "Strengthening Child Welfare Supervision"

November 13, 2007: Transforming Residential Care: Building an Array of Community Based Services
Across the country, child welfare agencies are working to transform their service delivery systems to ensure that children and families get individualized services that meet their needs, and that residential care is part of a comprehensive array of available services. Join us as our panel discusses this transformation from a national, state and provider perspective. Representatives from a federal agency will provide a national picture of residential care, and describe a national initiative to build bridges between residential and community based providers. A State child welfare representative will describe efforts to build a comprehensive array of services, and a provider representative will discuss how his agency transitioned from a residential bed campus to providing a comprehensive array of family centered and community based services. There will be time for your questions and discussion of the issues and challenges involved in this transformation.

Gary Blau, Ph.D., Chief, Child, Adolescent and Family Branch, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Bob Lieberman, Public Policy Chair, American Association of Children's Residential Centers (AACRC) and Executive Director, Southern Oregon Adolescent Study and Treatment Center
Cathy Mols, Executive Director, Social Services Administration, Department of Human Resources, Maryland
Jerry Doyle, Chief Executive Officer, EMQ Children and Family Services, California

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (10 MB)

Handouts:
Agenda and Contact Information
The Building Bridges Joint Resolution
Maryland - Place Matters (PowerPoint Presentation)
EMQ Children and Family Services Website
Youth Today Article on EMQ Children and Family Services
American Association of Children’s Residential Centers (AACRC) (Click on “Public Policy” to see position papers on redefining residential treatment.)

November 29, 2007: Involving Families in the CFSR Process
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning
Child welfare agencies are finding that it is challenging but potentially very effective to engage key stakeholders in building stronger systems to serve children and families. One of the lessons learned during the first round of Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) was the need to increase engagement of families. As agencies work to let families drive the case planning process, they are also challenged to increase parent involvement at the policy and management level. This call will focus on efforts to engage families in the process of assessing an agency’s performance, and in planning and implementing program improvements. Presenters from states early on the in the second round of reviews who have involved families in the CFSR process will discuss their experience, and participate in a discussion of promising practices.

Steven Preister, Associate Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Stephanie Boyd Serafin, Associate Director, National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning
Candice Britt, Special Projects Coordinator, North Carolina Division of Social Services
Stacey Darbee, President, Foster and Adoptive Parent Association, North Carolina
Angela Long, CFSR Coordinator, Oregon Department of Human Services
Ruth Taylor, Director of Parents Anonymous programs, Oregon
Other State and family representatives TBA

Audio Files: Listen as MP3 (16.7 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Engaging Birth Parents, Family Caregivers and Youth: A focus area of the CFSR Training and Technical Assistance package
- CFSR Coordinators Information Request: This matrix details reponses received from CFSR coordinators (including NC and OR) in the summer of 2007 on family involvement in the CFSR process.
- Child, Youth and Family Involvement in Case Planning: An information packet from the NRCFCPPP
- A Family's Guide to the Child Welfare System
- Engaging Families as Stakeholders in the CFSRs: From the Child Welfare Information Gateway
- Follow-up Information

From North Carolina:
The North Carolina Collaborative Charter (as of 9/24/07)
Partnering with Families (PowerPoint Presentation)

From Oregon: Items used with the parent mentors and parent leaders programs
HOPE brochure
Parent Mentoring Project Brochure
Parent Leader job description (7/07)
Parent Mentor job description (3/2/07)

2007 Spring Teleconferences

April 30, 2007: Advocating for the Educational Needs of Children in Out-of-Home Care: The Colorado Experience
To improve educational outcomes for children in the child welfare system, greater coordination needs to occur between the child welfare and education systems. To identify and resolve barriers to coordination between these two systems, the Colorado Department of Human Services launched a variety of activities including: sponsoring two statewide forums involving folks from child welfare and education to share strategies for addressing the educational needs of children in the Colorado child welfare system, and developing and delivering training to child welfare supervisors and caseworkers on practical tools and resources that will encourage a focus on the educational issues of children as a part of regular casework practice.

Art Atwell, Director, Workforce Development Services, CO DHHS
Mary Griffin, Foster Care Coordinator, CO DHHS
Lisa Potter, School Psychologist, Carver and Pike Elementaries
Linda Kean, Staff Development Manager, El Paso County Department of Human Services
Helen Ward, Research Associate, Muskie School of Public Service

Audio Files: Listen to MP3 (18.9 MB)

Handouts:
- A Brief Review of the Curriculum
- Curriculum Manual Contents
- Keystone Fact Sheet

May 3, 2007: Strengthening Supervision
This teleconference will feature the work of the Southern Regional Quality Improvement Center, and what has been learned about clinical supervision methods that have a positive impact on worker retention, case practice and child and family outcomes. The Center funded four projects that implemented and evaluated new approaches to clinical supervision. We will highlight a project in Missouri involving intensive clinical training and individual mentoring to front line CPS supervisors in two sites. Presenters will discuss the positive impact of this pilot on both the supervisory and the agency level, and how the approach has been incorporated into a statewide plan for strengthening supervision.

Crystal Collins-Camargo, Southern Regional Quality Improvement Center
Paul Sundet, University of Missouri, Columbia
Steve Preister, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Lissa Schwach, Supervisor, Missouri Department of Social Services

Audio Files: Listen to MP3 (19.9 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda
- SR Quality Improvement Center Fact Sheet
- SR Quality Improvement Center Supervision Projects in Brief
- Missouri Curriculum Outline
- Missouri Supervisors Time and Activity Log
- Missouri Time and Activities Example Report
- Strengthening Child Welfare Supervision as a Key Change Strategy
- Missouri Supervisory Case Review Tool CAN
- Missouri Supervisory Case Review Tool FCS

May 31, 2007: Building and Maintaining State-Tribal Partnerships to Improve Child Welfare Programs
Co-sponsored by The Collaboration to AdoptUsKids
In the second round of the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is emphasizing the need for agencies to engage key partners, including Tribes. During this call, agencies and Tribal representatives from two States will talk about the critical steps, challenges, and successes in building and maintaining a meaningful partnership to improve services to children and families, and the benefits of this ongoing collaboration. Presenters will also discuss strategies that have been or will be used to involve Tribes in all stages of the CFSR review process. Join in this discussion of ways to develop and strengthen partnerships and collaboration between States and Tribes!

Nancy Keeling, Administrator, Office of Safety and Permanency for Children, Oregon Department of Human Services
Mary Mc Nevins, Indian Child Welfare Manager, Oregon Department of Human Services
Rebekah Main, CPS Director, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, OR
Merlin Weyer, Deputy Director, Child Protective Services, South Dakota Department of Social Services
Teresa Nieto, Indian Child Welfare Program Specialist, South Dakota Department of Social Services
Raymond Cournoyer, ICWA Director, Indian Child Welfare Program, Yankton Sioux Tribe, SD

Audio Files: Listen to MP3 (20.75 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Collaborating During the Child and Family Services Review
- South Dakota Charter
- Building and Maintaining State-Tribal Partnerships to Improve Child Welfare Programs
   Download PowerPoint file or PDF file
- Oregon Senate Bill 770
- Midtown ICWA Unit Review Methodology
- ICWA Addendum for the CFSR OR
- Tribal State Partnerships - Warm Springs
   Download PowerPoint file or PDF file

June 14, 2007: Engaging Youth in the CFSR and Program Improvements
Co-sponsored by the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Youth Development
Around the country, agencies are discovering the benefits of listening to the consumer perspective through voices of youth who have been impacted by the child welfare system. This teleconference will focus on strategies that are being used to engage youth in ongoing program improvements in child welfare agencies. Representatives from two national resource centers will draw on their experience to discuss promising approaches to engaging youth. They will highlight a set of tools and resources that are now available or are being developed to help agencies engage youth in leadership activities, and particularly in the CFSR process. Youth representatives will share their perspectives on steps agencies can take to effectively involve youth in analyzing and improving child welfare programs.

Dorothy Ansell and Clay Finck, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Youth Development
Marty Zanghi, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Penthea Burns, Youth Leadership Advisory Team
Youth representatives TBA

Audio Files: Listen to MP3 (19.96 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- 2007 CFSR Toolkit for Youth Involvement
- Positively Engaging Youth in the CFSR
   Download PowerPoint file or PDF file

June 26, 2007: Engaging Courts and Building Court/Agency Collaboration
Co-sponsored by the National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
Courts that hear child abuse and neglect cases and child welfare agencies are both responsible for the safety, well-being, and timely permanency of children in substitute care. Too often, however, they work independently of each other and fail to achieve these common goals. The Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) and the Court Improvement Program (CIP) can enhance the court/agency relationship by promoting collaborative efforts that improve outcomes for children and families. As part of the current CFSR process, the National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues has contracted with two retired juvenile court judges who have expertise in child abuse and neglect cases to work with courts and agencies to enhance their collaboration and to increase court participation in the CFSR process, including any resulting Program Improvement Plan (PIP) and its implementation.

William G. Jones, Chief District Court Judge, Retired, 26th Judicial District Court, Charlotte, NC
Judge Stephen W. Rideout, Retired, Former Chief Judge, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, Alexandria, VA

Audio Files: Listen to MP3 (19.2 MB)

Handouts:
- Court-Agency Collaboration in CFSRs: Steps for Each Stage of the Process
   Download PowerPoint file or PDF file
- Working with the Courts in Child Protection
- How and Why to Involve the Courts in Your CFSR: Suggestions for Agency Administrators
- CFSRs: How Judges, Court Administrators, and Attorneys Should Be Involved
- Improving Outcomes Together: Court and Child Welfare Collaboration

On Data
May 22, 2007: CFSR Data Indicators and Composites
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
There is much interest in the individual measures and the new data composites being used in the second round of the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) process. During this call representatives from the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology (NRC-CWDT) will discuss the data indicators being used in the second round, and the resources and tools they have developed to help agencies understand and work with the new data composites.

Gene Thompson, National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
Joe Murray, National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology

Audio Files: Listen to MP3 (20.6 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Child and Family Services Reviews: Measuring Performance
   Download PowerPoint file or PDF file
- CFSR Resources
- CFSR Data: The Building Blocks
- Follow-up Questions & Answers

June 5, 2007: Using Data in the CFSR and Beyond
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
During this call, presenters from the National Resource Center for Data and Technology (NRC-CWDT) and National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI) will focus on the state data profiles, and how they can be used effectively in the statewide assessment process and throughout the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) process. Presenters will also discuss how agencies can continue to feed critical performance data back to program managers and staff in the field to promote program improvements, and how states are using data as part of ongoing quality improvement feedback loops within agencies. Join us for this discussion of using data in the CFSR and beyond.

Lynda Arnold, National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
Peter Watson, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Maryellen Bearzi, Deputy Director, Protective Services, New Mexico Children and Family Services Department
Christeen Borsheim, Children's Research, Planning and Evaluation Supervisor, Minnesota Department of Human Services

Audio Files: Listen to MP3 (17.25 MB)

Handout:
- Example CFSR Data Profile

2006 Teleconferences

April 13, 2006: Keeping Children Safe: Strategies to Reduce Recurrence of Maltreatment
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for Child Protective Services
Many jurisdictions have identified the need to reduce recurrence of maltreatment. Many factors impact recurrence, and determining which to address is not easy. This teleconference highlights those factors and some promising interventions for reducing repeat maltreatment. The call was facilitated by the Director of the National Resource Center for Child Protective Services, which has provided technical assistance related to reducing recurrence to many jurisdictions. Additional presenters included John Fluke, who has done a great deal of research on recurrence, and representatives from child welfare agencies who discussed strategies they use to reduce repeat maltreatment. • T041306

Theresa Costello, Director, National Resource Center for Child Protective Services, Albuquerque, NM
John Fluke, Vice President for Research, Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc., Aurora, CO
Jim Grace, CFSR/PIP Coordinator, Kentucky Department for Community-Based Services, Frankfort, KY
Fred Ober, Vermont Division of Social Services, Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services
Mary Livermont. CPS Program Specialist, South Dakota Department of Social Services

Audio Files: Listen to MP3 (20.9 MB)

Handouts:
- Contact Information and Agenda
- Resources
- Theresa Costello will refer to a powerpoint presentation that is on the Children's Bureau website related to the PIPs: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/results/pip_presentation_final/sld001.htm • PDF version
- John Fluke will refer to a powerpoint presentation on Rereporting and Recurrence Data.

April 25, 2006: Solution Focused Practice (Part 1)
Co-sponsored by the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning
Child welfare agencies are actively exploring multiple ways to engage with families to keep their children safe. Solution focused practice is a full family-centered model that has been used successfully in the mental health field and more recently in child welfare. During these three calls, presenters discuss the philosophy, principles and research that underpin solution focused practice as well as how implementing this approach in child welfare has generated positive outcomes for children, families and workers. • T042506

Insoo Kim Berg, Director, Brief Family Therapy Center, Milwaukee, WI
Nancy Sugerman from San Louis Obispo County, CA
Penny Griffith of Washington, D. C

Audio File: Listen to MP3 (19.4 MB)

Handout:
- What is Solution Focused Practice?

May 2 and 11, 2006: Preparing the Annual Progress and Services Review (APSR) for the Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP): Coordinating the CFSP with Preserving Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) and Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) Funds
This teleconference featured presentations on the FY 2006 program instructions for the APSR, and on the 2006 program instructions for the Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program. The focus was on steps agencies need to take to prepare their APSR, and how services being reported on that are part of the child and family services plan (CFSP) can be coordinated with services funded under CBCAP and preserving safe and stable families (PSSF). The audio files and handouts allow access to this information for states working on coordinating efforts and services across these federal initiatives. • T050206

Audio File: Listen to MP3 (18.9 MB)

Handouts:
- Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Program (CBCAP) 2006 Program Instruction Overview (PowerPoint • PDF)
- FY 2006 Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR): Program Instruction Highlights and Examples (PowerPoint • PDF)

May 4, 2006: Solution Focused Practice (Part 2)
Solution Based Casework is the practice model used by the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services. This model combines the best of problem focused relapse prevention approaches with solution-focused models. By integrating the two concepts, we have found that partnerships between family, caseworker, and service providers can be developed that account for basic needs safety, well-being, and permanence while concurrently restoring the family’s pride in their own competence.

This teleconference provides a brief overview of Kentucky’s practice model, the research that supports it and administrative considerations for implementation. The discussion also includes ‘lessons learned’ from a field supervisor and state trainer who was involved in the implementation of Solution Based Casework. • T050406

Becky F. Antle, MSSW, PhD, Assistant Research Professor, Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville
Dana Christensen, PhD, Professor, Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville
Lisa Barrett, Instructor, Credit for Learning Program, University of Louisville

Audio File: Listen to MP3 (19.5 MB)

Handouts:
- Family Solutions Summary
- Engaging Child Welfare Families: A Solution-Based Approach to Child Welfare Practice

May 25, 2006: Solution Focused Practice (Part 3)
The May 25th session builds on the previous two sessions on Solution Based Casework and focuses on developing a skill set for solution focused practice, both with those working at the front line and for supervisors. Practical skills for engaging with families, keeping the family viewpoint central, building a solution focused plan and guiding successful interventions are addressed. The presenters have worked in Michigan for over a decade building solution focused strategies in child welfare. • T052506

Susan Kelly, MSW, Senior Associate, Center for the Study of Social Policy, Washington, DC
Peter DeJong, Phd., ACSW, Professor of Sociology and Social Work, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Mary Jiordano, Training Coordinator, Family Preservation, Michigan Department of Human Services
Dan Cowan, Consultant/Trainer, Family to Family Initiative, Michigan Department of Human Services

Audio File: Listen to MP3 (18.4 MB)

Handouts:
- Solution Focused Strategies in Child Welfare
- Collaborative Practice: Sharing Cases and Going Out on Home Visits
- Strengths-Based Decision Making Protocols: Building Solutions Together
- Building Strengths-based Tools for Child Protection Practice: A Case of “Parallel Process”
- SBI Protocol for use in CPS Investigations and Safety/Service Planning
- Solution Focused Principles
- Solution Focused Strategies in TDM Meetings
- Being Solution Focused in the TDM Family Meeting Process

June 6, 2006: Performance Based Contracts: Making Deals with Providers
The challenge for most child welfare systems is to do better work with the same resources. Performance contracting is one strategy where agreements with providers to improve outcomes for children and families can actually lead to more resources through the reinvestment of savings. The key is finding the right set of outcomes, the right strategies and securing the right agreements with providers responsible for the work. Learn how these deals have worked in performance based contracts in Illinois and other locations, and how this powerful strategy could work for you! • T060606

Michael Shaver, Consultant; Former Deputy Director for Budget, Research and Planning, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Chicago, IL
Danielle Reh, Project Manager, PMHCC Best Practices Institute, Philadelphia, PA

Audio File: Listen to MP3 (20.6 MB)

Handouts:
- Contact Information and Agenda
- Strategies and Resources
Michael Shaver refers to the following PowerPoint presentation and paper:
- Performance Contracting in Illinois Child Welfare (PowerPoint)
- Performance Contracting in Illinois (Paper)
Danielle Reh refers to the following PowerPoint presentation:
- Performance Based Contracting and Permanency in Philadelphia (PowerPoint)

November 9, 2006: Using Coordinated Technical Assistance to Improve Placement Stability
Coordinated technical assistance from the Children’s Bureau’s Training and Technical Assistance Network can help agencies develop comprehensive, effective action plans to make program improvements. This teleconference will highlight an example of this coordinated technical assistance focused on improving placement stability, and recruitment and retention of foster families in one district in Florida. It will feature the collaboration among several national resource centers, AdoptUsKids, the State of Florida Department of Children and Families, district staff and community-based care providers. We will discuss the partnership, the roles and responsibilities of all the parties, the model developed and the successful results of the collaboration. • T110906

Sharon Tintle, Federal Planning and Reporting Unit, and Linda D. Johns, Foster Care Recruitment and Retention, Florida Department of Children and Families with District staff, and representatives of community-based care agencies
Lynda Arnold, National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
Judith and John McKenzie, Adopt UsKids
Janyce Fenton, National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice and Permanency Planning

Audio File: Listen to MP3 (19.9MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Lead Agency Map (PDF): Background on Florida’s CBC Agencies
- Coordinated Technical Assistance to Improve Placement Stability in FL. Describes the process in FL, critical success factors, and potential benefits of coordinated technical assistance/
- Guide for Analysis of Placement Stability, with two Attachments
- Placement Stability Review Tools (Excel file)
- Appreciative Inquiry Questions

As additional background, resources on Placement Stability have been compiled by the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning and can be accessed at their website:
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/placement-stability.html

Follow-up information: District 1 Pilot Project - Overview

November 30, 2006: Enhancing Performance in Contracts: Outcomes and Monitoring
With increasing pressure to achieve outcomes, many child welfare agencies are passing performance expectations on to their contractors by negotiating outcomes in contracts. This teleconference will explore how to use this approach to actually improve performance. Critical steps include: setting the stage for performance, working collaboratively with providers to negotiate outcomes, monitoring agencies vigorously, and supporting expectations with an agency-wide quality improvement program. We will highlight the most recent developments in performance based contracting in Illinois, as agency performance teams monitor new contract expectations focused on permanency and other quality measures. • T113006

Erwin McEwen, Deputy Director of Monitoring and Quality Assurance, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services

Audio File: Listen to MP3 (19.9 MB)

Handouts:
- Agenda and Contact Information
- Illinois Performance Based Contracts — historical overview of performance based contracting in IL highlighting the new set of performance indicators in contracts and their expected impact on CFSR outcomes
- IL contract language — Cook County FY 06 contract langauge on performance expectations
- Statewide results — EXCEL file: 5 graphs showing overall performance on 5 measures over one year)

2005 Teleconference Programs

April 26, 2005: Improving the Service Array in Child Welfare: A Strategy for Rural Jurisdictions
Having an adequate service array is critical for successful child welfare practice in order to meet the individual needs of children and families who are involved with the child welfare system. Many states, in their Child and Family Service Review (CFSR), have been required to address this Systemic Factor. This teleconference describes a process now used in several states that utilizes community stakeholders in a jurisdiction to evaluate current services and prepare and implement a resource development plan; and highlights the experience of two states which have used this process to enhance the service array, particularly in rural and frontier counties which are not resource rich. • T042605

• Steven Preister, Associate Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement.
• Debbie Silverman, Resource Development Administrator, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Western Service Area.
• Kathy Carter, CPS Supervisor, Western Service Area.
• Kim Engel, Director, Panhandle Public Health District.
• Chunda Longino, Regional Network Coordinator, Hinds and Warren Counties, Mississippi: Mississippi’s Use of the Service Array Process in Rural Counties.

  Handouts:
  - A Full Service Array in Child Welfare: The Continuum of Child Welfare Services
  - Assessing and Enhancing the Service Array in Child Welfare
  - Warren County, Mississippi: Improving the Service Array in Child Welfare
  - Nebraska Panhandle Service Array Assessment (PowerPoint)

May 5, 2005: So Your PIP Is Over: Ongoing Program Improvement
This teleconference features several states that have successfully completed their Program Improvement Plans for the first round of the Child and Family Services Review. State presenters discuss the accomplishments achieved during their PIPs, their efforts to maintain improvements and their plans to move forward with strategies and program improvements until the next round of reviews. The discussion highlights how to maintain the momentum generated by the PIP and how to keep everyone involved in the process, with particular emphasis on field staff and stakeholders. • T050505

Please note: Minnesota's PIP TIPS can by found under Program Improvement Plan Development and PIP Resources at the following web site: http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/groups/county_access/documents/pub/DHS_id_000310.hcsp

• Lynda Arnold, Associate Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Oklahoma City, OK, facilitator
• Erin Sullivan-Sutton, Family & Children's Services Division, Minnesota Department of Human Services
• Sheila Duranleau, Vermont Department for Children & Families
• Charlotte Honse, Services to Children & Families, Oregon Department of Human Services
  

Handout:
- Oregon's Lessons Learned and Plan of Action

May 12, 2005: Using Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Resources Strategically to Improve Your Agency
Under our new grant, the National Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI) is charged with coordinating the National Child Welfare Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) network of federally-funded national resource centers and AdoptUSKids. This teleconference highlights our new role in coordinating onsite T/TA when multiple resource centers work with states and tribes, and how states and tribes can use this coordinated T/TA strategically to build the infrastructure they need to improve outcomes for children and families. We review and discuss the key steps in the new, coordinated onsite T/TA process, and focus on how states, tribes and regional offices can maximize the use of T/TA resources and target them appropriately for maximum benefit to the agency. • T051205

Kris Sahonchik, Director of Strategy and Coordination, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Portland, ME
Peter Watson, Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Portland, ME

Handouts:
- The Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network: Key Steps to Coordinating the T/TA Process
- Coordinated Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA), Child Welfare Matters, Spring, 2005

June 9, 2005: A Framework for Implementing Continuous Quality Improvement
In February 2005, a group of national child welfare experts, including agency directors, agency QI managers, child welfare supervisors and workers, researchers, policy-makers, and child welfare consumers convened to develop a framework that would guide public child welfare agencies in creating and implementing continuous quality improvement systems. This framework describes the various principles behind and components of a comprehensive CQI system in child welfare. It will ultimately be used to guide the work of public child welfare agencies participating in a national Breakthrough Series Collaborative. The presenters describe the development of this framework and how it can be used as a tool to guide the implementation of CQI systems in public child welfare agencies. • T060905

• Peter Watson, Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Portland, ME, facilitator
• Jen Agosti, Consultant, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, North Andover, MA, facilitator
• State representative to be determined

  Handout:
  - Using Continuous Quality Improvement to Improve Child Welfare Practice: A Framework for Implementation

October 11, 2005: Community Partnerships for Protecting Children
The Community Partnerships for Protecting Children initiative has promoted the idea that no one agency can keep children safe. In fact, the motto of the Center for Community Partnerships in Child Welfare (CCPCW) is “Keeping Children Safe is Everybody’s Business.” Community partnerships work to protect children by engaging families, building local or neighborhood level networks, and transforming state policy to support these partnerships. Join us for this call to learn about the community partnerships approach from the Director of the CCPCW, and to hear about how child welfare agencies are developing and implementing these partnerships today. • T101105

• Susan Notkin, Director, The Center for Community Partnerships in Child Welfare
• Sandy Lint, Community Partnerships State Coordinator, Iowa Department of Human Services
• Kathryn Griffith, University of Illinois at Chicago, Division of Specialized Care for Children
  Jo-Anne Henry, CPPC Statewide Coordinator, Family Connection Partnership, Georgia
  Steve Preister, Associate Director, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Washington, DC

Handout:
- Community Partnerships Resources

October 18, 2005: Leadership Teleconference
Leadership has been an important key to states’ success in the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) and in accomplishing systemic change. Members of the Children’s Bureau’s CFSR unit share observations on leadership from the first round of reviews. Several state leaders then discuss how they are leading the effort in their state and how they have addressed important issues such as 1) resources; 2) changing agency culture and 3) involving stakeholders. This teleconference targeted high level leaders and managers at the state and county levels. • T101805

• Paul Ronnigen, Director, Division of Children and Family Services, North Dakota Dept. of Human Services
• Linda Mitchell, Child and Family Services Team, Children's Bureau.

November 10, 2005: Engaging Providers in Systems Reform
Presenters discussed using the purchase of service system as a tool to engage providers in systems reform. Hear from agencies working collaboratively with providers to examine and reshape their purchased services to support their agency’s strategic direction and practice values. Presenters also explore efforts to contract for networks of integrated services to improve outcomes for children and families. • T111005

• Susan Maciolek, PMT Leader, Boston, MA
• Bonny Saulnier, Vice President for Family Home Based Services, Wayside Youth and Family Support Network

  Handout (Click to download):
  - Background and MA Department of Social Services’ System of Care Procurement
  - Summary of Teleconference
  Family Networks in Massachusetts: Engaging Providers in Systems Reform

2004 Teleconference Programs

February 12, 2004: Strategic Planning: How to Move Your Agency Toward Improved Outcomes through Strategic Planning
In 2003, all states will be developing a new Title IV-B Five Year Child and Family Service Plan for 2004-2008. This CFSP has been the focus of the Child and Family Service Reviews and has increasing importance for child welfare agencies as a broader strategic plan incorporating the State’s CFSR Program Improvement Plans and meeting federal requirements for reauthorization of other funds such as CAPTA and Chaffee Independent Living. This teleconference focuses on strategic planning as a vehicle to move agencies toward their broader VISION and toward improved outcomes for children and families. This call provides: 1) a brief review of the federal program instructions related to the IVB Five Year CFSP, and 2) an overview of best practice related to strategic planning. State representatives present examples of how they approached the CFSP and how this process has been integrated with other agency plans including the CFSR PIP.

Vicki Wright, Children’s Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
State and ACF Regional Office representatives
Lynda Arnold, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Oklahoma City, OK
Beth Frizsell, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Jackson, MS
Please note: this teleconference was offered twice and results in two taped programs: T021204 • T030204

April 1, 2004: Looking at the CFSR Data: What We Are Learning about Tribal/State Relationships, the Consultation Process, and ICWA Compliance Issues
Data gathered from the Child and Family Services Reviews allow us to look at trends and common issues. This teleconference highlights what the data tell us about tribal/state relationships, the consultation process, and ICWA compliance issues. These trends are compared with other evidence-based research to help us explore the lessons to be learned from the review process for Indian children and families. Improvement options and promising practices already implemented are discussed to help us examine possible next steps and explore policy implications.

David Simmons and Carolyn Maple, National Indian Child Welfare Association, Portland, OR
State and tribal presenters to be announced. •  T040104

April 8, 2004: Program Improvement Planning: What Have We Learned from the First Year of PIP Implementation?
It’s hard to believe, but numerous states have reached or exceeded the one year milestone of PIP implementation. So what do we know? What have we learned? Several states, having completed an annual review of their progress, will share lessons learned regarding plan implementation and progress toward improvements. This call includes: 1) a brief review of federal expectations related to PIP implementation, monitoring and reporting; 2) state experiences, strengths and challenges implementing and monitoring program improvements, and 3) update on effective state strategies and approaches that are improving services and outcomes for children and families.

Children’s Bureau, State and ACF Regional Office presenters
Beth Frizsell, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Jackson, MS • T040804

April 13, 2004: PIP Measurement Strategies
As part of their Program Improvement Plans (PIPs), states have developed a variety of measurement strategies to assess their progress during PIP implementation. Among the most common types of measurement strategies are CFSR-like reviews, supervisory and/or peer case file reviews, and a variety of quantitative data reports. This teleconference explores the lessons learned in several states with early PIP implementations and presents strategies for developing or improving measurement strategies, even after a PIP has been approved.

Katherine Guffey, Arizona Department of Economic Security, Cottonwood, AZ
Sara Mims, Children’s Services Section, North Carolina Department of Social Services, Raleigh, NC
Peter Watson, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Portland, ME • T041304

April 29, 2004: Investing In Front End Services
To improve child welfare outcomes, a critical strategy is to increase the investment in services at the front end of the system. Child welfare agencies around the country are making bold strides towards reducing the number of children in care and lengths of stay by increasing the resources and attention devoted to prevention services, services to low-risk families, and intensive services to families early in the process. Successful leaders point to how critical it is to make this fundamental shift of resources and focus within the service delivery system. In this teleconference, state and county child welfare managers describe their efforts to increase investment in front end services, and discuss the practical steps agencies can take to make this shift.

Marc Chenna, Director, Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Pittsburgh, PA
Chris Hanus, Deputy Administrator for Programs, Office of Protection and Safety, Lincoln, NE
Other state representatives TBA • T042904

May 11, 2004: Using QA Data and Information at the Local Level
Most child welfare agencies have a tremendous amount of data and information at their disposal. However, too few use it effectively to help guide practice and/or management at the local level. This teleconference highlights some successful state examples. Oklahoma has developed a sophisticated case review system through which people at all levels of the child welfare agency participate in qualitative reviews and/or peer case file reviews. The resulting data is available to staff throughout the organization to use in their daily work. Massachusetts’ Department of Social Services has developed a “Data Mart” through which staff can access and manipulate data from the agency’s FamilyNet system.

Dennis Bean, Children and Family Services Division, Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Oklahoma City, OK
Mary Ellen Bennard, Department of Social Services, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
Peter Watson, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Portland, ME

May 18, 2004: Successful Media Strategies: Working with the Media to Improve the Image of Child Welfare
This teleconference focuses on working more closely with the media to improve child welfare’s image. Topics include: 1) being proactive with the media; 2) developing a relationship with the media; and 3) getting your message across. These areas will be explored especially in relation to the CFSR process. The second part of the teleconference gives specific examples of states working with the media and include: 1) educating the public regarding child protective services; 2) dealing with crisis situations; 3) advocating for staff and resources; and 4) improving child welfare’s image in general.

Jerry Milner, Children’s Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
Lynda Arnold, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Oklahoma City, OK
Other presenters • T051804

June 1, 2004: Making and Sustaining Cultural Change
Many times cultural and systemic changes are necessary for child welfare systems to reach desired improvements in services and outcomes for children and families. Some of these needed changes have been highlighted in results from the Child and Family Services Reviews. This teleconference discusses the prerequisites and pitfalls to making and sustaining cultural change within the agency. It highlights insights from the CFSRs as well as several states’ experiences and endeavors.

Linda Mitchell, Children’s Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
Lynda Arnold, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Oklahoma City, OK
State representatives • T060104

June 10, 2004: Supporting Permanent Placements: Post-Permanency Services
Since the passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, and with Title IV-B incentives for adoption promotion, child welfare agencies have been under tremendous pressure to move foster children into permanent placements. With the increase in permanent arrangements for children, the question arises: how can we strengthen and support these families to assure stable and successful placements? Many states have developed innovative services and programs to address this very question, expanding the continuum of care to provide post-permanency services. In this teleconference, representatives from national organizations and from state agencies present various strategies and initiatives for maintaining permanent families, specifically addressing a range of post-permanency and post-adoption services.

Gerald P. Mallon, Director, National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning, New York, NY
State representatives • T061004

September 9, 2004: Child Welfare Leadership’s Use of Data and Information
How well do child welfare leaders in your organization use data and information as part of their ongoing child welfare management? This session explores strategies for using QA reports and activities to support leadership initiatives and encourage improved outcomes. Presenters discuss some of the typical questions and needs of child welfare leaders as well as effective reporting techniques and presentation styles. In addition, the session addresses ways of overcoming resistance to, or lack of familiarity with, the use of data and information in child welfare agencies.

Larry Brown, New York State Office of Child and Family Services, Albany, NY
Lynda Arnold, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Oklahoma City, OK
Peter Watson, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Portland, ME • T090904

September 16, 2004: Getting Providers on Board: Outcomes Focused Contracting
As child welfare agencies are pushed to achieve outcomes, there is an increasing need to be clear about expectations, and to communicate and enforce those expectations widely with everyone who works with children and families. In addition to getting staff on board, a particular challenge in many states is to communicate expectations about outcomes to contracted providers who work directly with children and families. This teleconference explores efforts to make the fundamental shift from purchasing distinct units of service to purchasing services focused on outcomes. Presenters highlight efforts to work with contracted providers to develop services that focus on achieving permanency while keeping children safe and meeting their needs.

Erwin McEwen, Deputy Director of Monitoring and Quality Assurance, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Chicago, IL
Other state and provider presenters • T091604

September 21, 2004: Assessing Your Agency’s Training System
This teleconference presents an approach, method and tool for assessing if and how your training system enhances the agency’s mission, goals and outcomes. The assessment approach focuses on indicators such as the relationship of the training system to other internal and external systems—particularly QA, supervision and case review—and how the training system supports key practice interventions necessary to achieve positive outcomes for children and families. Presenters discuss how the Colorado Department of Human Services implemented this approach.

Susan Maciolek, Child Welfare Management Consultant, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Portland, ME
Susan Kanak, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Portland, ME
Art Atwell and other representatives from the Colorado Department of Human Services, Denver, CO • T092104 C