Implementation Challenge – New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth, and Families
How do we improve consistency in family engagement, communication with stakeholders, and service delivery through the development of a statewide practice model?
Their Solution
DCYF leadership believed that a unified model of excellence in practice would ensure consistency in family engagement, communication with stakeholders, service delivery, and, above all, improved safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families in New Hampshire. Keys to DCYF success included the strong leadership provided by the DCYF Director, a cross-functional design team, an on-site project coordinator, youth and parent stakeholder involvement, inclusion of practice model implementation in the NH DCYF Program Improvement Plan, an unwavering focus on child and family outcomes, and use of consultants to strengthen strategies identified by the Design Team.
NCIC’s Role
Coached NH DCYF to assess and address: inconsistent practice in engaging families. NCIC supported the NH DCYF in developing a project design and oversight structure specifically intended to increase buy-in for change efforts by developing champions, who shifted the organizational culture to one that valued family engagement.
Assisted NH DCYF agency in designing their model of practice, developing implementation work planning tools and strategies.
Provided evaluation guidance in several areas: 1) Development of targeted evaluation tools and strategic use of data to assess and manage practice change. 2) Development of internal quantitative analysis capacity through expansion of an existing university partnership. 3) Integration of ongoing evaluation of new practices into existing Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) system, thereby supporting ongoing practice model oversight.
Brought in national level expert consultants at key decision points.
Provided financial resources to enable the agency to contract with the experts to design, implement and sustain practice model values and strategies.
Results
Fidelity to a casework model.
The NH DCYF roll-out of Solution-Based Casework included implementation of tools to measure fidelity to this key casework practice. A case practice review process now measures outcomes for children, youth and families.
Consistency in practice across the organization.
Evaluation activities document the alignment of staff’s beliefs with agency beliefs embedded in its practice model. The Center for Professional Excellence in Child Welfare has integrated the Practice Model training into ongoing training. DCYF continues to strengthen the alignment of their practice model improvements across child welfare, juvenile justice and the state juvenile detention facility.
Increased leadership at all levels of the organization.
A state-funded full-time Practice Model Coordinator position and a part-time Parent Partner Consultant position have been established to sustain project management functions beyond the end of the NCIC project. Staff who exercised leadership on the cross-functional design team have been promoted to positions of greater authority. Youth and parent involvement continue to be important and successful components of the agency practice model implementation.
Improved child welfare practice.
Case practice reviews show improved youth and family engagement as evidenced by an increase in parent engagement, greater avenues for parent/youth engagement, improved avenues for achieving permanency for youth, and increased quantity and quality of worker contacts with clients.