HomeMy WebLinkAboutFamily Support Initiative 10-01 to 09-30-96Family Preservation and Support Services Initiative
Initial grant cycle: October 1, 1995 - September 30, 1996
Grant amount: $45,000
Fiscal agent: County social/human services agency
Grant limitations and considerations.
- Funds CANNOT be used for services
- Travel budget needs to be sufficient to bring 4-5 planning
team members to 4-6 training sessions during the contract
year
Budget needs to include anticipated costs for full
participation by families (i.e., transportation, child
care, stipends, etc.)
Purpose of planning process: Seek to improve services and the
system(s) which deliver those services at the State, county
and targeted community level by shifting service systems
toward a stronger emphasis on crisis and placement prevention.
Phases of planning process:
1) Articulate the "vision" of the project from the perspective
of the planning team (may have been largely completed prior
to the application for funding).
The legislation established 5 critical elements for the
vision.
— Emphasis on preventing crises and breakdown of families
Expansion of family -centered or family -focused services
— Need to establish a comprehensive continuum of services
Need to join forces and maximize resources
Possible need to make changes in the service system
2) Determine who should be involved in the planning and the
planning processes to be used. ,Analyze data on the strengths
and weaknesses of existing services and systems, as well as
environmental threats and opportunities. Requirements
include.
- an organized community planning process
- involvement in the planning, including families
— focus on family support AND family preservation
data upon which to base decisions
3) Determine a basic structure for the desired system and
governance changes.
4) Commit to goals and actions involving services, community
changes, and system improvement, governance and
collaboration -related activities. Goals and objectives
-__ should integrate the following features.
- at least a 5 year time frame with at least annual
benchmarks
- address critical issues related to the planning process
and the results of the data analysis,
analyze root causes and the need for change in services,
delivery systems and the community and
are measurable in terms of the concrete expected
improvements in families and children, as well as
intermediate progress indicators.
5) Review again the direction, meaning and values.
Other requirements:
The plan and services must address both family support and
family preservation, with at least 250 of these new resources
-__ devoted to each during the period of the grant program.
FAMILY PRESERVATION AND FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES DEFINED:
FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES:
"Services for children and families designed to help families
(including adoptive and extended families) at risk or in
CRSIS."
Such services include:
(1) service programs designed to help reunify children with
their families or promote adoption or other planned perma-
nent living arrangements;
(2) preplacement preventive services programs, such as
intensive family preservation programs, designed to help
children at risk of foster care placement remain with their
families;
(3) service programs designed to provide follow-up care to
families after a child has been returned home;
(4) respite care of children to provide temporary relief for
parents and other caregivers (including foster parents); and
(5) services designed to improve parenting skills.
`t
FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES:
"Community -based services to promote the well-being of
children and families —designed to increase the strength
and stability of families (including adoptive, foster and
extended families), to increase parents' confidence and
competence in their parenting abilities, to afford children a
stable and supportive family environment. and otherwise to
enhance child development."
Such services include:
(1) in -home visits, parent support groups, and other
services that are designed to improve parenting skills;
(2) respite care of children to provide temporary relief for
parents and other caregivers;
(3) structured activities involving parents and children to
strengthen the parent -child relationship; and
(4) drop -in centers, information and referral services. and
early developmental screening of children w assess their
need for specific services.
Source: Family Preservation and Support Program
Planning Process Participants:
At a minimum, the planning process must include input
local federally -funded and state -funded efforts which
designed to support families, including:,
k = Active, involved member of planning group
�= Invited to planning group, limited or no participation
�= Input received, but not a planning group member
Blank= not involved -
from all
are
families (both past/current recipients of service &those not in service system)
clubs, associations, civic groups
churches
Head Start
local school districts
local public health
county department of social and/or human services (including social services, income
maintenance, child welfare, child care, etc.)
county department of community programs (chapters 51/55)
juvenile justice agencies/providers
runaway youth programs
domestic/community violence programs
law enforcement
courts
respite care providers
housing agency
local WIC operator (s)
prosecutors/district attorneys
other governmental agencies.
List:
private agencies with experience in family support
private agencies with experience in family preservation
other private agencies. List areas of expertise:
private attorneys
physicians or other health professionals
private business people
other community professionals. List occupational groups:
racial/ethnic
minorities living in the target area,
special needs populations:
111 1
� / 1 1 ' • • 1 • 11 • •
." _ Below is a listing of commonly -used processes and models for performing planning
=- related to service improvement and system change. A sepazate checklist is
provided for sources of data used in the planning process. Please check all that � ' � '
were/aze being used in the planning project. (Note: this list can be used both as a
post planning summary and as apre-project checklist)
_ Development of ground rules for planning_/inpudmeetings
SWOT (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis
"staff" analysis and recommendations
formal planning meetings/committee
brainstorming sessions
focus groups with staff/providers _ _ - _
focus groups with customers/consumers
.analysis of family strengths
informal gatherings (suppers, etc.)
small group work. Describe:
team building exercises and processes
site visits and other "visual" data -gathering
specific learning/training/cross-training. Describe:
community -wide conferences)
structured interviews
formal organizational or system assessment
root cause analysis
key informant interviews
celebrations/acknowledging contributions of those involved
other specific planning strategies. Describe:
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Attachment H
Involvement in the Planning Processes
1. Participant identification (please fill in the checklist in Attachment 1) .
i 2. Describe successes and difficulties you had in retaining the active involvement ,
of families. Include any incentives or supports you may have provided to insure '
participation of families who might not otherwise have been able to participate
(e.g. child care, transportation, convenient meeting times, advocacy, parent -only
education or discussion sessions, stipends)
3. Describe any difficulties you had in recruiting other participants and/or key
decision -makers and how you dealt with these problems.
4: Identify the main benefits and deficits of the model of participation ired fo
this planning project, requr
benefits.
deficits:
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Attachment L
Data Elements
1. Column 1: Availability of data. Please indicate the relative availability and use of each
data element according to the following:
- A/LT= hazd data available and used
"- -- A/NU= hard data available and not used
- O/U= Opinions of key informants used, hazd data unavailable
NA= completely or generally not available (includes items available by limited
anecdotal information)
Column 2: Trend information. Please indicate in the second column any trends in the data
over the last 5 years using the following codes: _
G= growing trend
S = stable trend
D = decreasing trend
A copy of all data used in the planning process should be attached.
Available Trend Type of information
A. Community, health and service system data
total population and number of households
substance abuse arrest rates
availability of firearms/violent crime rates
delinquency arrest rates
low birth weight babies and/or infant mortality
poverty rates for children
' immunization rates for children
uninsured children
availability of affordable housing
employment rates
rate of use of public assistance
use of recreation services
rate of use of pre -natal care
incidence of communicable diseases
_ births to school -age teens
child abuse/neglect reports
adult school completion rates
family violence/domestic violence
�- _ out -of -home placement rates
single pazent families
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Attachment L: Data Elements (cont.)
C. School data
school dropout rates
academic failure rates in elementary school
school attendance rates
school readiness rate
school suspension and/or expulsion rates
developmental delays at entry into school
2. Note any other data you found useful: (e,g, suicide/homicide rates, accident rates, child
death rates, vision/hearing impairment rates, utilization of maternal and infant intensive care,
child hospitalization rates, achievement test scores, juvenile custody rates, information on
family cohesion and communication, etc.)
3. Note any additional information gained by looking at the data which are able to be broken
down in the following ways:
- geography (neighborhood/
- race/ethnicity:
- age subgroups:
- gender breakdowns,•
- composition of family by head of household,
4. Note key information obtained in any of the following ways which were used to
supplement your data:
A. Focus groups and/or interviews with key populations:
B. Surveys (county -wide and/or selective)
C. Other (describe):
22:�
Attachment M: Resources and Supports Data
Please indicate the availability of the following resources and supports in your county (or
target area if less than a county) according to the following table:
1. Availability: W= wide availability L= limited availability N= no availability
2. Strength or weakness of the resource for families: S = strong resource for families
W = weak resource for families M= mixed or neutral resource
Mapping the.geographic availability of these
Availability
A 'rl 1
A. Designated family supports
is suggested.
family support programs (e.g. family visiting, family resource
centers). Please list:
family preservation programs (e.g. in -home counseling). Please
list:
B. General community and health service accessibility
medical offices serving children of all income levels
safe recreation/play areas
food at competitive prices
laundromats
banks which cash public assistance checks
meeting places/centers
free community meals
adequate low-cost housing
free of low-cost clothing
well -baby services
immunization services
C. Public or publicly -funded human service and public health access points
head start
Medicaid/AFDC/food stamps
child welfare services
unemployment compensation
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Attachment M: Resources and Supports Data (cont.)
Availability
D. School resources
mental health services
alcohol and drug abuse services
developmental disabilities services
physically handicapped services
special education early identification. programs.
remediation programs at all grade levels
counseling at all grade levels
summer school
special transportation services for students and/or families
dropout prevention/attendance promotion programs
at -risk curriculum and/oi education projects
programming for teen mothers
homework assistance
parent support programs
health services in school
outside counseling and/or support services in school
parent involvementloutreach for low income or at -risk families
D. Other private services offering assistance to families
prevention education services
early intervention services
services of clubs, churches, etc.
day care
family recreation
youth recreation
anti -gang programs
runaway youth programs
alcohol and other drug treatment
mental health treatment
youth employment programs
pregnancy prevention programs
E. Other resources (name by type)
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Attachment O
Collaboration/Governance Mechanisms
Column 1—indicate whether mechanism exists in community by placing a V next to those which are
voluntary arrangements and M next to those mandated by a County Board or other entity.
Column 2—indicate those you would like to develop with a D and those existing ones you would like
to improve with an I. (Note: mechanisms may include non -government organizations)
Exist? Develop/Improve.. Type of Mechanism
A. Agreements among traonal agencies or departments
ongoing interagency task forces
establish formal special issue policy/planning .groups
teams with time4imited reform objectives
co -application procedures
flexible, pooled or decategorized funding of services
designation of a lead agency
case conferences or casgtreview panels across systems
B. Agreements to establish new structures/agencies
create a new office voluntarily among agencies
create centralized access/intake among organizations
create joint training or recruitment process
co -locate services or otherwise integrate programs
establishment of school -based or other jointly -staffed family
service centers
C. Collaboration between existing independent agencies
Standard information systems across systems/agencies
Uniform standards for eligibility or treatment across agencies
(e.g. family -based treatment; common service plan formats)
Budgetary consolidation or transfer of functions from one budget
authority to another
E. Integration through development of supplemental systems
Creation of central case management and tracking agency
Mandated expansion of existing programs (e.g. 4 yr. old
kindergarten)
Requirements for universal screening/immunization/etc.
Creation of flexible resource pools for line workers
F.-Change to replace existing systems
Creation of superagencies/mergmg agencies into new entities
Elimination of independent Board and committees
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