Welcome to ABC County DSS REAP Meeting MEETING DATE, 2012

REACHING FOR EXCELLENCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN PRACTICE

Questions to Answer 1.What is REAP? 2.Why REAP? 3.Why now? 4.Where did it come from? 5.What does this mean for me? 6.What if I don’t like data? 7.What other questions do you have?

What is REAP? - REAP Mission North Carolina state and county DSS and their community partners will create an achievement-focused child welfare culture which includes: Adopting a continuous quality improvement approach to child welfare that is data-driven and results oriented. Sharing accountability for reaching core achievements for children, youth, and families. Engaging community partners to assess needs and build on strengths of each community. Using evidence based best practices, technical assistance (TA), and training to continuously improve achievements.

What do we mean by “continuous quality improvement” ? CQI is a structured process for reviewing, analyzing and using data throughout units and teams in order to improve outcomes.

REAP CQI Approach 1. Adopt Outcomes, indicators and standards 2. Collect data and information 3. Review Analyze and interpret data 4. Apply learning 6 (Watson, 2005)

What is REAP? - Key Components 1.Core Child Welfare Achievements 2.Community Child Welfare Assessment 3.Community Child Welfare Achievement Plan 4.Data-Driven Technical Assistance

What is REAP? - Key Components 1.Core Child Welfare Achievements Monthly “data dashboard” report sent to county DSS Used to track progress on key child welfare outcomes 2.Community Child Welfare Assessment Revised method and tool for bi- annual review Used to identify top priorities for improvement 3.Community Child Welfare Achievement Plan Developed with community partners Based on community’s strengths and needs Includes action steps for changes in practice or system to improve selected outcomes

What is REAP? - Key Components (cont.) 4.Data-Driven Technical Assistance Provided by Division based on county achievements and self-assessment On-line gateway under development to track requests and measure impact of TA and training Peer-to-peer networking for ongoing implementation support

REAP is: An evolution from our family-centered practice model (MRS) and System of Care (SOC) approach Understanding our data and the story behind our data

Why REAP? If we adopt a continuous quality improvement approach…we will become data-driven and results- oriented. If we share accountability…we will achieve better things for children, youth, and families. If we engage community partners…we will build on the strengths of our community. If we receive meaningful technical assistance and training…we will build sustainable change.

Why now? 1.Urgency of our work and the ongoing desire to improve outcomes for children, families and communities 2.Limited resources increase the need for efficient and effective practices 3.Increasing internal and external pressure for accountability

Where did REAP come from? 1.Series of conversations between the NC Division of Social Services’ leadership and the North Carolina Association of County Directors of Social Services 2.NCDSS obtained a federal grant to partner with the Atlantic Coast Child Welfare Implementation Center (ACCWIC) to develop a new technical assistance model in A work group was developed and meetings began in September 2009

Where did REAP come from, cont. 4.Implementation Team with 58 members began meeting in the fall of 2010 ‣ 43% county DSS staff ‣ 38% are NC DSS staff ‣ 19% are community partners and University staff 5.Pilot process in 8 NC counties began in January 2011

Questions

So what does this mean for ME??

What does this mean for me? In REAP counties, all agency staff will: Use the six principles of partnership to support collaboration within and outside of our agency Modify structures and practices to implement outcomes-focused work Use data on a continuous basis to improve outcomes Engage community partners in all aspects of quality improvement

6 Principles of Partnership 1.Everyone desires respect 2.Everyone needs to be heard 3.Everyone has strengths 4.Judgments can wait 5.Partners share power 6.Partnership is a process

Parallel Process – We’re all in this together! Families & Children WorkersSupervisorsLeadership

Small group discussion 1: Applying the Principles  Break into small groups with people from different units/teams  Based on what you know so far, how would the principles would apply to REAP? For example: – How agency leaders can engage staff – How co-workers can work together to review and understand outcomes data – How the agency can engage families & community partners

Small group discussion 2: Using data  What data do you gather or use currently in your job?  What are your worries about REAP?  What do you need from your supervisor or agency to feel more comfortable?  What is one way that REAP could help you in your work with families?

Our Community Partners Our achievement data is not just “DSS data.” It’s our community’s data. We can’t make improvements on our own. Who should be at the table to review our community’s data and develop our Achievement Plan? – Consider other organizations, agencies, etc. – Identify key “champions” in each

What if I don’t like data? – A first look

Why don’t we like data? We see too much of it It has no meaning in our day-to-day work There is no consistent way to use it effectively We spend too much time analyzing a problem and not looking for solutions Data is often used in a punitive way

What if I don’t like using data? - Reframe We use data everyday to improve our own lives We all want to improve outcomes for children, families and communities and effective use of data will help us do that better o If data isn’t helping, probably don’t need to be tracking it Think of data as a flashlight, not as a hammer

What if I don’t like using data? - Support We’ll use these ground rules No shame, no blame, no enemies Cultivate your curiosity Try it on and sit with it

What if I don’t like using data? - Support We’ll receive training for understanding and using data to be more efficient and effective We’ll get help modifying systems and structures to make using data easier and more accessible The Division will provide ongoing TA and opportunities to collaborate with other agencies in REAP

Where we’ve made progress [county DSS can insert list of 2-4 achievement areas of improvement/strengths]

Use of Kinship Care for Initial Placements Duncan et al., 2010

Where we need help from our community [county DSS can insert list of 2-4 achievement areas of most concern or interest/relevance to targeted partners]

Concern: Length of time in foster care Pitt County Convening 11/30/10 Duncan et al., 2010

Small group discussions How would you describe the issue? What are the patterns or trends? What else do you want to know about this issue to understand what’s going on? What else do we need to find out? What other data sources or people should be at the table to understand this issue?

What other questions do you have?

Next Steps Exploration and Adoption Assess current practice, needs and resources to determine if agency is ready to adopt REAP Educate community partners about REAP and engage them in the process Assess potential barriers and needed changes to support REAP Develop an action plan to improve agency infrastructure and support in identified areas Fixen, D.L, Naoom, S.F., Blase, K.A., Friedman, R.M. & Wallace, F.(2005 We can’t do it without you!

Thank you for all you do to achieve good things for children and families!