Children Services Committee Meeting Lisa Tucker Cauley, DHHS/DSS Deputy Director Child Welfare Teresa Strom, DHHS/DSS Section Chief County Operations October, 9th 2019

PIP Update [webinar title] NC Division of Social Services & UNC School of Social Work [webinar date] PIP Update

Goal 1: Improve outcomes for child safety, permanency and well-being Strategy 1: Strengthen and clarify child welfare policies and practices Strategy 2: Enhance the training system to support application of revised child welfare policies and practices Strategy 3: Strengthen the capacity of county DSS’s through supervisor academy Strategy 4: Implement a technical assistance model Strategy 5: County-level family engagement committees & state-level family advisory council

Goal 2: Improve the outcomes through statewide quality assurance system Strategy 1: Operationalize state quality assurance system through use of federal On Site Review Instrument (OSRI)

Goal 3: Improve the permanency outcomes through collaboration with the judicial system Strategy 1: Plan with judicial system to address permanency issues through the identification of shared outcomes Strategy 2: Provide targeted engagement with county DSS & court jurisdictions that are not achieving expected outcomes. Strategy 3: Implement Guardianship Assistance Program

Goal 4: Strengthen cross-system service provision Strategy 1: Establish agreements between county DSS & LME/MCOs Strategy 2: Strengthen recruitment of foster & adoptive parents Strategy 3: Strengthen stakeholder understanding of federal plans

Goal 5: Enhance the statewide data quality, collection and dissemination of information Strategy 1: Pilot a statewide information system – NC FAST Child Welfare System

Performance Goals CFSR Item Item Description Baseline Goal Most Recent Status Item 1 Timeliness of initiations 71.7% 76.7% 78.18% Item 2 Children in the home & prevent removal or re-entry into foster care 61.7% 66.4% 79.41% Item 3 Risk & safety assessment and management 58.7% 62.2% 61.11% Item 4 Stability of foster care placement 66.1% 70.6% 79.37% Item 5 Permanency goal for child 50.0% 54.7% 52.38% Item 6 Achievement of permanency goal 43.5% 48.3% 30.16% Item 12 Needs & services of child, parents, & foster parents 45.0% 48.5% 52.78% Item 13 Child & family involvement in case planning 48.6% 52.2% 65.35% Item 14 Caseworker visits with child 62.4% 65.8% 72.22% Item 15 Caseworker visits with parents 43.0% 46.7% 49.41%

Child and Family Services Plan Plan completed and sent to ACF posted … 5 Commitments: Safety, Permanency, Well-being, Continuous Quality Assurance, and Workforce Diligent Recruitment and Retention Plan Disaster Plan Health Care Oversight Plan Chafee Plan

Next Steps Core Team planning session Oct. 24th (NCDSS Leadership and Children’s Services Tri-Chairs) Develop process to recruit workgroups and guidelines for workgroup expectations Develop Communication Strategy and messaging for change Finalization of a timeline/cross walk of all elements of the plan as well as other initiatives, including integration of FFPSA

Federal IV-E Review Will be in May or June Period under review will be April 1, 2019 thru September 30, 2019 More information to come in near future about additional requirements for verification of foster care payments

Program Monitoring Routine cycle includes a Program Development Plan every six months and Program Evaluation at 18 months. PDPs now include targeted record review to gauge progress. Plan to remain on 6 month schedule Cycle for the next six months includes a Program Development Plan Review only unless a county requests a Program Evaluation as we are revising this process On site 1 day

Permanency Leadership Summit Partnership For Permanency: Working Together, Family Forever November 20, 2019 | Raleigh, NC To provide resources and ignite momentum for all 100 counties and 41 judicial districts to improve permanency outcomes for children in foster care, through: Mobilizing partnerships between Child Welfare, Judicial, Private Agency and Community Stakeholders to expedite permanency. Building awareness of national and local strategies that positively impact permanency. Emphasizing North Carolina’s vision for healthy children and families by creating connections between DHHS Priorities, Early Childhood Action Plan (ECAP), Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) and Opioid Action Plan. Attendees: DSS Directors, Juvenile Court Judges, AOC leadership, Guardian ad Litem Administrators, leadership from private agencies, North Carolina Legislators and other stakeholders. Summit hosted by: North Carolina Division of Social Services, in partnership with the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts. What will the summit offer: Plenary sessions from national experts exploring how partnerships between child welfare and the judicial system can positively impact permanency. Showcasing promising permanency practices and outcomes occurring in North Carolina through breakout sessions. Small Group discussions that will use stakeholder feedback to shape North Carolina’s 2020-2024 Permanency Workgroup roadmap (Child and Family Services Plan – CFSP).