Erwin McEwen & Dana A. Weiner Illinois Department of Children & Family Services Northwestern University

Keep the focus… “on protecting children, by strengthening and supporting families” Violence, Crime, Poverty, Lack of Resources Stress, Trauma, Lack of Resources Trauma, High Risk for Negative Outcomes Community Family Child

Using data to support & strengthen the child welfare system Inform new initiatives, identify resource gaps Monitor effectiveness of interventions, identify emerging needs Support for decision- making, identify needed resources Caseworker System Program

Measurement for Transforming of Child Welfare Practice  Evaluation considerations Target/goals Timing Assessment Strategies

Evaluation Targets/Goals Targets:  Casework level  Service Level  Agency level  System level Goals:  Decision making  Determining effectiveness of interventions  Continuous Quality Improvement  Planning needed resources

Family & YouthProgramSystem Decision Support Service Planning; CANS- Recommended Service Report from SPD Placement Decision Making - CAYIT Maps of CANS- assessed Needs and Resources from SPD Outcome Monitoring CANS Compare Report Parent Readiness for Reunification Report Evaluation – SOC Outcomes Performance Based Contracting in Foster Care & Residential Placement Quality Improvement Case Management Supervision Data Summits for individual programs – CAYIT, IA Statewide Trauma Plan DCFS Evaluation Activities DCFS Evaluation Activities

Timing: Evaluation as an ongoing process  Initial assessments  The value of adding subsequent measurements Observing change Predicting outcomes Guiding treatment planning decisions

IA CANS Statewide Provider Database Gap Analysis: Are resources sufficient to meet needs? Initial Data on Child/Family Needs Data on Community Resources Analytic Tools 6 Months12 Months ACR CANS CANS Changes Report: Did services address needs? Record of services delivered ACR CANS Trajectory Analysis: Are the services effectively addressing needs? Record of Services Delivered

Illinois CANS 2.0  Revisions & Additions Enhanced caregiver section Trauma & strengths in the forefront  Utilization  All cases at 6 month intervals  Specific programs & processes (SOC, Residential, CAYIT to guide decision making or track progress)  Integration Service Planning with Statewide Provider Database Geomapping for Gap Analysis Planning new initiatives (JJ, Differential Response) Understanding trends (Strengths, Trauma, and Risk behaviors; Strengths and Placement Instability)

Enhanced Caregiver section incorporates:  Strengthening Families protective factors: 1. Parental Resilience 2. Social Connections 3. Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development 4. Concrete Support in Times of Need 5. Social and Emotional Competence of Children 6. Healthy Parent-Child Relationships  Parent /Caregiver Commitment to Permanency  Safety items

CANS for Case Work Staff Website

Parent Readiness for reunification worksheet

Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Proportion of Actionable Items or Usable Strengths, Controlling for Trauma History Never Incarcerated (%) Ever Incarcerated (%) Risk RatioP value Trauma Experiences Trauma Symptoms Child Strengths Life Domain Functioning Emotional/Behavior al Needs Risk Behaviors Older Adolescent Items

Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare – Service Needs N=151 youth assessed with CANS in Cook County Probation

Placement Trajectories based on Mean CANS Domain Scores

CANS-Based Trajectories by Placement Type

Statewide Provider Database  Online Search Tool  Geocoded service delivery locations  Highly detailed descriptions of programs and services  Broad user base invested in helping to maintain current data  Integrated with CANS, Child Placement Data, and Geomapping website

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Strengthening Communities with SPD  Raising awareness of resources Regular training in the use of SPD Participation in community “resource fairs”  Providing access to resource information in exchange for shared responsibility for maintenance  Inter-agency collaboration to ensure adequate resource availability

Community Collaboration – SPD Training  Chicago Public Schools Social Workers  YMCA  Chicago Police Department Community Policing Unit  Kane County Learning Network  Youth 1st  Alternative Schools Network (mentors)  South Suburban Family Shelter  CDPH  Northwestern Legal Clinic  La Rabida  Family Focus - Nuestra Familia  LAN 79  Birth Parent Council Summit  Safety Networks  Cook County Probation

EBP Trained/Certified Staff

IDCFS Geomapping Website

50 Cases Per Square Mile

Service Accessibility & Outcomes Rural 10 m 5 m 2.5 m Lt. Urban Urban

Independent variables  Age  Clinical characteristics – CANS scale scores Risk behaviors Emotional/behavioral needs Strengths Trauma experiences Trauma stress symptoms Acculturation Life domain functioning  Service Accessibility

Overall Predictors of Placement Disruption CovariatesBetaSEWald P value Exp (B) C.I. Age < Provider Access < Trauma Experiences < Strengths < Risk Behaviors <

Predictors by Land Use CovariatesBetaS.E. Wal d P Value Exp (B) C.I. Rural Access < Risk Behaviors < Light Urban Access < Trauma Experiences < Functioning < Urban Age < Strengths < Risk Behaviors <

Barriers to CANS implementation  Technology keeping pace with innovation  Change in practice requiring an additional tool  Comfort/familiarity with data driven decision-making

Future Directions  Coordinate between child-serving agencies using child assessment and provider data  Integrate access information, trajectory models, and other tools into contracting approaches to make efficient use of resources  Continue to educate staff on the use of data and new tools to support decision- making