Pathways to Safety (DR) In Monterey County A Community-Based Early Intervention Initiative

What is Pathways to Safety? During the Fiscal Year CPS received 4,799 unduplicated reports, which ultimately led to 829 substantiations and 211 removals Because the remainder of cases were closed, these families did not receive services that could have prevented a repeat call Families are offered community services to help keep their children safe and at home They meet with a Family Resource Specialist who works with them to assess their strengths and needs, and develops a service plan to meet those needs Families receive case management support to help them access services and meet their goals

Pathways to Safety Planning Process Components October September 2006 Start up Funding from System of Care Planning team convened Data analysis of “assessed out” families Focus groups held and surveys distributed Research on other state and national models 3-month pilot of Paths 1 & 2 Site visits within California Recommendations for Phase II

Planning Process: Lessons Learned Services families need: child care, counseling, substance abuse treatment, DV counseling, parent education, teen services Service delivery: accessible hours and locations, culturally and linguistically appropriate, affordable, neighborhood based, information about resources Engagement: If contact is made families will engage; best method - engagement/case manager combined Staffing: dedicated DR-DSES staff person; joint & on-going training of community and DSES workers; trust-building essential to success; DSES culture change needed Information sharing: good data collection system essential; standardization of information to be shared needed Service capacity: TBD, but must be flexible and timely

Goals of Pathways to Safety Families linked to services and resources based on their specific needs Services are accessible and culturally appropriate Case management support is available Families are engaged and involved in setting their own goals Eligible families are enrolled in insurance programs that support healthy children Families stay out of the child welfare system and stay connected to their communities There is a decrease in reports of abuse Community capacity to provide these services is developed Strong public-private partnerships are developed Pathways to Safety is part of a larger system of care, a component of a continuum that includes Family to Family and Wrap-Around Services

Recommendations for Phase II Timeline for Implementation Oct. 2006: Focus on community capacity building, look at best practices Lay groundwork for implementation and oversight, form steering committee Nov. 2006:Begin DSES internal capacity building Research web-based system for data input and information sharing Dec. 2006:Develop guidelines, protocols and evaluation mechanisms Feb. 2007:Contract with agencies with capacity to provide services March 2007:Train staff April 1, 2007: Program Kick Off

Recommendations for Phase II Timeline for Implementation April 2007:Implement Path 1 - phase in throughout the county where there is service and community partner capacity Prepare for Path 2 implementation Continue community and DSES capacity building Oct. 2007:Implement Path 2 Implement web-based data system July 2008:Implement Paths 1 & 2 countywide

Roles & Responsibilities Steering Committee: Oversight and accountability, develops sub-committees to accomplish specific tasks needed for implementation * Guidelines and protocols * Community development * Evaluation * Staff development/ training * Marketing * DSES internal systems change

Roles & Responsibilities Established Lead Agency: ACTION Council (Local 501C3) provides a platform for “incubation” * Community capacity-building * Formation and education of steering committee * Sub-Contracting for services and case management * Evaluation of services and initiative as a whole (real point in time data) * Creating and implementing flexible strategies for course corrections and model modifications

Roles & Responsibilities DSES/FCS: Departmental capacity building, staff training and supervision, overall contract monitoring * Internal marketing for systems change * Protocol development * Funding and Evaluation (with lead agency) * Review and refine policies and procedures related to DR * Co-create flexible strategies for course corrections Community Agencies and Groups: Service provision and case management

Fiscal Resources OVERVIEW: Use of CWSOIP Partner with SOC and MHSA/Prop 63 Partner with First 5 Coordination of funding resources with shared objectives Look at county wide leveraging plan and use of cost allocation plans Apply sustainability outcomes through community education Identify community service providers that can be active partners in fiscal strategies. Be an active partner in Healthy Families and Medi-Cal Outreach Blend-braid-leverage