Setting Up a Child Advocacy Office: Charting Your Course Travis County Office of Child Representation Leslie Hill, Managing Attorney Lynn LeCropane, Senior Staff Attorney

The Beginning: Assessing Community Need What is the current child welfare system? What is working well? What could use some improvement? How will your team meet the needs?

Identifying Funding Possibilities Local, state and federal sources Collaboration with partner agencies

Office Startup 101 Space Supplies Staff Systems

Open for Business: Now What? Case Assignment Procedures Case Organization Communication Handling the unexpected

Building a Team What skills does your team need? Find the right combination of skills Behavioral interviewing Flexibility is a skill

Developing Partner Relationships Build on your existing networks Identify common goals and needs Always look for the bigger picture

What to Measure: And How? Understand your system’s capabilities Identify performance measures Capture the work you are doing Plan for system updates Don’t give up!

Incorporating Promising Practices Know your clients’ needs Be responsive to clients and community Develop practice standards for office Learn from others Don’t be afraid to change your systems

Meeting Client Needs: Logistics Planes, Trains and Automobiles Hospitals Schools Detention Facilities Residential Treatment Facilities

Responding to Crisis and Preventing Burnout Encourage strong team relationships Mourn losses Celebrate successes Make time for fun

Policy Considerations: Equity for Clients Identify systemic trends that affect clients –Disproportionality –Educational barriers –Effect of funding changes on services

Planning for Long-Term Success Productive staff meetings Team case reviews Work plans Policies and procedures Strategic planning Seek funding opportunities Maintain community involvement

Travis County Office of Child Representation P.O. Box 1748 Austin, Texas Phone: (512) Fax: (512) Leslie Hill, Managing Attorney Lynn LeCropane, Senior Staff Attorney