1. No Place Like HOME Texas Kick Off Meeting

2. What is “ No Place Like Home” all about?
Examining the effectiveness of FGDM in safely preventing children from entering or re-entering foster care when they are receiving in-home services.
3 child welfare agencies with mature family group decision making (FGDM) programs
Training and technical assistance plan
Rigorous process and outcome evaluation components
December 2011

3. What will be measured?
To improve the safety, permanency and well-being of children through implementation, program enhancement, and rigorous evaluation of FGDM, and to impact local and national child welfare practice/policy and disproportionality rates of African American, Latino and American Indian children.
Rigorously test the effectiveness of FGDM models in preventing children from entering or re-entering foster care
Determine the costs for FGDM implementation
Analyze implementation of multiple FGDM models to provide knowledge on fit, flow and sustainability
Disseminate implementation, cost and outcome findings and products
December 2011

4. Why is this important? Comprehensive assessment of model
Potential to be strongest FGC evaluation
Supports work we are currently doing to engage families
Provides additional training
Outcomes will be felt on a state, national and international level
December 2011

5. How will families be selected?
Random Control Study in Texas
Evaluation based on 400 families
Selection based on when referral received by FGDM staff
Evaluation Process for 400 families
200 families
provided FGC
Next 200 families
in control group
December 2011

6. How will this work? Staff Focus groups Strategies for FGDM
Meeting preparation and engagement
Interviews
Purpose and function of FGDM meetings
Barriers
Staff and family characteristics that help/hinder use of model
Self-report surveys
Demographics
Job satisfaction
Quality of work
Organizational culture and climate
Caregivers
Mental health, domestic violence, substance abuse
Parenting stress
Protective factors
Satisfaction with services
Meeting Characteristics
Timing
Number and type
Model fidelity
Cost
Outcomes
Administrative data
Out-of-home placements
Relative placements
Re-reports
December 2011

7. What should I expect? Requests for information Surveys Focus groups
Trainings & technical assistance
December 2011

8. What do I need to do? Refer families for FGC based on Policy
Participate in FGC
Respond to surveys / evaluation needs
Participate in focus groups & trainings
Continue to work with families as you have been
December 2011

9. When must I refer to FGC?
CPS Handbook § Applying Family Group Conferences to an FBSS Case
Caseworkers must offer families a Family Group Conference under one or more of the following circumstances:
When the FBSS case has been open for nine months or longer
When the parents are not participating in services and legal intervention is not yet necessary or is not possible
When the parents are not making the necessary changes to keep their child safe and legal intervention is not yet necessary or is not possible
December 2011

10. When may I refer to FGC?
Caseworkers have the option of offering families a Family Group Conference under one or more of the following circumstances:
The parents are teenagers
Chronic substance abuse exists in the family
The parents are receiving, have received, or need local services for issues related to mental health or intellectual disabilities
The family has history of CPS involvement
The child is in a parental child safety placement (see Criteria for Parental Child Safety Placements and 3172 Parental Child Safety Placement)
The parents plan to allow the child to remain in the parental child safety placement long term (see Closing a Case Involving a Parental Child Safety Placement)
Domestic violence exists in the family (approval by a program director is required in such cases)
The caseworker plans to close the case
The caseworker or family members believe that a Family Group Conference would be beneficial
December 2011

11. Next Steps Focus groups Follow-up training & technical assistance
FGCs for evaluation start by April, run through September
December 2011

12. Who can I contact if I have questions?
Barbara Johnson – Service Program Administrator R03
Phone:
Ellen Letts – FGDM Program Specialist SO
Phone:
Kathryn Sibley – FBSS Program Specialist SO
Phone:
December 2011