1. Child & Family Services Review: North Carolina’s Program Improvement Plan
PIP effective January 1, 2017 & runs through December 31, 2018
Completed 2 quarters worth of work to date
Where are we?
August 9, 2017

2. 10 OSRI Counties aka 10 Pilot Counties
Buncombe
Craven
Cumberland
Durham
Hoke
Mecklenburg
Pitt
Scotland
Wake
Wilson
10 OSRI Counties aka 10 Pilot Counties
Thank you to these 10 counties your for continued partnership in this process. They are helping us pave the way & learn lessons before many activities move to state implementation in 2018.
I also want to thank the many counties who have representatives serving on the various workgroups. Your input is valuable to this work.

3. Goal 1: Strategy 1 Revise Policy & Practices
Review, assess, and revise the current policies and practices including, but not limited to, frequency, consistency, quality and documentation of:
timely initiations
risk assessments that inform safety plans and services
concerted efforts to:
assess the needs of children, parents, and foster parents
identify necessary services to adequately address issues relevant to agency’s involvement
identify necessary services to achieve case goals
secure and provide appropriate services (i.e.--educational, physical, dental and mental health services)
meaningful engagement of children, parents, and foster parents in:
the development and ongoing implementation of case plans
the development of timely and appropriate permanency goals
promote and support positive relationships between children and parent
to achieve permanency goals and promote placement stability
child, family, siblings and caseworker visits that reinforce the continuity and connections of family relationships
case decision making including case closures
Given this scope of work, attention has been paid to CPS Intake, CPS Assessments, CPS In-Home Services, & Child Placement Services initially. The plan is to revise the rest of the policy manual prior to statewide implementation in late 2018.
On Schedule

4. Goal 1: Strategy 1 Revise Policy & Practices
Assess and develop capacity for implementation of the revised policies and practices in the 10 OSRI counties
Accomplished via Readiness Survey to the directors of the 10 county child welfare agencies
Conducting pre & post implementation surveys with child welfare staff
Ahead of schedule

5. Goal 1: Strategy 1 Revise Policy & Practices
Publish the revised manuals governing child welfare policies and practices
Implement the revised policies, practices and training in the 10 OSRI counties
CPS Assessments & CPS In-Home Services began July 1, 2017
CPS Intake & Child Placement Services are slated to begin August 31, 2017
Both are ahead of schedule
Can be found on the TA Gateway Knowledgebase
Manuals can be found on TA Gateway Knowledgebase

6. Goal 1: Strategy 2 Training Systems
Identify key competencies for the revised policies & practices
Compare key competencies for initial & ongoing training
Revise the training curricula & delivery methodology to ensure staff have the basic skills necessary to do their work
On Schedule

7. Goal 1: Strategy 2 Training Systems
Develop a series of “in-service” trainings to be used by county supervisors and training divisions to reinforce consistent implementation of the revised policies and practices
Becoming known as Do It Yourself or DIYs
Examples include scripted PowerPoints, webinars, role play scenarios, videos, etc.
Those developed to date include:
Incarcerated Parents
Heroin and Opioids
Using the Safety Threshold Concept to Enhance Decision Making
Considerations when Removing a Child from the Home
Medical Decisions in Foster Care
Face-to-face contacts
Collateral contacts
Diligent efforts to locate and engage
Making Appropriate Case Decisions in Family Assessments
Conflict of Interest Cases
4 of the upcoming DIYs will cover CPS Intake, CPS Assessment, CPS In-Home Services, & Child Placement Services

8. Goal 1: Strategy 3 Supervisor Academy
Identify the supervisor competencies necessary to support the consistent implementation of the revised policies and practices
Develop the supervisor academy based on identified competencies
Ahead of schedule
Thanks to the hard work of NC’s Child Welfare Supervision Advisory Council and strong partnerships with Methodist University & UNC-Chapel Hill.

9. Nuts and Bolts, Child Welfare Supervision
practical skill-building exercises
policy-based practice opportunities
move supervisors beyond the basics of supervision
Using Data to Improve Agency Practice and Performance
improving practice and performance using data within a county child welfare agency
understand how to use the six-step CQI with teams
Using Data to Improve Practice and Performance-Community Partnerships
improving practice and performance through data sharing with community partners
identify a community partner(s) that is essential for improving outcomes with children and families
understand how to use the six-step CQI process to facilitate collaborative meetings with community partners
Supervisor Academy  
Supervisor Academy encompasses all supervisor trainings offered through ncswLearn.com and will be divided into three tiers of training, which will include the current trainings for supervisors, along with three newly developed courses. The courses will build on the competencies of other courses.

10. Goal 1: Strategy 3 Supervisor Academy
Randomly select supervisors from the 10 OSRI counties to participate
Must have completed the prerequisite course “Introduction to Supervision”
NC is required to have 80 supervisors complete the Academy so actually pulled a sample size of 92 sups so as to account for attrition.
Ahead of schedule

11. Goal 1: Strategy 3 Supervisor Academy
Implement the supervisor academy beginning with the first cohort of supervisors from the 10 OSRI counties
To hit the mark of 80 sups, each class must have approximately 20 students. Each cohort is slated to have 23 sups.
First class started August 1, 2017

12. Goal 1: Strategy 4 Technical Assistance
Assess
Revise
Document
Assess the current model to support the consistent implementation of the revised policies and practices
Revise the model to counties based on the assessment
Document the revised North Carolina technical assistance to counties model
On schedule

13. Goal 1: Strategy 4 Technical Assistance
Implement the revised technical assistance model beginning in the 10 OSRI counties
Begins October 1, 2017
On schedule

14. Goal 2: Strategy 1 Quality Assurance
Statewide communication regarding Quality Assurance
On-demand course is now available
Ongoing case reviews
First communication was a Dear County Director Letter that came out July 17th detailing the on-demand course that lives on ncswLearn.org. You can expect future communications regarding various aspects of quality assurance in the coming months.
On schedule

15. Goal 4: Strategy 2 Diligent Recruitment & Retention
Develop a more strategic state-level diligent recruitment plan that can be utilized at both the state and local level
Communicate the improved diligent recruitment plan to all county departments of social services and private child placing agencies
DRR Plan was sent via Dear County Director Letter on June 15, 2017
DRR plan was on schedule & communication about it happened ahead of schedule

16. Goal 4: Strategy 2 Diligent Recruitment & Retention
Identify or develop tools that support ongoing data analysis related to diligent recruitment planning, implementation, and monitoring (at state and county levels and for private agency partners)
State staff will:
implement key strategies in the improved diligent recruitment plan
provide technical assistance to counties to recruit families who reflect the diversity of children served by the foster care program and who can meet their physical, mental and behavioral needs
Ongoing & on schedule

17. 1. Timeliness of initiating reports
Case Review Data
Safety Outcome 1: Children are first & foremost protected from abuse and neglect.
Item
Rating
1. Timeliness of initiating reports
73%
Relatively small sample size of about 31 cases, give or take depending on the item
When NC had its CFSR in 2015, the benchmark was 95%.
As NC looks to see improvement in all areas, our federal partners will not need to see us get to that mark. The improvement mark they will want to see is being established based on the cases that are currently being reviewed.
For Item 1: n=11

18. 3. Risk & Safety Assessment and Management
Case Review Data
Safety Outcome 2: Children are safely maintained in their homes whenever possible & appropriate.
Item
Rating
2. Services to family to protect children in the home or prevent re-entry into foster care
47%
3. Risk & Safety Assessment and Management
45%
Item 2: n=17
Item 3: n=31

19. 4. Stability of placement
Case Review Data
Permanency Outcome 1: Children have permanency & stability in their living situations.
Item
Rating
4. Stability of placement
71%
5. Permanency goal
41%
6. Achieving reunification, guardianship, adoption, or another planned permanent living arrangement
24%
Items 4, 5, & 6: n=17

20. Case Review Data
Permanency Outcome 2: The continuity of family relationships & connections is preserved for children.
Item
Rating
7. Placement with siblings
92%
8. Visiting with parents & siblings in foster care
33%
9. Preserving connections
76%
10. Relative placement
47%
11. Relationship of child in care with parents
55%
For items 7-8: n=12
For items 9-10: n=17
For item 11: n=11

21. Case Review Data
Well-Being Outcome 1: Families have enhanced capacity to provide for their children’s needs.
Item
Rating
12. Needs & services of child, parent, & foster parents
48%
12a. Needs assessment & services to children
77%
12b. Needs assessment & services to parents
42%
12c. Needs assessment & services to foster parents
87%
13. Child & family involvement in case planning
43%
14. Caseworker visits with child
58%
15. Caseworker visits with parents
46%
Item 12: n=31
Item 12a: n=31
Item 12b: n=26
Item 12c: n=15
Item 13: n=30
Item 14: n=31
Item 15: n=26

22. 16. Educational needs of the child
Case Review Data
Well-Being Outcome 2: Children receive appropriate services to meet their educational needs.
Item
Rating
16. Educational needs of the child
86%
Item 16: n=21

23. Case Review Data
Well-Being Outcome 3: Children receive adequate services to meet their physical and mental health needs.
Item
Rating
17. Physical health of the child
77%
18. Mental/behavioral health of the child
80%
Item 17: n=22
Item 18: n=25

24. Questions?

25. For more information, contact:
Arlette Lambert, MSW
CFSR Coordinator
(919)