1. Place Matters Nothing Matters More to a Child Than a Place to Call Home
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2. Why Does Place Matter?
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3. Children in Foster Care Need:
SAFETY (Remain safe from abuse & neglect) PERMANENCY (reunification, custody/ guardianship to relatives, adoption, APPLA) WELL-BEING (placement stability, health services and educational services)
SAFETY (Remain safe from abuse & neglect) PERMANENCY (reunification, placement with relatives, adoption, APPLA) WELL-BEING (placement stability, health services and educational services)
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4. Maryland’s Placement Statistics
10,164 children in out-of-home care
60 % of caseload in Baltimore City
40% of caseload in 23 other counties
61% in family foster care
20% in group homes
Average length of stay: years
*July 2007 Statistics
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Nothing Matters More to a Child Than a Place to Call Home

5. Nothing Matters More to a Child Than a Place to Call Home
Barriers to Success
Lack of family foster homes
Over reliance on group care
Jurisdiction of origin vs. Jurisdiction of placement
Gaps in the placement continuum statewide
Insufficient mental health, educational and community supports for foster children and their families
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Nothing Matters More to a Child Than a Place to Call Home

6. Nothing Matters More to a Child Than a Place to Call Home
Goals
Keep children in their communities
Place children in families first
Reduce reliance on out of home care
Minimize the length of stay
Manage with data and redirect resources
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Nothing Matters More to a Child Than a Place to Call Home

7. Place Matters Framework
Family-Centered Practice
Alternative Response
Integrated In-Home/Family Preservation Services
Targeted Child Well-Being Practices
Foster/Adoptive Family Recruitment and Retention
Kinship Care
Placement and Community Resource Development
Focused Permanency Policy and Practice
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Nothing Matters More to a Child Than a Place to Call Home

8. Place Matters Strategy
Place Matters Action Team
Data Research and Analysis
StateStat
Case Reviews: Permanency, Levels of Care, Proximity
Casey Strategic Consulting Assessment
GOC Resource Development Plan
MD Foster Parent Association
Foster Care Provider Council
Group Home Census
Treatment Foster Home Inventory
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Nothing Matters More to a Child Than a Place to Call Home

9. Major Initiatives in 2007
1000 by 2010: Foster Parent Recruitment/Retention
Family Centered Practice
Service Array/Resource Development
Provider Accountability
Focus on Permanency & Wellbeing
Contract Monitoring/Quality of Care
Geographic Proximity
Practice Improvement
Family Centered/Community Based/Child Focused
Placement Protocols
Level of Care Assessment
Placement Decision Making Criteria
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10. Place Matters Nothing Matters More to a Child Than a Place to Call Home
Cathy F. Mols, LCSW-C
Executive Director, Social Services Administration
Maryland Department of Human Resources
11/30/2018