1 / 32

A Call for Change

Circuit 6 Child Welfare Presentation. A Call for Change. Circuit 6/Pinellas County Challenges. Largest Child Welfare Agency in State (based on total children served 3200+) Approximately 60% of Children Served in OHC 4 th Highest removal rate of any other Circuit

eithne
Download Presentation

A Call for Change

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Circuit 6 Child Welfare Presentation A Call for Change

  2. Circuit 6/Pinellas County Challenges • Largest Child Welfare Agency in State (based on total children served 3200+) • Approximately 60% of Children Served in OHC • 4th Highest removal rate of any other Circuit • Absence of critical programs to mitigate removal • On Average, approximately 120+ children are staffed to case management per month (Pinellas combination of in-home/out-of-home services) • Last year only 55% of Children Were Reunified Timely • An Average of 6 Children Age Out of Foster Care per Month (Pinellas County only) • 2nd Lowest Funded Lead Agency in the State (out of 20 Lead Agencies- in terms of funding per child)

  3. “ A Call for Change” Circuit 6 Objectives • Develop a Comprehensive Family Preservation Model • Ensure Immediate Access to A Continuum of Support Services for Families • Reduce the # of Children Entering Out of Home Care by 30% FY 10-11

  4. Why Revamp What We Have? • The Establishment of High Risk Family Preservation (FP) Models have had Proven Success in Other Areas • Increased awareness of the Prevention Network will result in greater support to at-risk families. • The Creation of Referral Definitions will Ensure Families Receive the Right Services • A SPOA Co-located with the CPI will Help Ensure Maximum Utilization of the Continuum of FP Services • Continuing with what we have will eventually bankrupt our local system. • Doing Nothing is Not an Option

  5. What Are the Core Principles Driving the Remodeling Initiative? • Child Welfare Trends (reported abuse is on the rise) • Budgetary Impact of Trends on CW System • Negative Outcomes Associated with Children Removed From Their Families • Negative Impact on Education (drop out rate) • Increased Likelihood of DJJ Involvement • Higher Teen Pregnancy Rate • Lack of Employability (children who age out of system) • Homelessness (children who age out of system)

  6. Today’s Objective- • Understanding the Role of the Pinellas CPI • Understanding CPI Data and Trends • Snapshot of the Current Diversion Model in Pinellas County • Understanding Diversion Trends • Snapshot of the Revised Family Preservation Model in Pinellas County • What we Can Expect with Regard to Future Outcomes

  7. Child Protective Investigations

  8. Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Child Protection Investigation DivisionJim Coats, SHERIFF “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas” JWB Presentation

  9. Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division Beginning in October 1999, The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office assumed responsibility for conducting all child welfare investigations within the jurisdictional boundaries of Pinellas County. At that same time, the sheriff’s offices of Broward, Manatee and Pasco Counties also assumed authority to conduct child welfare investigations in their respective counties. Authority granted under the provision of section 39.3065, Florida Statute “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  10. Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division Currently, the Child Protection Investigation Division of the Sheriff’s Office employs 140 individuals. The majority of the members (79) are civilian child protective investigators. There are sixteen civilian supervisors who over see the efforts of the CPIs. Presently, there are five certified law enforcement officers assigned to CPID. The remainder of the staff is comprised of clerical staff and other support personnel. CPID’s annual budget is just over $10,000,000 annually. “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  11. Cases Received Annually; Historical Data Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division (*) = Estimate

  12. Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division CPIs in Pinellas are trained to conduct thorough child welfare investigations by conducting extensive risk assessments on the children and families they serve. During assessment, investigators do not just concentrate on the maltreatments listed on the original “intake” report but explore all possible forms of risk to the child. This assessment includes interviewing all family members (those living in the home and out), as well as all collateral contacts, professionals and/or other individuals who may have knowledge or insight into the dynamics of the family. “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  13. Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division Pinellas CPIs are consistently recognized for conducting thorough investigative interviews. This comment is routinely made during our annual Q/A process (Sheriff’s Annual Peer Review). Furthermore, CPIs go to great length to explore all “critical risk factors” in every child welfare investigation. Again, not just relying on the information in the initial report received from the Hotline. Other possibly factors affecting removal rates in Pinellas include: Community awareness and education, the population density of Pinellas (children are more visible), CPID’s routine use of professional psycho/social evaluations, etc. “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  14. DCF Leaderboard Performance (Average Monthly Comparison) Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division (*) = Average over last 7 months “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  15. DCF Leaderboard Performance (Sheriff’s) Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division (*) = Average over last 7 months “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  16. Judicial Case Percentages Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division (*) – Year To Date “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  17. Judicial Percentages for 2010 Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  18. Maltreatment Percentages for Judicial Cases Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division (*) = YTD “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  19. Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  20. Prescription Drug Epidemic; Criminal Cases Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  21. Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division Legal Sufficiency Attained ERT Service Referrals or FSS No Indicators “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  22. Pinellas County Sheriff’s OfficeChild Protection Investigation Division ERT is an essential component and has effectively reduce the number of children coming into care. Expansion of this service would undoubtedly benefit our community. The Safe-At-Home concept will allow CPIs to have an option once “legal sufficiency” has been determined. SAH case managers would respond within hours to a home to mitigate risk(s) that would otherwise lead to the removal of a child(ren). Pinellas CPID supports both of these programs. “Leading the way for a safer Pinellas”

  23. An Overview of the Current Diversion Model

  24. What are we doing currently to strengthen families?An Overview of the Current Diversion Model CPI Responsible for Making All Referrals for Prevention and Diversionary Services Intermediate Risk (No Legal Sufficiency- Must Offer VPS Services First) High Risk (Legal Sufficiency Established-Family Needs Court Intervention) Low Risk (CPI Can Close Case With No Intervention) Pinellas County Prevention Network Case Management (VPS, In-Home Court & Court Ordered Services) Diversion Providers CFBH Child Ne Kinship Care Healthy Families Safe Start Salvation Army Gulf Coast Community Care Neighborhood Family Centers PEMHS Directions for Mental Health Family Resources

  25. Diversion Statistics

  26. How are we Revamping the Model to Bring About Greater Systemic Change? • Maintained Funding of Existing Diversion Programs (no reductions in funding or capacity) • Added an Additional $465K to Fund a High Risk Family Preservation Program in Pinellas • Developed Clearly Defined Parameters for Referral of Cases to the Family Preservation Continuum • Incorporated Best Practices from Around the State that had Proven Outcomes

  27. An Overview of the Revised Family Preservation Model CPI Responsible for Making All Referrals For Services DMH Low Risk (Intervention recommended but Not Required) Intermediate Risk (Legal Sufficiency for In-Home Petition) High Risk (Probable Cause for Removal) Out of Home Care GCCC Single Point of Access- Co-Located with CPI to Help Navigate the Array of Prevention Services Available Family Preservation/Diversion Providers Family Preservation/ Diversion Provider CASA RCS Suncoast Center Family Resources Kinship Care Food Pantry CFBHN PEMHS (ERT) Salvation Army (FSS) Child Care/ OST Emergency Assistance Operation Par Gulf Coast Community Care (Safe at Home) Housing PARC/ Respite Tutoring Pinellas County Health Dept. Neighborhood Family Centers Other - Health, Education & etc. Pinellas Village Directions for Mental Health Support Groups Boley Centers Mentoring

  28. Overview of New High Risk Program

  29. Safe At Home Delivery of Services Team approach . Therapist/ Case manager (Child Welfare Trained) Services will be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. • The goal for response time of referral is within 2 hours • Services generally provided for a duration of 4-12 weeks. • Small case loads (no greater than 5 families per team). • Up to 20 -25 direct service hours per week per team. • Flex funds available. • Case plan , family assessment , team meetings, bi weekly staffings

  30. Safe At Home Outcome Measures

  31. Future Outcomes- FY 11-12 • Improved Child Welfare Outcomes • Reduction in # of Children Entering OHC • Reduction in Length of Stay Averages • Reduction in # of Families Served in Formal Child Welfare System • Increased Permanency • Increased Self Sufficiency (Stronger Families and Communities) • Re-investment of Dollars to Needed Programs

  32. Questions?

More Related