YMCA Families United Family Group Conferencing Program

1. YMCA Families United Family Group Conferencing Program Building a family-centered approach to promoting safety, permanency, and wellbeing in San Diego

2. Why San Diego? • 5th most populous county (3.2M) • Border town (largest US border crossing) • Larger than Rhode Island and Delaware • Divided into 6 regions by HHSA • Strong partnership between YMCA and CWS • We have fantastic weather!

3. Overview of Families United Key Program Steps • Assess Eligibility • Conduct FGC • Assess Effectiveness What this program provides/does: • 3 full time FGC coordinators, meeting with 4 families every 4-6 wks, for a total of 120 families served each year

4. Families United Partners

5. Overview of the Families United Program: Assess Eligibility Relatives & NREFM Child YMCA FGC CWS TDM CWS TDM facilitator contacts YMCA FGC Coordinator Resource Agencies Bio Parents

6. Overview of the Families United Program: Conduct FGC

7. Overview of the Families United Program: Assess Effectiveness For Participating Families/Children: • 74% will demonstrate a strengthened capacity to protect and provide for their children • 75% of children will exit the foster care system via reunification or placement with kin • 75% of children will avoid entry into the foster care system

8. Dissemination Activities • Multiple reports for different stakeholders • Annual learning community with partners • Presentations to the San Diego Grantmakers Child Welfare Services Funders Collaborative • Partner venues: Casey Family Programs’ System Improvement Team, YMCA Govenmental Relations Team, CDSS • National conferences (e.g., AEA, AHA)

9. Evaluation questions • How well can the FGC intervention be successfully integrated into the CWS TDM process and how does the integration of FGC influence overall practice in the child welfare system? • What is the effectiveness of a FGC intervention compared with the traditional CWS TDM process, in terms of the following child and family outcomes • Is FGC differentially effective for sub-populations including Spanish-speaking families, families living in both rural and urban areas, undocumented caregivers and refugee families?

10. Process Evaluation: How did it happen? • YMCA FGC Integration Assessment Tool: asseses level of integration of FGC into CWS TDM practice • Use of client-level data system (ETO) • Annual stakeholder interviews

11. Outcomes Evaluation: What happened? • Randomized control trial of those with imminent risk • Timed roll out to each region (3 month intervals) • Baseline and 12 month follow-up (post last FGC meeting)

12. Outcome Evaluation Tool • Published Tools • Family Needs Scale/Family Support Scale • Domestic Violence Inventory (DVI) Pre/Post • Trauma Symptom Checklist • Rosenberg’s Self Esteem Scale and Baruth Protective Factors Inventory • Evaluator Developed Tools • Program satisfaction survey • CFSR status survey

13. Data Analysis • Descriptive statistics at baseline • Intervention and control group differences • Service intensity analysis • Intent to Treat analysis • Impact on Treated analysis • Within-group analysis by service type • Cost-benefit analysis

14. Anticipated Challenges Programmatic • Implementing a new project into a pre-existing system • Establish value of program to current county staff • Point of entry (imminent risk or other TDM criteria) Evaluation • Randomized assignment roll out • Consistency within regional structure • Tension between program and evaluation

15. Contacts Danielle Zuniga YMCA Youth and Family Services (619) 543-9850 ext. 122 dzuniga@ymca.org yfs.ymca.org Jennifer James/Cristina Magaña Harder+Company Community Research 619.398-1980 jjames@harderco. com cmagana@harderco. com harderco.com