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Child Welfare Improvement Overview for Enhanced Services

Detailed plan for improving child welfare, including staff training, caseload reduction, youth services, and special needs assessment. Structural changes, funding reallocation, and prioritized action items presented.

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Child Welfare Improvement Overview for Enhanced Services

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  1. Child Welfare Improvement OverviewHouse Appropriations SubcommitteeKathryne O’Grady, Deputy DirectorMichigan Department of Human Services September 17, 2008

  2. Six Principles • Safety • Children’s Needs • Families and Communities • Placement • Reunification and Permanence • Services

  3. Organizational Structure • Children’s Services Administration • Children’s Services Cabinet • Child Welfare Quality Assurance Unit • Child Welfare Data Management Unit

  4. Structural Changes • Statewide centralized CPS hotline • Units to investigate all allegations of abuse and neglect of children in foster care • Medical Director

  5. Increased Staff Qualifications and Training • Academic requirements: • All entry-level children services workers, public and private, shall have a bachelor’s degree in social work or related field • All newly hired or promoted supervisors, beginning January 2009, will be required to have a Master’s in Social Work, or a master’s or higher degree in a comparable equivalent field • Current supervisors, with less than 18 months supervisory experience, must earn a Master’s in Social Work or a master’s in a comparable equivalent field within 4 years of entry of this agreement • 10% exception

  6. Increased Staff Qualifications and Training • By April 2009: • Entry level caseworkers • 8 week competency based pre-service training • Written examination and performance based evaluation • Supervisors • 40 classroom hours of competency based training • All newly hired or promoted staff required to pass a competency based performance examination within 3 months of assuming new position

  7. Reducing Caseload Size • Ratios to achieve by 2011: • Supervisor/workers 1:5 • Foster care worker/children 1:15 • Adoption worker/children 1:15 • CPS investigation worker/cases 1:12 • CPS ongoing worker/cases 1:17 • Purchase of service monitoring worker/cases 1:45 • Licensing worker/cases 1:30

  8. Relative Licensing • Relative Licensing Coordinator • Relative & non-relative foster parents shall be licensed • Planning and implementation of recruitment plan for new foster care providers

  9. Permanency for Youth • Identify all children without a permanency plan • Prioritize those awaiting adoption or reunification for over a year • Permanency planning specialists focus on permanency for these children • Legal guardianship

  10. Services for Transitioning Youth • Referrals to Michigan Works! • Extend eligibility for foster care to age 20 • Independent Living services eligible through age 21 • Enroll youth in Medicaid without interruption • Referrals to MSHDA for rental assistance • 14 educational planners by October 2009

  11. Team Decision Making • TDMs will be held: • Prior to placement or next day if emergency placement • Prior to transfer to a different placement or next day if emergency transfer • Prior to change in permanency goal • When a child returns from AWOL status • When a child has been in care for 9 months with reunification goal without success in 12 months • When a child is legally free for adoption for 3 months but does not have a permanent placement identified

  12. Addressing Special Needs • Development of treatment foster homes • Recruitment plan to increase number of available placements • Adolescent • Sibling groups • Children with disabilities

  13. Needs Assessment • First assessment to begin by November 2008 • Needs assessment for additional services and placements • Family Preservation • Foster Care • Adoption • Wraparound • Reunification Services • Medical/Dental • Education • Mental Health Services • Flexible Funding

  14. Needs Assessment • Second assessment 2011 • Reassess previously identified services and placements • Review sufficiency of number of Treatment Foster Care beds to meet needs of children

  15. Funding • Draw down additional federal funds • Federal Compliance Unit • Title IV-E • Child and Family Services Review • Redirect $3 million dollars, beginning October 2008, to fund mental health services • $4 million dollars set aside for each needs assessment to develop services and placements identified

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