The Next Phase of Child Welfare Reform in Illinois:

1. The Next Phase of Child Welfare Reform in Illinois: The Lifetime Approach

2. Child Welfare at a Crossroads • Great number of children have moved into permanency since 1997. • 41,000 children in subsidized adoption and guardianship. • 18,400 in substitute care. • Challenges remain.

3. Clear Lessons • Focusing on permanency benefits some children and youth in care; • Focusing exclusively on permanency exacerbates adverse childhood experiences for some children in care; and • Older youth face significant challenges to achieve independence; • We must do a better job.

4. Research and Evaluation Reveal Path to Response • Federal Child & Family Service Review • Chapin Hall Center for Children report on Trends in Residential Care • Growing Body of Research about Impact and Treatment of Childhood Trauma

5. Major Reforms/New Direction The Lifetime Approach

6. Lifetime Approach • Embrace role as parent; • Anticipate and respond to clinical needs; • Evaluate impact by: • education, well-being and life skills of the young adults who emerge; and • success in sustaining foundation through development of own strong families.

7. Goals of Lifetime Approach • Early identification of trauma. • Strong correlation between trauma, treatment plan and services. • Improved well being outcomes. • Sustainable life foundation. • Strong adults building healthy families.

8. Trauma Impact is Lifelong • Trauma includes abuse and neglect, exposure to violence, and removal home • Research concluded that, • “The effects of trauma can be pervasive, impacting school readiness and performance, diminishing cognitive abilities and leading to substance abuse, disabling mental disorders and costly physical health problems.”

9. Intervention Works • Early and rapid identification reduces negative childhood and adult consequences • Child welfare system must support early identification of the clinical assets of every child and provide a systematic response

10. Next Two Years Devoted to Implementing The Lifetime Approach

11. Integrated Assessment Child &Youth Investment Teams Trauma Treatment Transitional Living/Independent Living Re-Design Foster Care Caseload Re-Design Intensive Stabilization Services Family Supported Adolescent Care Residential Performance Unit Major Reforms

12. Integrated Assessment • Provides a comprehensive clinical understanding of the child from the moment he enters care. • A service plan directly related to identified clinical assets.

13. Integrated Assessment Partnerships • Children’s Memorial Hospital • Southern Illinois University • Northern Illinois University • La Rabida Children’s Hospital • Erikson Institute

14. Trauma Treatment • Integrated Assessment will identify issues. • Existing $20 million in counseling contracts will be targeted to ensure treatment. • Recognition of impact of trauma will be infused throughout service plan and treatment systems.

15. Intensive Stabilization Services • Series of targeted strategies to stabilize older youth with a history of multiple placements and run behavior. • New strategies will engage youth and stabilize his life and relationships before he emerges from the system into adulthood.

16. Family Supported Adolescent Care • 80% of 16 year olds change their goal from permanency to independence. • Need the stability and mentorship of a foster home committed to older youth. • New cadre of foster parents singularly committed to serving older adolescents during their transition to adulthood.

17. Transitional Living and Independent Living Re-Design • No existing uniform definition, structure or outcomes in Independent Living and Transitional Living Programs. • Public/private collaborative effort surveyed existing program structures and available services. • Resulting in new progression for transition to adulthood.

18. Five Stage Progression • Four levels of transitional living programs depending age, educational attainment, behavior and level of functioning. • Fifth stage of progression—an Independent Living Program—transitional living program as prerequisite. • ILO structured to support progressive responsibility with the expectation that by the age of 21 the young adult is capable of self-sufficiency.

20. Child & Youth Investment Teams • Streamlines decision-making process for available services • Eliminates existing gateways to residential and specialized foster care • Identifies and responds to needs earlier by installing event trigger mechanism.

21. System Now:

22. After Reform:

23. Foster Caseload Re-Design • FY 2005 contracts reduce the private agency foster care caseloads from 18-1 to 15-1. • New contracts providing more opportunity and flexibility to target staff to reach new well-being performance outcomes.

24. Residential Performance Unit • Track the progress of youth in residential facilities. • Ensure progress in treatment plans and timely discharge to community based living. • Monitor the ability of individual providers to successfully serve the youth in their care.

25. Residential Performance Unit • The University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and the Department will jointly staff the unit. • Fully operational when hiring is completed--which is expected to be in November of this year. • First residential monitoring that accounts for the individual treatment plans and outcomes of the youth.

26. Lifetime Approach to Child Welfare

27. Public Responsibility • Child Welfare Reform is not enough, we can’t do it alone. • Public responsibility deepens after the incident of abuse or neglect. Abused and neglected children are the foster children living in your communities—embrace them. • Systems that care for children and youth must effectively partner to fulfill their shared missions.

28. Goals of Lifetime Approach • Early identification of trauma. • Strong correlation between trauma, treatment plan and services. • Improved well being outcomes. • Sustainable life foundation. • Strong adults building healthy families.