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Presenters: Rudy Brooks Former Bureau Chief, Prevention Services

CT’s DCF-Head Start Partnership Working Together to Serve Vulnerable Families & Support the Development of At-Risk Children. Presenters: Rudy Brooks Former Bureau Chief, Prevention Services CT Department of Children & Families Grace Whitney Director, CT Head Start State Collaboration Office

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Presenters: Rudy Brooks Former Bureau Chief, Prevention Services

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  1. CT’s DCF-Head Start Partnership Working Together to Serve Vulnerable Families & Support the Development of At-Risk Children Presenters: Rudy Brooks FormerBureau Chief, Prevention Services CT Department of Children & Families Grace Whitney Director,CT Head Start State Collaboration Office   Child Welfare, Collaboration and the Courts: A Collaboration to Strengthen Educational Successes of Children and Youth in Foster Care Renaissance Arlington Capitol View Hotel, Arlington, VA November 3-4, 2011

  2. Why Should We Partner? • Head Start/EHS and DCF often serve the same children • Many Head Start/EHS children and families are at risk • Great potential for identification and prevention • Head Start/EHS is a natural environment for interventions to occur

  3. What Would the Benefits Be? • Programs understand one another • Establish regular procedures for working together • Achieve continuity of care through case management • Develop creative solutions for unique and difficult cases

  4. How Would Families Benefit? • Families understand and access services • Families feel supported • Placements reduced and permanency increased for children • Children access high quality ECE • Children receive care from knowledgeable, nurturing adults working together

  5. Protocol for Working Together Section I: Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Section II: Communication on Open DCF Investigations Section III: Treatment Planning and Case Management

  6. Protocol for Working Together Section IV: Placement of Children Section V: DCF Referrals to Head Start/EHS Section VI: Agency Planning

  7. DCF-Head Start Partnership Phase 1 - Pilot 1999 1DCF Areas & 3 Head Start/Early Head Start • Created Protocol for Working Together Phase 2 – Ready Communities 2007 8 DCF Areas & 15 Head Start/Early Head Start • Began quarterly facilitated meetings Phase 3 – Statewide Implementation 2009 6 DCF Areas & 11 Head Start/Early Head Start • Added mental health, other early care, etc.

  8. Evaluation • Quarterly Data Collection • Building Trust and Partnership • Maintaining On-going Collaboration • Improving Services to Families • “Stories” of interest

  9. DCF-Head Start Partnership & Collaboration Needs Assessment

  10. Results • Simplify/standardize referral processes and intentional enrollment of DCF-involved children, including foster care, into Head Start • Align Treatment Plan/Family Partnership Agreement • Connect mental health supports, housing supports, other early care • Modifying DCF LINK data system to help identify and serve children under five

  11. The Collaborative Process • It must be meaningful to you! • Balancing Process with Product • Mental Models • The Collaborative Path

  12. Getting to Know One Another as Organizations

  13. Common Ground

  14. Improving Outcomes for Children Stage 5: Going to Scale • Adapt and expand prototype • Deepen collaborative culture • Institutionalize processes Stage 4: Taking Action • Implement new processes • Collect data • Evaluate progress-make course corrections Stage 3: Developing a Plan • Formalize interagency relationships • Define service delivery processes • Develop technical tools Stage 2: Building Trust • Get to know one another • Build cooperative relationships • Establish shared goals Stage 1: Getting Together • Commit to Collaboration • Involve the right people • Decide to act

  15. Team Self-Assessment • Where are we now? • Have there been changes for which we need to repeat earlier steps to get everyone up to speed? • Are there others we need to invite to our table? • What are some logical next steps to include on our Goal Sheet? • Do we need any additional supports?

  16. What’s Worked for Us..... • Ongoing commitment from and access to all levels of both agencies • Critical importance of support at the top! • A process that promotes statewide goals yet respects local differences and needs • Opportunities to share accomplishments with and learn from other communities

  17. Community Leaders Local Meetings Membership Lists Quarterly Data Sheets Quarterly Goal Sheets “Community NEWS” Federal/State Leaders Strategic Facilitation Meeting Supports Data, Data, Data Policy/Practice Change New Resources What’s Worked for Us.....

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