The DCFS Integrated Assessment Program and Father Involvement

1. The DCFS Integrated Assessment Program and Father Involvement DCFS Leadership Summit January 27, 2010

2. Integrated Assessment Program (IA) • IA is a process that looks at the medical, social, developmental, mental health, and educational domains of both the child and the adults who figure prominently in his or her life. • The IA program draws on dual professional perspectives (caseworker and screener) and provides the instruments and process to conduct a thorough clinical assessment for families facing challenges of neglect or abuse. • The IA process and the IA report create a foundation for more informed decisions regarding service intervention to bring the case to an appropriate conclusion.

3. Context • Illinois DCFS IA program was launched in 2005. • DCFS received a grant from HHS/Children’s Bureau in 2007 to evaluate the IA program and expand it for use with intact families. • Father involvement was a specific focus of the Children’s Bureau RFP for this grant; corresponds to efforts of the National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System.

4. Father Involvement: What the Literature Tells Us • Involved fathers have a direct impact on childhood well-being; their children have better social, emotional, and educational outcomes (Rosenberg and Wilcox 2006). • Many think of absent fathers as a pervasive problem among child welfare families; however, drawing on nationally representative child welfare data, Bellamy (2009) found that a majority of families have male relative involvement in their lives. • Fathers are frequently: • excluded from investigations and assessments in child welfare • frequently absent in interventions, or • identified as challenging to engage • (O’Donnell et al, 2005; Scott & Crooks, 2006)

5. Data for this Study • DCFS administrative data systems • CYCIS • SACWIS • IA database (N = over 9,000 child cases) • Interviews with caseworkers across the state(N = 22) • Review of IA reports for randomly selected sub-sample of cases where fathers were interviewed(N = 49)

6. Research Questions • Do fathers participate in IA interviews? • What concerns do Mothers and Fathers present? • What can we say about fathers’ circumstances and their involvement with their children? • Do service plans reflect the assessment recommendations and fathers’ circumstances? • How does parent participation in the IA interviews relate to child/case outcomes?

7. 18% 40% 37% 5% Both parents interviewed Father only Mother only Neither parent interviewed Do Fathers Participate in IA Interviews? (2005-2008)

8. Percent of IA Cases in Which a Father is Interviewed Increased 15 Percentage Points over Three Years

9. What Factors are Associated with Fathers Being Interviewed? • Where both the mother and father are interviewed… • a greater percentage of children are: • younger than age 6, • white, • initially placed with a relative • a smaller percentage of children have: • a prior foster care placement • a case in Cook County

10. What CANS Concerns do Mothers and Fathers Present With at the Time of the Initial IA?

11. Distribution of 8 CANS Caregiver Concerns Potentially Requiring More Intensive Intervention/Treatment Percent

12. Fathers’ Circumstances and Supports • (Source=randomly selected subsample of 49 IA reports in which fathers were interviewed) • Slightly fewer than half dropped out of high school • Half were employed at the time of the assessment; employment histories were sporadic • The overwhelming majority indicated they had informal supports on which they could rely • Most unemployed fathers relied heavily on family support for money and/or housing, rather than public benefit programs or other forms of financial assistance.

13. Positive Involvement / Potential Resource • [FATHER ] first saw [CHILD] starting at 2 months old, and saw her about ten times [over a 4-month period]. An order of protection was issued … and expired. Dad now visits [CHILD] approximately every other day, but prior to this DCFS involvement he had limited contact with her. Dad had been living with his mother, but moved into his stepmother’s home so that [his mother] could provide daycare. [FATHER] expressed interest in obtaining custody.

14. Negative Involvement • [FATHER] … has been threatening hospital staff…does not acknowledge the impact of his behavior on [CHILD]… did not express feelings of empathy for [CHILD] … nor did he express an understanding of the long-term impact this situation may have on [CHILD]. He was unable to acknowledge the fragile medical state that [CHILD] is in and the necessity of following through with the recommended medical treatments.

15. Father’s Residency and Involvement with Child

16. Do Case Service Plans Reflect the Assessment Recommendations and Fathers’ Circumstances? • Recommendations for therapy were made for almost every father interviewed. • For many of the categories that might be considered reflective of more concrete needs, such as housing or employment, the recommendations were frequently stated in terms that the father should secure such things. • “My own personal opinion, the system is not geared for the fathers, so I kind of let the father know, “You need to do this, and you need to stay on top of your game if you want to get your child back.” Now I actually did have a child returned to her father, but he was determined, so that was a good thing. But you have more resources for women, so it’s… hard.” [Caseworker #30]

17. How Does Parent Participation in the IA Interviews Relate to Child’s Behavior at 1st IA?

18. How Does Parent Participation in the IA Interviews Relate to Child’s Case Outcome?

19. Study Implications • The higher reunification rates may reflect fathers’ contributions to the overall resources available for children. • The importance of engaging fathers early in the assessment process cannot be understated; sustaining the engagement of fathers through services and interventions warrants further attention. • A differentiated approach to engaging fathers is needed, as well as an array of services that best meets their particular circumstances. • Although many of the negatively involved resident fathers had some assets, some did not understand or acknowledge the impact of their behaviors on their child or the rest of the family. These fathers may be more difficult to engage in services and reunification efforts.

20. Why Engage All Caregivers? • The family is most familiar with the child - at a minimum, proving a valuable source of information on health, behavior, education, etc. • The family is a large part of the environment a child may transition back to after return and/or exit • In the Midwest Study of Youth Aging Out of Care, 35 percent of 19-year-olds who exited care reported that they were living with a biological parent or other relative (Courtney, Dworsky, Ruth, Keller, Havlicek, & Bost, 2005). • For juveniles involved in the justice system, family involvement is believed to be correlated with successful transition and reduced recidivism (Brock, Burrell, & Tulipano; National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent, or at Risk (NDTAC, August 2006))

21. Family Assessment & Outcomes: More Research • NY ACS and Probation - Family Assessment Program, Shubik and Khashu (2005), Choudhry (2007)[1] • Reduction in probation intakes, petitions to family court, and out-of-home placements for PINS youth • families received service referrals and experienced improved mental health, more cohesive family relations, and decreased stress • Contra Costa County, CA - Parent Partner Program (Anthony et al,2009) • Higher 12-month reunification rates among parents served by the program (vs. a matched, historical sample of parents not served) . • 2007 & 2008 Child & Family Service Reviews, Children’s Bureau • Stronger performance on permanency outcome was associated with better performance on providing preventive services to the family, performing needs assessments of parents, and caseworker visits with parents [1] The authors do suggest the need for more rigorous outcomes evaluations.

22. Additional Resources • ABA Center on Children and the Law • Policy and Practice Reform to Engage Non-Resident Fathers in Child Welfare Proceedings (volume 10, Issue 6; Sept 2008) • Advocating for Nonresident Fathers in Child Welfare Court Cases (Book just released in 2009) • National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System (www.fatherhoodqic.org) • Edwards, L. (2009). “Engaging Fathers in the Child Protection Process: The Judicial Role.” National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Juvenile and Family Court Journal, Vol. 60 (2). • National CASA Association (www.casaforchildren.org) • Identifying locating and Engaging Fathers in Dependency Court Cases (J. Dean Lewis, Judge); series of articles in The Judges’ Page

23. For more info… • Report available at www.chapinhall.org: • Identifying, Interviewing, and Intervening: Fathers and the Illinois Child Welfare System • Chapin Hall Evaluation Team: • Cheryl Smithgall • Robert Goerge • Jan DeCoursey • Elissa Gitlow • Jeff Harrington • Lisa Haseltine • Elizabeth Jarpe-Ratner • Duck-Hye Yang DCFS Project Team: Brenda Owen Douglas Washington Hector Aviles Larry Small