Free to Grow Workshop

1. Free to Grow Workshop Preparing to Implement the Kentucky Case Management Approach: Staff Development Considerations

2. Desired Results What do you hope to gain from this workshop?

3. Desired Results

4. Workshop Outcomes • Convey an understanding of: • The implementation of the Head Start Performance Standards through the Audubon Family Services Model • The enhanced effectiveness of the Audubon model • Staff development infrastructure need to support the model

5. Workshop Outcomes • Convey an understanding of: • The effective use of the Family Partnership Plan Assessment and Goal Form • The role of case management in family support • The use of data collection in managing family outcomes and in the Head Start self-assessment process

6. Performance Standards 1304.40 • Collaborative Partnership-Building • To establish mutual trust • To identify family goals, strengths, and necessary services and supports • Take into consideration each family’s readiness and willingness to participate

7. Performance Standards 1304.40 • Family Partnership Agreements • Develop and implement individualized agreements • Describe family goals, responsibilities, timetables and strategies for achieving them • Work with other community agencies in coordinating goals and timetables

8. Performance Standards 1304.40 • Work collaboratively with parents to identify and continually access services and resources that are responsive to family’s interests and goals including • Emergency or crisis assistance • Education and other interventions • Continuing education and employment services

9. Balance • Family support programs must continually balance their need to obtain information about families (which enables them to offer appropriate support) with the readiness and willingness of families to provide that information and accept the support that is offered.

10. Research Study An Analysis of the Enhanced Effectiveness of the Audubon Area Community Services Free to Grow Enhanced Case Management and Family Advocacy Model Prepared March, 2001 Philliber Research Associates

11. Study Basics • Data from Family Partnership Plan Assessment instrument • 1997-1998 (Baseline) N=700 families • 1998-1999 N=1,200 families • 1999-2000 N= 2,017 families

12. Executive Summary • 1.    How does the well being of the families served using the new model compare with the well being of families who did not receive the newly enhanced services? • There were significant differences in average ratings among all end of year assessments since 1997-1998. The general trend has been a decrease in average ratings since the end of the 1997-1998 program year. Comparison of ratings from the beginning of 1998-1999 and the end of 1999-2000 illustrate similar findings. This seems to indicate the continued effectiveness of the new case management and family advocacy model.

13. Executive Summary • 2.    Under the new model, what changes are families able to make in their education, employment, housing, transportation, service use, special needs or disabilities, health and nutrition, medical care, family finances, basic needs (such as food, clothing, or utilities), support systems, child care, and parenting? • Of all families pre and post-assessed in 1999-2000, ratings significantly improved in every measured dimension, indicating an improvement in the well being of families served.

14. Executive Summary • 3.    In which of the above areas are the needs the greatest among families served? • Among all families pre and post-assessed in 1999-2000, those needs that appear to be the greatest among these families are in the areas of education, employment and family finances.

15. Executive Summary • 4.    In which of the above areas did the program make the most improvement? • Despite the greatest needs of families being in the areas of employment and family finances, during the 1999-2000 school year the program was most successful in improving the well being of families in these dimensions.

16. Executive Summary • 5.    How are the intensity of services and types of services related to progress among the families served? • v     In general the new model has allowed improvements in the well being of all types of families, having similar impacts regardless of the type of program or the length of time families participated during the 1999-2000 program year. • However, it is apparent from the tables illustrated in Appendix A that families of lower socioeconomic status were more likely to make changes than other families. For instance, those who were income eligible for Head Start had significantly larger improvements in their ratings than did those who were over-income.

17. Comparison of Results

19. Strength-Based Case Management Remember ALL persons have strengths! You must be open to looking for strengths and sometimes a little creative.

20. Professional Development • Assessment • Goal Development • Building Relationships • Working with “Resistant” Families • Case Management

21. Professional Development • Packets include • Objectives and outcomes for each of the five key areas of professional development • Family Advocate Role/Case Management • Supplemental training information on goal setting, home visiting, ways to deal with “resistance”, and effective case management

22. Family Partnership Plan • Guiding Principles • In-depth familiarity with the assessment tool including practice • Strength-based approach • True partnership and interactive process

23. FPP Guidance • Prepare families for the process • Explain purpose of form and plan to the parents • “To help us know how we can best work with your family” • “To obtain information that federal guidelines require” • “To help us know what kinds of issues face families in this community and to know what is important to you” • “To highlight the great things that are happening in your family” • “To see how great your family does throughout the year” • “To help us know if we are doing our jobs well” • “So we understand things from the family’s perspective”

24. FPP Guidance • Complete the information in a comfortable, “conversational” and “family friendly” style (Do NOT ask families to complete the plan) • Listen, clarify, and provide support as needed or requested • Develop and maintain your own unique style • Allow adequate time (minimum of 45-90 minutes)

25. FPP Guidance • Complete scoring portion after the home visit • If asked, talk about “scoring” portion in a non-threatening manner • If requested, give parent a copy of assessment tool (they always get the original of the goal form)

26. FPP Activity • Review the FPP Assessment • Determine the strengths of the family • Determine what type of goals might be possible for this family • Complete the Family Goal Statement for this family • Report to the large group your findings

27. FPP Scoring Activity • Review family scenario • After group discussion, score each of the ten areas (1-5) using Scoring Guidance • Total score and determine level

28. Suggested Scoring

29. Goal Possibilities • Goal possibilities in the order of suggested priority due to safety, health or basic needs. Generally, families are only asked to set a single goal.  • Obtain effective (affordable, treatment & prevention related) medical care as it is needed. (Family Wellness area) • Increase knowledge of, and access to, services and supports in order to meet basic needs. (Family Finances area, Services & Support area) • Assess and improve job skills in order to obtain employment. (Employment/Skills area)

30. Effective Case Management • An individualized, person-centered approach to coordinating services and opportunities in a positive and meaningful manner • An important means of service delivery that consists of building relationships, assessments, service plan implementation & delivery, monitoring, and advocacy

31. Effective Case Management • A coordinated approach to the delivery of services that links clients/families with appropriate services to address needs, build upon strengths, and achieve goals. • Offers clients a single point of contact with health, social service and/or other systems

32. Outcomes & Self-Assessment • 3. PROGRAM SELF-ASSESSMENTLegislative Provision: Section 641A(b)(2)(B) requires that results-based performance measures "be adaptable for use in self assessment, peer review, and program evaluation of individual Head Start agencies and programs..".

33. Outcomes & Self-Assessment • This new legislative mandate calls for Head Start grantees and delegate agencies to augment their current self-assessment efforts by creating a system to track patterns of child and program outcomes and to use this information to inform program planning and improvement efforts.

34. Outcomes & Self-Assessment • ACYF-IM-HS-00-18 Issuance 8/10/2000 • “Grantees should focus on the goal of enhancing self-assessment and continuous program improvement by incorporating data on child outcomes.” • “Grantees may also choose to track progress in additional areas of child, family, program outcomes, as defined in the Head Start Performance Standards or based on local program goals and priorities”

35. Outcome Management • Enables organization to perform at the highest level possible • Focuses on the results that program desires to achieve--Not upon activities and procedures • Enable and encourage innovation and change

36. Outcome Management • Organizations with a results focus almost always outperform those who pledge their “best efforts” • People who are successful in reaching and helping customers (families) are generally happier and more productive

37. FPP Data & Outcome Management • Data Collection Form • Microsoft Access Database • Sample Queries and Reports for Analysis

38. FPP Data & Outcome Management