1 / 9

New Mexico Family Infant Toddler Program

New Mexico Family Infant Toddler Program. CAPTA and referrals of children at risk. Background. New Mexico is one of only a few states serving children at-risk and their families Biological / Medical Risk (diagnosed condition incl. low birth weight, prematurity, chronic otitis etc.)

wilona
Download Presentation

New Mexico Family Infant Toddler Program

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. New MexicoFamily Infant Toddler Program CAPTA and referrals of children at risk

  2. Background • New Mexico is one of only a few states serving children at-risk and their families • Biological / Medical Risk (diagnosed condition incl. low birth weight, prematurity, chronic otitis etc.) • Environmental Risk (2 or more factors incl. substance abuse, abuse / neglect, mental illness, domestic violence, homelessness etc.) CAPTA - NM Part C Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program

  3. Background (cont.) • Referrals prior to CAPTA from Children Youth and Families (CYFD) have doubled from 319 in 2004 to 613 in 2005 • Potential CAPTA referrals is 1,300 (number of substantiated abuse / neglect of children birth to three) CAPTA - NM Part C Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program

  4. Environmental Risk initiative • ICC focus area within strategic plan • NECTAC work plan process • Initiative included: • Eligibility and risk assessment tool • Recommended practices and TA document • CAPTA referral process CAPTA - NM Part C Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program

  5. CAPTA work (thus far…) • Draft Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Children Youth & Families Department (CYFD) • Joint memo to Child Protective Service workers and FIT Providers • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document • Referral form developed • Decision to conduct full developmental evaluation on all children referred (not screening) CAPTA - NM Part C Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program

  6. CAPTA work (in progress) • Joint training planned for March 2006 • CAPTA – the referral process + MOA • Breakout sessions for CYFD and FIT Program • Small group – work on case study scenarios • Development of web based course or self study (in order to train new staff ongoing) • Flowchart of child welfare process • Implications of mandated referrals related to substance abuse (new IDEA requirement) CAPTA - NM Part C Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program

  7. CAPTA opportunities • CAPTA is more than just the referral – it promotes the need to address issues related to the ongoing relationship between child welfare and Part C, incl: • Surrogate parents / custody issues • Court issues / testimony and subpoena of child record • Visitation and role of biological parent in early intervention • Release of information / confidentiality / privacy CAPTA - NM Part C Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program

  8. Lessons Learned • Develop relationships with key child welfare personnel at the State level • Promote opportunities for communication at the community level • The partnership benefits both parties • CAPTA brings to the surface a lot of issues about working jointly at the local level with children in the child welfare system CAPTA - NM Part C Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program

  9. Lessons Learned (cont.) • Promote CAPTA in the context of brain development and child development research that recognize that abuse and neglect and multiple placements can impact a child’s development NOT “this is Federal mandate that we now have to follow…” • CAPTA and IDEA 2004 provide an opportunity to promote a focus on child development within the child welfare system CAPTA - NM Part C Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program

More Related