ALASKA CITIZEN REVIEW PANEL BIA Providers’ Conference Anchorage, AK December 2, 2014 CRP’s work...

ALASKA CITIZEN REVIEW PANEL

BIA Providers’ Conference

Anchorage, AK

December 2, 2014

CRP’s work and how you can help

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

• What is the CRP, and what does it do?

• Panel’s activities since 2002

• This year’s goals

• Your participation

• A short survey

WHAT DOES CRP DO?

Federal Mandate:

– Review and evaluate practice as well as policy and procedure

– Collect public comment and

– prepare and present an annual report which details their activities and recommendations (CRP Annual Report)

State Mandate:

“The CRP shall examine the policies, procedures, and practices of State and local agencies and where appropriate, specific cases, to evaluate the extent to which State and local child protection system agencies are effectively discharging their protection responsibilities.”

VISION AND MISSION

Vision: To enable the Office of Children’s Services to implement its policies and procedures in a culturally sensitive and consistent manner across the state.

Mission: •Review and evaluate the practices and procedures of OCS

•Recommend changes and improvements

CRPS CAN REVIEW, EVALUATE, OR EXAMINE

• Intake and screening

• Investigation or assessment

• Family Services (in-home or out-of-home)

• Practice behaviors

• Coordination of services

• Staff qualifications, training, and workload

• Utilization of technology

• Review of individual cases

CRP RECOMMENDATIONS

PANEL MEMBERSHIP

• Volunteers

• Broadly representative of the state– Diverse personal and professional background

– All parts of the state

– Some experience and familiarity with child protection

The Panel’s members are chosen through a formal interview process

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS…

CRP’s job is to check if these wheels are turning as we expect them to – smooth.

Alaska’s Child Protection

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS…

CRP tries to know the answers to these questions.

What is supposed to be done?

What is actually done?

What is needed?

Alaska’s Child Protection

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS…

Every year the Panel starts with a WORK PLAN

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS…

CRP pursues these goals through:

•Monthly meetings– Panel meetings

–Meetings with OCS senior leadership

•Site visits–Meet with OCS staff

–Meet with local partner agencies including tribal leaders and ICWA workers

•Present to the legislature every February

•Release an annual report

COVERED ALMOST ALL OF THE STATE…

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM 2013-2014

• Recommendation 1: OCS make several changes to its intake policy– Create and support several methods for people to

make a report

– Change the intake procedures so reporters have to opt-out of receiving follow up on the case

– Uniformly implement the current pilot project of having a supervisor reviewing cases after 10 screened-out PSRs

– Periodically send a list of screened out PSRs to the local field office

SCREENED OUT BECAUSE…

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM 2013-2014

• OCS develop a model for serving in-home cases in rural Alaska and improve its data collection on in-home cases

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM 2013-2014

• Recommendation 3: OCS address the root of Initial Assessment (IA) backlog problem

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM 2013-2014

• Recommendation 4: OCS make improved relationships with community partners a priority

– Focus on relationships has been part of CRPs work for several years

– There is no consistent practice in building and sustaining good relationships

– No institutional structure guiding relationships

PAST RECOMMENDATIONS

• 2008 & 2009 - That OCS continue to work toward having a fifth service region headquartered in Bethel

• 2009 - Supporting and developing the relationship between OCS & ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) workers

PAST RECOMMENDATIONS

• 2011 - Work to improve the culture within the agency (Wasilla site visit)

• 2012 - Establish deadlines that require non‐emergency petitions to be filed allowing for supervision of the family by the continuum of legal parties without necessitating the removal of the child.

GOALS FOR 2014-2015

Retained all four goals from last year

And added:

•Learn more about ORCA and its capabilities

•Understand and assess OCS’ foster care recruitment efforts

OCS cannot resolve all the issues alone

CRPs are set up for us to participate

COME JOIN HANDS…

WE JUST NEED TO FIND A COMMON LANGUAGE

• Child protection is very complex

• OCS is a complex system – $ 300 million annual budget

– 500 workers

– 5 regional offices

– 21 field offices

• Governed by Federal laws, state laws, codes of ethics, professional values, rules and regulations, legal cases and opinions, etc.

WE JUST NEED TO FIND COMMON LANGUAGE

WE JUST NEED TO FIND A COMMON LANGUAGE

CRP is trying to translate between these parties

What is supposed to be done?

What is actually done?

What is needed?

Alaska’s Child Protection

CRP NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU

About…– Your concerns with child protection in your

community

– Your interaction with OCS

– Your observation on how things are going with OCS

– Your feedback on CRP work

You can remain anonymous. Your comments will be confidential.

CONSIDER JOINING CRP

• CRP needs members from all parts of the state– Voluntary

–May involve travel

– Flexible and limited involvement possible

• Formal selection process– Application

– Interview

– References

THANK YOU!

For an application ormore information www.crpalaska.org

Contact Sylvan Robb907-450-2456

sylvan@iialaska.com