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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
