DHR-DFCS Statewide Community Forum

Atlanta, Georgia

December 19, 2006

Today’s Objectives

Share what we heard from you in 13 regional forums across the state

Talk about how we are going to respond to what we heard

Get your comments on next steps

Purpose of Community Forums

To respond to Georgia Senate Resolution 1270 requiring DFCS to seek community input.

To seek stakeholder input as required by the federal Child and Family Services Review process.

To present information to stakeholders on agency mission,vision, values, goals, challenges and outcomes.

To seek stakeholder input for continuous quality improvement.

The Community Forums

November 2006 13 forums – 1 in every region (2 in Metro Atlanta) More than 300 stakeholders

Legislators, judges, attorneys, law enforcement, service providers, CASA and other child advocates, school officials, foster parents

DFCS Staff State, region and county

Additional Input Still Coming In

Online stakeholder survey More than 1,500 responses to date

Caregiver (foster, adoptive, relative) survey More than 2,000 responses to date

Biological parent survey Recently mailed

Regional Forum Components

Presentation: DFCS challenges, such as caseloads and staff

turnover DFCS federal performance indicators Current strategies/initiatives, including

diversion and re-vamping our independent living program

Regional Forum Components

Group Discussion: Reducing child abuse and neglect Preventing out-of-home placements Preserving families Supporting adoptions Transitioning teens to independence Stabilizing foster care

What We Heard About Safety

Keeping children safe is a community responsibility – not just DFCS’ responsibility

More community education is needed to better: Recognize and report abuse Understand DFCS mission, role, available

services/resources More networking and multi-disciplinary teams are desired Minimize the number of caseworkers in a single case Recruit, screen, train and match appropriate and committed

adults with children

What We Heard About Permanency

Preserving Families Encourage relative caregivers but ensure safety More family team meetings More visitation More resources and supports for families so they

can keep children in the home Appropriate mental health and substance services,

especially in rural areas

What We Heard About Permanency

Stabilizing Placements Increase awareness of the reasons foster parents are needed Prepare and train foster parents for realities Share child information up front; match child to family Provide services and supports for families caring for teens,

challenging and special needs children Ensure adequate resources and supports for foster children

and families

What We Heard About Permanency

Transitioning Teens in Foster Care to Independence “Normalize” teen years

Driving, extracurricular activities, prom, etc. Develop mentors, especially male Address poor high school graduation rate

Collaborate with DOE, technical colleges, university system Educate relatives and foster homes about resources Bolster independent living program and resources

More coordinators, apartments Teen employment

Collaborate with DOL, business

What We Heard About Permanency

Adoption Increase awareness, recruitment Address negative perceptions about children in state

custody Provide services and supports for challenging and special

needs children Prepare and train adoptive parents for realities Reduce barriers and length of legal process Ensure adequate resources and supports for adoptive

children and families

What We Heard About Well-Being

Building Parental Capacity Help parents who are overwhelmed, stressed Need more prevention services and supports earlier,

for families with children ages 0-3 Need child abuse and neglect (CAN) education and

training at all levels of community Parents Community service providers/agency partners Other community partners (churches, businesses, etc)

What We Heard About Well-Being

Building Parental Capacity (continued)

Assess family and bring in partners at beginning Ensure adequate resources throughout state

Education, physical and mental health, substance abuse Change public perception of DFCS and agency/caseworker

culture Replace the adversarial “taking kids” perception with the “helping

families” perception. Educate other agencies and community on DFCS

mission/role DFCS is used as a tool Not threatening

Overall Themes That Emerged Across All Topics and Regions

You told us that in order to make gains on the outcomes of well being, safety and permanency, we need to work with you on: Communication Collaboration Targeting Resources

Communication means:

More… public relations,

awareness,

reporting,

information-sharing,

and building of relationships with people who care and want to be involved

Collaboration means:

More…

networking,

interdisciplinary meetings,

joint staffing,

partnering with local collaboratives, and

eliminating adversarial relationships –

culture change

Targeting Resources means:

Train, compensate and retain staff Reduce caseloads Ensure there are adequate services and supports

for children and families, especially in rural areas

Monitor performance, outcomes

Our Reaction

It’s agreed: DFCS Cannot Do it Alone Protecting children and supporting families is a shared responsibility

DFCS Must

Continue to educate the public and share information about Child Abuse and Neglect

Together We Must

Define our respective roles and responsibilities and cultivate solid working relationships with other people who care about

families and want to be involved.

Steps Already Underway

Staff turnover has decreased from 42 percent in 2004 to 26-30 percent to date, closer to the national average of 22 percent

Average caseloads have decreased from 26 in June 2004 to 17 currently

Steps Already Underway

Foster Parent Recruitment – EMBRACE Place children in the best choice – not only choice

An opportunity to privatize the recruitment, training, support and retention of foster parents

Pilot operating in five counties recruiting foster parents Expand EMBRACE to partner with community

stakeholders and civic leaders statewide Goal is to have 700 new foster parents in FY 2008

Steps Already Underway

Jobs For Youth Expansion of TeenWork to make sure every 16

and 17 year old has the opportunity to have a summer job.

Redesigning the Independent Living Program Focused on key youth development indicators Continuous improvement sessions with ILP staff

Steps Already Underway

Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) Individualized Course Action, Family Team Meetings Develop local networks of services and supports that

involve natural/informal and formal resources and address both prevention and intervention

Shared decision-making process

Family Connection Partnership Present in all 159 counties

Steps Already Underway

Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) Provides resources for family support, family

preservation, time-limited reunification services and adoption promotion

More Input Is Needed

We need to get more specific about how we will address:

CommunicationCollaboration

Targeted Resources

In which ways do we need to take on these objectives?With whom should we work to achieve these goals?How does current efforts focused on these objectives need to

be changed?

DHR-DFCS Statewide Community Forum

Atlanta, Georgia

December 19, 2006