Priority Access (PASS)

Agency Commitments & Draft Recommendations

Presented to the California Child Welfare CouncilMarch 4, 2015

The Need for Priority Access

The Current Situation:

The state has a moral obligation and fiscal incentive to see these parents succeed in reunification.

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

Court-Ordered

Case Plan

Family enters CWS

Concrete needs

Knowledge

Parental Stress

Risk for Child Abuse & Neglect

Parents must navigate multiple systems

Services build parental capacity

Safe, Nurturing

Family Reunification

Strong families &

communities

The Vision

The PASS Project is working to create a future in which:

Parents in reunification are:

1. Readily identified as a priority population within each system (social services, housing, employment, courts, corrections/probation).

2. Immediately fast-tracked through eligibility and into services.

3. Supported through case management to achieve success within the specified timeframe and become successful parents to their children.

The State of California has achieved the nation’s highest reunification success rate and reduced costs dramatically not only in child welfare but across multiple systems.

Thousands of youth turn 18 each year and enter the world with the support of their family and a greatly increased change of succeeding as adults.

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

The PASS Structure

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

PASS Leadership Team

Behavioral Health Team

Housing Team

Corrections & Probation

Team

Workforce/ Employment

Team

Resource Teams: State and County CWS; Judicial and Legislative Partners; etc.

Commitments: Behavioral Health

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

Pathways

• DHCS and CDSS will provide guidance to, and identify and remove barriers for, County Mental Health Departments and Contracted County Managed Care Health Plans to provide priority access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment for parents of children in foster care.

Care Coordination

• DHCS will ensure that (1) the full continuum of evidence-based programs and practices for mental health and substance use disorders treatment are available on a priority basis to parents with a child in foster care; and (2) that parents in reunification have the support they need to navigate complex service systems.

Implementa

tion Tools

• State oversight and local management tools to facilitate priority access are disseminated by state partners and actively utilized by counties. CDSS and DHCD disseminate tools to local BH systems to facilitate priority access for FR parents; support counties in understanding the process and using the tools.

CHILD WELFARE

Process Flow: Current CW, MH, and SUD SystemsDay 1 72 Hours 6 mo.Day 1 12 mo.

Document Findings

CW Worker Initial

Investigation

Court “Detention Hearing”

Call to Hot Line

reporting a problem

Periodic updates to

Court

Court Hearing

Court Hearing

Periodic updates to

Court

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SERVICES

Primary Care ProviderIf court orders MH Services

If court orders SUD Services

Assessment: Diagnosis/ Impairment Level

County MH Plan

MH Managed Care Plan

Treatment Plan

County MH or Specific MH Provider

Assessing MH Clinician provides

treatment

Assessing MH Clinician refers to

provider

Brief Intervention by PC Provider

Treatment: Residential, NTP/MAP,

Outpatient, Detox, Perinatal,

etc.

SBIRTAssessment

Primary Care Provider

Progress Reporting

Progress Reporting

Progress Reporting

Family Reunification Plan

Jurisdiction & Disposition

Hearing

Recommendations

CW WorkerRisk

Assessment

SUD NeedsAssessment

County SUD Office

Recommendations: Behavioral Health

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

Identification:• As early as possible, identify PARENTS’ need for BH services and initiate the

process with the appropriate parties (County BH, Managed Care Providers, etc.)

Entry into Services:• Embed the information needed to identify parents in reunification upon entry

into the Behavioral Health system.• As the Reunification Plan is developed, Child Welfare and Behavioral Health

partners will work together to align treatment plans, timelines, etc.

Care Coordination:• Utilize/enhance care coordination mechanisms in CW and BH systems

(e.g., peer support, case managers, inter-disciplinary teams) to support parents in successfully achieving treatment milestones and to ensure progress is communicated to Child Welfare/Courts.

• DHCS/BH and CDSS will develop and disseminate tools to ensure the CW and BH are able to prioritize parents in reunification for services and supports.

Overview: Housing & Community Development

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

Department of Housing & Community Development

Provides leadership, policies and programs to preserve and expand safe and affordable housing opportunities and promote strong communities for all Californians.

• Housing instability often brings families to the attention of child welfare and, in many cases, serves as a barrier to family reunification.

• HCD is one of many state agency financing entities

• Leadership role with respect to numerous housing & homeless assistance programs implemented by local government and/or non-profit organizations

Committments: Housing & Community Development

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

PASS Housing ConveningOctober 6, 2014

– Integrated, cross sector conversation

– Education of housing providers & partners

– Identification of effective housing options for families in reunification

Identify effective, evidence-based housing approaches for families in reunification.

Promising Options: Rapid Re-Housing Transitional Housing Supportive Housing

Commitments: Housing & Community Development

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

• Identify families in reunification who also need housing and/or homelessness assistance

• Expand Availability of effective housing and homelessness program options

• Facilitate Priority Access through cross-system education and outreach

Maximize funding allocation for effective, evidence based housing options for families in reunification.

Recommendations: Housing & Community Development

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

• Developing access to current and future State Housing Programs through review of targeting, set-asides or direct funding approaches:– Reviewing HCD MHP program, new National Housing Trust Fund, and reaching

out to State Tax Credit Program– Developing a better system level view and approach to funding and

coordination at the local level• Cross education between systems:

– Housing sector participation on Child Welfare Council– Benefit of housing first approaches, promote/educate use of emerging

coordinated entry systems, and coordinated assessment tools• Data and research development to support:

– Reviewing case files database for better information on housing needs and supports

– In continued national conversations concerning best housing intervention approaches and best leverage points among systems

Overview: Workforce/Employment

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB)

assists the Governor in setting and guiding policy in the area of workforce development.

required by the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

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Commitment 1: Expand Awareness of and Strategies for Engaging Parents in Reunification and Prioritizing Access

An Information Notice will be sent to entire California Workforce System providing guidance and information on:

Upcoming Opportunities for

Learning Communities• Accelerator Fund to

Facilitating Multi-Disciplinary Teams:

•Child Welfare/Public Assistance•Housing•Corrections/ Probation•Behavioral Health Care•Workforce Development•Community-Based Organizations

Strategies for Stabilizing

Parents/Families• Stabilizing Services:•Meaningful Family Engagement•Coordinated Assessment and Case Planning•Service Delivery: health/ behavioral treatment; legal services, housing, parenting/ coping skills, public assistance/ income supports

Strategies for Sustaining Families• Sustaining Services:•AJCC Career Planning Services•Life Skills, Work Readiness•Skills Development: (credentials/degrees) and work-based learning (earn and learn) in high-demand sectors•Collaborative Coaching•Job Development and Job Placement•Job Retention Networks/Services•Support Services: child care, transportation, work supports

• Challenge: Few resources specifically dedicated to developing, prototyping, and piloting new strategies or “out of the box” ideas.

• Solution: Leverage current CWIB Accelerator process to create and prototype innovative strategies that accelerate access to training and employment for Parents in Reunification.

• Accelerator Goals: Identify replicable practices at the county level to inform statewide policy and local service delivery.

Replicable Models for Ensuring Access to

Workforce Development for Parents in Reunification

Evaluation of

Innovative

Practices

Oversight from Leaders

hip

Leverage Process

and Funding

Commitment 2: FR Parents are the Target Population in next Workforce Accelerator Fund

Overview: Corrections and Probation

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

State Corrections

• State Administered• High Level Offenders• Service:

– In-Prison Based (pre-release)– Community Based

(post-release)

• Service delivery:– Evidence-Based Programming– Based on Assessed Need– Provided by Contracted

Providers

County Probation

• County Administered• Lower Level Offenders• Service:

– Community-based (post-release or in-lieu of sentencing)

• Service delivery:– Evidence-Based Programming– Referral by probation officer– Re-entry Hubs/Day Reporting

Centers

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

Increase awareness of PASS related to criminal justice.

Commitments: Corrections and Probation

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

• Data Match• Identify inmates or

parolees with reunification order to services

• Memo/fact sheet on best practices in reunification specific to probation

Develop data linkages to provide offender priority access to available reunification services.

Commitments: Corrections and Probation

Child Welfare Council – Priority Access to Services and Supports

• NEXT STEPSDistribute PASS flier to Probation Departments

CDCR to continue Data Match project with CDSS

CDCR and Probation to convene Forum/Roundtable in Spring. Topics for discussion include:

Interactions at front end of system

Current best practices across state and counties

Parent/mentor perspective and system challenges

Recommendations: Corrections and Probation

Priority Access (PASS) Agency Commitments & Draft Recommendations

Presented to the California Child Welfare CouncilMarch 4, 2015