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Family Support Center

Family Support Center. A collaboration between Elmcrest and Onondaga County DSS. Who am I?. Associate Executive Director of Programs and Planning, Elmcrest Formerly Deputy Commissioner of Child Welfare, Onondaga County, NY. What’s Elmcrest?.

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Family Support Center

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  1. Family Support Center A collaboration between Elmcrest and Onondaga County DSS

  2. Who am I? • Associate Executive Director of Programs and Planning, Elmcrest • Formerly Deputy Commissioner of Child Welfare, Onondaga County, NY

  3. What’s Elmcrest? A multi-service agency providing residential and community-based services to children, youth, and their families.

  4. Where’s Onondaga County, NY? • Approximately 480,000 people in the center of New York State • Syracuse, NY

  5. Who are you? • Practitioners, supervisors, administrators, others? • Government, nonprofit, academia, others? • How many of you are familiar with the foster care system?

  6. The challenge: • Differential Response- its policy, principles, and practices have significantly impacted the procurement of safety in families, but we’ve not reached a point yet where the need for out of home placement can be avoided; and • The impact out-of-home placement has on families and children is that of a natural disaster, a chronic illness, or becoming homeless.

  7. The challenge to meeting the challenge • Best practices that help to create safety, permanency, and well-being are hard to implement on large systems, and it takes a long time to see the impact when they’re implemented in a “one at a time” fashion…and we don’t have a long time!

  8. Meeting the challenge • We have learned that an effective way to improve our system is to provide a program approach that allows for staff to apply multiple best practices all at once. • Which has led to positive results on the case level while system changes continue to take place.

  9. What is The Family Support Center (FSC)? • Program operated by Elmcrest and shared/funded by Onondaga County • Place that operates 24/7, where children stay for a limited period of time • Consolidated intervention that employs several best practices • Results-oriented partnership • Program used for initial placements, placement disruptions, and respite services

  10. What the FSC is NOT • “Residential treatment center” • Shelter • Magic bullet • Place that provides less work for caseworkers or other DSS/agency staff

  11. Our history… • Developed in 1994 between Elmcrest and Onondaga County • Need was to reduce the trauma that occurs throughout the placement process, and reduce subsequent episodes (child-centered). • Goal- Provide comprehensive assessments and care

  12. Fenway… • Implemented as a pilot in a 24/7 group home with two foster families (total capacity of 8) to take infants; other special populations • 14 day length of stay • Home school district • Comprehensive medical • Family meetings

  13. Phase 2 • 1998 • Moved to Elmcrest campus • 14 Beds • Transition to child-centered, family-focused

  14. From then to now… • 2004-2006: Measure the impact • 2010- New building • 2011- New program in a new place! • 2011- Family Support Services

  15. Best practices • Trauma-informed care • Maintaining connections to community • Safe, frequent, and purposeful visitation • Family meetings • Emphasis on a good fit with discharge resources (foster parents, relatives, suitable others) • Comprehensive assessments and expeditious referrals (medical, mental health, developmental)

  16. Trauma-informed care: Focus on the child’s needs within the context of a special type of crisis, and conform the environment to meet the child’s needs. Don’t expect the child to adjust to new people or a new environment “just as it is.”

  17. Connections to community Children have lost their parents and their homes. Avoid having to lose the elements of life that are positive (school, recreational activities, clinical appointments).

  18. Safe, frequent, and purposeful visitation Quick safety assessment, and swift application of support to ensure that visits are safe and meaningful for all parties.

  19. Family meetings • Solution-focused and other techniques used to process the placement, establish priorities and “non-negotiables.” • Collaborative process between DSS and Elmcrest.

  20. Matching to discharge resources • Two weeks gives staff and families the time to identify, engage and develop plans with discharge resources while children process the effects of the placement event and the placement itself. • Discharge resources visit with children, learn what works for them by working with FSC staff, and participate in the smooth transition for children.

  21. Comprehensive assessments and expeditious referrals • Psychiatric consults • Full medical assessment • Clinical assessment with treatment and placement recommendations • Assessments are taken out of the lengthy process of accessing care • Complex kids in the least restrictive environment, with the right supports in place

  22. Why does it work? Resources and processes are applied and conform to what kids and families need in real time; in THEIR time… …and not the time the system demands. (Tempo)

  23. Examples: Tempo • Diligent search for permanency resources- urgent and expediant • Search for and selection of a foster home- deliberate and planful

  24. Why else does it work? A concentrated delivery of best practices in a focused setting: • Allows for high-impact on the case level • Eliminates space between significant case events • Sustainable results that aren’t staff dependant (“pebble in the pond” and “straw that stirs the drink”).

  25. Keys to success • Partnership between DSS and Elmcrest • Management matters! • Transportation and other support to enable maintaining community ties • Trauma-informed care = great care and assists with positive results • Linkages and relationships with providers/other child-serving systems and schools

  26. Process Outcomes (2009-2011) • Children stay in the program for about 18 days • Families visit with their children within 2-3 days of placement • Families average two family sessions per child’s stay • Children see a doctor for a full medical assessment within four calendar days

  27. Discharge destination from FSC (2009-2011) • 57% to foster care • 24% to relatives or suitable others • 19% home

  28. Length of Stay • Children who go through FSC will spend about 40% less time in foster care than children who were placed directly into foster homes!

  29. What’s next for FSC? • Continuous improvement of FSC model • Family team meetings • Use parent surveys to create a more family-oriented environment • Continuous education

  30. What ELSE is next? • Implementing a Family Support Services (FSS) program in Cortland County! FSS= the magic of FSC applied to a group of foster homes. • Offering technical support/program development for other agencies/counties.

  31. Questions? Brian McKee (Associate Executive Director, Elmcrest) bmckee@elmcrest.org 315-446-6250 x278 www.elmcrest.org Link: Family Support Services

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