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Themes and Reporting Out

Themes and Reporting Out. Pennsylvania Children’s Roundtable Summit September 23-25, 2010. & Taste of. Summitry. “Have total respect for each other’s domain and where we are coming from.” “This isn’t about blame … it’s about solutions.” Judge John Kuhn. Summitry.

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Themes and Reporting Out

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  1. Themes and Reporting Out Pennsylvania Children’s Roundtable Summit September 23-25, 2010

  2. & Taste of

  3. Summitry “Have total respect for each other’s domain and where we are coming from.” “This isn’t about blame … it’s about solutions.”Judge John Kuhn

  4. Summitry “When you told us [last year] to build capacity to make data-informed decisions, we were listening.” Cindy Stoltz

  5. Summitry “They promised me too much.” Youth in From Place to Place “The state is a terrible parent …We want families to raise kids.” Justice Max Baer

  6. Summitry “I don’t know why they didn’t call them… I don’t know my grandma at all.” Youth in From Place to Place “70% of the children who age out of foster care end up in foster care themselves … ignoring that is something we all pay the price for.” Kevin Casey

  7. Voices Experience with your GAL? “Having an attorney would have been great….If I had the opportunity for a relationship, it would have fixed those problems.” Al

  8. Voices Experience with your GAL? “My child’s Child Advocate never even wanted to meet my child, even though she was representing him.” Erica

  9. Voices “I’m a freight train rider… I’m on a constant search for my happiness.” Raif

  10. Voices “I can’t cook. I eat beans out of the can, cold…. I never developed a real relationship with anyone in the system, because I didn’t trust them.” Raif

  11. Voices “It’s supposed to be substitute care, substitute homes, substitute family. It didn’t feel like that. I wish the system would just give them something that feels like a home.” Chris

  12. Voices “I can’t fathom … why children have to be raised in a system that was never meant to raise them.” Mandy

  13. Voices [After 17 placements] “the best thing I can say about foster care: it was a place where I could live.”… [now that I know my family] it feels good to know where you come from.” Isaiah

  14. Culture of the Room • Discussions started with collaboration • Every table went quickly to task of sharing and planning • “ We know what we need to do.” • “Judges are taking the lead, and they are listening … everywhere.”

  15. Data: Making Your Numbers Count • Use, don’t abuse data! • Reach agreement on which questions you want to answer …THEN go find the data! • Leadership counts: leader must ask for data • Data Champion: most curious person at table will push you to struggle with the questions! • Stay patient and focused: it takes time!

  16. Data: Strengths • CPCMS will be helpful once data is clean • Many are measuring from last year’s plan • Systems have multiple sources of data • Awareness strong • All systems involved in discussion • Identifying “real” areas of concern, not hunches • Considering HOW TO LOOK at disproportionality! • Embracing … not data-phobic!

  17. Data: Challenges • We don’t know what data we have! • Hard to connect data from different sources • Side-by-side -- Reconcile • Getting agreement on what is important • What to measure? • Dedicated staff: no one to interpret our data • Need training and TA on CPCMS

  18. Data: Solutions • Explain our data to Roundtable…standing item • Get dedicated, knowledgeable data staff • Identify cross-systems data and how to use • Identify what is available from CPCMS • Data … Reports … TA • Tie Master Client Number (MCN) to CPCMS • Identify University partners

  19. TruancyHope floats – or does it sink the system? • Few have liaisons between county and school • Need county- or state-wide definition of “truancy” • Identify homeless students: tend to miss them! • Model: Louisville Truancy Ct Diversion Project • Use carrots and sticks • Audit “push out” policies and practices

  20. Truancy: Strengths • Some counties: strong relationships w/ school districts, C&Y workers assigned to schools • Stakeholders sharing resources • Willing to acknowledge system performing poorly • Leaders stepping up: judicial leadership everywhere! • Refer to “attendance” not “truancy”

  21. Truancy: Challenges • Under-reporting and delayed referral • Population changes i.e., city folk move to rural • Turnover due to mobility • Different (block) schedules frustrate kids • Doctor-shopping for medical excuses • Different definitions of truancy, illegal absence • MDJ disparities within county • Cyberschool and home school truancy • Incentives to push-out: test scores

  22. Truancy: Solutions • Develop plan to bring school district to table • Invite MDJs and school districts to Roundtable • C&Y Truancy Luncheon for schools, MDJs • MOU on info-sharing (see: Phila., York) • Family Group Decision Making • Individual assessment and followup • Creating & following Truancy Elimination Plan • Identify barriers (i.e., lock-outs)

  23. Legal Representation: The Cornerstone Model “If she was not mentally ill before, this service plan will surely put her over the edge.” A judge

  24. Legal Representation: First 60 Days & The Cornerstone Model • Visiting • Placement • Services • Conferences

  25. Legal Representation: Visiting “All the research shows frequent visiting that is meaningful, where a parent feels like a parent, and a child feels their parent is being a parent, is the single best predictor of safe reunification.” Michele Cortese

  26. Ask about parent strengths Parenting skills: How did you choose this program? Visiting Handbook Visit Host Learn one regulation, one policy guide Ask: “What has worked in the past?” Ask parent & older youths: “Is there anyone you can bring to the visit?” Refrain from asking about ASFA in first meeting! Legal Representation: Make Small Adjustments

  27. Legal Representation: Strengths • Strong passionate attorneys • Rotation v. specialization • Required training • Contract • Pilot Core Training • Recognition that GALs & parent attorneys need more info • 72 hour hearing always a conference

  28. Legal Representation: Challenges • Lack of focus on FSP as planning doc • Reconcile competing docs: FGDM/FSP/Order • Lack of meaningful client contact • Meeting client at court • Competing priorities of private attorneys • Low fees and inadequate funding • Indirect complaints about caseloads • Not enough funding for lower load • Not enough time to meet clients at court

  29. Legal Representation: Solutions • Improve C&Y communication with attorneys • Clarify expectations on practice • Video on youth feedback • Survey parents, children & caseworkers on attorney performance • More training, mentoring, resources • Law student research assistants • Improve compensation, caseloads

  30. Legal Representation: Voices “My attorney was always there … I stalked her & she was always available for me. At the end of the day I knew it was going to be OK because she was there.” Erica

  31. Fatherhood: Voices “You’re not going to hit him, are you? Cause I don’t want to miss that.” Fresh Prince of Belair “Fathers are about as useful as a microwave.”

  32. Fatherhood: Creating a Culture of Inclusion • Costs of absence & benefits of involvement • Father Friendly Check-Up: YOUR shop! • QIC Non-Resident Fathers: research-based approaches • Best practices • Identify and locate fathers early; include fathers in FGDM • Enhance representation & engagement • Encourage visits and plans • Understand male help-seeking & learning styles • Find fathers through mothers • Judicial colloquy

  33. Fatherhood: Strengths • High level of engagement in many counties • Using Family Finding to identify fathers • Connecting with county partners • Child support collection sometimes drives • Judicial orders for paternity testing

  34. Fatherhood: Challenges • Incarceration, prison visitation settings/policies • After-hours C&Y/foster care visitation • Provider consistency on engagement • Judge-driven paternity testing • “Waiting 6 months too long.” • Multiple fathers: bio – legal - presumptive • Should we seek out bio dad when have a legal dad?

  35. Fatherhood: Solutions • How are WE doing? Use data to evaluate engagement! • Conduct diligent search at referral • Build county structure for identifying fathers • Partner with DR and Adult Probation • Use Family Finding • Fathers of children of minor moms

  36. Voices “The question isn’t ‘who is going to take the kids today?’ The question is: ‘how big is your family?’.” Kevin Casey

  37. “Try not. Do. Or do not.” Yoda

  38. “We live in a world …in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘it’s not my child, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those people who see the need to respond. I consider those people my heroes.” Fred Rogers

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