CAPTA Implementation in New Mexico

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CAPTA Implementation in New Mexico
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• Andy Gomm, Department of Health Family Infant
  Toddler (FIT) Program

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Lead agencies for CAPTA in New Mexico

• The NM Department of Health, Family Infant
  Toddler (FIT) Program is the Lead agency for IDEA
  Part C.
• Children, Youth Families Department (CYFD) is
  the lead agency for child welfare.

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Both agencies families with young children
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Getting Started

• There was an existing statewide workgroup that
  included state agencies (incl. CYFD), early
  intervention providers and families focused on
  improving services to at-risk children and
  families.
• The FIT Program initiated contact with CYFD
  regarding the need to implement CAPTA.

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Planning

• The FIT Program and the CYFD developed a planning
  committee consisting of two representatives from
  each agency.
• A broader workgroup that included state agency
  representatives, providers and families met
  quarterly.
• The FIT Program and CYFD decided to partner with
  the New Mexico Infant Mental Health Association
  to include a focus on the effects of child
  maltreatment for infants and toddlers.

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Planning (Cont.)

• A brief survey was conducted of early
  intervention providers and child protective
  services staff to determine which communities
  already had systems in place for effective
  referral in order to build on those strengths.
• An estimation of the potential referrals was
  calculated (1,685 substantiated abuse or neglect
  cases for children birth to age 3 in 2004).

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Early Decisions / values

• Not just focus on the
• referral process
• To focus more broadly
• on the collaborative
• processes between child
• welfare and Part C early
• intervention in order to
• meet the needs of infants
• and toddlers in the child
• welfare system that have or at risk for
  developmental
• delays or disabilities

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Early Decisions / values (cont)

• To inform Child welfare and early intervention
  personnel about
• the intent of the CAPTA legislation and
• the effects of child maltreatment on brain
  development
• and the implication
• for early intervention.

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Early Decisions / values (cont.)

• To use the CAPTA mandate as an opportunity to
  strengthen collaboration between the FIT Program
  and CYFD at the state and local (county) level.
• To provide a comprehensive multidisciplinary
  evaluation rather than a screening as part of the
  referral process. (due to NMs broad eligibility
  and because the research indicated a high
  percentage of the children referred would have
  developmental delays).

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Implementation

• Early in the process the FIT Program and CYFD
  issued a joint memo on the CAPTA requirement and
  broad decisions made by the two state agencies.
• A number of documents were developed to inform
  and support workers in the field, including
  CAPTA Referral Form Flow Chart Frequently Asked
  Questions (FAQ) Glossary Fact Sheets (FIT
  CYFD-CPS).

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Implementation (cont.)

• Presentations
• The FIT Program presented at the CYFD-CPS county
  managers meeting, and
• CYFD-CPS presented at the FIT Program annual
  meeting.
• CYFD-CPS offices
• were encouraged to
• invite local FIT
• providers to staff
• meetings.

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Implementation (cont.)

• Joint trainings
• Held in each region
• Info on NM Childrens Code and child protection
  timelines
• Info on IDEA Part C rules and timelines
• Included an Infant Mental Health (IMH)
  Association presentation
• work on case study scenarios.

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Effects / Outcomes

• Referrals prior to CAPTA from Children, Youth and
  Families (CYFD) have doubled from 319 in 2004 to
  726 in 2006.

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Effects / Outcomes

• Increased understanding of the child welfare
  system, the Childrens Code and the court system
  by FIT providers.
• Increased understanding of effects of child
  maltreatment and the importance of early
  intervention.

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Effects / Outcomes (Cont.)

• Improved collaboration and case planning for
  infants and toddlers served within both systems.
• Increase support for foster parents who have
  infants and toddlers with and at risk for
  developmental delays and disabilities placed with
  them.

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Lessons Learned

• Start to meet early in the planning process. Its
  all about communication and building
  relationships!
• Each system has to learn the others language
  and basic rules and regs.

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Lessons Learned (cont.)

• Hold regular meetings between the state agencies
  to keep the initiative moving forward.
• Include early intervention providers, local child
  protective / child welfare personnel and families
  in the planning process to help target the
  resources and training to meet the needs of the
  field.

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Lessons Learned (cont)

• Updating and publishing the Frequently Asked
  Questions (FAQs) acts as a mechanism for
  interpreting requirements, giving guidance and
  communicating widely to the field.
• Joint training that included working on case
  scenarios helps to promote relationships and to
  solidify the learning process.

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Lessons Learned (cont)

• Need to plan for how to keep the initiative
  including training ongoing so that new
  personnel are informed of the CAPTA requirements.
• Expanded collaboration rather than just focusing
  on the referral process is more work but the
  payoff is worth the effort.

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Supporting healthy families and promoting child
development through early intervention!
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For More Information

• Contact
• Andy Gomm, Department of Health
• Family Infant Toddler (FIT) Program
• andrew.gomm_at_state.nm.us
• [phone]