Creating Family Connections Pursuing Permanence

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Creating Family ConnectionsPursuing Permanence

• Catholic Community Services of
• Western Washington
• Mary Stone-Smith, Vice President CCSWW
• Director Family Preservation System
• Don Koenig, Family Preservation Director
• Vancouver, Clark County, WA

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• The following slides and information are from a
  90 minute presentation. We provide full day and
  multiple day training and consultation services.
• Please feel free to contact us if we can answer
  any of your questions.
• Don Koenig, Mary Stone-Smith or Patti Renfro
• donk_at_ccsww.org
• 360-567-2211
• maryss_at_ccsww.org
• 253-759-9544
• pattir_at_ccsww.org
• 360-567-2211

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What is Family Search and Engagement?

• The art of creating life long connections
• Finding family is tip of the iceberg.
• Exploring multiple ways to engage relatives to
  increase safety, stability and improve permanency
  outcomes.
• Increasing safety and permanence through family
  connections.
• Culturally relevant and competent

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CCSWW Who are we?

• Serves all Western WA counties NW Or
• Largest not-for-profit multi-service
  organization-WA
• Licensed in Mental Health
• Large organization invested in minimizing
  bureaucracy
• COA accredited
• Child Placing Agency
• LTC, AHA, FP, FCs
• Annual budget, 100 Million
• Number of employees, 3000

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Family Preservation - HX

• 1974 Homebuilders CPS referrals, preventing FC
  placement by strengthening families
• 1978 expansion to Mental Health and DDD to
  prevent hospitalization and residential care
• 1989 Wraparound Implemented
• 2000 FAST and Crisis Stabilization Services
• 2003 Initiated Training and Technical Assistance
• Ongoing provision of T/TA throughout the US
• National Resource Center for Family Centered
  Practice and Permanency Planning, NY, NY

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Lessons Learned

• When children have a meaningful connection with
  their family
• Childrens behavior stabilizes
• We see a decrease in symptoms
• We see an increase in hope, optimism and
  motivation
• Children begin futuring

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FAST Results (7/06 6/07)

• 692 children served
• 510 completed services in the fiscal year
• 154 at imminent risk of hospitalization at
  referral
• 354 at high risk of placement disruption
• 6 had a brief hospitalization (of the 510)
• 8 ended services in detention or homeless (of the
  510)
• 26 of children were not enrolled in school at
  referral. At exit, 91 were enrolled in school.
• 84 were living with a parent or extended family
  member at close of 90-day FAST
• Annual studies reveal almost identical outcomes
  since 2000

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Why We Do This

• Family Centered Practice
• Cultural Relevance/Competence
• Social and Emotional Security
• Global practices

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Chapin Hall Placement Stability

• Evaluation of 201,573 children served from 1990
  to 2002 and web-survey of 1,191 DCFS and private
  agency case workers
• Majority of (76) of prior foster care placements
  ended because foster parents were unable or
  unwilling to continue fostering.
• Statistical analyses found that placement with
  relatives almost halved the likelihood that a
  child will experience a placement change.

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Is Kinship Care Good for Kids?

• Numerous studies comparing the outcomes of
  kinship care (or relative care) to traditional
  foster support Family Search and Engagement
  efforts.

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Myths and Mindsets

• Numerous myths or mindsets stand in the way of
  learning and utilizing promising and evidenced
  based practices.
• Service Traditions or Habits die hard. How can
  training, supervision administration help
  people take advantage of the growing body of
  research that supports kinship and relative care?

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If family is available why have they not come
forward?

• Fear system involvement
• Feel powerless to advocate for their
  children.
• Just dont know their child is in need
• Believe they have been adopted.
• Afraid of damaging family relationships.
• Cannot find their lost children.

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Lessons Learned

• Training and Technical Assistance
• Demonstration Projects
• in the US
• Which of these project designs will help you get
  started with yours?
• What lessons can we learn about sustainability
  from these projects?

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Review Multiple Projects

• Sacramento and Los Angeles, CA
• Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
• Orange County, CA
• Louisiana, Training workers in all regions post
  Katrina-Rita (NRC for Family Centered Practice
  and Permanency Planning)

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• Download free copy of
• Family Search and Engagement Guide
• www.ccsww.org/fse
• Also available _at_
• National Resource Center for Family Centered
  Practice and Permanency Planning

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SETTING THE STAGE

• Gather professionals, supports. Orient Team
• Prepare youth for participation
• Identify youths need for family connections
  (include fictive kin)
• Negotiate Team mission desired outcomes
• Identify known family network (other siblings in
  care) Withhold judgment!
• Discuss permissions and safety considerations
• Discuss expectations. Responsibilities and time
  frames are agreed upon
• Help other professionals see the value of family
  resources to help increase safety and stability

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DISCOVERY

• Due diligence, permissions and safety
• TEAM Communication and Collaboration
• Consider ALL of the resources to find information
  about the family
• Explore of files and records (list ALL)
• Talk to the family that we already know
• Dont screen out possible sources of information
• Use all available search and discovery tools
• Documentation of contacts and quality of
  relationships

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REVIEW OF DISCOVERED INFORMATION

• Review discovered information with the key
  players. Question/verify all historical info
• Discuss and approve newly found family (WHEN and
  HOW can family participate-visits)
• Discuss safety considerations and strategies
• Due diligence (court and other permissions, HIPPA
  compliance)
• Complete background checks (child welfare
  assistance)
• Identify invite and support newly found family
  members to participate

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Internet Search Tips Tools

• Family Search and Engagement Guide
• Search tips
• Internet search categories
• Favorite Free sites
• Helpful fee based sites
• Military or prison searches
• Social networking sites
• Obituary/genealogical sites
• Public data sites
• Other helpful information

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ENGAGEMENT CREATING CONNECTIONS

• Team plans the engagement of new family members
• Supports family connections, visits and
  activities (transportation, etc)
• Extends invitations based upon
• The youths strengths interests, talents,
  hobbies
• The youths needs education, employment,
  medical, emotional, spiritual and cultural
• The need for connectedness and belonging
• The youths need for a place to live and a future

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PREPARATION FOR SUCESSFUL VISITS MEETINGS

• Safety planning and structuring meetings
• Prepare professionals for meetings (contingency
  planning)
• Prepare foster parents or residential staff for
  normal reactive behavior pre and post visit.
• Prepare youth and family members regarding
  expectations (reality vs. fantasy)
• Initial visits..
• are brief, supported and occur in natural
  settings (fun)
• are opportunities to create memories (bring
  camera)
• After visit discussion, planning, and debriefing.

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INCREASING FAMILY VOICE AND DECISION MAKING

• Support and develop family connections
• Encourage greater family discussion of placement
  options and/or long term planning for youth
• Family helps develop multiple placement options
• recruits family resources to support each other
• develops circle of support (breaks and crisis
  respite, etc)
• is allowed time and opportunities to put plans
  into practice
• considers necessary professional and community
  resources

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STAYING TOGETHER

• Legal status is explored including reunification,
  adoption, guardianship, kinship foster care
  possibilities
• Financial assistance and all available resources
  are utilized
• The family members and other resources are
  organized to support one another with contingency
  plans
• Formal resources are in place to support the
  youth and family
• Follow up with the family as needed

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One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to
anybody.

• Mother Teresa

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Family Search Engagement Training Technical
Assistance

• Training includes skill building workshops
  tailored to your needs
• Mining the file for contacts
• Helpful internet search sites, tools and tips
• Cold call examples, scripts and practice
• Staffing and consultation to overcome barriers
• Supervision/Coaching support and guidelines
• Consultation to successfully launch new family
  connection projects and programs

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• Contact us for additional training information
• Don Koenig, Mary Stone-Smith or Patti Renfro
• donk_at_ccsww.org
• 360-567-2211
• maryss_at_ccsww.org
• 253-759-9544
• pattir_at_ccsww.org
• 360-567-2211