PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT PROCESS

1
Child and Family Services (7/30/07)
PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT PROCESS
2
NEXT STEPS AFTER CFS REVIEW

• HHS/ACF will issue final report on Child Family
  Services Review (CFSR)
• Once final report is issued, it will be
  disseminated to local agencies and stakeholders,
  as well as posted on the web site

3
PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT PLAN

• State must develop a Program Improvement Plan
  (PIP) to address areas needing improvement
  identified through CFSR
• Six Program Outcomes, including three to four
  performance indicators with national standards
• Three to four Systemic Factors
• PIP is due within 90 days of receipt of final
  report
• PIP must include
• Action steps and dates of completion
• Benchmarks and methods for evaluation
• Percentage of improvement toward national
  standards

4
PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT SCOPE

• Program improvement is a state and local
  responsibility
• ALL offices will be involved in program
  improvement
• Improvements start at the state level but can
  also begin at local level
• Improvements will potentially affect state laws,
  program regulations, policies and day-to-day
  casework practices
• Research-based practices will guide changes
• Best practices from various offices are being
  posted on the agency website
• http//www.l.dss.state.

5
STATE PIP DEVELOPMENT STRUCTURE

• Child Welfare Advisory Committee (formerly
  Statewide Stakeholders Committee) will oversee
  development, approval, and implementation of PIP
• Eight committees will work to develop improvement
  strategies
• CPS Policy Committee safety outcomes
• Permanency Advisory Group permanency outcomes
• Independent Living Services IL services and
  emancipation
• Child Welfare Training Committee staff and
  foster/adoptive parent training
• Well-being subcommittee involvement in case
  planning, visits with child and parents, mental
  and physical health, needs and services
• Foster/Adoptive Home subcommittee
  foster/adoptive home standards, recruitment and
  retention
• Court Improvement Advisory Committee court
  related statutory and practice changes
• Quality Management Local case review process,
  supervisory/peer review, OASIS data analysis for
  measuring progress

6
STATE PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT SCOPE

• Potential for legislative changes, such as
  termination of parental rights processes
• Regulatory changes possible, such as minimum
  training requirements for all child welfare staff
  and foster/adoptive parents
• Practice changes to occur at local level with
  support from state, such as concurrent planning,
  dual foster/adoptive parent approval, structured
  decision making, and family group conferencing

7
LOCAL PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT

• Initiated with Local PIP training sessions
• Facilitated by National Resource Center for
  Organizational Improvement during week of
  September 9 12, 2003
• September 9
• September 10
• September 10
• September 11
• September 11
• September 12
• Training sessions will provide summary of review
  findings and allow practice on development of
  strategies and measures
• Each office will have outcome data

8
LOCAL PIP DEVELOPMENT

• Each office will develop draft local PIP
• Each will identify three areas and develop
  strategies to begin improvement
• Local directors are responsible for completion,
  integrity, implementation and refinement of local
  PIP
• Local offices will identify PIP Liaisons to
  coordinate, implement and monitor local PIP
• State staff will send local PIP liaisons updates
  and drafts of the state PIP as developed
• Local offices will submit draft plan
  electronically by (tentative date)
• Local PIP information will be incorporated into
  State PIP

9
PIP FINALIZATION AND PROGRESS

• The State will negotiate and finalize PIP with
  HHS/ACF/CB
• Once the PIP is approved, local PIPs will be
  refined
• The State will begin monitoring state PIP
  progress through
• Case review results
• Data analysis
• Progress on process changes
• State will report progress quarterly to
  HHS/ACF/CB
• Local reporting on progress will also occur

10
SUMMARY

• Final Report on CFSR review results and Program
  Improvement Plan will become public documents
• State is focused on improving child and family
  services throughout the Commonwealth
• All local offices and stakeholders are partners
  in planning and implementing program improvements
• Thank you!
• To learn more about the Child and Family Services
  Review, visit
• State Website at http//www.dss.state.
• Federal web site at http//www.acf.hhs.gov/progr
  ams/cb/cwrp
• INTERNAL DSS sites
• Internal website at http//www.localagency.dss.s
  tate. /dfs/cfsr/cfsr
• Child Welfare Outcomes utility
  http//www.localagency.dss.state.
  /support/reports