1 PERMANENCY FOR CHILDREN Division of Family & Children
Services July G-Force Meeting July 30, 2009 Slide 2 2 END OF G --
QUESTION If G-Force is to be an environment for hypothesis testing
and critical thinking, what will you do differently as a result of
participating in this G-Force Meeting? Slide 3 3 AGENDA Permanency
for Children at Every Stage Family Preservation Analyses Safety
Resource Review: Ron Magbee & The FAST Team Permanency Planning
for Children Permanency Roundtable Success Stories Office of Family
Independence Slide 4 4 INEFFECTIVE LENS - Incident-Based -
Child-Focused - Placement-Driven (Ineffective for accomplishment of
todays outcomes) EFFECTIVE LENS - Comprehensive Assessment of
Strengths & Challenges - Family-Centered - Permanency-Driven
SHIFT OF PARADIGM FOR PERMANENCY Permanency Pathways Slide 5 5
BUSINESS MODEL Laws State Statutes Policies & Procedures
Financial PERMANENCY Family Engagement Comprehensive Assessment
Concurrent Planning Youth Involvement Individualized Service
Planning PATHWAYS Slide 6 6 PERMANENCY FOCUS AT EVERY STAGE Family
Support Investigation Family Preservation Safety Resource
PRTFCCIGroup Home Foster Family IN - HOME Preserve Safe &
Thriving Forever Families Children Safe & Thriving in Forever
Families Sooner After Care HYBRID OF BOTH OUT-OF-HOME IN HOME Slide
7 7 INEFFECTIVE LENS Single Data Points (Ineffective for
decision-making) EFFECTIVE LENS - Comprehensive View of Practice -
Data Chains Reflecting Practice SHIFT OF PARADIGM FOR G-FORCE
Permanency Pathways Slide 8 8 PERMANENCY Family Engagement
Comprehensive Assessment Concurrent Planning Youth Involvement
Individualized Service Planning PATHWAYS DATA COLLECTION,
MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS OF PERMANENCY PATHWAYS How might we
measure and analyze Permanency Pathways? Slide 9 9 EXAMPLE:
TIMELINESS OF INITIATING INVESTIGATIONS OUTCOME S1: 84.92%
According to the Quality Case Review Report from Program Evaluation
& Analysis Unit (PEAS), our timeliness of initiating
investigations of reports of child maltreatment was at 84.92%;
however, our SHINES data reflects 94.7% for January June 2009. Why
is there such a wide variation between these two reports? SHINES
data only reflects one data point whereas the PEAS unit reviews
several elements to determine the actual timeliness rate. Slide 10
10 The low timeliness rates from September 2008 December 2008
appear to be a result of staff not understanding how to correctly
code the information in SHINES. Slide 11 11 BEYOND SINGLE-DATA
POINTS TO DATA-CHAINS Data Points DATA CHAINS Finish the Drill:
Start from the beginning with the data and take it through. Answer
the question: Is what we did enough to move the needle? Data points
only provide a small slice of information and are not able to
provide the context needed to test hypotheses; we must use data
chains instead. These data chains should be a compilation of data
points related to a particular event. Slide 12 12 PERCENTAGE OF
FAMILY PRESERVATION CASES OPENED DURING SFY 2009 THAT HAD A PRIOR
REPORT OF ABUSE/NEGLECT Statewide: 86.2% Statewide, 86.2% of the
family preservation cases opened during SFY 2009 had a previous
report of abuse/neglect associated with it. Slide 13 13 PERCENTAGE
OF CHILDREN WHO ENTERED FOSTER CARE IN SFY 2009 FROM FAMILY
PRESERVATION SERVICES Statewide: 30% Question: How do we know that
children in Regions 12, 15, 16 & 17 are safe and thriving?
Slide 14 PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN WHO ENTERED FOSTER CARE IN SFY 2009
FROM FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES BY REGION FROM LOWEST TO HIGHEST
State Average 30% Note: The majority of children who came into care
in Regions 15, 16, 17, 12, 14, 13 & 7 were not receiving Family
Preservation services. These regions are either metro areas or have
large metropolitan areas such as Region 12 (Chatham County) and
Region 7 (Richmond County). Slide 15 15 Slide 16 16 TIMELY
COMPLETION OF INVESTIGATIONS SFY2004 SFY2009 Slide 17 17
SUBSTANTIATED & CLOSED INVESTIGATIONS WITH NO FURTHER DFCS
INVOLVEMENT July 2008 May 2009 Follow-Up Questions How many of
these families received OFI services? How many of these families
experience a recurrence of maltreatment? What maltreatment types
are most often presented in these cases? Note: Two of the most
common reasons investigations are substantiated and closed with no
further DFCS involvement are that the alleged perpetrator no longer
has access to the child, and/or the family is already receiving
services or involved with community resources and risk to children
has been reduced or eliminated. Slide 18 18 Slide 19 19
MALTREATMENT TYPES ASSOCIATED WITH FAMILY PRESERVATION CASES OPENED
IN SFY 2009 (N=9,195) Alleged MaltreatmentPercent of Total Cases
Inadequate Supervision56.2% Inadequate Food, Clothing, Shelter18.9%
Bruises, Welts, Abrasions14.9% Emotional/Psychological Neglect14.0%
Inadequate Health, Medical Care9.1% Domestic Violence7.9% Birth
Addicted/Birth Exposed6.7% Fondling4.1% Verbal Threats/Abuse3.5%
Educational/Cognitive Neglect3.3% Abandonment/Rejection3.2% Note:
Less than one percent of cases were opened for other alleged
maltreatments such as corporal punishment, malnourishment, sexual
exploitation, etc. Also note that percentages do not add up to 100%
because there was more than one maltreatment type in many
instances. Slide 20 20 MALTREATMENT TYPES & AVERAGE NUMBER OF
MONTHS IN FAMILY PRESERVATION IN SFY 2009 Note: The maltreatment
type does not appear to impact the number of months a case is open.
How would this be different if we were applying Pathways to
Permanency? Average time: 4.2. Slide 21 21 PRIOR SUBSTANTIATION
& AVERAGE NUMBER OF MONTHS FAMILY PRESERVATION CASES WERE OPEN
IN SFY 2009 Note: Cases with prior substantiations tended to be
open longer in Family Preservation than those without. Slide 22 22
FAMILY PRESERVATION, FOSTER CARE & SAFETY RESOURCES (N=9,195)
Five percent (5%) or 454 of the Family Preservation cases opened in
SFY 2009 consisted of children who had previously been in foster
care (697 children). The average time from the childs exit from
foster care to the opening of the Family Preservation case was 42
months. Twenty-four percent (24%) of the Family Preservation cases
opened during SFY 2009 had a safety resource stay for one or more
children. Slide 23 23 Slide 24 24 Slide 25 25 Slide 26 26
PERMANENCY PLANNING FOR CHILDREN The goal of permanency planning is
to provide children with safe and stable environments in which to
grow up, while in the care of a nurturing caregiver, committed to a
life long relationship with them. A sense of urgency must exist for
every child who is not in a permanent home. Source: Permanency
Planning Practice Guide for Social Workers. Childrens
Administration, August 2006. Slide 27 27 PERMANENCY FOR CHILDREN
Starts at first contact Continues throughout the lifetime of the
childs case until permanency is reached, Secures a safe, stable and
permanent home for the child as soon as possible,
Protects/maintains primary attachments and/or creates new
attachments, and Preserves cultural and family connections. Source:
Permanency Planning Practice Guide for Social Workers. Childrens
Administration, August 2006. Slide 28 28 WHAT A DIFFERENCE A
ROUNDTABLE MAKES!! Permanency roundtables held from January 2009
through July 2009 with approximately 2,179 children. Slide 29 29
NUMBER OF CHILDREN BY REGION January 2009 July 2009 Note: There
were 2,078 children from permanency roundtables matched with SHINES
records. The remaining 101 children not matched due to problems
identifying them in SHINES because of limited information received
regarding them. Slide 30 30 PLACEMENT TYPE FOR CHILDREN IN ROUND
TABLE (N=2,078) CPA Foster Home: 27.6% DFCS Foster Home: 23.2% CCI:
17.5% Group Home: 10.4% Slide 31 31 PERMANENCY PLAN FOR CHILDREN IN
ROUND TABLE (N=2,078) Adoption: 30.4% Reunification: 28.8%
Emancipation: 18.1% Long Term Foster Care: 11.8% Placement with
Relatives: 9.4% Slide 32 32 COMPARISON OF AGE & TIME IN CARE OF
CHILDREN IN PERMANENCY ROUNDTABLE WITH OVERALL FOSTER CARE
POPULATION IN GEORGIA AGEDAYS IN CARE AVERAGE FOR ROUNDTABLE
10.81,498 AVERAGE FOR FOSTER CARE POPULATION 8.8612 MEDIAN FOR
ROUNDTABLE 12.01,254 MEDIAN FOR FOSTER CARE POPULATION 8.0470
Overall, children were in care for an average of 612 days and a
median of 470 days from January through June 2009 as compared to
higher averages and medians for children who were round-tabled.
Slide 33 33 POSITIVE PERMANENCY EXITS (N=212) Note: 10% of children
who were round-tabled have exited care to Positive Permanency since
January 2009. Slide 34 34 ROUNDTABLE SUCCESSES Children 16 &
over Children in care for 48 months or more Siblings in care
Children with physical and behavioral health needs Paternal
Connections Slide 35 35 CHILDREN 16 & OVER 16 year-old confined
to a wheelchair being adopted by foster parent 16 year-old moved
from group home to foster home after 2 years. FP seeking
Guardianship 17 year-old reconnected with Mother after 8 years
(divorce) 17 year-old moved from group home; being adopted by
former group home staff member 16 year-old in foster care for 5
years received permanency through guardianship with foster parents
Region 1 Region 9 Region 10 Region 12 Region 8 Slide 36 36 CHILDREN
IN CARE FOR 48 MONTHS OR MORE 11 year-old in care for 9 years in
residential facility; foster parent now identified who will adopt
child 17 year-old in care since 2005 obtained permanency with uncle
14 year-old in care for 77 months now in an adoptive home Child
reunited with mother after 4 years in care; permanency goal had
been emancipation 17 year-old in care since 1997, being adopted by
Therapeutic Foster Parent Region 13 Region 9 Region 3 Region 1
Region 9 Slide 37 37 SIBLINGS ACHIEVING PERMANENCY TOGETHER!
Sibling group of 5 in care for 20 months, in two different
settings, are now in the home of a relative awaiting transfer of
custody 12 and 13 year-old siblings in care for 7 years are now
with grandmother awaiting guardianship Sibling group of two (13
& 14) in care for 122 months will obtain permanency through
guardianship with foster parent Sibling group of two (12 & 13)
in care for 48 months transitioned into an adoptive home in July
Finalized adoption on June 29, 2009 for three siblings Region 4
Region 2 Region 3 Slide 38 38 CHILDREN WITH PHYSICAL &
BEHAVIORIAL HEALTH NEEDS 14 year-old in care for 7 years with
long-term PRTF & MRBWO placements reunified with mother on July
7, 2009 14 year-old with an infant, and has been in 16 different
placements, now moving toward adoption by foster parent Siblings in
care since 2001 with severe medical and behavioral health needs now
in home of former group home staff via guardianship 16 year-old in
care for 22 months after an adoption disruption was reunited with
adoptive parents after long-term PRTF placement Region 4 Region 3
Region 13 Region 16 Slide 39 39 PATERNAL CONNECTIONS Father and
other paternal relatives located for a child who has been in care
for 64 months; father wants custody of child (Region 1). Father
granted custody of a 22-month old who has been in care since birth
on June 25, 2009 (Region 4). Father granted custody of a 3 year-old
who has been in care since birth (Region 16). PATERNAL FAMILY An
aunt and paternal grandmother located through Accurint search for a
17 year-old, in care since 1995. Both want to establish a
relationship with the child (Region 9). Slide 40 40 What practice
changes did we improve to get these success stories? Excluding
positive permanency exits, how can we measure success? Slide 41 41
Slide 42 42 CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN IN CARE June 2009 Average
days in care is 598 Median days in care is 437 (488 in June 2008)
84.9% had only one foster care entry and 12.4% had two Average age
= 8.8 years; median = 8 years Slide 43 43 What practice chain
resulted in rates we see in Region 17 and Region 6? What resources
are necessary to impact this measure ? Slide 44 44 FOSTER CARE
ENTRIES, EXITS & RE-ENTRY RATES SFY 2004 SFY 2009 The number of
children exiting foster care continues to outpace those entering
care. In addition, the foster care re-entry rate for SFY 2009 is
almost half of what it was in SFY 2007. As more children exit
foster care, fewer are returning. National Standard = 8.60% or less
Slide 45 45 FOSTER CARE ENTRIES, EXITS & RE-ENTRY RATES July
2008 June 2009 Note: Foster care reentry rate is slightly higher
for February and March than was reflected in previous G-meetings
due to late entry of data needed for calculation of the rate.
National Standard = 8.60% or less Slide 46 46 What is the
relationship between length of time to achieve reunification and
foster care re-entry? Slide 47 47 OFFICE OF FAMILY INDEPENDENCE
Slide 48 48 As of July 9, 2009 Slide 49 49 Slide 50 50 Slide 51 51
OFI Performance Management Under Construction Slide 52 52 END OF G
-- QUESTION If G-Force is to be an environment for hypothesis
testing and critical thinking, what will you do differently as a
result of participating in this G-Force Meeting?
