Implementation Centers: A New Resource for Managing the

Implementation Centers: A New Resource for Managing the

Implementation of Systemic Change Initiatives

August 4, 2009States & Courts Annual Meeting

The Implementation Centers are a service of the Children’s Bureau

Presentation Overview

• Implementation Centers – A New Addition to the Children’s Bureau T/TA Network

• Implementation Center Activities – Regional Forums & Gatherings– Peer-to-Peer Networking– Intensive Implementation Projects – Evaluation

• Learn More

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Children’s Bureau & T/TAThe Children’s Bureau provides guidance, consultation, and resources to States, Territories, and Tribes to meet Federal standards, comply with Federal statutes, and pursue systemic changes that will improve outcomes for children, youth, and families.

Federal technical assistance thru Regional Offices T/TA Network services and resources Intensive services from the National Resource

Centers (NRCs) and Implementation Centers (ICs)

A complete description of all T/TA members can be found via this link: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/tta/cbttan.pdf

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http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/tta/cbttan.pdf

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/tta/cbttan.pdf

Implementation Centers: Filling the Gap

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States and Tribes are sometimes without the resources necessary to implement comprehensive strategic plans, and the current T/TA Network has been limited in its ability to provide intensive, long-term TA.

Implementation Centers enhance the ability of the T/TA Network to provide in-depth and long-term consultation and peer networking opportunities to States and Tribes.

Implementation Centers possess expertise in strategic implementation, organizational change, and systemic intervention.

National Resource Centers & Implementation Centers

States, Territories

& Tribes

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Implementation Centers and National Resource Centers

• Improve child welfare administration and practice• Meet Federal performance standards and implement

effective programs • Pursue sustainable and positive systems change • Improve outcomes for children, youth & families

Provide States and Territories, Tribes, and Tribal Consortia that receive formula grants administered by CB (IV-B funds at a minimum) individualized and intensive T/TA to:

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Implementation Centers

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• Possess expertise in implementation strategies, systemic intervention, and the process of organizational and systems change

• Operate in defined geographic service areas comprised of two ACF Regions

• Enter into mutually binding agreements for implementation projects to provide in-depth, long-term technical assistance and resources to selected project sites

• Provide peer networking opportunities to all states and tribes in the defined service areas (two ACF Regions)

National Resource Centers

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• Possess topical expertise in assigned areas of child welfare

• Respond to T/TA requests from States, Tribes, and Territories across the country that are approved by Regional Offices

• Serve as repositories of knowledge and resources on effective and promising practices in their respective areas of responsibility

• Provide universally accessible technical assistance

ICs and NRCs are designed to complement each other!

• Can work simultaneously with the same child welfare system

• Offer on- and off-site TA, including assessment, strategic planning, and implementation

• Provide tailored technical assistance• Support peer-to-peer activities • Provide coordinated services• Build capacity in child welfare systems• Promote sustainable systems change

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Implementation Centers

• 5 Implementation Centers • Cooperative Agreements began September

30, 2009• Funded for Five Years • Implementation Center Activities – Regional Forums and Gatherings– Peer-to-Peer Networking– Intensive Implementation Projects – Evaluation

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What do we mean by Systems Change?

• An approach which involves players from throughout the system in considering all parts of an organization, how change in one area affects another, and how to coordinate change in a system so that it furthers the shared goals and visions

• A cyclical process, closely linked to the concept of continuous improvement

• An opportunity to enact change while moving beyond thinking about individuals and individual organizations, single problems and single solutions. It entails thinking about systems – policy systems, social service systems, information systems, technology systems.

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Implementation CentersFive Geographic Service Areas

Who are the Implementation Centers? Implementation Center Organization

Northeast & Caribbean Implementation Center (NCIC)

University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service

Atlantic Coast Child Welfare Implementation Center (ACCWIC)

University of Maryland School of Social Work

Midwest Child Welfare Implementation Center (MCWIC)

University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Center on Children, Families & the Law

Mountains & Plains Child Welfare Implementation Center (MPCWIC)

University of Texas, partnering with the University of Colorado (Denver) and The Native American Training Institute (NATI)

Western & Pacific Child Welfare Implementation Center (WPIC)

American Institutes for Research, partnering with National Indian Child Welfare Association, Center for the Study of Social Policy, National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health at Georgetown University, and the Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida

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Regional ForumsImplementation Center Forum Dates & Location


Growing Stronger: Creating Sustainable Change in Child WelfareMay 6-8, Boston, MA


Navigating Change in Child WelfareMarch 17-19, Atlanta, GA


Improving Outcomes for Children, Youth and Families through Sustainable Systems ChangeApril 14-15, Chicago, IL


Promoting Strategies for Change to Improve Outcomes for ChildrenApril 14-16, Arlington, TXApril 27-29, Denver, CO


Systems Change in Child Welfare: Getting There from HereMarch 9-11, San Francisco, CA

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Regional Forums: Common ThemesThe following topics were explored in a variety of ways,

including presentations by and discussions with experts, panel presentations, and small group discussions.

• The organizational context, culture & climate for change• Leading in the public sector • Systems change from a tribal perspective • Lessons learned in implementing systems change• Understanding the system change process and how values

provide a framework for systems and practice change in child welfare

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Regional Forums: Common Themes

• Peer networking: Current opportunities and new horizons• Pulling multiple levers: Using multidisciplinary problem

solving in child welfare• Exemplars of successful systems changes to improve safety,

permanency and well-being• Integrating family and youth voice in child welfare

organizations• Change management, implementation strategies, and

sustainability

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Peer-to-Peer NetworkingThe Implementation Centers have a collaborative workgroup to

share ideas and resources for peer networking. They also sponsor and maintain listservs and websites, and host topical webinars. Some examples of these efforts:

• Conduct webinars on systems change. WPIC hosted webinars: "Taking Ideas into Action and Results – Creating Logic Models to Support Systems Change” and “Building Momentum for Systems Change”

• Promote peer to peer mentoring by sharing lessons learned in systems change with individual sites.

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Peer-to-Peer Networking• ACCWIC has created Learning Communities focused on

organizational development, change management and best practice in child welfare focused on exchanging information and resources.

• MCWIC is developing an online community for child welfare agency members for networking, information exchange, and peer support.

• NCIC plans to establish regional peer networks focusing on topics such as project management, leadership in the

public sector, and systems integration.

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Working with Tribes

• Each IC has partners with special expertise in tribal child welfare (e.g., The Native American Training Institute (NATI), National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), or other tribal child welfare consultants)

• The number of tribal nations in each IC service region varies • High level of tribal agency interest and participation in

Regional Forums and Implementation Project applications• Targeted outreach and networking activities specifically

focused on tribal child welfare needs: – WPCWIC hosted pre-Regional Forum meeting for Tribes – MCWIC “Tribal Gathering” events to promote peer to peer networking

and peer learning on predetermined topics

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Implementation Projects• IC-administered but partnering with States

and Tribes

• Providing expertise, support, and resources

• A Request for Applications selection process

• Mutually binding agreement

• Intensive TA over 2 to 4 years

• Tailored & coordinated services from the IC and the T/TA Network

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NCIC Implementation Projects / Sites

State / Agency Project

New Jersey Department of Children and Families

Managing with Data to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families

New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families

Statewide Family-Centered Practice Model for Child Welfare & Juvenile Justice

Connecticut Department of Children and Families

Advancing Child and Family Outcomes through Integrated Practice and Contracted Program Improvement Initiatives

Massachusetts Department of Children and Families

Enhancing Supervisory Capacity to Support and Sustain the New DCF Integrated Casework Practice Model

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ACCWIC Implementation ProjectsState / Agency Project

Florida Our Kids, Our Families: Improving Engagement to Improve Outcomes

Maryland Development and Implementation of a Youth Engagement Model

Mississippi Statewide Implementation of a Family Centered Practice Model: Increasing Readiness and Managing Change

North Carolina An Initiative to Create a Technical Assistance Program in North Carolina’s Child Welfare System

Tennessee Strengthening In-Home Services Through the Utilization of the Service Array in Individualized Case Planning

West Virginia Implementing West Virginia’s Safety and Management System (SAMS)

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MCWIC Implementation Projects / Sites


Indiana Department of Child Services

Statewide Implementation of a Centralized Intake Unit

Iowa Department of Human Services

Partnering with Parents for System Change

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*additional project applications currently under review

MPCWIC Implementation Projects / Sites


New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, Protective Services Division

Development and implementation of a clearly articulated practice framework, inclusive of vision, mission, values and operating principles, to guide all of the change initiatives underway in the State

Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Child Welfare Services

Integrate multiple reform initiatives for the essential purposes of obtaining and sustaining exceptional outcomes for children and their families in the areas of safety, permanency, and well-being

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*additional project applications currently under review

WPIC Implementation Projects / SitesState / Agency Project

Idaho Multi-system collaboration to build state and local infrastructure to improve outcomes for children and youth involved in juvenile justice, mental health, and child welfare.

Los Angeles County Align and coordinate a myriad of existing child welfare systems change efforts underway and expand successful efforts uniformly across the county.

Navajo Nation Revise the Navajo Nation’s Children’s Code to preserve family unity and develop training and information systems to support implementation.

Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

Address disproportionality in Native family involvement in the child welfare systems in partnership with 15 other Alaska tribal organizations and the State of Alaska.

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Implementation Projects: Common Themes

• Enhancing supervisory practice to support practice model implementation & sustainability

• Building management and supervisory capacity to use data• Engaging contracted service providers in systemic change• Involving parents’ perspective into agency policy and practice• Building consistency in agency practice• Improving collaboration across multiple systems and

addressing barriers

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Implementation Projects: Common Themes

• Coordinate and consolidate multiple systems change efforts• Enhancing cultural relevance of child welfare practices and

policies• Addressing disproportionality • Building technical assistance networks between state and

local child welfare agencies• Increasing family and youth engagement in child welfare

services, policies, and planning

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Process and Outcome Evaluation Each Implementation Center is responsible for the

evaluation of IC functioning and project implementation. Focus areas include:

1. Have the States/Tribes been effective in developing and executing successful implementation projects?

2. Has the Implementation Center built the capacity of the States/Tribes to implement and sustain organizational / systems change?

3. A cross site evaluation of the entire Children’s Bureau T/TA network, led by James Bell Associates.

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Learn MoreIC Website


http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/ncic


www.accwic.org


http://mcwic.org/


www.mpcwic.org


www.wpicenter.org

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http://www.accwic.org/

http://mcwic.org/

http://mcwic.org/

http://mcwic.org/

http://www.mpcwic.org/

http://www.wpicenter.org/

Documents

Implementation Centers: A New Resource for Managing the