MIAMI-DADE COMMUNITY-BASED CARE ALLIANCE

MIAMI-DADE COMMUNITY-BASED CARE ALLIANCE

December 1, 2011

Meeting # 6

The meeting of the Miami-Dade Community-Based Care Alliance was held Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. by the Hon. Jeri B. Cohen at 401 NW 2nd Ave Room N1011, Miami, Florida, 33128.

BOARD MEMBERS:

Imran Ali MDC Community Action and Human Services Dept. ABSENT

Betty AlonsoThe Miami Foundation - ABSENT

Melia ArnettMiami-Dade State Attorneys Office - PRESENT

Charles AuslanderChildrens Trust - ABSENT

Mark BuchbinderConsultant - ABSENT

Judge Jeri Cohen11th Judicial Circuit Court PRESENT

Esther JacoboDepartment of Children & Families - PRESENT

John DowSouth Florida Behavioral Health Network - PRESENT

Gilda P. FerradazDepartment of Children & Families ABSENT Sonia Ferrer11th Circuit GAL Program - PRESENT

Terria FlakesDepartment of Juvenile Justice PRESENT

Rhea GrayACHA Medicaid - PRESENT

Honorable Cindy LernerVillage of Pinecrest - PRESENT

Alexsa Leto16th Circuit GAL Program - PRESENT

Dr. Judith McCulloughJackson Memorial Hospital - ABSENT

Maritza MorenoFoster Parent Association South - PRESENT

Chassah Perez United Way of Miami - PRESENT

Lucy PieiroChild Advocate- ABSENT

Bernardo SuarezMiami-Dade Police Dept. - PRESENT

Jackye RussellEarly Learning Coalition PRESENT

Judge Mari Sampedro-Iglesia11th Judicial Circuit - ABSENT

Marie SevereMiami Childrens Hospital - PRESENT

Mark ZaherMiami-Dade County Public Schools ABSENT

Sharon KatzCasa Valentina - ABSENT

CBC STAFF:

Michelle BreuerCBC Alliance Executive Director

CBC ALLIANCE MEETING

Welcome & Introductions

Honorable Jeri Cohen, Chair

Action Items

Review and Approval of Agenda and Minutes

The minutes from the September 1, 2011 full board meeting are going to be sent at a later date.

Presentations

Our Kids Quality Parenting Initiative Rose Stayduhar, Our Kids. See presentation attached.

QPI Goal: To create an environment that encourages a partnerhsip among all Child Welfare Professionals within Circuits 11 & 16 to ensure positive outcomes for children and families and for reducing trauma for children.

Key element of the Partnership Plan: That everyone in the system system is an equal partner in this effort and share a common goal that the use of the plan will help all members of a childs team identify and implement practices that result in high quality care for all children.

Objectives:

State the mission of the Partnership Plan

Participate in the implementation processes to develop Partnerships

In a mixed group, develop strategies to implement the values, principles and relationships necessary to build partnerships

To be relicences, every foster parent, must be in agreement with the Partnership Plan. Judge Cohen suggests that it is important to speak to the Judges. There is a misunderstanding of what co-parenting is.

As of December 1st Rose Stayduhar is a full time staff at Our Kids and will be fully dedicated to this plan. She has been meeting with different agencies, DCF, Child Medical Services, and others to let them know about the Partnership. Over the next 180 days they are going back to partners and providers to present the updates town meetings. Several trainings and conferences coming up such as Train the trainers Jan. 23-27. Our Kids Foster Parent Conference April 28th. Judge Cohen suggests to take a look at the benchbook. There is worry in the community regarding visitation directives in the benchbook. There is a statewide task force which will come up with new directives regarding visitation, it would be good that QPI guides this force. Trudy Petkovich and Carol are going to be in this task force. The Partnership needs help to get buy-in of full case managers. Judge Cohen has been using it and case managers who use it have seen an incredible difference in the way that it affects their cases, foster parents are coming in, staying in touch with their children. Co-parenting makes cases resolve much quicker, from the biological parents perspective, they appreciate knowing where there children are. It has revolutionized the way things are being done. They are trying to implement and icebreaker for the case managers where during the first meeting with foster parents both fill in a brochure with schedules to find out how they are going to communicate. They are planning that full case manager and foster parents start reviewing each other to see weaknesses and strengths, this will start in January, checks and balances. A steering committee has been created with representatives from each of providers agencies, licencing and full case managers together so that they bridge.

Our Kids last years Senate Bill 2146 State redistribution of funds from one area to another/funding cuts for Miami-Dade - Kadie Black

Some CBCs felt that they were underfunded and Our Kids was overfunded so last year a bill passed that takes money from some CBCs and redistributes to others. There was already a 2 million cut last year, another this year and the cuts will keep coming until there is equity, reallocation of funds. There needs to be removal of language within the statute which is quite difficult. OK is working with Senate staff and will be in touch with what they need from the CBC Alliance.

Judge Cohen comments that the CBCs are going to start to be very creative because the moneys available through DCF will not be available and there has to be other ways of diversifying and strategizing to come up with funding so that the funding level is effective.

Cindy Lerner comments regarding the paradigm shift she would analogize to the school system which in the end did not get the equity result because they are giving more money to charter schools, the welfare system should look at what the school system has done, they cut 2 billion dollars, the child welfare system is not going to get very far saying it is not going to function without the funds it has been getting. Kadie Black commented that the school district is cost per child based and OK is not and that OK does a lot of prevention and diversion and that is different to a cost per child basis.

The agencies should be prepared to look at what is the cost per child, trim administration, so as not to lose credibility.

There is a problem that when legislature sees that money is carried over to the next fiscal year every year then they think that the agency doesnt need those funds. Any company needs some sort of cushion; we needs to carry forward a small percentage of its budget.

Charles Auslander comments that child welfare was privatized was to make it to operate more like business but then when there is a suggestion of not reserving then it is paradox because every business that is going to be functional is going to have to do reserving against risk. In the commercial world you cannot attract other lenders; foundations look at liquidity of grantees. OK was told not to worry about fundraising in the beginning and now things have changed. Sometimes when you innovate you dont succeed but every penny has to be spent even if it is not necessary, that is an old government way.

Esther Jacobo comments that they CBCs need to get funds outside from the state, get them from private sector, donations, etc.

John Dow comments that half a million undocumented people in Miami which are not considered in the formula, we need to look at the Miami demographics, higher unemployment, more cultural diversity and this contributes with the issues we have at hand. We need an equity formula that considers risks to consider the factors that drive the issues.

Board set up to not compete for funding with providers, so by statute state dollars cannot be used to fundraise, you have to have money to raise money and we need to identify ways to do this by partnering.

Lissette Valdes-Valle and DCF and Kadie Black, Our Kids

DCF & OK have launched a technology pilot program to provide PIs with more efficient systems of monitoring and allowing investigators to be more time in the field ensuring safety was met. Technology is one of the priorities.

PIs dont have GPS so once Judge Cohen went with a PI and could not find the apartment and it was dark, very dangerous. She suggests PIs should have GPSs.

DCF PIs and the OK intake group are still collocated. They are working with FCMAs to increase capacity of high risk cases. DCF, CLS and Our Kids have started weekly conference call of cases on concern so that are all on the same page. January 6th is the 3rd graduation for CPI case manager training. DCF and OK are working on having media coverage so that the community sees what is being done.

Holiday is coming up. Bunchy Gertner is doing a toy drive again this year, for the 13th year to make sure that every single kid in Miami-Dade and Monroe get more than one present for their holidays. You can volunteer to wrap presents they are meeting at the Our Kids North Hub.

Discussion Items

FIS update

FIS Program Judge Cohen

Spectrum caseworker hearing transcript

DCF Strategic Corrective Action plan regarding FIS

Rhonda Bohs Spectrum

Judge Cohen: FIS is a prevention pre-court program for families where there is substance abuse problem or addiction. A call comes in and DCF responds, if there is substance abuse involvement but not high risk or imminent safety then they refer it