presenters: rudy brooks former bureau chief, prevention services
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CT’s DCF-Head Start Partnership Working Together to Serve Vulnerable Families & Support the Development of At-Risk Children. Presenters: Rudy Brooks Former Bureau Chief, Prevention Services CT Department of Children & Families Grace Whitney Director, CT Head Start State Collaboration Office - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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CT’s DCF-Head Start Partnership
Working Together to Serve Vulnerable Families & Support the Development of
At-Risk Children
Presenters:
Rudy Brooks Former Bureau Chief, Prevention Services
CT Department of Children & Families
Grace WhitneyDirector, CT Head Start State Collaboration Office
Child Welfare, Collaboration and the Courts: A Collaboration to Strengthen Educational Successes of Children and Youth in Foster Care
Renaissance Arlington Capitol View Hotel, Arlington, VA November 3-4, 2011
Why Should We Partner?
Head Start/EHS and DCF often serve the same children
Many Head Start/EHS children and families are at risk
Great potential for identification and prevention
Head Start/EHS is a natural environment for interventions to occur
What Would the Benefits Be?
Programs understand one another
Establish regular procedures for working together
Achieve continuity of care through case management
Develop creative solutions for unique and difficult cases
How Would Families Benefit?
Families understand and access services
Families feel supported
Placements reduced and permanency increased for children
Children access high quality ECE
Children receive care from knowledgeable, nurturing adults working together
Protocol for Working Together
Section I: Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect
Section II: Communication on Open DCF Investigations
Section III: Treatment Planning and Case Management
Protocol for Working Together
Section IV: Placement of Children
Section V: DCF Referrals to Head Start/EHS
Section VI: Agency Planning
DCF-Head Start Partnership
Phase 1 - Pilot
1999 1 DCF Areas & 3 Head Start/Early Head Start Created Protocol for Working Together
Phase 2 – Ready Communities
2007 8 DCF Areas & 15 Head Start/Early Head Start
Began quarterly facilitated meetings
Phase 3 – Statewide Implementation
2009 6 DCF Areas & 11 Head Start/Early Head Start
Added mental health, other early care, etc.
Evaluation
Quarterly Data Collection
Building Trust and Partnership
Maintaining On-going Collaboration
Improving Services to Families
“Stories” of interest
DCF-Head Start Partnership & Collaboration Needs
AssessmentNo working Relationship
(little/no contact)
Cooperation
(exchange info/referrals)
Coordination
(work together)
Collaboration(share
resources/agreements)
2008 14% 11% 36% 39%
2009 0 0 8% 92%
2010 0 6% 0 94%
Results
Simplify/standardize referral processes and intentional enrollment of DCF-involved children, including foster care, into Head Start
Align Treatment Plan/Family Partnership Agreement
Connect mental health supports, housing supports, other early care
Modifying DCF LINK data system to help identify and serve children under five
The Collaborative Process
1. It must be meaningful to you!
2. Balancing Process with Product
3. Mental Models
4. The Collaborative Path
Getting to Know OneAnother as Organizations
Common Ground
Stage 1: Getting Together
Stage 2: Building Trust
Stage 3: Developing a Plan
Stage 4: Taking Action
Stage 5: Going to Scale
Improving Outcomes for Children
•Commit to Collaboration•Involve the right people•Decide to act
•Get to know one another•Build cooperative relationships•Establish shared goals
•Adapt and expand prototype•Deepen collaborative culture•Institutionalize processes
•Implement new processes•Collect data•Evaluate progress-make course corrections
•Formalize interagency relationships•Define service delivery processes•Develop technical tools
Team Self-Assessment
Where are we now?
Have there been changes for which we need to repeat earlier steps to get everyone up to speed?
Are there others we need to invite to our table?
What are some logical next steps to include on our Goal Sheet?
Do we need any additional supports?
What’s Worked for Us.....
Ongoing commitment from and access to all levels of both agencies
Critical importance of support at the top!
A process that promotes statewide goals yet respects local differences and needs
Opportunities to share accomplishments with and learn from other communities
What’s Worked for Us.....
Community Leaders
Local Meetings
Membership Lists
Quarterly Data Sheets
Quarterly Goal Sheets
“Community NEWS”
Federal/State Leaders
Strategic Facilitation
Meeting Supports
Data, Data, Data
Policy/Practice Change
New Resources