CFSP Plan for 2010-2014

Missouri’s five-year strategic objectives for improving child welfare services are reflected in this section and are based on Missouri’s six Guiding Principles. Under each principle is a list of specific actions or initiatives that are transpiring internally or in partnership with other governmental departments, agencies or systems, consumers, and advocacy groups connected to the child welfare system. In keeping with the federal emphasis on collaboration efforts, we openly invite stakeholders to assist making changes or improvements in service delivery to families we serve. As evidenced in the Annual Partnerships / Collaboration section, Missouri has many, internal and external partnership occurring simultaneously.

The Children’s Division has adopted the Strengthening Families philosophy (see Annual Prevention, Strengthening Families section for more information) and will continue to implant this concept throughout policy and practice. This initiative and other program enhancements and existing collaborations are a proactive way to prepare for the Child and Family Services Review scheduled for June 2010.

Due to the recent AFCARS review, composite outcomes using the federal syntax will not be replicated until most corrections and revisions are complete. The completion date is scheduled for November 2009. CD may want to revise or add some of the Measures of Progress in this five year plan to match the composite data. Currently the outcomes measures are from in-house reports.

Vision Statement

To partner with families, communities, and government to protect children from abuse and neglect and assure safety, permanency and well being for Missouri’s children

State Objectives/Guiding Principles

Protection (Safety)

Children have a right to be safe and live free from abuse and neglect.

  • Objective #1:
    • To protect the health, safety, and welfare of children by continuing the use of Strengthening the Culture of Care training and philosophy in licensed residential child care agencies
  • Measure of progress:
    • Provide refresher education for Strengthening the Culture of Care
    • Develop a data base to capture all substantiated reports where the perpetrator is an employee of a residential child care agency (Use 2008 data as the baseline)
    • Decrease the number of substantiated reports for children in residential care
  • Objective #2:
    • Continue the "small test of change" relating to the Breakthrough Series with child abuse and neglect reports in selected circuits and when changes are tested successful, extend practice statewide
  • Measure of progress:
    • Reduce the number of children who experienced repeated maltreatment.

      Currently, Missouri has an average of 95.35% (SFY 05, 06, 07, 08, Outcome Measure #3) of children without another substantiated maltreatment report within six months. The National Standard is 94.60%. Our goal is to remain at or above the National Standard consistently through the next five years.

    • Track small changes and evaluate impact
    • Monitor changes implemented statewide (that originated from this pilot project)
  • Objective #3:
    • To promote continual monitoring of registered family home providers which promotes the health and safety of children in their care
  • Measure of progress:
    • All registered family home providers will complete an initial background screening prior to providing child care services for CD
    • All registered family home providers and household members 17 years of age or older will complete a Family Care Safety Registry screening initially
    • All registered family home providers and household members 17 years of age or older will complete a Family Care Safety Registry screening annually
    • All registered family home providers will complete a TB test prior to providing child care services for CD

Partnerships (Collaboration)

Families, communities and government share the responsibility to create safe, nurturing environments for families to raise their children. Only through working together can better outcomes be achieved.

  • Objective #4:
    • To assure children in foster care are offered the same educational opportunities as other children, achieved through continued partnerships
  • Measure of progress:
    • Increase percentage of Supervisory Case Review Item 21 (assessing educational needs of children) with a baseline average from SFY 06, 07 and 08 of 67% to 80% by FFY 2014
    • Continue partnering with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Educational Advocacy, CFSR Advisory Committee and Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel)
  • Objective #5:
    • Working with partners, including other state and federal agencies and community partners, Children’s Division staff and resource providers will be prepared for disasters and emergencies
  • Measures of progress:
    • Increased training of staff and providers for emergencies through the Employee Learning Center for employees and in-service training for providers (provided in-house or by other agencies)
    • Increased preparedness by assuring each circuit has a circuit-specific emergency plan and staff and resource providers are personally prepared.
    • Circuit plans will be reviewed annually by management staff
    • Resource providers' plans may be available for review and monitored as needed by licensing staff
    • Increased ability to track and locate children in custody
    • Streamline child identification processes
    • Use emerging technology to geo-locate resource providers

Practice (Case Management and Support Systems)

The family is the basic building block of society and is irreplaceable. Building on their strengths, families are empowered to identify and access services that support, preserve and strengthen their functioning.

  • Objective #6:
    • To decrease the number of moves a child experiences in foster care
  • Measures of Progress:
    • Expand the capabilities for diligent searches in order find suitable relatives
    • Continue an improvement trend evidenced through Outcome Measurement #13a (Reduce the Number of Placements Experienced by Children in Foster Care [length of stay 0-12 months]) and reach 84% by 2014. Currently, the average since 2005 is 79.75%
    • Enhance training with the placement stability philosophy for Family Support Team Meetings assisting to stabilize and support foster and relative care placements. Baseline to be established after training implementation in 2009
  • Objective #7:
    • To decrease the length of time for a child to be reunified with their family through continued partnering with our courts through the Fostering Court Improvement Project.
  • Measures of Progress:
    • Continued partnership with Office of State Court Administration on the Fostering Court Improvement project
    • Monitor the Permanency timeframes captured of Juvenile Information System (JIS) and set baseline and improvement increments by mid-2010
    • Use Outcome Measurement #10 (Reduce Time in Foster Care [Entry to Reunification]) to monitor internal progress; currently on average (SFY04-08) CD staff reunified 69.09% of children within 12 months. Project an increase to 75% by 2014
  • Objective #8:
    • To increase the number of IV-E eligible guardianship subsidies
  • Measures of Progress:
    • Expansion of relative definition in policy / practice
    • Determine total guardianship subsidies each year
    • By 2014, 85% of new guardianships will be Title IV-E eligible as of January 2009
  • Objective #9:
    • To improve caseworker visits with children in foster care
  • Measures of Progress:
    • Monitor frequency of visits
    • Increase number of visits occurring in the child’s placement through the Family Centered Out-of-home Care enhancement training by 2010
    • Meet the federal expectation of 80% and 90% by 2010 and 2011 respectively, for a once a month visit with all children in foster care

See Statewide Caseworker Visit plan for more information

Prevention (Service Array)

Families are supported through proactive, intentional activities that promote positive child development and prevent abuse and neglect.

  • Objective #10:
    • To promote safe environments through primary prevention in early childhood programs
  • Measures of Progress:

    Home Visitation:

    • Assess the social emotional development levels of 100% of the children under the age of three using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social Emotional at intervals of every 6 months. This is reported to the state agency quarterly
    • Assess the developmental levels of 100% of the children under the age of 3 using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires at intervals of every 6 months until the child is 3 years of age. This is reported to the state agency quarterly
    • A minimum of 95% of the children receiving services from the program are not a victim of substantiated child abuse and neglect
    • At least 95% of the parents receiving services demonstrate a reduced level of stress as measured by the Everyday Stressors Index when they leave the program
    • 90% of the teenaged parents enrolled in the program will not become pregnant during their participation in the program
    • Completion of home safety checks at the family’s enrollment in the program and every 6 months after using a standardized home safety checklist provided by the state agency

    Educare

    • Sign out logs for "family bags" based on the Strengthening Families 5 protective factors distributed by Educare to child care facilities for parents to check out for use

    Early Head Start

    • Parent involvement/volunteer information sheets
    • Missouri Early Head Start outcomes report
  • Objective #11:
    • Provide a positive support system for families through the use of Crisis Nurseries and Teen Crisis Care contracts
  • Measures of Progress:
    • Measure effectiveness through the Parental Stress Assessment and follow up phone calls
  • Objective #12:
    • Increase the involvement of fathers in all programs
  • Measures of Progress:
    • Increase collaboration through a statewide collaborative body
    • Create a charter to govern membership and purpose
    • Develop a strategic plan to guide collaborative work

Permanency

Children are entitled to enduring, nurturing relationships that provide a sense of family, stability and belonging.

  • Objective #13:
    • To reduce the number of re-entries into foster care
  • Measures of Progress:
    • 90% of families receiving Intensive Family Reunification Services must successfully reunify children with their families
    • 75% of families receiving Intensive Family Reunification Services must remain intact within the 12 months following intervention
    • Continue an improvement trend evidenced through Outcome Measurement #14 (Reduce Re-entry into Foster Care). From 2004-2008, the Children’s Division has averaged 9.27% of children re-entering care. The goal will be set at 8.6% or less to be achieved by 2014
  • Objective #14:
    • To increase number of adoptions through the use of the Adoption Exchange and Adopt US Kids websites and other adoptive activities
  • Measures of Progress:
    • Expand utilization for 75% of children with a goal of adoption, with presentation through Adoption Exchange, Adopt USKids, and the Heart Gallery
    • To increase the number percentage of children reaching adoption status within 24 months of coming in care. From 2004-2008, the Children’s Division currently, on average, 40% of children adopted within 24 months. The goal will be set at 45% for an average of the next five years

Professionalism (Training and Staff Development)

Staff are valued, respected and supported throughout their career and in turn provide excellent service that values, respects and supports families.

  • Objective #15:
    • To maintain accreditation standards
  • Measures of Progress:
    • Re-accreditation process will begin in March 2010 and be complete by 2014
    • Quarterly maintenance visits by QI Specialists
    • Periodic case reads
    • State Self Study completed in 2010
  • Objective #16:
    • Support supervisors through a Learning Lab structure
  • Measures of Progress:
    • Learning Labs will be in place December, 2009 with at least 25 supervisors participating in the seven regions
    • Supervisors will report an increase in job satisfaction and effectiveness due to information sharing and advanced learning. The baseline will come from an external evaluation
    • Workers will report an increase in support through the Survey of Organizational Excellence supervisor effectiveness element (2008 data baseline 302) and team effectiveness data (2008 data baseline 303)
  • Objective #17:
    • To continue the Supervision Advisory Committee
  • Measures of Progress:
    • Measure continued progress through the strategic plan
    • Increased growth in the Survey of Organizational Excellence scores, specifically with the Work Group Domain for elements of Supervisor Effectiveness, Fairness, Team Effectiveness and Diversity
    • Quarterly Meetings will occur