Improving Child/Youth Placement Outcomes: Foster Care Redesign

1. Improving Child/Youth Placement Outcomes: Foster Care Redesign

2. Challenges Facing the Texas Child Welfare System • Imbalance in geographic distribution of services and providers • Insufficient number of residential providers that offer a full continuum of services

3. Current Equation (Child’s Needs) + (Lack of Community Resources) = • Placement outside of home community • Increased number of changes in placement • Separation from sibling(s) and family • Lack of educational continuity • Fractured social support system

4. Goal of Redesign "The goal of the (foster care) redesign is to improve outcomes for children and families by creating sustainable placement resources in communities that will meet the service needs of children and youth in foster care, using the least restrictive placement settings."

5. Redesigning the Equation (Child’s Needs) + (Adequate Community Resources) = • Placement in home community • Decreased number of changes in placement • Placement with sibling(s) in close proximity to family • Educational continuity • Strong social support system

6. Project Objectives • Determine where and what kind of services are needed • Determine how to contract for quality services, including recommended outcomes, performance measures and procurement processes • Determine how to pay for those services (fiscal system/payment methodologies that align incentives with process and quality objectives)

7. Quality Indicators • Children are placed in their home communities • Children are appropriately served in the least restrictive environment that supports minimal moves for the child • Connections to family and others important to the child are maintained • Children are placed with siblings • Services respect the child’s culture

8. Primary Stakeholders • Children and families • Providers • DFPS field staff • Foster care network/association • Judiciary • Child and family advocates

9. Public Private Partnership (PPP) Representative of Key Stakeholder Groups including: • Foster youth alumni • Providers • Child and family advocates • Judiciary • DFPS Advisory Council • DFPS executive leadership Role in the Redesign Effort: • Provide guidance to the initiative • Serve as conduit of communication between constituents and peers • Propose recommendations to DFPS Commissioner

10. Additional Stakeholders Vital to the Effort • HHSC, Medicaid, and other enterprise agencies • Texas child welfare boards • State and federal child welfare partners • Many other parties impacted by implementation of the project

11. Project Parameters • Case management will remain the role of DFPS, however, model can include expanding role of the private sector’s work with families. • System design will neither preclude nor require additional funding.

12. Technical and Planning Expertise DFPS has contracted with two entities who are working collaboratively to develop the redesign proposal. • PDF Group, LLC: • Engaging stakeholders • Managing, planning and developing the proposal, including recommendations of a systemic, effective approach to remodeling the current foster care system • Chapin Hall, University of Chicago: • Working with American Humane • Facilitating and coordinating fact-finding research • Obtaining stakeholder input and support • Analyzing data and conducting simulation modeling

13. Decision-Making Approach • Analyze/consider data • Identify and define problems • Generate options and assess feasibility of options • Develop models that ‘test’ hypotheses and their corresponding policy, programmatic, practice and fiscal manifestations • Engage stakeholders in reviewing/refining the analysis • Final recommendations and a plan for implementing new foster care system due by December 31, 2010

14. Communication • Information is open and available to all • Use of existing communication tools • All input is welcome and valued