Reducing Disproportionality in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems:

1. Reducing Disproportionality in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems: Brad Richardson; Ph.D., Julia Rembert, MSW; DMC Resource Center University of Iowa School of Social Work, Nat’l Resource Ctr. for Family Centered Practice Iowa City, IA Nancy McFall Jean, MSW National Association of Social Workers Washington, DC

2. The National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice • Established in 1977 as a national consulting division of the University of Iowa School of Social Work • Research, Evaluation, Technical Assistance, Training & Organizational Development • NRC specializes in research-supported, strength-based culturally competent family centered practice; “Dr. Outcomes” • Family Development Specialist Certification Program

3. National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice About NRCFCP | Training | Research/Evaluation | Tech.Assistance | Pubs Fam.Dev.Spec.Cert | Cult.Comp.| DMC Resource Center | Latino Institute| Website: www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp “Ask Dr. Outcomes”

4. DMC Resource Center • Education & Information • Technical Assistance • Research and Evaluation • Annual Conference • Minority Youth and Families Initiative (MYFI)

5. Reducing Disproportionality in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems: A Practice Perspective • DMC Curriculum by Pat Parker, UW-Milw. • Family: • Strength-Based Solution-Focused & Culture-Based • Community Strengths • (Measuring Strengths in Community Collaboration, Richardson and Graf, 2005 ~ www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp). • Systems Change

6. Cultural Competence A set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and policies that come together in a system, agency, or professional and enable that system, agency or professional to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. (Cross, 1988)

7. Culturally Competent Practice Beliefs • Families are diverse and have the right to be respected for their special ethnic, cultural, religious and other traditions • Practice and services are delivered in a manner that strengthens the family’s identity • Child-rearing patterns are influenced by cultural norms and mores • Every culture has positive attributes as well as challenges

8. Reducing Disproportionality in CW and JJ Systems:DMC Resource Center Brad Richardson, Ph.D. DMC Coordinator, Research Scientist & Adjunct Assoc. Professor University of Iowa School of Social Work National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice DMC Resource Center Ph. 319-335-4924 or 515.771.3589 brad-richardson@uiowa.edu www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

9. SAG Creates DMC Committeeand DMC Resource Center

10. Jumping the Gap • Research and books • Training • Meetings • Pilot projects • Test protocols • Families getting what they need, when they need it • Flexible access to community resources • Systems Change • Fear • Defensiveness • Hidden assumptions • Formal structures • Tyranny of habit Adapted from John Franz, Sr. Juvenile Justice Advisor, Nat’l Resource Network

11. [1] Population data from Iowa’s KIDS COUNT, Annie E. Casey Foundation. [2] Detention data from Iowa DHR, CJJP.

12. DMC & MYFI Intensive TA Sites

13. DMC in Iowa (2003) National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

14. DMC in Iowa (2005) National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

15. Relative Rate Indices National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

16. National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

17. Sociogram of Collaboration to Reduce DMC

18. Initial (Baseline) Assessment of Collaboration to Reduce DMC

19. Follow-up Assessment of Collaboration to Reduce DMC

20. “ We stopped looking at what was wrong with the kids and trying to fix them. Instead, we looked at ourselves and tried to fix the system. The result was a better use of resources, better behavior by the kids and reductions in racial and ethnic disparities.”Scott MacDonald,Director of Juvenile Probation, Santa Cruz, CA from No Turning Back, 2005 National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

21. Focus on a decision point • Focus on Reducing Racial Disparities • Employ Risk Assessment Instrument • Create Placement Alternatives • Gain Judicial Support • Enlist a Community Champion • Gain Community Engagement and Involvement • Use Outcome Indicators National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

22. Resource Materials to Consider …Resources & Publications:Providing Effective DMC Technical Assistance:A Strength-Based Community Practice ApproachA Strength- Based Culturally Competent Approach to Reducing D.M.C.www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

23. Strategies for Reducing Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System Ashley Nellis (2005). Seven Steps to Reducing DMC , 2005. • Step One: Define the Problem • Step Two: Implement Evidence-Based Programming • Step Three: Develop Program Logic • Step Four: Identify Measures • Step Five: Collect and Analyze Data • Step Six: Report Findings • Step Seven: Reassess Program Logic National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

24. …Publications on Reducing DMC • Guidebook for Integration and Coordination of Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems (Wiig & Tuell 2005). CHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA • Disproportionate Minority Contact in the Juvenile Justice System CHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

25. …Publications on Reducing DMC • No Turning Back : Promising Approaches to Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities Affecting Youth of Color in the Justice System; A Project of the Building Blocks for Youth Initiative, October 2005 • Seven Steps to Develop and Evaluate Strategies to Reduce Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Juvenile Justice Evaluation Center Guidebook Series Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Juvenile Justice Evaluation Center Justice Research and Statistics Association National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

26. All levels must pay attention to program capacity

27. Motivation…orwho should care? Concept from Cornel West, 2000

28. Community Collaborative Efforts to Reduce Disproportionality in Child Welfare:A Case Example Julia Rembert, MSW University of Iowa School of Social Work and Minority Youth and Families Initiative, DMC Resource Center National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

29. Woodbury County (Sioux City) Iowa • Native Americans make up 0.4% of the population • Native American children make up 2.2% of the foster care population National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

30. Planning Considerations • Planning built on relationships with the Community Initiative for Native Children and Families • Targeted interventions that would be: • Visible • Effective • Could continue without additional funds (integrated into practice, systems change) National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

31. Planning Process National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

32. Underlying Issues • Communication “gap” between NA community and DHS/courts • Lack of trust between families and system • Relationship issues between DHS and Native community • Trust – lack of confidence in tribes/system • Anger National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

33. 2004-2005 Problem Statement Native American children (0-18), as self-identified, are overrepresented within Woodbury County’s foster care system, resulting in a loss of: • Culture • Self-awareness • Identity, and • Tribal and family relationships This is happening because of: • Shortage of Native foster homes for children in crisis, and policies that present barriers to relative placement. • Lack of culturally competent providers in the community. National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

34. Increases in: Relative placements, even if Termination of Parental Rights has occurred, Reunification with parents, Increase of Native American foster homes Decreases in: Termination of Parental Rights Reabuse/neglect rates Entry into the foster care system Abuse/neglect rates overall Number of placements for Native children 2004-2005 Goal Statement Native American children are safely raised in the Native community as evidenced by: National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

35. 2004-2005 Areas of Primary Focus • Culturally competent services being provided, • Increased numbers of Native children placed in Native foster homes, and • Increase of Native children placed with relatives. National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

36. Primary Methods • Create processes whereby relatives are identified earlier and approved as placement options • Increase cultural competence of workers and providers • Recruit and retain additional Native foster homes • Utilize family team meetings National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

37. Native Team Native family liaison Native tribal liaison Supervisor Social workers CPS workers Adoptions worker Flexible Resource Pool Foster Care Recruitment at Native events Scheduling training at Native Family Resource Center office Training scheduled for Saturday mornings Primary Tools National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

38. Progress: Foster Care • IDHS makes exceptions to licensing standards that are barriers to Native applicants – investigates changes to standards • Request made to Nebraska to waive preauthorization of Native foster homes in their state National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

39. Progress: Foster Care 2 • CPS Workers know who to call to place a child in a reservation foster home • 9 Native persons recruited to take foster care training. 4 completed, and 1 family was fully licensed • IDHS present at area powwows to recruit foster parents National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

40. Progress: Relative Placement • Increased transferral of jurisdiction to Tribes • Increased identification of relative networks, using genealogical tool and assertive contacts • Increased number of relative homestudies • Use of flexible funds and Native liaison job descriptions allow time and supports to locate and assist relatives National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

41. National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

42. Evaluation Strategy: New cases 1/1/2005 and on . . . • North Carolina Family Assessment Scale (NCFAS) • Colorado Family Risk Assessment and Reassessment (CFRA and CFRR) • Treatment Activity Reporting Form • Qualitative Methods • Interviewing members of Native Team • Attending Community Initiative for Native Children and Families meetings • Attending Native Unit meetings National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

43. NCFAS • Designed to assess family functioning on 6 domains: • Environment • Parental capabilities • Family interactions • Family safety, and • Child well-being • Completed within 30 days and at end of project year period National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

44. 2 ENV_I -0.18 0.82 ENV_C 0 -1.27 PAR_I -2 PAR_C -3.31 -4 -4.27 FAMINT_I -4.31 FAMINT_C -5.45 -6 FAMSAF_I -7.38 -8 FAMSAF_C -8.08 -10 CHILDWB_I -10.23 CHILDWB_C -12 NCFAS Results +2 = clear strength +1 = mild strength 0 = baseline/ Adequate -1 = mild problem -2 = moderate problem -3 = serious problem. National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

45. CFRA and CFRR CFRA comprises two domains: • Neglect (11 items) and abuse (10 items) • Scores in three categories of risk • low (< 2), moderate (3 -7), high (8 +). • Completed on case opening CFRR • Completed every 6 months following CFRA and at case closure National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

46. CFRA and CFRR • 24 Family Assessments • CFRA: • 1 Low risk • 9 Moderate risk • 13 High risk • CFRR: • 9 Low risk • 6 Moderate risk • 8 High risk National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

47. Systems Change – Backlash from County Attorney • Perception that IA DHS has “abandoned” children by partnering with tribes and Native people • Increase in filing of Child in Need of Assistance (CINA) petitions • But, decrease in Termination of Parental Rights • Coordination between Tribes and workers • Other plans in place National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

48. CINA and TPR 2004-2005Third Judicial District including Woodbury County National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

49. What Social Workers Can Do to Reduce Disproportionality Nancy McFall-Jean, MSW National Association of Social Workers Washington, DC NASW

50. What Social Workers Can Do to Reduce Disproportionality • The disproportionate rate of children of color in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems is of serious concern to social workers NASW