Parent Support Outreach Program (PSOP)

Spotlight

Shortly before COVID-19, in March 2020, Hennepin County Health and Human Services’, Parent Support Outreach Program (PSOP) team, was restructured and integrated into the Well-Being Division. Other service areas in this division include Child Care Assistance Program, Education, Family Stabilization Services (FSS), Diversionary Work Program (DWP), and Transition Age Youth. This re-alignment places PSOP among programs that participants utilize on a regular basis and collaborative efforts of the new/restructured team helped the agency obtain positive outcomes quickly. For example, if a PSOP participant’s childcare assistance was discontinued due to paperwork issues, their PSOP worker contacts the child care worker directly to consult on issues and resolve the matter quickly.

The PSOP supervisor transitioned to FSS supervisor in August 2021. This supervisor, along with the PSOP manager, are working on re-design of FSS to provide intensive services (similar to wrap-around services) to FSS program participants. One PSOP senior social worker was embedded in the FSS team. This PSOP social worker focuses on dual FSS/PSOP participants, providing intensive services, including regular home visits (sometimes as frequently as twice per week for two hours per visit), and describes these families as the most vulnerable residents. This social worker’s experience, and results, with one family is shared below:

A FSS program participant was referred to PSOP by her vocational counselor in April 2021. She is a single mother with eight children, ranging in ages from teenager to infant. The family’s home was over-run with rodents but the landlord took no action for more than a year. The mother described staying up all night to ensure that rodents did not climb on her children. The family was exhausted, emotionally, physically and mentally. The children were afraid to eat food in the home and the younger children were showing signs of developmental delays due to not being placed on the floor. All of the children were under weight.

Due to the severity of the family’s situation, the PSOP social worker sought approval from Hennepin County’s administration to place them in a local shelter immediately. Despite the family not technically being homeless, the PSOP social worker wrote a compelling email describing their household. Within 24 hours, permission was granted because their home appeared uninhabitable, making the family eligible to move into a shelter. PSOP hired a local moving company to move what was salvageable, like plastic toys and pots and pans into a storage unit, also paid with PSOP flex funds.

Within one week of arriving at People Serving People, the PSOP social worker saw a noticeable change in all of them. The mother reported sleeping soundly because she no longer worries about mice disturbing her children. They eat three meals a day provided by the shelter. Her two youngest children were enrolled in daycare. Her toddler is learning the mechanics of crawling, trying to pull himself into a standing position.

The PSOP social worker enlisted the help of Legal Aid to discuss tenant rights, providing all communication with the landlord, negotiating termination of their lease.

PSOP helped the mother as she applied for utility and rent assistance through RentHelpMN.org. Their worker provided referrals to Hennepin County Public Health, WIC, Diaper Depot, and Lutheran Social Service Freedom School. Every week, the PSOP social worker meets with the mother and her older children to explore housing options. The two oldest children are proud to have recently obtained their first jobs.

The mother understands it likely will be a long wait to find housing for her family of nine. She stated that is why she tried to stay in her home as long as she could. She is glad she spoke candidly about their circumstances and even happier a supportive, non-judgmental program like PSOP stepped in. She understands their family could have faced a different outcome if Child Protective Services were called instead.

Hennepin County PSOP has 10 internal social workers, in addition to contracts with five community agencies. A new PSOP supervisor was hired in March 2021. This supervisor and another PSOP social worker are now working on chemical health issues for program participants. This specific PSOP social worker position is new, funded with the Opioid Epidemic Response grant. Staff in this position have a background in chemical health, as it is imperative that staff recognize the high needs of families regarding chemical health issues.

Two PSOP social workers participate in the agency’s Intake and Screening Review Team (IRT). The IRT is an inter-disciplinary team that reviews child protection referrals and determines the course of action taken on referrals. These PSOP social workers bring the early intervention and prevention lens to the team, a valued contribution.

The expectation is that Hennepin County will continue to expand PSOP activities. Agency staff continues to see an increase in successful completion of case plans, as well as a high volume of referrals. Agency staff continues to focus on strengthening internal and external partnerships, providing seamless services for the community. PSOP social workers report that they continue to be the sole lifeline for many of the participants served. As community resources remain stretched, and mental health services primarily provided via telehealth, PSOP clients are reaching out to their social worker for crisis support. PSOP has consistently demonstrated an ability to pivot during times of change, and remain steady/available to families served.

Previous Spotlights:

Scott County – PSOP and public health nurses: Lessons learned