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Waseca County
Minnesota Child and Family Service Review
Program Improvement Plan

I. General Information

 

County Agency:  

Waseca

Address: 299 Johnson Ave Ste #150, Waseca, MN 56093

Telephone Number: 507-835-0560

 

Primary Person Responsible for PIP:

Wendy K. Morton

E-mail Address: wendy.morton@co.waseca.mn.us

Telephone Number: 507-835-0585

 

DHS Quality Assurance Contact:

Lori Munsterman

E-mail Address: lori.munsterman@state.mn.us

Telephone Number: 320-255-2452

To be completed by DHS:

Date Draft PIP Submitted by County: 6/30/10

Date Accepted: 8/4/10

Due Dates for Quarterly Reports:

Quarter 1: October 15, 2010 (for July-Sept)

Quarter 2: January 15, 2011 (for Oct – Dec)

Quarter 3: April 15, 2011 (for Jan – March)

Quarter 4: July 15, 2011 (for April – June)

Date PIP Progress Reviews Received/Occurred:

PIP Completion Date:

II. MnCFSR PIP Recommendations (as indicated in the MnCFSR report)

PIP RECOMMENDATIONS

Safety

Address barriers to timely face-to-face contacts with children in maltreatment assessments and investigations. Ensure that face-to-face contacts occur within statutory timelines (MnCFSR Item 1).

Ensure new reports on already open child protection cases are appropriately documented and formally screened. If reports meet criteria, conduct assessments or investigations, as required (MnCFSR Item 4).

Permanency

Evaluate the circumstances of placements lasting less than eight days, and how those placements impact foster care re-entry. Ensure that placements are made only for safety reasons, or for children to access specialized treatment. (MnCFSR Items 3 and 5, and Federal Performance Measure C1.4).

Address factors contributing to delay in timely achievement of permanency, particularly for older youth and children in care for extended periods of time (Federal Performance Measures C2.1, C2.2, C2.3, C2.4, C2.5, C3.1 and C3.3).

Well-being

Conduct caseworker visits with children at a frequency that meets their needs, ensuring that caseworker visits with children in foster care occur each and every month, and that the majority of visits occur in the child’s residence (MnCFSR Items 4 and 19).

SAFETY

Goal: The agency will have face-to-face contact with alleged child victims within timelines in 90 percent of child protection assessments and investigations.

Applicable Items and/or Systemic Factors:

Item 1: Timeliness of Initiating Investigations/Assessments

Baseline (Performance at the time of the review):

Item 1: 75% of cases rated as a Strength

DHS Timeliness Report, Jan – June 2009: 56.7% of reports alleging non-substantial child endangerment responded to within timelines; No reports alleging substantial child endangerment during that time period.

Demonstration of Goal Completion:

Based on DHS Timeliness Report, 90% of reports (alleging either substantial child endangerment or non-substantial child endangerment) will be responded to within required timelines.

Action Steps

(include persons responsible)

Qtr Due

Date Completed

Quarterly Update

(Identify reporting quarter, e.g. Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)

On a quarterly basis, the supervisor will run the SSIS General Report “Time to Initial Contact with Victim/Other”

1-4

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Supervisor will review the “Time to Initial Contact with Victim/Other” report with staff on a quarterly basis; identifying cases in which contact was not made within statutory requirements and reasons for delays.

1-4

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

The agency will develop and implement strategies for addressing identified barriers to timely contact in assessments and investigations.

1-4

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Measurement/Monitoring Plan: Review of relevant reports (SSIS General Reports and DHS Timeliness Report), and discussion with workers

Role of the Supervisor: Monitor the reports, assist and support workers as needed.

SAFETY

Goal: The agency will ensure that all new maltreatment reports received on open child protection cases are appropriately documented and formally screened. If reports meet criteria, the agency will conduct a child protection assessment or investigation.

Applicable Items and/or Systemic Factors:

Item 4: Risk Assessment & Safety Management

Baseline (Performance at the time of the review):

Item 4: 37.5% of cases rated as a Strength

Demonstration of Goal Completion: All maltreatment reports on open cases will be screened and appropriate follow up completed.

Action Steps

(include persons responsible)

Qtr Due

Date Completed

Quarterly Update

(Identify reporting quarter, e.g. Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)

Agency supervisor will review (and revise if necessary) agency expectations for the handling of new reports on already open cases.

1

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Agency supervisor will clarify agency expectations regarding the handling of new reports on already open cases with social workers (e.g. how reports are documented, screened, and responded to whether screened in or out)

1

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Measurement/Monitoring Plan: Supervisory review of case files and case consultation with workers

Role of the Supervisor: Supervise the completion of case reviews on a regular basis; support & /or provide training in areas of assessing strengths, needs, risk and safety of families.

PERMANENCY

Goal: Ensure children are placed in foster care only when necessary for child safety or to access specialized treatment and reduce foster care re-entry.

Applicable Items and/or Systemic Factors:

Item 3: Services to prevent removal or re-entry into foster care

Item 5: Foster care re-entry

Federal Performance Measure C1.4: Foster care re-entry

Baseline (Performance at the time of the review):

Item 3: 100% of cases rated as a Strength

Item 5: 100% of cases rated as a Strength

Measure C1.4: 42.1% (8/19); (National Standard: 9.9% i)

2008: 40.9% of children discharged from care were in care for less than 8 days

Demonstration of Goal Completion: Evaluate, document and address the most common reasons for placements lasting less than 8 days and foster care re-entry.

Action Steps

(include persons responsible)

Qtr Due

Date Completed

Quarterly Update

(Identify reporting quarter, e.g. Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)

The agency will gather placement data for 2010 from SSIS, identifying children who:

were in care for less than 8 days, and

children who re-entered foster care (Charting & Analysis Report Measure C1.4)

4

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Supervisor and workers will evaluate the reasons for entry on placements lasting less than 8 days to determine:

whether placement was necessary to ensure child safety

whether children who were in placement for less than 8 day placements also experienced foster care re-entry

4

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Supervisors and workers will evaluate the reasons for foster care re-entry to determine if:

Placement was necessary to ensure child safety or to access specialized treatment

Adequate post-reunification and placement prevention services were provided prior to the re-entry

4

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Develop strategies/protocols to address circumstances that led to unnecessary placements or re-entries identified in action steps #2 and #3.

4

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Measurement/Monitoring Plan: SSIS General Placement Reports; Charting and Analysis report for Federal Data Measure C1.4 (re-entry)

Role of the Supervisor: monitor reports, support use of proactive services vs reactive

PERMANENCY

Goal: Promote timely permanency for all children in out-of-home cases, specifically focusing on older youth and children in care for extended periods of time.

Applicable Items and/or Systemic Factors:

Federal Performance Measures:

C2.1: Adoption within 24 months of entry into foster care

C2.2: Median length of stay prior to adoption

C2.3: Adoption for children in care 17+ months

C2.4: Achieving legal freedom for adoption for children in care 17+ months

C2.5: Adoption within 12 months of becoming legally free

C3.1: Permanency for children in care 24+months prior to 18th birthday

C3.3: Children who turned 18 while in foster care and were in care for 3 years or longer

Baseline (Performance at the time of the review):

Federal Performance Measures(2008 Performance):

C2.1: 0% (0/1); (National Standard: 36.6% h)

C2.2: 32.2 months (National Standard: 27.3 i)

C2.3: 12.5% (1/8); (National Standard: 22.7% h)

C2.4: 0% (0/5); (National Standard: 10.9% h)

C2.5: 0% (0/2); (National Standard: 53.7% h)

C3.1: 25% (2/8); (National Standard: 29.1% h)

C3.3: 50% (1/2); (National Standard: 37.5% i)

Demonstration of Goal Completion: Improved performance on National Standards. Permanency goals are continually evaluated for appropriateness.

Action Steps

(include persons responsible)

Qtr Due

Date Completed

Quarterly Update

(Identify reporting quarter, e.g. Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)

Supervisor will run relevant Charting and Analysis reports (C2.1, C2.2, C2.3, C2.4, C2.5, C3.1 C3.3) on a quarterly basis.

3

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Supervisor and staff will review reports and identify barriers to achieving timely permanency.

3

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Develop and implement strategies to address barriers indentified in #2.

3

 

Q1:

Q2:

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Supervisor and staff will continually monitor placements for:

efforts towards permanency

exploration of adoption options

appropriateness of placement

completion of required Administrative Reviews

3

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Measurement/Monitoring Plan: Charting and Analysis Reports ((C2.1, C2.2, C2.3, C2.4, C2.5, C3.1 C3.3); Case reviews

Role of the Supervisor: Complete case reviews; generate data reports and facilitate discussions regarding reports

WELL-BEING

Goal: 90 percent of children in foster care will have face-to-face visits each and every month with their social worker.

Applicable Items and/or Systemic Factors:

Item 4: Risk Assessment & Safety Management

Item 19: Worker visits with children

Baseline (Performance at the time of the review):

Item 4: 37.5% of cases rated as a Strength

Item 19: 37.5% of cases rated as a Strength

DHS Caseworker Visits Report, 7/1/08 – 6/30/09: 9.1% of children in foster care had visits each and every month with their caseworker

Demonstration of Goal Completion:

Based on DHS Caseworker Visits Report, 90% of children in foster care will have face-to-face visits with their caseworker each and every month.

Action Steps

(include persons responsible)

Qtr Due

Date Completed

Quarterly Update

(Identify reporting quarter, e.g. Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)

Agency will revise documentation requirements to ensure all CMH caseworker visits with children are documented in SSIS.

1

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Supervisor will run the SSIS General Report “Monthly Contacts with Children in Continuous Placement” on a quarterly basis.

2-4

 

Q1:

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Q3:

Q4:

Supervisor will review the SSIS contact report with workers quarterly; identifying cases in which monthly contact was not made and barriers to monthly contact.

2-4

 

Q1:

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Develop and implement strategies to address barriers to monthly visits identified in #3.

2-4

 

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Measurement/Monitoring Plan: Review and discussions of SSIS General Report “Monthly Contacts with Children in Continuous Placement and DHS Caseworker Visit report.

Role of the Supervisor: Monitor reports and review with staff on a quarterly basis.

SYSTEMIC FACTOR

Goal: Develop an internal process for the ongoing evaluation of child welfare practices and systems, leading to program improvements.

Applicable Items or Systemic Factors: Quality Assurance

Baseline (Performance at the time of the review):

Demonstration of Goal Completion: Review of "Month Report" folders, notes from chart reviews, notes from staff meetings, notes from staff supervision meetings.

Action Steps

(include persons responsible)

Qtr Due

Date Completed

Quarterly Update

(Identify reporting quarter, e.g. Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4)

Establish and maintain a process that yields valid data:

Supervisor and workers – Monthly review of SSIS reports on timeliness of contacts in assessments and investigations, caseworker visits, completion of CMH screenings, completion of Administrative Reviews, etc.

1-4

 

Q1:

Q2:

Q3:

Q4:

Supervisor and workers – reimplement use of chart reviews (QAR or other reviews) for the purpose of monitoring compliance with rules and statutes and quality of casework practices

4

 

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Develop/implement a process for analyzing and learning from the data:

Supervisor & workers – focus groups within staff

1-4

 

Q1:

Q2:

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Q4:

Supervisor – Utilize Permanency Committee, Pre-Placement Team CP Team, CJI Team, and Placement Committee to review and discuss data

1-4

 

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Use the data to effectively implement practice and system change:

Supervisor and staff – Involve staff in focus groups and case mapping to evaluate practice and implement needed changes for improved service delivery

2-4

 

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Supervisor and staff – Include staff in chart reviews to facilitate learning and implementation of best practices

4

 

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Other:

Supervisor will continue to participate in the “Improving Supervision” initiative and implement strategies identified through that process to facilitate practice improvements

4

 

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Measurement/Monitoring Plan: SSIS reports, staff and other committee meetings and discussions

Role of the Supervisor: Utilize reports and meetings to analyze and monitor compliance and quality of casework practice

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