Dr. Venessa A. BrownSouthern Illinois University

Edwardsville

Illinois Department of Children and Family ServicesSouthern Region

African American Advisory InstituteApril 23-24, 2009

Permanency Enhancement Project Southern Region: Progress Report

Permanency Enhancement Project Goals &Outcomes

DCFS – Building Relationships & Community Networking

Caseworkers

Investigators

Church leaders

Point-of-ServiceProviders

Judges

State’s Attorneys

School SocialWorkers

ParentsFoster CareYouth

Southern Region Illinois Counties

Belleville TeamMonroe

RandolphSt. Clair

Washington

E. St. Louis TeamSt. Clair (Alorton,

Cahokia, Centreville, Dupo, East Carondolet,

E. St. Louis)

Carbondale TeamFranklinJackson

PerryWilliamson

Cairo TeamAlexander, GallatinJohnson, Pulaski

Saline

Effingham TeamEffingham,

Fayette, Jasper

Madison/Bond TeamBond

Madison

Mt. Vernon TeamClay, Clinton,

Gallatin, Hamilton,Jefferson, Marion,

Wayne, White

Olney TeamCrawford, Edwards,Lawrence, Richland,Wabash

Community Action Teams Implementation Progress Report

Community Action Teams Engagement Strategies

Belleville Action Team Quarterly meetings with Judge BrandonDevelopment of a parent resource brochure PowerPoint presentation explaining action team’s purposeEstablishment of a interdisciplinary team for case reviews

Cairo Action Team Partnering services with local organizationsIdentifying service gaps within the agencyEstablishment of a Juvenile Justice CouncilAddressing environmental barriers with city council leaders

Carbondale Action Team To establish a user-friendly resource guide for parentsTo engage former wards in the community action team processTo build relationships with SIU-Carbondale

E. St. Louis Action Team Quarterly meetings with Judge BrandonDiscussions on child mandating with school social workersNetworking with Community Advocacy House

Community Action Teams Implementation Progress Report cont..

Community Action Teams

Engagement Strategies

Effingham Action Team Team discussions regarding barriersReview of services to determine utilizationNetworking within the community

Madison/Bond Action Team Development of a parent resource brochureLinking services with established parent groupsBuilding relationships with court systems

Mt. Vernon Action Team Establishment of a parenting groupEstablished relationship with Southtown Youth CenterCompleted focus groups with parents to address community-specific needs

Olney Action Team Discussion around service gapsRelationship-building with the local judgeProject planning with LANS groups

Southern Region Action Team Successes

The action teams have demonstrated an ongoing commitment toward improving the permanency outcomes for all children and families. With a stronger than ever determination, the teams recognize that it will take unified approaches to ensure long-lasting successes.

Diverse action teams (e.g. disciplines, race, ethnicity) Collaborating with community partners Identifying internal barriers Improved relations from within – increased communication

between caseworkers, investigators, intact workers, and supervisors

Lifting every voice – engaging foster care youth in the permanency process

Establishing prevention-focused approaches: parenting groups, juvenile councils, and interdisciplinary teams for case reviews

Highlighting Innovation Cairo’s Juvenile Justice Council

The Cairo Action Team is determined and focused on proactive efforts with its recent establishment of a Juvenile Justice Council to address the pattern of incoming reports which specified “lack of supervision” as the reason for initial contact with DCFS.

Cairo's Juvenile Justice Council

Impact on PermanencyThe action team’s Juvenile Justice Council’s potential

impact will shed light on the critical needs in Alexander and Pulaski Counties as identified by the action team’s moderator. The absence of youth programs in the community increases the likelihood that juveniles will engage in high-risk behaviors that lead to DCFS and Court intervention. This permanency initiative hopes to improve remain home and return home outcomes.

Future Needs and Goals To advocate for funding and programs specific to the

needs of the Cairo region.To support and work toward increases in child care

programs in Alexander and Pulaski counties

Highlighting Innovation Mt. Vernon’s Parent Group

The Mt. Vernon Action Team initiated a parent group in the spring of 2008. The parent group meets monthly to address the specific needs of parents in Jefferson county.

Mt. Vernon’s Parent Group

Impact on permanencyParents have established connections among each

other and have begun collectively identifying and addressing the problems in their community. As parents become more aware of resources and establish their own support systems remain home outcomes will continue to improve.

Future Needs and GoalsProvide parents with linkages to community

stakeholders and other resources.The Mt. Vernon action team expects the parent

group to be self-sufficient by the fall 2009.

Ongoing Challenges: Barriers to PermanencyBarriers to Permanency Contributing Factors

Geographic Barriers •Fewer services in rural regions•Lack of specialized services in rural areas•Limited to no public transportation •Urban and oppressed communities battle stigmatization

Funding Barriers •Lack of funding hinders program implementation•Funding cuts resulted in termination of programs and fewer employees

Agency Barriers (DCFS) •Competing values between departments concerning “best interest” of children (e.g. intact vs. placement)•Worker hopelessness (burnout)•Disconnection from community •Inside agency politics/bias among workers

Court Barriers •Lack of court liaisons•Inconsistencies in court reports to judges•Misconceptions about the court process (e.g. testimony, documentation)

Action Team Specific Barriers

•Lack of diversity on all teams•Low community involvement (e.g. parents, foster parents)•Intervention versus prevention approaches

Southern Region Action TeamsNext Steps

Revise Action Plans based on lessons learnedContinue to work on diversifying Action TeamsEncourage Teams to take ownership of one

challenge (barrier) and work to eliminate/minimize the barrier

Encourage Action Teams to celebrate their current Permanency Victories in their regions

Encourage Action Teams to create a PowerPoint presentation about permanency that they can present to their community partners

GOALS FOR FY10Encourage Each Action Team to build their

programming around three initiatives for FY10Parent Training FairHealth FairEmployment Fair

The goals of these initiatives is to engage the community around three of the major issues facing families in the southern region. Our ultimate goal is to build relationships and increase our action teams membership to ensure community involvement in

PERMANENCY FOR ILLINOIS CHILDREN

Thank You!Any Suggestions or work you know we can do in the Southern

Region contact:

Dr. Venessa A. Brown or Janell Smart, Graduate AssistantSouthern Illinois University EdwardsvillePermanency Enhancement Project Director, Southern Region618-650-5867vbrown@siue.edujanellelainesmart@yahoo.com