Illinois Department of Children and Family Services

Permanency Enhancement Project (PEP)

Statewide Action Team Overview

Prepared by: Doris M. Houston, Ph.D. 12-22-09

Illinois State University

School of Social Work

Community Partnership Model:

• “The Community Partnership Concept reflects a decision making process that brings together local government, state agencies, elected officials, community agency directors, and local residents to collectively identify and implement a set of strategies perceived as being most effective in supporting children and their families” (Daro, Bu d d e, B a k e r, Nesmi th, & Ha r d e n,/CSSP 2 0 0 5, p.6 ).

"For these are all our children, we will all profit by or pay for what they become." — James Baldwin

Illinois Permanency Enhancement

Strategy

Differential Response

Court Improvement Projects

Anti-Racism Transformation

Teams

Family Advocacy Centers

Father Involvement Projects

University Partnerships

COMMUNITY ACTION TEAMS

Illin

ois

Per

man

ency

Str

ateg

y

Action Plan Process

• Track/review local permanency data

• Convene local stakeholders, decision makers, resource providers, DCFS involved families/youth (Action Team)

• Identify local permanency barriers

• Develop a strategic plan of action to remove barriers (Action Plan)

• Track and document change (Outcomes)

Goals &Outcomes

• Service Provider Domain

• Community Domain

• Agency Domain

• Court Domain

Improve Remain Home

Outcomes

Improve Return Home

Outcomes

Improve Adoption

and Guardians

hip Outcomes

Improve Cultural

Responsiveness

Targeted Action Plan Areas

• Changing Policy/Procedures• Improving Practice• Communication/ Engagement• Professional Development/Training• Resource and Service Development• Political and legislative advocacy

Partnerships

• Court- Communication, collaborative decision making, policies, and practice.

• Agency- Culturally responsive practice, accountability, community partnership.

• Law enforcement - Communication, collaboration to support family permanency.

• Families – Culturally responsive support, family advocacy,

differential response, fatherhood empowerment.

• Service Provider- Culturally responsive service, communication, community accountability.

• Community – Awareness, ownership, empowerment.

REGIONAL OVERVIEWS

Central Region

Team Development

• Relationship building with courts, community stakeholders to accomplish action plan goals.

• Each community addresses two permanency goals (disproportionality goal is required).

• Teams receive annual strategic planning to focus efforts and strategies

 

Central Region

Partnerships/Success• Court Partnerships and trainings

(Galesburg)• Intact family support (Champaign, Rock

Island); Parent mentoring (Bloomington)• Family Treatment Court (Danville)• Faith community outreach (Decatur,

Charleston)• Ongoing review/discussion of permanency

data (See 2009 fall report: ISU)

Central Region

Southern Region

Team Development

• Utilizing 4 main permanency goals and encouraging teams to choose two.

• Focusing on building relationships and community networking.

 

Southern Region

Partnerships/Success• Law Enforcement- Working with area police

departments to have workers come out on open cases to reduce hotline calls.

• Public Aid- arranged for families to keep their benefits if they are on track to have their child returned.

• Recruitment: Increasing diversity among action teams members.

• Courts: Quarterly meetings with the judges

Southern Region

Northern Region

Team Development

• Teams are still in developmental stage and are only required to choose one permanency goal.

 

Northern Region

Partnerships/Success• Team Planning: Training on strategic

planning and helping teams utilize logic model • Parents: Biological Parent Advisory Council

involvement with action teams • Schools: Educational advisors making sure

that school issues are addressed at meetings. • Community Outreach: Goal to build trust and

partnership with the community.

Northern Region

Cook Central Region

Team Development

• Currently working on solidifying teams and reaching out to birth parents

• The goal for all 3 teams in the Cook Central Area is to Remain Home

 

Cook Central Region

Partnerships/Success• Team Planning: Measurable objectives• Training: Community based agency trainings

on mandated reporting, family advocacy centers, and helping teams understand data.

• Psychological First Aid to all Action Team members.

• Educational advisors to all Action Teams

Cook Central Region

Cook North Region

Team Development

• 3 teams all chose same two goals (reduce over-representation, and maintain home)

• Currently Cook North has about one year of engagement.– Looking for leaders/co-chairs for the teams.– Currently the co-chairs are a representative from

DCFS and the LAN Liaison.

• Action plans developed (2008): Information gathering; recruitment/outreach

 

Cook North Region

Partnerships/Success• Marketing: Brochure for community

stakeholders shows what the action team is trying to do; shows data on disparities

• Outcomes: Established action steps, benchmarks, measurable outcomes

• Evaluation: Develop methods of evaluation• Support and Encouragement

Cook North Region

Cook South Region

Team Development

• 3 teams, currently developing with the suggested goal of remain home

Cook South Region

Partnerships/Success• DCFS worker Survey• Region Wide Brochure • Public Guardian; DCFS Legal; Judge Thomas

participation and partnership• Focus on remain home as the goal • Project to support parenting of teen wards as

it relates to the goal of remaining home.• Plan to develop a parent handbook about

what to expect when going to court

Cook South Region

University Partnerships• Support teams to engage stakeholders• Develop/refine action plans Strategic Planning

• Interpret permanency data• Help teams document and track progressOutcomes

• Training /strategic planning (outcomes)• Stakeholder Engagement

Training

• Community outreach• Special projects with action teams

Student Service Learning (ISU)

Statewide Action Team Web Site

• Information Dissemination– Community announcements– Team meeting minutes– Best practice research– Permanency data/reports

http://adoptionresearch.illinoisstate.edu/PEP/index.shtml

Next Steps• Reformulating action plans ( 2 year updates)• Field office outreach• Intensive evaluations with well developed

action teams• Statewide outcome evaluation (University

Partners)• Information dissemination of Action Team

Model