Child Welfare,
Education, and the
Courts: State
Presentations on
Short-Term Goal
Achievement
Teleconference/Webinar
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
3:00-4:30 PM EST
An event to support participants in the Child Welfare,
Education and the Courts: A Collaboration to
Strengthen Educational Successes of Children and
Youth in Foster Care meeting, November 3-4, 2011,
and their invited guests.
Agenda
• Introduction and Welcome
• New York Presentation: Early Stage
Collaboration
• Texas Presentation: Interagency Collaboration
• Michigan Presentation: Post-Secondary
Support for Youth in Care
• Discussion/Questions and Answers
EDUCATIONAL STABILITY:
EARLY STAGE COLLABORATION IN NEW YORK
COLLABORATION PRIOR TO FALL 2011
• A strong collaborative relationship existed
between the NYS Office of Children & Family
Services (OCFS) and the NYS Unified Court
System (the courts).
• There was little collaboration between OCFS, the
courts and the State Education Department
(State Ed).
• Educational Stability Conference: reaction
FIRST STEPS
A team of representatives from the three systems attended the Child
Welfare, Education and the Courts conference in Arlington, VA in
November 2011 where we identified short and long-term goals.
• Within two weeks of the conference a follow up conference call
occurred where we identified members we wanted on the larger
team and discussed engagement strategies.
• On 12/5/11 we had the first meeting of the new team, reviewed the
action plan and assigned tasks to various members.
Strengths: existing child welfare/court collaboration
• Statewide court/child welfare collaboration team
• 21 local court/child welfare collaborative teams in counties with the
highest foster care population
• Collaboration at the system leadership level
• In the process of developing regional collaborative teams
• Established relationship and understanding of one another’s systems
• Built trust and open communication
The education system perspective
• Challenges
• Rewards: Supporting educational stability and support for foster
children will enhance overall school performance
Leveraging ongoing work
• Permanency Hearing Report
• Adolescent well-being training
• Other court training
Team Accomplishments
Team formation and
building
Joint guidance document
Grant application
Future directions
Data sharing
Transportation costs
Communication issues
Child Welfare, Education and the Courts: A Collaboration to
Strengthen Educational Successes of Children and Youth in Foster
Care
July 17, 2012
Jenny Hinson
Division Administrator for Permanency
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
• Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Judicial
Commission for Children, Youth and Families
• Texas Education Agency
• Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
• Houston Independent School District
Established in November 2007 by Supreme Court of Texas Order
• chaired by Justice Eva Guzman
• 24 members, including judges, legislators, agency leaders, private
foundations, family and corporate lawyers
• 40+ members on multi-disciplinary Collaborative Council that serves in
advisory role
May 20, 2010 Supreme Court of
Texas signed order Establishing
Education Committee of
Permanent Judicial Commission
for Children, Youth and Families.
Charged to look at challenges, identify
judicial practices and crossdisciplinary training needs, improve
collaboration, and make
recommendations regarding
education.
Focused on improving educational
outcomes of foster children and
youth.
Seek to improve collaboration,
communication & practice through
partnerships with DFPS, TEA, and
stakeholders in education and child
protection community.
Coordinated effort of numerous
agencies and systems involved
with child protection and
education. 100 Stakeholders.
Over 100 recommendations &
strategies identified related to: School
readiness, School Stability &
Transitions, School Experience,
Supports & Advocacy, Post Secondary
Education.
 17 month Federal Demonstration Grant from the Administration for
Children and Families, Children’s Bureau (February 2013).
 Build model collaboration: Texas Education Agency; Department of
Family and Protective Services; the Supreme Court of Texas Permanent
Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families; and Houston
Independent School District
 Program Evaluation : University of Texas – Child & Family Research
Institute
 Prioritize & Implement: Education Committee Recommendations and
Strategies to implement in Houston pilot.
 Facilitate improved coordination & practice: both state and local level
between court, child welfare, and education systems.
 Produce deliverables: “online resource guide” with protocols, tools,
training, long-term plan for dissemination and sustained collaboration.
Joint DFPS & HISD Implementation Team.
DFPS: Division Director; Program Directors: Adoption Preparation,
Program Director Family Based Safety Services, Investigation, Special
Investigators; Disability Specialist; Education Specialist; Legal Liaison
Supervisor; Foster Care Alumni – Youth Specialist; and Disproportionality
Specialist.
HISD: Manager Counseling Servings/ School District Foster Care Liaison;
Manager Student Engagement/McKinney Vento Liaison; Program
Specialist & Parent Liaison Special Education; Foster Care Education
Coordinator.
HHS: Disproportionality & Disparities Regional Specialist
1 High School & 1 Feeder Middle School
Operationalize identified Texas Blueprint Recommendations/Strategies to
inform state recommended practices. (Enrollment, Care Team & Data Sharing)
DFPS, Ensuring Education Stability
Data Sharing: Improved
processes for collaboration
& cross system analysis.
Existing MOU’s (SB. 939)
shared Aggregate Data
Establish baselines for
student outcome data
Model MOU between DFPS
& HISD.
Facilitate uniformed system
for enrolling youth.
Create on-line resources;
including tools, protocols and
materials for cross-system
training.
Identify & develop
communication/training for
new foster care liaisons
appointed in 1200+ school
districts.
Replicating leadership commitment:
High level commitment to collaboration, does not ensure that collaboration will be
smoothly carried out through subsequent levels within agencies and systems.
Allow time to build infrastructure for collaboration:
This is necessary & takes time, which should be accounted for in ALL new
collaborative efforts.
Time necessary varies based on location of project – state level collaboration
requires different demands of local/regional collaborations.
Cross-Agency collaboration adds time to project tasks & decision making:
Working in large bureaucracies and complex systems ensures that every task takes
much more time than anticipated.
Working across-agencies adds significantly to time needed for accomplishing each
deliverable.
Develop shared goals and clear expectations that are communicated in writing and
understood by all participants early in collaboration process.
Allow time to develop a shared language and a strong understanding of crosssystem partners.
Agency jargon,
Decision making & approval processes,
Agency & personal limitations,
Agency authority – State control, local control, etc.
Identify individual & collaboration responsibilities, etc.
Developing trust among stakeholders is needed to effectively work with cross
agency partners.
Post-Secondary Supports for
Youth in Foster Care
Michigan Department of Human Services
Bureau of Child Welfare, Permanency Division
Health, Education and Youth Unit
July 17, 2012
Michigan’s Goal
• Involve and assist all Michigan colleges
and universities in developing
supportive programs that provide
stability for foster youth engaged in
post-secondary pursuits.
Education Summit Planning
• November 2011 – DHS Director Corrigan requested
that a summit be held for colleges to hear about the
needs of foster youth.
• December 2011 – Planning group formed.
– DHS – Central Office.
– DHS local education planner.
– Treasury Department.
– Oakland Community College.
– Education and Training Voucher program staff.
Education Summit Planning
• Invited college presidents and chancellors.
– 15 public universities.
– 28 community colleges.
– Over 40 private institutions.
• Added financial aid directors.
Education Summit Planning
• Letter sent directly to presidents and
chancellors from DHS Director Corrigan
encouraging them to attend the
summit.
• Follow-up email sent.
• Hard-copy invitation flyers.
Education Summit Agenda
• Started the day with 2 brief presentations:
• Dr. John Seita from Michigan State University discussed
the needs of foster youth when entering college.
• Paul Blavin explained why he started a program on the
campus of University of Michigan.
Education Summit Agenda
Youth Panel – Most important part of the day!
• Former foster youth spoke about their experiences
on a college campus.
• The panel included a variety of youth, from both
community colleges, colleges and universities.
Education Summit Agenda
• Presidents from four universities with foster care
specific programs presented on their programs.
– Ferris State University.
– Michigan State University.
– University of Michigan.
– Western Michigan University.
• Discussed their commitment to better serving foster
youth.
Education Summit Follow-Up
• Satisfaction survey sent through Survey Monkey.
• Emails sent to participants:
– Thanked them for attending.
– Offered to meet to discuss questions as they move
forward with program development.
– Announced the posting of a Request for Proposal
(RFP) for Independent Living Skills Coach
Contracts.
IL Skills Coach Contracts
• Western Michigan University Campus Coach Model.
• Coaches available 24/7/365 to assist students with all
aspects of independent living.
• Casey Family Programs – 7 life domains:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Education
Employment
Housing
Physical and mental health
Supportive relationships and community connections
Cultural and personal identity formation
Life skills.
IL Skills Coach Contracts
• DHS utilized $600,000 of Youth-In-Transition line item
to fund contracts for post-secondary institutions to
provide on-site IL skills training to foster and former
foster youth.
• March 2012 – Posted RFP.
• Awarded three contracts:
• Baker College of Flint.
• Ferris State University.
• Michigan State University.
• Posted again in June 2012.
IL Skills Coach Contracts
• Contract requirements:
•
•
•
•
•
Master’s level IL coaches.
Coaches are clinically and trauma trained.
Collaboration across campus.
Collaboration across community.
Mentor program
• Mentor training specific to the need of foster youth on
campus.
• Mentors that are educated or employed in the same area
of study as the youth they are mentoring.
Contacts
Ann Rossi, Education Specialist
Health, Education and Youth Unit
RossiA@michigan.gov, 517-373-2851
Janet Kaley, Manager
Health, Education and Youth Unit
KaleyJ@michigan.gov, 517-241-2507
Mary Chaliman, Director
Permanency Division
ChalimanM2@michigan.gov, 517-335-4151
Questions
????????
Press *1
on your phone to ask a question.
After the Event
• A feedback survey will be
emailed to all participants. We
appreciate your feedback!
• Materials for this event are
currently posted on the NRCPFC
website at:
http://www.nrcpfc.org/teleconfe
rences/2012-07-17.html
• The event will be archived on
Wednesday 7/25/12 at:
http://www.nrcpfc.org/educatio
n_summit/whats_new.html