June 28, 2011
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Assumptions:
 Statewide issues & solutions (no pilots)
 Administrative Collaboration (Courts/Agency)
 Voluntary process (no Supreme Court “directives” – just “gentle pressure applied relentlessly”)
 Focus on strengths & solutions
 Relationships, relationships, relationships
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Pennsylvania’s CIP structure:
 Local Children’s Roundtables
 Leadership Roundtables
 State Roundtable: Workgroup Structure
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Pennsylvania Children’s Roundtable Structure
•
State Supreme Court Justice
•Secretary of Public Welfare
•Deputy Secretary of OCYF
•Pennsylvania Legislators
•American Bar Association
•American Humane Association
•Pennsylvania Bar Association
•Pennsylvania County Commissioners
Meets Annualy
•Office of Children and Families in the Court
•Leadership Roundtable Co-Chairs
•Directors of Human Services
•Guardians ad Litem
• Solicitors
•Child Advocates
•Special Invited Guests
LR 1
Meets Semi-annually
Lead Dependency Judge and Children &Youth Administrator (co-chairs) advance to the State
Roundtable and act as representatives for each LR (additional representation for some LRs).
8 Leadership Roundtables (LR) comprised of like size counties grouped together
LR 2 LR 3 LR 4
LR 5 LR 6
LR 7
Lead Dependency Judge & Children &Youth Administrator plus one additional designated stakeholder from the Local Children’s
Roundtable advance to a Leadership Roundtable
• County Commissioners
• Hearing Masters
• Solicitors
• Guardians ad Litem
• Parent Attorneys
• Youth & Families
• County Child Welfare Staff
• Juvenile Probation Staff
Local Children’s Roundtable
Meets regularly as determined by lead dependency judge and child welfare administrator
LR 8
• Law Enforcement
• Medical Professionals
• County Agencies
• School Districts
• Other Community Stakeholders
• Other Service Providers
• Office of Children & Families in the Courts Program Analyst

 Honorable Max Baer, Supreme Court Justice 2004
 Supreme Court assumes oversight of CIP 2006
 OCFC created July 2006
 Inaugural meeting of State Roundtable June 2007
 CPCMS Outcome tracking data system roll-out 2008
 Permanency Practice Initiative (Phase One) begins March 2009
 Family Group Decision Making
 Family Finding
 Family Development Credentialing
 Mission & Guiding Principles for Pennsylvania’s Dependency System created
May 2009
 Father Engagement selected as State Roundtable Priority May 2009
 Dependency Bench Book created 2010
 PPI Phase Two begins August 2010
 PPI Phase Three begins February 2011
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http://www.ocfcpacourts.us/about-ocfc/guiding-principles

http://www.ocfcpacourts.us/judges-and-legal-professionals/benchbook

Building the Foundation for Father Engagement
• State Roundtable presentation May 2009
– Karen Jenkins, AHA & Mimi Laver, ABA
• Father Engagement Workgroup established 2009
• “Bringing Back the Dads” – distributed at 1 st Children’s
• First Report to State Roundtable & York County Panel
• Father Engagement Keynote at 2 nd Children’s
Distributed Green Book
- Father Engagement Plenary Session:
Ron Clark, NFI & Jessica Kendall, ABA
- County Planning document
• Second Report to State Roundtable May 2011
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http://www.ocfcp
acourts.us/assets/ files/page-
329/file-547.jpg

 Bringing Back the Dads: Engaging Non-Resident Fathers in the
Child Welfare System
 Advocating for Nonresident Fathers in
Child Welfare Court Cases (Green Book)
 National Expert Presenters
 ABA Center on Children and the Law
 National Quality Improvement Center
 Policy Roundtable – Washington DC
 Best Practice Conference – Washington DC
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QIC Policy
Roundtable
February 8, 2011
Washington DC

Honorable Kim Berkely Clark, Committee Co-chair
Honorable Maria Musti Cook, Committee Co-chair
Ann Marie Cucinotta, Berks Hearing Master
Barbara Ash, Philadelphia HS Legal Dept.
Bill Phifer, Allegheny CYS
CarrieAnn Frolio, York CYS
Honorable George Hartwick, III, Dauphin Commissioner
Dan Worley, York Parent Advocate
Gene Detter, CWTP
Karen Jenkins, American Humane Association
Lisa Chambers, Allegheny CYS
Tonya Burgess, CWTP Parent Ambassador
Tina Zanis, Provider
Steve Suknaic, Dauphin JPO
Honorable Flora Barth Wolf, Philadelphia

• Researched state and national best practices (2008-2010 QIC)
• Conducted Pennsylvania survey of courts and child welfare professionals (2009)
• Conducted focus group of non-resident fathers (2009)
• Created Key Areas for Fathers in Child Welfare (2009)
• Created protocols for agency, attorneys, & court (2010)
• Created Father Brochure (2011)
• Creating regional training (2011)
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http://www.ocfcpacourts.us/about-ocfc/father-involvement

To What End: Change Perceptions,
Change Behavior, Change Outcomes
Develop Protocol for:
 Establishing Paternity
 Locating Fathers
 Engaging Fathers:
 Case planning
 Services
 Court
Supporting Culture Change
 Agency (Father-friendly checklist)
 Court
 Community/Services
Developing Education – judges, attorneys, child welfare, cross-system
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To What End: Change
Perceptions, Change Behavior,
Change Outcomes
 Incorporated as overarching theme in
Judicial Bench Book
 Incorporating Father Engagement in all Workgroup discussions & planning: Legal Representation, Visitation, Bench Book
 Collecting data to conduct evaluation of efforts & impact (CPCMS
Module & focus groups)
 Included in Pennsylvania’s Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)
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We must recognize and acknowledge the value of fathers in the lives of their children
 Leadership from the top is needed to accomplish this but change at all levels needs to occur
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
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 Developing a plan for the dissemination of the father’s brochure
 Developing Fatherhood component for all judicial, legal and child welfare education sessions
 Developing father support groups in counties
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• Send request to Juvenile Court Procedural
Rules Committee – revised CPCMS order forms to:
– include a checkbox that would require the court to find that paternity has been established and how paternity was established
– collect data to measure outcomes with respect to father engagement
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 Child Welfare Agency
 Parent Attorney
 Court http://www.ocfcpacourts.us/aboutocfc/father-involvement
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Pennsylvania’s Father Engagement Work
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