BOULDER COUNTY IMPACT:Building and Sustaining Policy, Practice and Improvement Standardsfor a Multi-Program, Multi-System Collaborative

ar Governor Ritter:This letter is sent as a cover to the report being submitted according to the requirements of C.R.S. 26-5.5-104 (6) that are as follows:“On or after July 1, 1994, the Executive Director of the State Department shall annually evaluate thestatewide Family Preservation Program (Program)

C. Return children in placement to their own home

7.303.11 Program GoalsThe goals of the Core Services Program are to

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InColorado,theintentofplacementpreventionservicesistoproactivelystrengthenandsupportfamiliesasearlyaspossible,beforetheyareincrisis,regardlessofwhethertheyareformallyinvolvedwiththechildwelfaresystemornot

ColoradohasastrongfoundationandhistoryofprovidingpreventionandearlyinterventionservicesthroughtheuseofCoreServices,IV-EWaiverinterventions,CMPsandintegratedhumanservicesdelivery

Thepriorityistoprovideservicestothoseinneedasearlyaspossibletostrengthenfamilies,boosthealthandwell-being,andavoidmoredifficultandcostlycriseslater

Thus“childwelfare”meanssomethingmuchbroaderinthisstate;withawidearrayofsupports,Coloradoaimstoaddresstherootcausesofcrisisandinstabilitythroughintegratedpreventionandservicedeliveryfocusedonsupportingwholefamilies

TitleIV-EWaiverDemonstrationProject(Waiver).TheColoradoWaiverfocusedonfiveinterventionstobuildonexistingchildwelfarepractice:FamilyEngagement,PermanencyRoundtables,Trauma-InformedAssessment,Trauma-InformedTreatmen

Coloradohasintentionallydesignedabroaddefinitionofcandidacyforplacementpreventionservicesthatpushestoservechildren,youthandfamiliesasearlyaspossibleand,ideally,beforeareportismadetothechildwelfaresystem.

ColoradohasapproachedFamilyFirstimplementationasabroadsystemstransformationeffortthatcutsacrossmultipleofficeswithintheColoradoDepartmentofHumanServices(CDHS),includingtheDivisionofChildWelfare(DCW),OfficeofBehavioralHealth(OBH),OfficeofEarlyChildhood(OEC),andOfficeofEconomicSecurity(OES).Otherstateagencies,includingtheColoradoDepartmentofHealthCarePolicyandFinancing(HCPF)andtheColoradoDepartmentofPublicHealthandEnvironment(CDPHE)havebeenessentialinensuringaholisticapproachtoimplementation

Colorado’s vision is that all children, youth, parents or kin caregivers with these risk factors will be eligible for Title IV-E prevention services—both those who are involved in the child welfare system and those who have not been the subject of a child maltreatment report but share characteristics that deem them at serious risk of out-of-home placement.

Reunification, adoption or guardianship arrangements that are at risk of disruption

the existing system cannot just be modified; rather, a fundamental shift in service delivery and support to families must occur.

The IMPACT organization.

I would have preferred a “Yes/No” option for this question. I believe that Boulder County’s prevention services are better than most districts and we can do so much better at the same time. The IMPACT partnership in Boulder County should be a state and national model. Money diverted from savings by not committing clients is key to providing more services in the community. Many other districts struggle with prevention due to funding and there seems to be a gap in how this is accomplished. Providers are struggling to stay open and are constantly dealing with hardships due to funding. Great therapist and support workers often leave organizations that serve this population due to low pay. The key to making the Family First initiative a success is creating and maintaining a robust, well-funded system of care in communities. A system of care that incentivizes front line workers. These service providers are currently under funded and the work is difficult, which is a recipe for poor service delivery.

Family First Prevention Services by Colorado Lab

There are two main-levelquestions in the IV-E PreventionCriteria section.10. Click a radio button for thedesired response (only oneradio button can be selected).Note: If the selections made inthe IV-E Candidacy section arechanged, all answers in the IV-EPrevention Criteria panel will bedeleted.

HOUSE BILL 11-1196

The Core Services Program was established in 1994 to provide strength-based resources and support to families when children and youth are at imminent risk of out-of-home placement, in need of services to return home or to maintain a placement in the least restrictive setting possible.

Core Services Program goals Focus on family strengths by directing intensive services that support and strengthen the family and/or protect the child/youth Prevent out-of-home placement of the child/youth Return children/youth in placement to their own home or unite children/youth with their permanent families Provide services that protect the child/youth

recognition that children/youth need a safe and stable family and that separating children/youth from their families and communities removes them from natural supports and often causes trauma, leaving lasting negative effects.

If you are appointed after a petition for removal has been filed, ask whether prevention services were offered before removal—including services for the parent, kinship caregiver, or child. If appropriate for your client’s goals, advocate for prevention services as an alternative to removal

“Hard Services”: the purchase of services or distribution of cash payments for the following:- housing funds, including rent, repairs, utilities, or rent deposits- food or money for food- clothing- transportation to include fares, auto repair, auto fuel, auto insurance or bus pass- uncovered medical or dental expenses- appliances, furniture- emergency shelter- employment related expenses, such as tools or dues

County departments must make all of the Core services, except for county designed services, available toany client who meets the criteria for the service

Programs should be based on well-articulated theories.

Programs should have a primary focus on a population served by the child welfare agency.

however, in describing the models on which their program is based, administrators tend to focus on service delivery characteristics (most notably caseload size and service duration) rather than on the theoretical underpinnings of the service delivery model.

service programs designed to provide follow-up care to families to whom a child has been returned

In 1993, Congress passed legislation establishing title IV, part B-2 of the Social Security Act, creating funding for family preservation and family support programs.

7.301.21 Family Services Plan Timing Requirements [Eff. 09/01/2007]The Family Service Plan document must be completed:A. Within sixty (60) calendar days of opening an assessment in the automated case managementsystem for children in their own homes, including Core Services program cases in which thechildren are not in out-of-home placement. There may be one Family Services Plan for the familyin these cases.

7.303.15 Service Time FramesA. Services may be provided for up to eighteen (18) months

“Diagnostic and Treatment Planning Services”: various evaluations of the child and family tofacilitate the development of the Family Services Plan and the move of the child to a permanentplacement.

Core Services Programs may include any of the following elements of service:

Family preservation is the foundation The Core Services Program is based on a foundation of research and practice in family preservation. Family preservation services are generally short-term, family-based services designed to support families in crisis by improving parenting and family functioning while keeping children/youth safe.

Family preservation services There are 10 designated types of family preservation services, listed below, and this array of services constitutes the Core Services Program. Aftercare Services: Any of the Core Services provided to prepare a child for reunification with his/her family or other permanent placement and to prevent future out-of-home placement of the child. County Designed Services: An optional service tailored by the specific county in meeting the needs of families and children in the community in order to prevent the out-of-home placement of children or facilitate reunification or another form of permanence. County designed services encompass components of the menu of Core Services, yet are structured in their delivery and tracked uniquely to gain detailed data on evidenced-based programs, as well as programs that are providing positive outcomes in communities around the state. Day Treatment: Comprehensive, highly structured services that provide education to children and therapy to children and their families. Home-Based Intervention: Services provided primarily in the home of the client and include a variety of services, which can include therapeutic services, concrete services, collateral services and crisis intervention directed to meet the needs of the child and family. See Section 7.303.14 for service elements of therapeutic, concrete, collateral, and crisis intervention. Intensive Family Therapy: Therapeutic intervention typically with all family members to improve family communication, functioning, and relationships. Life Skills: Services provided primarily in the home that teach household management, effectively accessing community resources, parenting techniques, and family conflict management. Mental Health Services: Diagnostic and/or therapeutic services to assist in the development of the family services plan and to assess and/or improve family communication, functioning, and relationships. Sexual Abuse Treatment: Therapeutic intervention designed to address issues and behaviors related to sexual abuse victimization, sexual dysfunction, sexual abuse perpetration, and to prevent further sexual abuse and victimization. Special Economic Assistance: Emergency financial assistance of not more than $2,000 per family per year in the form of cash and/or vendor payment to purchase hard services. See Section 7.303.14 for service elements of hard services. Substance Abuse Treatment Services: Diagnostic and/or therapeutic services to assist in the development of the family service plan, to assess and/or improve family communication, functioning and relationships, and to prevent further abuse of drugs or alcohol.

return to families from which they have been removed

Family Preservation Services -- services for children and families designed to help families (including adoptive and extended families) at risk or in crisis, including:

services designed to improve parenting skills (by reinforcing parents' confidence in their strengths, and helping them to identify where improvement is needed and to obtain assistance in improving those skills) with respect to matters such as child development, family budgeting, coping with stress, health and nutrition.

preplacement prevention services programs, such as intensive family preservation programs, designed to help children at risk of foster care placement remain with their families;

Criterion #2: Programs should be based on well-articulated theories

The Family First Transition Act temporarily suspends the requirement that at least 50% of title IV-E prevention services expenditures be for “well-supported” practice for two fiscals years

The Family First Prevention Services Act (Family First) creates an expanded entitlement/50% reimbursement of federal funds to provide services to keep children and youth safely with their families.

Supported and well-supported services in Colorado’s prevention plan should be paid for using the Core Services Program allocation, Child Welfare Services Block, or State General Fund.

26-5.3-105. Eligibility requirements - period of eligibility - services available.(1) Families with children at imminent risk of out-of-home placement shall be eligible for emergency assistance. Assistance shall be available to or on behalf of a needy child under twenty-one years of age and any other member of the household in which the child lives if:

Emergency assistance provided pursuant to this article shall be used for, but shall not be limited to, the following: (a) Twenty-four-hour emergency shelter facilities or caretakers for children who must be removed from their homes in emergency situations; (b) Counseling, including crisis counseling available by telephone twenty-four hours a day; (c) Information referral; (d) Intensive family preservation services; (e) In-home supportive homemaker services; (f) Services used to develop and implement a discrete case plan, as provided by the federal “Social Security Act”; (g) Day treatment services for children.

26-5.3-105. Eligibility requirements - period of eligibility - services available.(1) Families with children at imminent risk of out-of-home placement shall be eligible for emergency assistance. Assistance shall be available to or on behalf of a needy child under twenty-one years of age and any other member of the household in which the child lives if:

RationaleAs evidence-based research becomes the norm in child welfare practice, countiesare more interested than ever in evaluating the effectiveness of services and placementsprovided to children and families in the system.

Formally referred to as family preservation services (FPS), the Colorado CoreServices Program is based on “assistance that focuses on family strengths and includesservices that empower a family by providing alternative problem-solving techniques,child-rearing practices, and responses to living situations creating stress for the family”(C.R.S. 26-5.5-103). The Core Services Program also includes the provision of resources(e.g., special economic assistance) to serve as support systems for children and families.

RationaleAs evidence-based research becomes the norm in child welfare practice, countiesare more interested than ever in evaluating the effectiveness of services and placementsprovided to children and families in the system.

erefore, toassist states in providing services designed to support families and helpkeep them together, the Congress enacted legislation as part of theOmnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 ( OBRA 1993) that authorized$930 million in federal funds to states over a 5-year period for familypreservation and support (FPS) services. Family preservation servicestypically target families already in crisis whose children would otherwisebe removed from home. Family support services are community-basedactivities intended to prevent the kinds of crises that family preservationservices are aimed at alleviating. To receive federal funds for theseservices, each state had to submit a grant application in 1994 and a 5-yearplan in 1995 that set quantifiable goals and methods for measuringoutcomes

26-5.3-104. Emergency assistance for families with children at imminent risk of being placed out of the home.(1) The executive director of the state department is hereby authorized to include in the state temporary assistance for needy families plan the establishment and implementation of an emergency assistance program for families with children at imminent risk of being placed out of the home. The purpose of the program shall be to meet the needs of the family in crisis due to the imminent risk of out-of-home placement by providing emergency assistance in the form of intake, assessment, counseling, treatment, and other family preservation services that meet the needs of the family which are attributable to the emergency or crisis situation.