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CT’s DCF-Head Start Partnership

Working Together to Serve Vulnerable Families & Support the Development of

At-Risk Children

Presenters:

Rudy Brooks Former Bureau Chief, Prevention Services

CT Department of Children & Families

Grace WhitneyDirector, CT Head Start State Collaboration Office

  Child Welfare, Collaboration and the Courts: A Collaboration to Strengthen Educational Successes of Children and Youth in Foster Care

Renaissance Arlington Capitol View Hotel, Arlington, VA November 3-4, 2011

Why Should We Partner?

Head Start/EHS and DCF often serve the same children

Many Head Start/EHS children and families are at risk

Great potential for identification and prevention

Head Start/EHS is a natural environment for interventions to occur

What Would the Benefits Be?

Programs understand one another

Establish regular procedures for working together

Achieve continuity of care through case management

Develop creative solutions for unique and difficult cases

How Would Families Benefit?

Families understand and access services

Families feel supported

Placements reduced and permanency increased for children

Children access high quality ECE

Children receive care from knowledgeable, nurturing adults working together

Protocol for Working Together

Section I: Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect

Section II: Communication on Open DCF Investigations

Section III: Treatment Planning and Case Management

Protocol for Working Together

Section IV: Placement of Children

Section V: DCF Referrals to Head Start/EHS

Section VI: Agency Planning

DCF-Head Start Partnership

Phase 1 - Pilot

1999 1 DCF Areas & 3 Head Start/Early Head Start Created Protocol for Working Together

Phase 2 – Ready Communities

2007 8 DCF Areas & 15 Head Start/Early Head Start

Began quarterly facilitated meetings

Phase 3 – Statewide Implementation

2009 6 DCF Areas & 11 Head Start/Early Head Start

Added mental health, other early care, etc.

Evaluation

Quarterly Data Collection

Building Trust and Partnership

Maintaining On-going Collaboration

Improving Services to Families

“Stories” of interest

DCF-Head Start Partnership & Collaboration Needs

AssessmentNo working Relationship

(little/no contact)

Cooperation

(exchange info/referrals)

Coordination

(work together)

Collaboration(share

resources/agreements)

2008 14% 11% 36% 39%

2009 0 0 8% 92%

2010 0 6% 0 94%

Results

Simplify/standardize referral processes and intentional enrollment of DCF-involved children, including foster care, into Head Start

Align Treatment Plan/Family Partnership Agreement

Connect mental health supports, housing supports, other early care

Modifying DCF LINK data system to help identify and serve children under five

The Collaborative Process

1. It must be meaningful to you!

2. Balancing Process with Product

3. Mental Models

4. The Collaborative Path

Getting to Know OneAnother as Organizations

Common Ground

Stage 1: Getting Together

Stage 2: Building Trust

Stage 3: Developing a Plan

Stage 4: Taking Action

Stage 5: Going to Scale

Improving Outcomes for Children

•Commit to Collaboration•Involve the right people•Decide to act

•Get to know one another•Build cooperative relationships•Establish shared goals

•Adapt and expand prototype•Deepen collaborative culture•Institutionalize processes

•Implement new processes•Collect data•Evaluate progress-make course corrections

•Formalize interagency relationships•Define service delivery processes•Develop technical tools

Team Self-Assessment

Where are we now?

Have there been changes for which we need to repeat earlier steps to get everyone up to speed?

Are there others we need to invite to our table?

What are some logical next steps to include on our Goal Sheet?

Do we need any additional supports?

What’s Worked for Us.....

Ongoing commitment from and access to all levels of both agencies

Critical importance of support at the top!

A process that promotes statewide goals yet respects local differences and needs

Opportunities to share accomplishments with and learn from other communities

What’s Worked for Us.....

Community Leaders

Local Meetings

Membership Lists

Quarterly Data Sheets

Quarterly Goal Sheets

“Community NEWS”

Federal/State Leaders

Strategic Facilitation

Meeting Supports

Data, Data, Data

Policy/Practice Change

New Resources