OFFICE OF THE STATE COURTS ADMINISTRATOR

MODEL COURTS EVIDENCE-BASED PARENTING

INITIATIVE

Evidence-Based Parenting: Then and Now, the Road to Successful Implementation

2015 Child Protection Summit

Orlando, Florida

September 10, 2015

FIRST THERE WAS A VISION…

To improve the quality of parenting programs for families in Dependency as a means to achieving greater, lasting impacts on parental skills levels, attitudes and beliefs

To develop protocols to assure maximum accountability from parenting providers

To support the adoption and installation of evidence-based parenting curriculums at the circuit and state levels through structured 1:1 technical assistance

To collect parent progress data to support decisions related to improved parenting skills and for evidentiary use

To systematize reporting of parenting data at the circuit and state levels

COURT MANDATES FOR PARENTING

PROGRAMS

For families with open cases of abuse/neglect

(Dependency Court system) case plans have always

required the successful completion of a parenting

program as part of achieving reunification and/or

to sustain a child in the family of origin

(permanency outcomes)

Does completion have any impact on parenting

behavior?

Less than 2% of parent training

programs used in child welfare are

evidence-based

National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW )

IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE

Implementation

Team

NO Implementation

Team

Effective

(EBP)

80% successful in 3

years:--Good Implementation Outcomes

--Good Consumer Outcomes

14% successful

in 17 years:--Poor Implementation

Outcomes

--Poor Consumer

Outcomes

Ineffective

(non-EBP)

--Good Implementation

Outcomes

--Poor Consumer Outcomes

--Poor Implementation

Outcomes

--Poor Consumer

Outcomes

PREVIOUS STATUS QUO

Were we really capturing changes in beliefs, habits and

interactions pre/post with any promise of sustainability?

Was the parenting program helping to reduce the parental risks

that brought the case into court initially?

Were parents able to integrate skills they learned in class into

the daily activities of their lives?

PROTOCOL

COMPONENTS

Evidence-based parenting curriculums implemented with fidelity to meet the needs of the population each circuit serves. Map, select and trained facilitators.

Parent-child Behavioral Observations for children five years and younger are conducted with standardized rating protocol for pre/post data collection. Training for inter-rater reliability. Resources needed.

Additional pre/post data collection measures which have validity and reliability.

Parenting reports standardized

Parent readiness protocol prior to starting a program

Cross-disciplinary training and coaching to support the model

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PLAN

1:1 Calls/Support/Resources with Circuits monthly

Monthly statewide call for check-ins and offer circuit-to-circuit networking

Interim calls and resource materials provided

Coaching using implementation science steps to achieve maximum installation on the ground

Moved from large group TA to grouping of circuits by track

Introduced ‘fidelity’ and parent readiness concepts

SUPPORT TAILORED TO WHAT EACH

CIRCUIT NEEDS TO BE FULLY

INSTALLED WITH FIDELITY AND TO

SUSTAIN THE PARADIGM CHANGES

Participating Circuits to date: 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th , 8th, 10th, 12th, 13, 16th, 17th, 19th

TODAY’S PANELISTS

William Nunnally

Teri Saunders

General Magistrate Randi Boven

Christa Pate

Families

First

Network

(CBC)

Department

of Children

and Families

Judge

Terrance

Ketchel

Private

AttorneysCOURT

ADMIN

Office of

Conflict

Counsel

Judge

Mary Polson

Bridgeway

Center, Inc.

Guardian

Ad Litem

Children’s

Legal

ServicesOkaloosa CountyImplementation

Team

EBP AND THE SYSTEM OF CARE

Where we were

Array of Family Support, Family Preservation/Reunification, and Behavioral

Health Services

Utilizing EBP curriculum without true fidelity

Where we needed to go

Standardization

Fidelity

Data

What we needed to build

Implementation Team

Parent Readiness Protocol

Behavioral Observation Capacity

Reports and Documentation

Contracts and Data Collection

Fidelity Reviews

PARENT READINESS AND PRACTICE

Parent Readiness Protocol

Initial assessment and determination of active/untreated MH or SA issue

Linkage to behavioral health treatment services

Upon 30 days of treatment engagement, clinical opinion is rendered

Rely on clinical judgment as to psychiatric stability and level of sobriety

Application to Practice

Assessment and Referral

Baseline Behavioral Observation

Group/In Home EBP

Final Observation

Reports and Documentation

CHALLENGES AND TECHNICAL

ASSISTANCE

Challenges

System resistance to delay in parents’ initiation of Evidence Based Parenting program due to parent readiness

Moving from open-ended to closed group format

Environment of care for behavioral observation

What TA has done for us

Kept us on task and focused

Held us accountable

Provided a framework

Kudos to Bridgeway Center, Inc.!

HOW OUR PROVIDER STEPPED UP!BRIDGEWAY CENTER, INC.

Provided time, resources, and financial support for training of

program staff (Nurturing Parent and Behavioral Observation)

Provides the initial assessment to determine parent needs and

appropriateness of services, including treatment

Provides linkage to behavioral health services and monitors

parents’ progress

Provides monthly progress reports to the Court

Actively participates in the Implementation Team

Who we are

Executive Management for the Community Based Care (CBC) Lead agency

What is our role in EB Parenting for our Circuit?

CBC leadership volunteered for the circuit to participate

Manage network of service providers, oversee delivery and quality of services and

interface with other systems that provide services to children and families

Who are the other players?

GAL, CLS, Regional Council (parents attorneys), Judges and General Magistrates

Our Journey with EB Parenting – from the beginning through March of

2013

Contract for Nurturing Parenting Program

From March of 2013 to the present

Some subtle and some significant changes

We built:

A Local Workgroup

Court reporting tools

Parent Readiness Assessment

Contract Restructure

Improved Delivery Model

Challenges

A quick, common sense solution for Behavioral Observation

Leveraging our relationships and Local Workgroup to eliminate obstacles before they

appeared

All parties “buy-in”

Parent Readiness – how we minimized case plan impact

What’s left to do?

Fidelity Monitoring

Ongoing Efficacy Assessment

Service Array Expansion

BROWARD

COUNTY

17th Judicial Circuit

Community Based Provider

Child Net

The TeamRandi Glick Boven, General Magistrate

Dr. Rachel Kaplan, Child Net

Cindy Bruschi, Attorney General Office

Dina Hyppolite, Office of Regional Counsel (parent attorney)

Liz Meyers, Mental Health Association

In the beginning:Each parenting provider used their own program

No monitoring of results

No protocol for issues or areas to be covered

No requirement that parent is ready

Judicial frustration

Check off list mentality from all sides of the table

Next StepGetting the providers and the

parents and the parent counsel to

join the effort and realize the

benefits of evidence based parenting

Building the ProgramEducating the providers was primary

Communication between providers

and case managers is required

Challenges?Oh yes, there were challenges

• Delayed permanency?

• Cost to train providers

• Creating usable forms

• Lack of cooperation

Actually, we found that

permanency may

occur sooner

The initial up front

expense to train was not

unreasonable

community resources

helped with costs

Forms were shared

throughout the state to help

get started. We changed

some aspects for our use,

but no need to recreate the

wheel. We continue to

update and change the forms

Parents, attorneys and case

workers are cooperating as

they begin to see benefits.

Fidelity issues remain and

require continued

attention

Parent readiness issues remain

and require continued attention

Parents who are “not ready” may not

gain insight from the program

Failure to have parents meet

readiness protocol wastes

funds and time

It is not necessary for parents

to have completed parenting

for them to gain increased visits

or reunification. The readiness

does not delay permanency.

QUESTION THE STATUS QUO