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Title IV-E Waiver demonstration project
To Our Community Partners:
You may have recently learned about proposed changes to our federal Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project, which allows Oregon to more flexibly use IV-E funds to test pilot programs intended to prevent or reduce foster care. The Waiver permits us to pioneer and evaluate innovative services rather than simply pay for foster care room and board. This affords Oregon a unique opportunity to improve the safety and permanency of our children and families and at the same time make a contribution to child welfare research. Our current Waiver expires on January 31, 2010.
We are presently developing our Waiver renewal proposal to the federal government. We intend to propose improvements that will enable us to better comply with federal guidelines, thereby increasing the possibility we are granted a renewal. The federal government expects the select few states with Waivers to implement cutting edge and cost neutral approaches that safely prevent family break-up or reunify families. The ultimate goal of the program is to develop an intervention model that is effective, sustainable and can be replicated.
We can most successfully achieve these program objectives by implementing and rigorously evaluating a limited number of pilots statewide. To accomplish this, each of our districts will determine which one of two standardized program models to implement locally. This strategy is a change from our current methodology of operating numerous and varying pilots across the state. Below is a FAQ sheet, which describes in more detail the Waiver and enhancements we plan to make to the program.
While we believe our proposed changes will ultimately improve results for children and families, we recognize this reinvestment will potentially affect our clients and partner agencies. We highly value our existing Waiver projects and will carefully explore if alternative funding sources exist that could sustain these programs beyond the expiration of our current Waiver.
An internal workgroup has closely considered which programs have the greatest potential to meet federal standards and increase our prospects for renewal. Our workgroup identified two programs to be considered for implementation under a renewed Waiver. These include:
- A Parent Mentor program-The program model we propose to refine and operate would employ former child welfare clients to provide mentorship to current clients in order to promote protective factors and support safe and timely permanency. Because peer mentoring affords clients the unique opportunity to develop a positive relationship with a supportive individual who has shared a similar experience, engagement in services can be enhanced and accelerated. Parent mentors would be provided with significant ongoing clinical training and supervision to assist them to engage clients in services and motivate them to complete their service agreements and treatment activities. Mentors would coach parents to develop positive parenting and communication skills and actively connect families to treatment services and other community resources. They would work as collaborative partners with caseworkers, extended family members and other relevant parties and regularly contribute to case planning.
- An Enhanced Visitation program-We intend to enhance and implement a model that combines a number of best practices in order to expedite safe and successful reunification. Our suggested model emphasizes effective family engagement and coordination with the family, caseworker and significant others to develop goals based on the case plan and areas of need identified by the family. Rather than simply monitoring visits, the recommended program would provide structured coaching and feedback to parents regarding their interactions with their child to improve parents' relational capacities and enhance existing strengths. Moreover, visits would be provided at times conducive to parents' work and treatment schedules and would take place in family-friendly community settings or the family's home when safe to do so. The proposed program would also employ the expertise of foster parents, extended family members and other helpers by engaging them as active participants in the reunification plan.
As a valued member of our community partnership, we invite your input as we further develop our Waiver renewal proposal. We are requesting your feedback to assist us to refine our selected projects so that we adhere to federal directives and maximize outcome success for children and families. Your comment is essential for us to develop effective, standardized program models that will safely reduce foster care and improve results for children and families in Oregon.
To facilitate your participation, six focus groups have been scheduled statewide, which will allow us to include as wide a representation of our partners as possible. The link above will take you to the schedule of meeting times and locations, as well as a list of videoconference sites that will be made available. We welcome you to attend whichever meeting is most convenient to you either in-person or by videoconference. Please feel free to forward this invitation to other partners you believe are pertinent to helping us finalize our renewal proposal.
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Contact:
Jolynne Batchelor, MSW, LCSW
Title IV-E Waiver Program Manager
DHS Children, Adults and Families Division
Telephone: 503-945-6654
Email: jolynne.batchelor@state.or.us
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FAQs
Q: What's happening?
Changes are coming to Oregon Department of Human Service pilot programs intended to strengthen families and reduce foster care. These programs are funded by IV-E Waiver dollars provided by the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Our existing IV-E Waiver was originally scheduled to end March 31, 2009. We were recently granted a ten-month interim extension to continue the Waiver through January 31, 2010.
Q: Will there be a renewal?
We are requesting a five-year renewal from ACF. However, to improve our chances of renewing the IV-E Waiver, we must make significant improvements to the current methodology for our pilot programs. Our ten-month interim extension allows us time to develop a new proposal for renewal with improvements.
Q: What is the Title IV-E Foster Care Program?
This program, authorized under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, provides federal matching funds to help states provide out-of-home care for children until they can safely return home or find other permanent placement.
Q: What is a Title IV-E waiver?
A select few states received a waiver to use IV-E funds to test pilot programs intended to prevent or reduce foster care, rather than simply to pay for foster care. The waiver allows us greater flexibility to use IV-E funds to pioneer cutting edge services.
Q: Are there specific requirements for getting a waiver?
Yes, programs and services must contribute to overall knowledge of best practices in child welfare by developing and testing innovative approaches that can be sustained and replicated. Approaches must emphasize family preservation and reunification, and cannot cost more than the same amount that would have been spent for traditional programs. Pilot programs must be independently evaluated and reported twice a year to ACF.
Q: Which sources were reviewed to determine best practices in family preservation and reunification?
The Children's Bureau, the Child Welfare League of America, the National Resource Centers (particularly the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning), the Child Welfare Information Gateway, the California Evidence-based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare, Chapin Hall, the Center for Social Sciences Research at Berkeley, the Urban Institute, American Humane, Washington State Institute for Public Policy, an exploration of family preservation and family reunification practices in other states — including but not limited to those operating Waivers (which are, in addition to Oregon, Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin) — and discussions with researchers at Portland State University as well as our federal evaluators at James Bell Associates in Virginia.
Q: How much Waiver money is involved this biennium (07-09)?
Altogether, IV-E funds involve nearly $15.5 million dollars — $9 million in federal funds, over $6 million in general funds and the remainder in other funds. This includes funding for these pilot projects as well as subsidized guardianships.
Q: What weaknesses do we need to correct?
ACF expects states with Waivers to improve methodologies in developing and piloting services to reduce foster care, improve evaluation design, provide the oversight needed to effectively implement and evaluate the demonstration project and make corrections based upon lessons learned throughout the history of the IV-E Waiver.
Q: What will the change be?
We will propose to implement and rigorously evaluate only two programs instead of a variety of programs. Each of our districts will operate one of the two standardized pilots that we are currently working to refine.
Q: What is the anticipated impact on clients?
Some services will be phased out of Waiver funding, and we will attempt to find alternative funding streams for those services. Overall, however, changes in how Oregon uses waiver funding will ultimately result in better services to our children and families, allowing:
- More consistent and systematic foster care prevention services across the state, based on best practices.
- Intensive oversight and immediate feedback, so interventions can be modified to improve outcomes for children and families.
- Better evaluation, including monitoring for adherence to a specified program model, and stronger practices.
- An effective, replicable, sustainable model process that could be adapted and adopted by other agencies.
Q: What is the anticipated impact on partner agencies?
We must rework the pilot methodology and refine two innovative program models. The proposed changes will potentially impact existing services. We will carefully examine whether or not alternative sources of funding exist that would allow us to continue current programs.
Q: How are you involving stakeholders?
We value our partners and stakeholders and recognize the importance of their experience and perspectives on these issues. We will be eliciting input and involvement from our stakeholder community in developing our renewal proposal. We are presently inviting our partners to meetings at various locations throughout the state for further discussion.
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