Collaboration and Cooperation Between Healthy Families and

First Steps

Institute for Strengthening Families September 25, 2018

Panel participants

• Christina Commons, FSSA/First Steps

• Cynthia Smith, Department of Child Services

• Nancy Gwin, Healthy Families, The Villages

• Denise Griffiths, Healthy Families, Blue River Services

• Tiffany Hanaver, First Steps, Blue River Services

COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION OF

THE MATERNAL, INFANT, AND EARLY CHILDHOOD HOME VISITING (MIECHV)

PROGRAMS AND THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT PART C

PROGRAMS

Vision for stronger partnerships, collaboration, and coordination

between Federal awardees

Purpose of Guidance Document

• Provide an overview of the MIECHV and Part C Programs;

• Emphasize the potential for collaboration and coordination between the programs;

• Highlight existing opportunities for partnerships; and

• Provide recommendations to states, territories, tribal entities and local programs for identifying and increasing opportunities for collaboration and coordination

Recommendations

• Set a Statewide Vision for Collaboration Across Early Childhood Providers

• Establish Shared or Partnering State Organizational and Leadership Structures

• Build on Interagency Advisory Groups

• Develop Centralized Intake, Screening and Referral Systems

• Develop Policies and Procedures on Dually Enrolling Families and their Young Children in MIECHV and Part C State Programs when Appropriate and Available

• Identify Opportunities for Collaborative Service Delivery

• Expand on Early Childhood Longitudinal, Integrated Data Systems

• Utilize Cross-Sector Professional Development

What’s happened since the release of the joint

statement?

State Interviews

• Listen to your experience

• Share your successes and challenges

• Keep the momentum going

• Partnership within State Leadership across three State Agencies– Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH)

– Department of Child Services (DCS)

– Family Social Services Administration (FSSA)

•Home visiting and early

intervention services

are available in all 92

counties

•Home visiting

programs serve

approximately 13,000

families per year

•First Steps serves over

24,000 children per

year (2017 report)

• Maximizing existing partnerships– Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC)

– Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Grant: Sunny Start 2006

– Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV)

– Project LAUNCH

• How does MIECHV/Part C collaboration have an overall impact on the early childhood system?

– Cross representation on advisory boards

– Funding applications are no longer completed in isolation

– Assists in needs assessments and identifying gaps in service delivery

– Improved cross sector professional development

• Cross system Referral Improvement

– Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) across agencies and programs

• ISDH, DCS, FSSA (Part C and Office of Early Childhood), Department of Education (IDOE)

– Help Me Grow model Implementation

• Coordinated screening, referral, and follow-up

– Dual Enrollment (Home Visiting and Part C)

• Policies around how families are enrolled and participate in multiple systems

• Due to successful collaboration our programs are often asked to serve on other boards, task forces, special committees to address various childhood issues

• Substance exposed infants

• Early Learning Advisory Committee (ELAC) workgroups

• Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana

Collaboration at the local level between home visiting and Part C

programs• Highlight the Interagency Advisory Groups

• Opportunities for Collaborative Service Delivery

• Cross Sector Professional Development

Advisory Board Representation

• BABE Store

• Dads Inc.

• Catholic Charities/Birthline

• Covering Kids and Families

• Red Cross/Salvation Army

• Family Dev. Services

• First Steps

• Habitat for Humanity

• Safe Kids/Automotive Safety Program

• IMPD

• Pathway Resource Center

• Pike Township Fire

Department

• St Vincent Primary Care

• Early Learning Contractor

• Indiana Women’s Prison

• Craine House

• 211/Connect 2 Help

‒ First Steps

• Cross participation on advisory

committees

• Direct referrals for service

• Dual visits to support families

‒ Indiana Women’s Prison/Craine House

• Recidivism reduction

• Successful transition/capacity building

‒ St. Vincent’s Hospital

• Referrals to St. Vincent Programs and

Services

• When we make referrals to First Steps, we have families sign

consent to talk to First Steps staff.

• Notified of the intake appointment date

• Send a copy of the IFSP and evaluation or told outcome if not

eligible.

• We support First Steps by encouraging families to participate in

appointments and gather documents for services.

• Home visit activities can be supportive of First Steps goals from

IFSP.

• Participate in family meetings (intake, IFSP, 6 month review,

transition, etc.)

Service Collaboration

And

Consents

Formal Collaboration

• First Steps staff invites Healthy Families Supervisors and / or

Program Manager to LPCC meetings held quarterly.

• Healthy Families invites First Steps LPCC Coordinator to Healthy

Families Advisory Council meetings.

• MOA’s and MOU’s are completed and signed annually to show

collaboration between programs.

• Both programs offer mutual staff training at least annually to inform

staff of program process and collaboration.

Facilitating Ease of Services

• First Steps and Healthy Families Get familiar with program staff

- Know names of intake coordinators

- Share email addresses and phone numbers

- Be willing to share information both ways after consents obtained

- Share family safety and general family information between the

programs

• Healthy Families staff should be specific on the need for the referral for

First Steps

• Be willing to provide mutual training opportunities

• Work together at community events

• Share program brochures, checklists, and other information with families

• Know each program’s testing and evaluations tools and eligibility for

services

Questions?

Discussion at tables

1. What resonated with you most from the presentations and why? Which of the various strategies and approaches shared by the panelists would you most like to take back to your local community?

2. Which areas mentioned in the presentations could help build collaboration in your local community? Why?

3. Which recommendations/policies would have most benefit to the families served in your local community?

4. Which of the policy statement recommendations would be most difficult to implement? Why?

Recommendations

• Set a Statewide Vision for Collaboration Across Early Childhood Providers

• Establish Shared or Partnering State Organizational and Leadership Structures

• Build on Interagency Advisory Groups

• Develop Centralized Intake, Screening and Referral Systems

• Develop Policies and Procedures on Dually Enrolling Families and their Young Children in MIECHV and Part C State Programs when Appropriate and Available

• Identify Opportunities for Collaborative Service Delivery

• Expand on Early Childhood Longitudinal, Integrated Data Systems

• Utilize Cross-Sector Professional Development

Potential areas of growth

• Connecting families to the additional resources in a collaborative and coordinated way

• Collaboration around transition across all early childhood programs

• Support for early childhood mental health services

Contact Us!

• Christina Commons- Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, Bureau of Child Development Services Director Christina.Commons@fssa.in.gov

• Cynthia Smith- Department of Child Services, Prevention Services Manager Cynthia.Smith@dcs.in.gov

Website Information: • http://www.in.gov/isdh/25565.htm• http://www.firststeps.in.gov

Contact information • Nancy Gwin, Villages Healthy Families,

Assistant Program Director Ngwin@villages.org

• Denise Griffiths, Blue River Services, Healthy Families Program Manager brhfmgr@brsinc.org

• Tiffany Hanaver, Blue River Services, LPPC coordinator lpcc2@brsinc.org

• Thank you!