parents as partners in child welfare. national project to improve representation for parents...
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Parents as Partners in Child Welfare
National Project to Improve Representation for Parents Involved in the Child Welfare System
What is a Parent Partner?
Why Are We Talking About Parent Partners?
Often, what is in the best interests of the child is being with the parents; what is good for kids is being with family.
“Kids aren’t the only ones who need help.” ~ A parent in Washington State
MIT study (phase 1):
children in care 3x more likely to be involved in juvenile justice system
girls in care more likely to become teen mothers
children in care less likely to hold a job as young adults for at least 3 months
MIT study (phase 2):
children in care had 2x - 3x higher arrest, conviction, and imprisonment rate than similarly maltreated children who remained at home
University of Minnesota study (2006):
children in care exhibited significant increases in behavior problems
Wisconsin study (1995/1996; 1998)
looked at 250 children aging out of care52% reported feeling very close or somewhat
close with their birth family74% reported visits with their birth mother in
the 12 months prior to the interview55% had visited their birth mother at least
once since discharge35% had visited their birth father at least once
since discharge
Law Firm/Clinic Model Center for Family Representation
uses Community Advocacy Team (CAT) approach – attorney, social worker, parent advocate
has contract from Family Court in Manhattan to represent families, served 700 families in 2008
advocates are full-time employees who collaborate on the case with the attorney and social worker
help parents access services and accompany them to hearings and meetings
County Agency Model Jefferson County (KY)
county-based program, original demonstration site for Annie E. Casey Family to Family Initiative
families assigned an advocate either have children under 5, are involved with CPS for the first time, or live in a “high removal rate area”
advocates are part-time employees who receive stipend for providing direct services to parents and additional stipends for training
encourage parents to participate in case planning, provide information about the child welfare system, and offer support, resource linkage, and modeling
CWOP Model Child Welfare Organizing Project
(CWOP)
offices in three NYC neighborhoods
uses Parent Leadership Curriculum to prepare parents to work at CWOP and other private and public agencies as parent advocates
hosts meetings to educate parents about the child welfare process and advocacy: weekly peer-led support and self-help groups, monthly general interest meetings on a topic of interest, and parent/organizer/attorney-led parents’ rights workshops in substance abuse programs, halfway houses, and shelters
some advocates are full-time employees; others trained by CWOP work as advocates in other locations
works with parents to help them share their experiences through publications
What Do Parents and Parent Partners Say?
A Parent Partner provides “a place where parents, even in the midst of turmoil, can connect with another parent . . . the moment that your child is removed from the home, someone who is there right away.”
“The attorney is busy with the court process and can only do so much. What happens to the rest of the process? The parent is going to be lost without someone to encourage her and show her how to succeed.”
“Some caseworkers don’t understand that to help the child, you have to help the parent. They also have a lot to do to make sure the child is safe in foster care and cannot always guide and support the parent. Plus, parents don’t always trust the agency that removed their children, so they try to do everything on their own.”
What Do the Numbers Say?Center for Family Representation
Average stay for children who entered care was 98 days, compared with NYC average of 11.5 months for children in NYC who reunify within 1 year.
Less than 1% of children reenter care, compared to NYC average of 11.4% who reenter care within 1 year.
Center for Family Representation
NYC spends between $18,000 and $49,000 per
child per year on foster care costs
Annual cost of CFR teams is between $4000
and $6600 per family
Jefferson County (KY)
Children in families with parent advocate had
fewer placement moves, .8 v. 1.8 moves, than those
who did not have advocate.
Children in families with parent advocate spent
less time in care, 10.2 months v. 18.2 months, than
those that did not have advocate.
Of 202 children whose parent had advocate and left care before 2008, 70.3% were reunified
with parents or relatives, as compared to 56.7% of children whose parent did not have advocate.
Of 250 closed cases studied in 2008, 215 did not
have subsequent referrals; 25 had substantiated
findings within 1 year.
Contra Costa County (CA)Center for Social Services Research –
UC Berkeley 2009
Parents surveyed reported a higher degree of satisfaction with Parent Partner services:
clients reported feeling supported, informed, and empowered.
Parents in focus groups indicated that Parent Partner services were useful, particularly
shared experiences, communication, and support.
Approximately 60% of children whose parents
received services of a Parent Partner reunified
within 12 months of removal, compared to 26% of
children whose parents did not receive such
services.
How to Work with a Parent Partner
Ethical Issues
Programs that Train Parents as Policy Advocates and Organizers
Contra Costa Countyuses Parent Partners to serve on committees
and serve as parent’s voice on CFSRuses Parent Partners to work with other professional staff on trainingsuses Parent Partners to sit on focus groups
and panel discussions for county, state, and
national groups
Washington State Parent Advocacy Committee
parents trained to advocate for child welfare
policies that support family reunification
focus on housing, background checks, service
access
Mission StatementContra Costa County’s
The mission of the Parent Partner Program is to help families to
develop supportive relationships that will strengthen and support
parents and families involved in the child welfare system, and to honor
their ability to draw on family strengths and resources in order to
facilitate timely permanency for their children.
Vision StatementContra Costa County’s
To match families with parent mentors who will provide them with information, support and guidance as they negotiate through the child welfare system.
In Contra Costa County we invite parents to participate
as Parent Partners in 4 ways:
Parent Leaders;Parent Advocates;Parent Trainers;Resource Parent Partners;
Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”
~Emerson~
Questions:
What Can We Do for You?ABA staff/representatives of the Parent
Attorney Projectprovide networking with other organizations
that emphasize parent engagement provide training and technical assistance on
issues involving parent engagementbring experts to you or send you to observe
parent engagement programs for development of local/state programs
Contact UsFor information about training and
technical assistance from the Parent Attorney Project:
Mimi Laver: [email protected] Thornton: [email protected]
For more information about Parent Partners:Diane Boyd Rauber: [email protected]
Parent Attorney Project website:http://new.abanet.org/child/Pages/
parentrepresentation_home.aspx