June 2012 Newsletter Vol 12

A project funded through MPCWIC and developed by CYFD’s Protective Services

Culturally Competent Practice and This month’s focus on Teamwork Results in Positive Out- Piñon values: Vision: Culturally Compe- comes for a Child in Taos County Children and youth tent Practice: in New Mexico live During the May 2012 Quality Assurance Review in in a family environ- Taos, a case was reviewed that provided an excellent We understand, respect ment free from example of culturally competent best practice, effec- and serve children, youth abuse and neglect. and families within the tive communication and teamwork. The efforts of the context of their own investigator, the permanency worker, placement, the children’s court attorney and the relative foster par- family rules, traditions, Mission: history and culture. ent have resulted in positive outcomes for the child, increased placement stability and improved cultural We serve children, connections. youth and fami- See story (right) lies by protecting to learn how this value was recently Upon the child’s entry into foster care, the assigned children and youth applied in Taos Co. investigator did a comprehensive assessment and from abuse and determined that the child was of Native American neglect; pursuing Next month’s ancestry and identified a maternal grandmother for timely permanency value: Trustworthy and placement. Agency staff coordinated across county and; promoting Accountable lines with the Sandoval office to complete an Initial well-being. Relative Assessment and placed the child with her grandmother as her first and only placement. Standards work- groups’ next task: Not only did this teamwork ensure that the child did not have to experience a change review policies/ in placement, it guaranteed that the child was placed in accordance with ICWA place- procedures ment preferences. The maternal grandmother is actively supporting the mother’s New workgroups were reunification efforts, but has also committed to adopting in the event a return home formed to develop cannot be safely achieved. practice standards for In-Home Services and Based upon the family history, it was determined that the child may have been eligible Placement & Permanen- for enrollment in four different Tribes. In coordination with the CCA, the agency cy. The workgroups have notified all four Tribes, including two in other states. And all this was achieved before developed preliminary the 10-day custody hearing! The permanency worker has continued to work with the standards for each of relative foster parent and the child’s mother to ensure that the child is enrolled in the the stages of service and Tribe, including appealing an initial denial of enrollment to Tribal elders. have crafted standards that reflect Piñon values Since her entry into care, the maternal grandmother has increased the child’s involve- and describe specific ment in Tribal life and the child regularly participates in traditional dances and Feasts. behaviors and outcomes In addition to Tribal connections, the agency maintained the child’s participation in expected of PS workers. other activities that she identified as important, including a Hip Hop Dance troupe.

The workgroups will This case wonderfully illustrated that when all of the team members are focused on soon begin comparing best practice and cultural competency, the outcomes for kids are great! The child said proposed standards to said it best when she told us she was happy and healthy. San Juan County one of several taking on Adaptive policy and procedures to identify gaps or Challenge through “office hours” approach changes needed in policy or procedure. Office Hours is a structured approach designed to accelerate change efforts across The new standards and organizations. Project teams in respective counties meet monthly in 90-minute ses- procedures will be used sions to focus on priority business imperatives selected in partnership with Cam- to inform the next stag- bridge Leadership Associates (CLA). es of implementation of the practice model. This approach provides a safe environment for teams to challenge established norms, competing commitments and legacy behaviors that traditionally impede progress and stall change. In the process, teams will apply the skills and tools of Adaptive Leadership Next Zones to the change initiative under CLA’s guidance (http://www.cambridge-leadership.com). Selected for Implementation: The San Juan County Office Hours Team is comprised of investigators, permanency In May, the Piñon Proj- planning and placement workers, investigation/In Home Services supervisors, the ect team selected the COM, a regional manager and deputy Director. Each office hours team also has an following new coun- “executive sponsor,” who is responsible for supporting the team, and a team leader, ties to implement the who heads up the team by convening and running meetings. The team leader is also practice model: Taos responsible for completing the 48-hour report. The project team is accountable in County investigations making progress on the Adaptive Challenge identified. At the end of each session, the and In-Home Services; team discusses future experiments and actions steps for the next month. This is docu- Bernalillo West mented in the 48-hour report. investigations; Doña Ana County investi- San Juan County’s Adaptive Challenge is “more consistent application of the NM safety gations and In-Home assessment.” The team started with this initial challenge, and through experiments or Services; Lea County specific action items, the process has moved the team to dialogue and examine our investigations and In- relationships/roles with one another as well as our external partners. Some of the Home Services; San lessons learned include: change doesn’t happen without conflict; be open minded; and Juan and Berna- be willing to take risks! lillo East In-Home Services; and Central Other counties/offices conducting their own experiments include: Luna, Lea, San Office (area to be Miguel, SCI, Chaves, Bernalillo East and Grant. determined). House Parties for Step Up! Recruit Potential Foster Parents

RESOURCES The first informational house parties sponsored under the Step Up! Diligent Recruit- You can find past Piñon ment Project intended to recruit new foster and adoptive families were held May 19 Project newsletters and and 20 in San Miguel and Lea counties. Family Resource Coordinators (FRCs) recruit- other info here: www. ed hosts, who are current foster and/or adoptive parents, to hold the parties in their cyfd.org/pinonproject homes. Results include a specially scheduled orientation for three couples and two single parents, who are ready to begin the process for licensure. To learn more about MPCWIC, see: www. Each of the six part-time FRCs (representing the five project counties, with two for uta.edu/mpcwic Bernalillo County) is required to recruit two current foster parents each quarter, each of whom will host an informational house party for a minimum of four families. At If you know a com- the house parties, FRCs explain the project, which exists to provide support to pro- munity member who spective foster and adoptive families as they move through the licensure process. would like to receive our newsletter, e-mail New Mexico statistics for and surveys of the people who inquire but don’t complete Pinon.Project@state. licensure indicate that additional support during the period toward licensure could nm.us so we can add help retain these families. The idea is that greater placement stability and permanency them to the listserv. can be achieved in the long run by identifying families who live in the same community, know each other personally and are culturally, racially and ethnically similar to the children in care.

FRCs will be scheduling house parties through the summer in order to build case loads of 10-12 families each. Once the families become licensed, the process of re- cruiting hosts and having house parties will begin again. The grant runs through 2015.