CFSP 5 Year Plan - RI Department of Children, Youth & Families

Goal V – Enhance the capacity of employees, foster parents and providers to deliver high
quality care to children and families
Accomplishments:
o Established a quality assurance function within DCYF to:
o
o
work with FSU supervisors in tracking performance on Child and Family Service Review
outcome objectives for safety, permanency and well-being
organize and implement Regional CFSR case reviews based on Federal CFSR
o Developed and implemented the Family-Centered Risk and Protective Capacity
Assessment tool; continuing training across disciplines
o Enhanced the RICHIST data collection capacity and interface functionality with
other data systems; e.g., Federal Parent Locator System with DHS and Family
Court case tracking activities
o Developed and implemented new core pre-service and in-service training modules
for child protective investigators; social caseworkers; child support technicians;
juvenile program workers
o Developed and implemented competency training for supervisors
o Developed and implemented specific training related to CFSR case review findings
for areas needing improvement/performance indicators
o Participated in National Child Welfare Leadership Institute to develop a
communication plan/strategy to support the Department’s transformation toward an
integrated system of care.
The Department established a quality assurance function in the Director’s Office in late
2005. This operation has been specifically focused on implementing a case review process in the
DCYF regions which substantially mirrors the Federal CFSR. This QA function conducted two
rounds of Regional “mini” case reviews as part our PIP implementation. The first was in a five
month period between February and June in 2006; the second round was conducted between
October 2007 and May 2008. In both series of Regional case reviews, there were 42 cases
randomly selected. In 2006, there were 22 foster care cases and 20 in-home cases. In the second
review, there were 20 foster care cases and 22 in-home cases. In both of the Regional CFSRs,
the teams were comprised of DCYF staff and community representatives.
Quality Assurance –
The Department implemented a monthly case review process for Regional supervisors in
the Family Service Units and the Administrative Review Unit in March 2007. This regularized
quality assurance mechanism is designed to supplement the regional Child and Family Service
Review Process. The primary purposes of the supervisory monthly reviews is to 1) implement a
standard supervisory tool across DCYF that reinforced and institutionalized quality assurance in
the areas of safety, permanency, and well-being and 2) to increase the number of cases reviewed
beyond the regional CFSR. Each month, the RICHIST system generates a random sample of inhome
and out-of-home cases assigned for Regional supervisors and Administrative Review Unit
staff.
From the list of cases, FSU supervisors review 1 in-home case per month and ARU staff
review 1 out-of-home case per month. The cases are rated using an abridged version of the
R.I. Department of Children, Youth and Families
Title IV-B Child and Family Service Plan – 2010 - 2014
40