Final Report - RI Department of Children, Youth & Families

TRANSMITTAL LETTER
Hon. Donald L. Carcieri, Governor-elect
Governor’s Transitional Office
299 Promenade Street
Providence RI 02903
Hon. William V. Irons, Senate President-elect
State House - Room 317
Providence RI 02903
Hon. William J. Murphy, House Speaker-elect
390 Wakefield Street
West Warwick, RI. 02893
Dear Governor-elect, President-elect and Speaker-elect:
Congratulations to each of you on your successful elections.
With this letter, we send to you the report of the Rhode Island System of Care Task Force and
ask for your full support and your strong leadership in moving us closer to an organized
system of care for Rhode Island’s children, youth and families.
A major impetus for the creation of the System of Care Task Force was the study of the
Department of Children, Youth and Families commissioned by the Children’s Policy
Coalition (CPC) and conducted by the RI Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) [A Review of
the Department of Children, Youth and Families prepared by the RI Public Expenditures
Council and commissioned by the RI Children’s Policy Coalition (January 2001)]. The
System of Care Task Force took up where the RIPEC Study ended. Our report culminates
nearly 2 years of data gathering, analysis, discussion and consensus building. The members
of the System of Care Task Force unanimously endorsed the vision and principles of this
report and acknowledged that considerable work needs to yet be accomplished.
This report builds on the strengths of our state’s system of care, describes the challenges and
outlines a plan to move a currently disorganized and fragmented system of care into an
organized system of care. Our recommendations were developed through dialogue and
consultation with family members, advocates, elected and appointed officials, judges, expert
practitioners and other members of the public who are involved or have an interest in services
for children, youth and families.
The work of the Task Force was divided among two data-gathering committees, the Foster
Care Committee and the Current Reality Committee, and one design committee, the Ideal
System of Care Committee. The former two committees were tasked with collecting data
relative to their assigned areas, analyzing that data and forwarding it to the Ideal System of
Care Committee. The Ideal System of Care Committee was tasked with using this and other
input to present to the Task Force a plan that moved away from the traditional response to
child and resource crises (adding more resources through additional funding with no
System of Care Task Force Report (January 2003) 7