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Florida Department of Children and Families—Office of Child Welfare Publication
Child Welfare Today
Safety.
Permanency.
Child Well-Being.
Family Well-Being.
January 2015
Inside this Issue
Background
Screening
Clearinghouse
Pg. 2
Safety
Methodology
Risk Assessment
Pg. 3
Critical Incident
Rapid Response
Team (CIRRT)
Pg. 4
Child and Family
Services Plan
2015-2019
Pg. 5
Safety
Implementation
Status Map
Pg. 6
Holiday Open House
Celebration
Pg. 7
Adoption Applicant Policy Update
Individuals whose marriages were legally recognized in Florida as
of January 6, 2015 are eligible to apply for adoption and adoption
assistance within the State of Florida. Please contact Courtney
Smith at Courtney.Smith@myflfamilies.com for additional information, or click on the following link: Adoption Applicate Policy
Update Memo.
Maltreatment Index Update
The Maltreatment Index Update outlines the Department ‘s response when information is received that alleges that a parent is
demonstrating psychotic, delusional, or dangerous behaviors.
The definition of Inadequate Supervision included within the
memo supersedes the definition of the current Maltreatment Index. Please refer to the link below for more information: Update
to Maltreatment Index Memo
Community-Based Care Scorecard
Child Welfare
Pre-Service
Curriculum
Pg. 8
Meeting & Training
Events and Dates
Pg. 9
The new CBC Scorecard was distributed via email on January 19,
2015. The Scorecard with subsequent versions will run quarterly along
with Scorecard Methodology . It will be posted at: http:/ /
www.myflfamilies.com/general-information/planning-performancemeasures/cbc-scorecard. Summary and list reports for each Scorecard
measure are available in the FSFN Reporting Environment in the following folder: Public Folder/OCWDRU Reports/Outcomes/CBC Scorecard.
January 2015
Child Care Regulation &
Background Screening
Program Office
Did you know that the Office of Child Care
Regulation and the Department’s Background Screening Unit are joined under one
program office? The Child Care Regulation
Unit regulates licensed child care facilities,
family day care homes, large family child care
homes, and mildly ill facilities in 62 of the 67
counties in Florida. The Background Screening Unit is responsible for reviewing all state
and national criminal history results received
for licensing or employment for programs
regulated by the Department. The unit also
processes screenings for providers of the
Agency for Persons with Disabilities under an
Interagency Service Agreement. Although
this is a centralized unit, positions are outposted statewide. For more information on
the unit, you may visit the Department's website, www.myflfamilies.com and choose Child
Care or Background Screening under the Services tab.
Florida Abuse Hotline
DCF personnel, please take a moment to visit
the new Florida Abuse Hotline on our intranet
website at http://eww/hotline/
Child and Family Services Review
(CFSR) Update
The Florida Round 3 CFSR will be conducted
in 2016. A major change implemented by the
Children’s Bureau will give states the option
to conduct their own on-site case reviews
versus sending a federal team to lead on-site
reviews. Florida has applied to be an “option
state” and will be collaborating with the Children’s Bureau to ensure integrity of the CFSR
process. The Children’s Bureau is shifting the
CFSR from a periodic event to an ongoing
process to support a state’s capacity to selfmonitor for child and family outcomes, systems functioning and improvement practices.
The Bureau has given states access to the
federal CFSR web portal so that data and information can be managed by the states. The
CFSR case reviews will replace the Quality
Service Reviews conducted by communitybased care lead agencies. For more information, please visit https://
training.cfsrportal.org/resources
Coming Soon: Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse
The Department of Children and Families is one of seven state agencies that will join the new
statewide screening database, "The Clearinghouse." The purpose of the Clearinghouse is to provide
a single data source for background screening results for persons screened for employment or licensure who provide services to children, the elderly, and disabled individuals. The Clearinghouse will
allow specific agencies to share the results of criminal history checks when a person has applied to
volunteer, be employed, be licensed (including foster parents), or enter into a contract that requires
a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history check.
The Department continues to work with the Agency for Health Care Administration to establish the
requirements necessary for the Department to join the Clearinghouse. The Department is set to
begin utilizing the Clearinghouse in March for summer camp providers. The Office of Child Care Regulation and Background Screening staff will work with each program office over the course of the next
few months to provide training on the use of the Clearinghouse and offer training tools to providers
and customers.
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January 2015
Florida’s IV-E Funding Waiver Renewed for Five Additional Years
Were you aware that the Department was granted a five year renewal of the statewide flexible funding waiver? The renewal of the IV-E Waiver continues the state’s positive progress providing necessary support and prevention services for improved child welfare.
Florida received approval of the first statewide waiver for flexible use of foster care funds under Title
IV-E of the Social Security Act on March 31, 2006. As the only state with such a broad federal waiver,
Florida has dedicated resources to keeping more families together and helping parents change their
lives and make their homes safe so they can keep or be reunified with their children.
Florida’s waiver demonstration under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act is authorized by the Administration for Children and Families and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It allows
federal foster care funds to be used for any child welfare purpose rather than being restricted to
room and board payments as generally is the case under federal law. It enables funds to be used for a
wide variety of child welfare services, including prevention, intensive in-home services to prevent
placement of children outside the home, reunification, and foster care.
The waiver was first implemented in October 2006. The goal of the waiver remains to support changes in the state’s child welfare system to maintain child safety and improve outcomes for children and
families served by DCF and its community-based partners. After its expiration in 2011, the waiver was
extended in three month increments. It has been renewed through September 30, 2018.
For more information on the waiver, please visit http://www.centerforchildwelfare.org/Funding/
TitleIVE.shtml
Safety Methodology Risk
Assessment
ACTION for Child Protection
ACTION for Child Protection, Inc. completed a
case record review requested by the Florida
Department of Children and Families to assess the implementation of the Florida Safety
Methodology. Cases were randomly selected
from three regions in Florida, and the sample
was provided to ACTION for Child Protection.
Cases were reviewed off-site by ACTION staff
utilizing Qualtrics survey software and FSFN
access provided by the Department. The
baseline reviews revealed key findings regarding Present Danger, Information Collection, Impending Danger, and Safety Planning.
Please contact Ginger Griffeth for more information about the completion of this review
at Ginger.Griffeth@myflfamiies.com.
As a part of the Structured Decision Making®
(SDM) initial risk assessment’s implementation
within the Florida Department of Children and
Families’ broader safety methodology practice
model implementation, DCF asked the NCCD Children’s Research Center (CRC) to review completed risk assessments and related narrative documentation. The purpose of the reading was to
identify DCF workers’ strengths and issues with
risk assessment completion in counties that have
implemented the safety methodology and to
provide feedback as needed to DCF to assist in
the implementation. Case reading is a standard
CRC support activity in order to root technical
assistance in an objective format and identify implementation status. For more information on
the completed review, please contact Ginger
Griffeth at Ginger.Griffeth@myflfamiies.com.
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January 2015
Critical Incident Rapid Response Team (CIRRT)
In 2014, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 1666, establishing requirements for creating a Critical Incident Rapid Response Team to perform a root-cause analysis of child fatality cases when there
was a verified report of abuse or neglect within the preceding 12 months. The CIRRT will also determine the need for policy and/or practice change within the child welfare system in an effort to reduce
and, ultimately, eliminate these detrimental outcomes. Effective January 2015, teams are coordinated by Lisa Rivera, the Statewide Child Fatality Prevention Specialist, in accordance with the requirements set forth in Section 39.2015, Florida Statutes.
Participant identification is a continual process that spans across all relevant agencies throughout the
state of Florida, including but not limited to the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health, all community-based care lead agencies and contracted partners, subject matter experts from community treatment programs (domestic violence, substance abuse and/or mental
health), and law enforcement. The first participant training was conducted in November 2014 with 74
individuals in attendance. Although this was a great turn-out for the first time around, we are still in
need of representatives from the Department of Health, law enforcement agencies, as well as individuals who have specific expertise in the following areas: substance abuse, mental health, and domestic violence.
Every individual identified as a potential Critical Incident Rapid Response Team member will attend a
mandatory training which will consist of two days of the CIRRT process in general and one day of the
child welfare practice model. The purpose of the training is to familiarize external reviewers with the
constructs from which the Department and its contracted child welfare providers operate. The next
training is being scheduled for February 11 - 13, 2015 in Orlando.
Upon supervisory approval, any individual wishing to be a potential member of the CIRRT process
needs to submit the following information to Lisa.Rivera@myflfamilies.com:
Name/Title
Contact Numbers (work and Cell)
Agency
Area of expertise
Address
Rapid Safety Feedback
The Secretary has been a national leader in implementing case review procedures that focus on highrisk children. Rapid Safety Feedback is an thorough review of open investigations when there is a
child under the age of 4 with contributing factors that include evidence of current or previous substance abuse, mental health, or domestic violence. The process includes a feedback component to
engage the child protective investigator and the supervisor in a discussion that may change the
course of the investigation.
Critical Child Safety Teams have been established in each DCF region to conduct Rapid Safety Feedback and provide field support on complex cases. Beginning in January, staff will be required to go
through an intensive proficiency process to ensure they have the knowledge, skill, and ability to conduct these critical reviews and provide the appropriate feedback to the CPI and supervisor.
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January 2015
Child and Family Services Plan 2015-2019
Every five years, states develop and submit a five-year strategic plan setting forth the vision and goals
for the overall child welfare system to the Administration for Children and Families. A primary purpose of the CFSP is to help states integrate programs that serve children and families, as well as comprehensively integrate the full array of child welfare services from prevention and protection through
permanency. A federally approved CFSP is the trigger for the Administration for Children and Families to release federal funds to the state. We could refer to this as the “$444 million dollar plan.”
The development of the CFSP was a collaborative process over several months with the CommunityBased Care lead agencies, Sheriffs’ Offices, Office of Court Improvement, Children’s Legal Services,
Regions, and a host of other stakeholders and partners. Florida’s Child and Family Services Plan 20152019 was approved by the Administration for Children and Families in October 2014.
The real work is now underway. As a state, we are to implement the CFSP and report annually to the
Administration for Children and Families on our progress. The annual report, due June 30, is referred
to as the Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR).
Of note is how all child welfare initiatives actually tie back to the CFSP. The IV-E waiver is one example
of an initiative that aligns with the CFSP. The waiver allows use of IV-E foster care dollars to provide
services to children and their families. One example is prevention and intensive in-home services to
prevent placement of children outside the home.
For more information on the CFSP, please visit http://www.centerforchildwelfare.org/Publications/
ChildFamilyServicesPlan.shtml
Human Trafficking
Awareness Month
January was Human Trafficking Awareness
month. Task forces throughout the state had
activities planned throughout the month to
highlight the issue and bring awareness to
the needs of survivors! A sample of the
events hosted can be located on these links:
Tampa: http://www.abolishmovement.com/?
page_id=885
Clearwater: https://www.facebook.com/
freenetwork.us/events?ref=page_internal
Orlando: http://www.wherevent.com/detail/
Florida-Abolitionist-Greater-Orlando-7th-
New Regional Team Members
We have welcomed two new members on
the Human Trafficking Prevention team! Sue
Aboul-Hosn and Tisha Pierre are our new Regional Human Trafficking Coordinators. Sue
will cover the Central and Suncoast regions,
and Tisha will cover the Southern and Southeast regions. They are both huge assets, and
we are excited to have them in their new positions. Expect to see them in the community
at human trafficking events, as well as reaching out to assist in implementation of legislative initiatives, development of task forces
and the creation of local plans to respond to
human trafficking cases.
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January 2015
Child Protective Investigations Safety Methodology Implementation Status
December 1 - December 31, 2014
Ongoing Services Safety Implementation Status as of 01/06/2015
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January 2015
Upcoming Roll-Out: The Human
Trafficking Identification Tool
House Bill 7141, which was approved by legislators during the 2014 legislative session, directs the Department to create an identification tool for victims of human trafficking. Over the last year, the Department of
Children and Families has co-facilitated, with
the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), a
work group of statewide stakeholders to assist in creating a tool. The Human Trafficking
Identification tool has been completed. DCF is
working with DJJ on a training calendar currently in preparation for a February to March
pilot roll-out in Miami and Jacksonville. This
will be a unified tool utilized by DCF, DJJ and
Community-Based Care providers. This tool
will be assessed for validation by DJJ and will
be one of the first tools in the nation that is
shared by child welfare, juvenile justice, and
case management.
Nonrelative Caregiver Financial
Assistance Reminder
The case manager should confirm that the
address for the nonrelative caregiver is correct in FSFN prior to submitting the NRCFA
application.
2015 Child Protection Summit
Call for Proposals
Potential presenters at the Department ’s annual Child Protection Summit are invited to
submit workshop descriptions
(approximately 600 words) that will effectively demonstrate the relevance of your topic to
Florida’s Child Welfare Practice Model. The
deadline to submit proposals, specifying the
targeted audience (investigations, case management, data, supervisory, domestic violence, etc.), is February 27. To submit a proposal, go to https://adobeformscentral.com/?
f=ciaqkGLJkAAfkmfKprZlLA. If you have questions, please email AK Consulting Group at
Annette@akconsultinggroup.org, or call 850523-4200.
Holiday Open House Celebration
On December 10 , the Office of Child Welfare hosted its 1st Annual Holiday Open House. Alissa Cross
composed a festive dance video featuring OCW leadership. Linda Radigan created a photo booth for
guests and our employees. Led by budget liaisons Sue Zwirz, Lynita Bell, and Anna Heitz, the 309
Office Suite won the door-decorating competition with their creative gingerbread house. We look
forward to the “floor wars” door-decorating competition next year.
Office of Child Welfare Leadership pictured from left to right:
JoShonda Guerrier, Traci Leavine, Janice Thomas,
and Kellie Sweat Darnell.
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January 2015
Compassion Fatigue Training
& Train-the-Trainer
Compassion Fatigue Training and Train-the-Trainer is
being offered (free of charge, participants only pay
their own travel) :
This three-hour session will be offered twice on March
10th in Ocala. It is open to everyone. Françoise
Mathieu, Compassion Fatigue Solutions, will be coming
back to Florida to present "Walking the Walk: Creative
Tools for Transforming Compassion Fatigue & Vicarious Trauma." Folks should register by February 20th
for either Session A or B by February 20th at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/
s/6ZH5ZRD
Child Welfare Pre-Service
Curriculum Walkthrough
The Office of Child Welfare is hosting three one-day
Curriculum Walkthrough sessions for the new Child
Welfare Pre-service curriculum. These one-day sessions
will cover the core curriculum that is scheduled for
release in January 2015.
The dissemination of the curriculum in January will be
the first draft and, with the help of our statewide training and policy staff, we anticipate that there will be
many ongoing updates and revisions, as we see how
our practice must be implemented.
The Specialty curriculum tracks are anticipated to be
released in February 2015, and Walkthrough dates for
those curricula will be announced at a later date.
Quality Parenting Initiative
Kick-Off
The Department is partnering with the Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) to kick-off a teen foster home recruitment initiative in February. There will be a
statewide kick-off meeting February 20th in Tampa with
Secretary Carroll, QPI leadership, and representatives
from the Office of Child Welfare. An average of 58% of
teens in out-of-home care are placed in group care
settings. Many could move to family foster homes, but
we need foster families willing to experience the joy
and challenges of raising teenagers. Details to come
soon!
FCADV Regional Training
The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence will
host 12 one-and-a-half-day Child Welfare Regional
Training Institutes for local child welfare professionals,
domestic violence victim advocates, and community
partners. Please see link for more information and registration: http://www.fcadv.org/events
Statewide Case Consultation Calls
Statewide case consultation calls for Child Protective Investigators, case management, and Children’s
Legal Services will begin this month. Our first call will be on January 29, 2015 at 9:00 am (EST). This
call will have a Child Protective Investigators and case management focus. ACTION for Child Protection will be leading the calls utilizing cases from the various regions. Redacted case information will
be forwarded in conjunction with each call. The Florida Coalition for Children case management subcommittee has helped the Office of Child Welfare select the case for January, and it will be forwarded shortly; however, if you would like to submit cases for consultation in the following months,
please contact Ginger Griffeth at Ginger.Griffeth@myflfamiles.com.
The call-in number for all calls will be 1-888-670-3525 (code: 328 019 1892#).
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January 2015
Upcoming Meetings & Dates
Date
Meeting
Location
Contact
January 29
9:00AM
Rule 65-28.008 - Relative Caregiver Program Public Rule Hearing
Tallahassee, FL
Jodi Abramowitz
February 10
9:00AM
Statewide Case Consultation Call
Tallahassee, FL
Ginger Griffeth
February 12-13
Children’s Bureau Site Visit
Tallahassee, FL
Eleese Davis
February 17-18
Quarterly QA Manager’s Meeting
Tallahassee, FL
Eleese Davis
February 20
Quality Parenting Initiative Kick-Off
Tampa, FL
Kristi Putnam
February 26
Child Welfare Practice Task Force
Gainesville, FL
Alicia Dyer
February 27
Call for Proposal Ends for 2015 Child
Protection Summit
Gainesville, FL
Elisa Cramer
March 3
10:00AM
Statewide Case Consultation Call
Tallahassee, FL
Ginger Griffeth
Upcoming Training Events & Dates
Date
Training
Location
Contact
February 17
Human Trafficking Training for Specialized
Expertise
Tallahassee, FL
Kimberly Grabert
February 29-30
Child Welfare Training Institute— FCADV
Melbourne, FL
Ghia C. Kelly
March 10-11
Child Welfare Training Institute— FCADV
Tampa, FL
Ghia C. Kelly
March 10
Compassion Fatigue Training
Ocala, FL
Carrie Toy
March 31-April 1
Child Welfare Training Institute— FCADV
Naples, FL
Ghia C. Kelly
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