Transcript Outcomes Based Service Delivery

Summary of involvement to date
November 2010 to May 2011
Current initiatives
Future plans
◦ OBSD is now being used in: Education, Health,
Corrections, Business and Child Welfare
◦ Many different approaches/models being used
◦ OBSD within the context of Child Welfare means
different things to different people:
 A shift in thinking about Child Welfare
 A shift in practice – how services are delivered and/or
 A shift in funding
Reading articles, internet searches
Review of approaches in Australia, New Zealand, UK, various states in the USA and
Canada
Individual meetings with agency personal:

Lead agencies and agencies providing services
Interagency meetings:
Chapter meetings - Edmonton, Red Deer Calgary, Lethbridge
AASCF and Region 6 Working Committee
AASCF Strategic Committee Meeting
Ministry and Lead Agency meetings
Individual discussions with Ministry and CFSA staff - Regions 6, 7, 3 and 2
Other discussions about OBSD:
Jay Rodgers, CEO, Manitoba General Authority
Staff from United Way and FCSS
The evolution of service delivery in Alberta
◦





Alberta Child and Family Services Act (1996)
4 pillars
Review of the Act (2001)
Alberta Response Model (2001-2003)
philosophy
Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act (2004) legislation
Case Work Practice Model (2006)
policy and practice
Outcomes Based Service Delivery (2009)
policy and practice
Implementation of OBSD




6 Phase-in sites currently operating
Lead agency and CFSA Unit determined
Funding model determined
Early results and lessons learned are being shared
Very early days, however results to date:
 Over 900 children and their families served

Greater clarity regarding roles and purpose of an intervention

More explicit focus on intended ‘outcomes’ for the child and family

More children receiving services in their home vs. out of home

Contract agencies express that they have a greater voice in planning how services
will be delivered

Greater recognition of contribution of agency service provision to the wellness and
safety of the children and families they are serving

Ministry and agency staff “would not go back’ to what was

Practice is changing – ‘spill-over’ is happening into other units/staff
Practice

Collaboration isn’t always easy and takes time
◦ Need to ensure that there is joint agreement re: how
disagreements will be resolved

Agencies and CFSA staff need to be provided the opportunity to
share their vision and their philosophy/approach to service delivery

Early engagement, intensive family contact and engagement of
community supports appear to be critical factors

Roles and responsibilities appear to be easy to navigate early in
involvement but tend to become more complex in situations with
longer involvement


There is natural tension in the approaches of caseworkers vs. agency
staff that, when managed appropriately, can result in very good
outcomes for families
Focus on outcomes
Child Safety – Ministry/CFSA
Child Well Being - Agency
Permanence - Family
Family and Community Support

Agencies and communities need a more understanding of the
Casework Practice Model. Ministry staff could benefit from a more
in depth understanding of Agencies expertise in supporting and
enhancing well being of children/youth and families

Focus on change management is critical to success

Need frequent opportunities to meet

Agencies need support in subcontracting (i.e. clarity of
expectations)

Contracts need to be flexible and maintain openness to
amendments based on assumptions that were not accurate

Agencies need time to build capacity and partnerships required
to delivery a continuum of supports

A new way of funding and a new way of delivering services is
very challenging.
The central issue to creating change is never
just strategy, structure, culture, or systems.
The core of the matter is always about
changing behavior of people…how they see
and think about what is new or proposed...
John Kotter
Collaboration
requires:
Interpersonal as well as organizational sensitivity:
Skills in listening
Self-awareness
Ability to read others signals and
A dose of humility
(Moss 1999 – in Change is Everyone’s Job: Managing the Extended Enterprise in a Globally
Connected World)

AASCF Web-site re-ordered

Newsletters – on web-site

Interagency meetings
◦ OBSD Resources: www.aascf.com/leadership
◦ March, April and upcoming in June
◦ AASCF chapter meetings
◦ Sector meetings
 FSCD
 Prevention and Early Intervention

Meetings with agency’s CEO’s and/or management
teams
AASCF conference - Ministry staff (Joni and Jon Region 3)
and WJS staff - Region 7
Lethbridge Agencies – AASCF (Rhonda), Ministry (Joni),
Woods Homes (Tom) and CFSA (Dave)
Grant MacEwan University - 4th year students - Child and
Youth Care(CYC)
Alberta College of Social Work Conference – Joni and Rhonda
Grant MacEwan - staff from CYC, Social Work and Disability
Services – AASCF (Sandra),Ministry (Joni), CFSA #6 (Lisa)
and The Family Centre (Rod and Pauline)
4 sessions since January 2011 with;
Mark Cabaj, Sharon Matthias, Mark Holgrem, Liz O’Neil, Rod
Rode, Joni Brodziak, Rhonda and myself
Addressing the implementation of OBSD:
The process of change,
The barriers (traps) that impede change
The dynamics involved with implementation
While much of the discussions have been focused upon
the “big picture” of how to shift thinking and practice
within large systems, there has been much discussion
as to how to make OBSD understandable and real at
the ground level

Readiness Assessment Tool
◦ Draft of agency issues compiled
◦ John Gaye presented a prototype to the Leads
Meeting
◦ Two tools with similar categories and design will be
developed

Focus Groups with CFSA and lead agency staff
in Region 4 and 7

Joint presentations


Draft Terms of Reference for an OBSD
Advisory Committee submitted
Survey of Tools being used devised,
distributed and compiled

AASCF website re-indexed and re-ordered

Work-plan developed

Envisioning opportunity vs. Fear of change, job loss, change in
role

Collaboration
◦ CFSA-Lead-Agencies and inter-program
◦ Breaking down “silos”- between ministries, ministry and agencies,
agencies and programs within agencies
◦ Clarification of roles- caseworker/agency

one case/worker/unit at a time

Partnerships/mergers – discussions are happening

Funding

Aboriginal phase - in site being considered – Region 6
◦ Case rate, sub-contracts, long- term “costly” clients
Openness on the part of the Ministry and CFSA’s to
learning as we move forward
Initially OBSD presented as a funding model but is now
a recognized as involving shifts in practice
We are in a time of learning and adapting
 Reactions of a few months ago are now accepted facts
 Learnings – both positive and negative from the phase-in sites
are being shared
 Tools are being developed to assist agencies with the transition
 The process of implementation will be slow – allowing agencies
time to adapt and define their strength/expertise
The future of OBSD is not clearly defined – it is evolving
Openness to meeting with agency staff groups
June Edmonton Chapter meeting
Prevention and Early Intervention agencies invited to discuss
Region 4 and 7 follow-up – September
Training opportunities:
Family Assessment Tool – Woods Homes - TBA
Signs of Safety workshops
Hamilton- July 5-8
Dr. Madsen in Calgary and Edmonton – Sept 19-23
Joint Ministry and AASCF Provincial Symposium:
Late October/November
Initial title – Learning our Way Together
Key note and break off sessions initial ideas

Video and power-point outlining the process of
change undergone by Brevard Family Partnership,
Florida
Transforming Child Welfare Case Practice:
Implementing Wraparound and Family Centered
Practice Into Systems of Care
 Dr. Patricia Nellius-Guthrie, Rennee Rich, Kim Coviello, Becky
Petty, August 27, 2009:

http://centervideo.forest.usf.edu/confvids/depe
nd09/transformcw/fs.html

Sandra Maygard

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone:
◦ Direct: 780-451-0898
◦ Cell:
780-982-5893