Transcript Slide 1

Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services
Strategies for Addressing Disproportionality
through Community Engagement & CrossSystem Collaboration
Presented by:
Joyce James – DFPS Assistant Commissioner for CPS
Carolyne Rodriguez – Director, Texas State Strategy,
Casey Family Programs
Mike Griffiths – Director of Juvenile Services,
Dallas County Juvenile Probation
11th Annual Disproportionate Minority Contact Conference
September 9, 2006 – New Orleans
Desired Outcomes for Today
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Understand the community-based approach being
taken in Texas to address Disproportionality
Understand the internal cultural change needed in
systems to address Disproportionality and
disparate outcomes
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Learn about the community engagement
strategies for leading this work
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Recognize the challenges, barriers and
opportunities in this work
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Establish the linkage of this work to DFPS
Renewal in Texas
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Consider practical applications by juvenile justice
systems and related disciplines to address
disproportionality
A Shared Vision . . .
In May of 2004, Casey Family Programs and DFPS
entered a collaborative relationship, committed to
concentrating resources and energy to establish an
intensive planning and implementation process to
reduce disproportionality in the Texas child welfare
system.
Texas was chosen in part because of:
 its large child population
 its potential for significant program and policy impact
on a statewide level, and
 its long-established working relationship with Casey
Family Programs in a systems improvement
collaborative called the Texas State Strategy
Texas State Strategy System
Improvement Efforts
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Development of tools and identification of
evidenced-based practices
Consultation and provision of technical
assistance
Shared facilitation of state-focused,
strategic partnerships
Joint collaboration in addressing systemic
racism in child welfare
Texas Department of Family and
Protective Services (DFPS)
Children First, Protected and Connected!
The Child Protective Services (CPS) program of
DFPS is designated to receive alleged reports
of child maltreatment and to investigate
reports of suspected abuse and neglect.
The total child population for the state of Texas
is estimated to be 6,277,205.
Goal: To ensure child safety and to provide
services that promote the integrity and
stability of the family.
CPS: Leading Change
CPS is committed to addressing disproportionality
through its vision of Children First, Protected and
Connected, and ensuring alignment with CPS values of
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respect for culture
inclusiveness of families, youth and community
integrity in decision making
compassion for all
commitment to reducing disproportionality
Strategies include:
 Implementing legislative changes and mandates
 Adopting promising practices and tools
 Improving use of data
 Increasing the cultural competence of CPS staff at
all levels
 Facilitating community-led solutions
Texas Legislative Mandates
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Senate Bill 6 requires the State to take specific actions
to address disproportionality.
The bill gives statutory authority to the work we are
doing and planning to do
The bill adds to our Texas Family Code, requiring DFPS
to do four things:
1)
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3)
4)
Provide cultural competency training to all service
delivery staff.
Increase targeted recruitment for foster and
adoptive parents to meet needs of children waiting
for homes
Target recruitment efforts to ensure diversity
among child welfare staff.
Develop collaborative community partnerships “to
provide culturally competent services to children
and families of every race and ethnicity.”
Additional Legislative Mandates
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Examination of removal rates and other
enforcement actions
Analysis of disproportionality provided to
the legislature on January 1, 2006
Development and implementation of
remediation plan reported to the legislature
on July 1, 2006 – available on agency
website:
http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Documents/about/pdf/
2006-07-01_Disproportionality.pdf
Expected Outcomes
To reduce, and ultimately to prevent, the
disproportionate representation of and
disparate outcomes for African-American
children in the Texas child welfare and
juvenile justice systems, and to improve
services to all children and families.
Who is Involved?
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DFPS
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Casey Family Programs
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Youth and family representatives
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Community stakeholders
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African-American children and families
Local government agencies including law enforcement
Non-profit agencies
Community leaders
Legislative staff
Foster parents
University partners
Faith-based leaders
Community advocates
Media
Guiding Principles from the
Beginning…..
To effect social change will require a multifaceted approach: socially, economically,
educationally and politically
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The community must be the driving force
behind any sustainable change
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Starting with the Data
Compelling Facts About
Disproportionality
•There is great difference between races in the
likelihood that a child will be removed from home and
placed in foster care
•Children of color enter the system at
disproportionately high rates as compared to Anglo
children
•African American children are 4 times more likely to
be placed in care
•African Americans are no more likely to abuse their
children than any other race
•Unadjusted data indicate African American children
are overrepresented in the Texas CPS system and the
level of disproportionality increases at each stage of
service
Texas Data - FY 2005
Summary of Statewide Data
100%
3%
13%
90%
3%
2%
20%
26%
80%
1%
34%
70%
44%
60%
42%
50%
38%
35%
40%
30%
20%
40%
35%
34%
10%
30%
0%
Texas Child
Population
Anglo
Confirmed Victims Children Removed
in Completed
from their Homes
Investigations
Hispanic
African American
Children Waiting
for Adoption
Other
Dallas County Data: FY 2005
100%
4.1%
4.7%
2.6%
2.4%
27.5%
22.8%
90%
31.0%
80%
70%
45.8%
22.8%
60%
25.7%
50%
40%
24.3%
27.1%
30%
39.2%
20%
10%
52.0%
45.6%
22.4%
0%
Dallas County Child
Population
Confirmed Victims in
Completed
Investigations
African American
Anglo
Children Removed
from their Homes
Hispanic
Children Waiting for
Adoption
Other
2005 Texas / Dallas County
Juvenile Justice Referrals
* Texas Juvenile Probation Commission
Formal
Referrals
State
Dallas County
Ethnicity State
102,459
Dallas
County
White
29,582
1,497
(28.9%) (14.7%)
Black
25,103
4,268
(24.5%) (41.8%)
Hispanic
46,674
4,279
(45.6%) (41.9%)
10,201
Other
1,100
(1%)
157
(1.6%)
Juvenile Age Population vs. Referrals
* Texas Juvenile Probation Commission
Juvenile
Population
State
Dallas
County
Juvenile
Offenses
White
1,014,730
(40.9%)
67,497
(26.8%)
Ethnicity
State
Dallas
County
Black
331,174
(13.3%)
63,515
(25.7%)
White
29,582
(28.9%)
1,497
(14.7%)
Hispanic
1,051,522
(42.3%)
109,127
(43.3%)
Black
25,103
(24.5%)
4,268
(41.8%)
Total
2,483,398
252,253
Hispanic
46,674
(45.6%)
4,279
(41.9%)
1,100
(1%)
157
(1.6%)
Other
Dallas County Juvenile Department
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Criminal Justice Policy Council
Stakeholder Report Card Sessions
Texas State University
Texas Family & Protective Services
Annie E. Casey Juvenile Detention
Alternatives Initiative – Replication
Site
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative
Collaboration
Reliance
on Data
Objective
Admissions Screening
Alternatives
to Secure Detention
Expedited
Case Processing
Strategies
for “Special” Detention Cases
Strategies
to Reduce Racial Disparities
Rigorous
Facility Inspections
Juvenile Justice Strategies to Impact
Disproportionate Minority Contact
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Examination of System
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Social Context Issues
Juvenile Justice System Practices
Collect Data From All Contact Points
Formulate Vision
Develop Structure
Build Alliances
Diversify Systems Workforce
Provide Training
Create Instruments / Guidelines to Minimize
Disparity
Challenge Ancillary Systems to Address Issue
Project HOPE: Successful Model
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Began in May 2002
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Community Vision, Mission and Goals
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Community focused, data-driven
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Existing data maximized and improved
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Gaps identified
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Current status
Project Hope: Center Opening
Statewide Planning Process
Analyze data to
select region
Identify community
members and
leaders
Hold community
planning meeting
Undoing Racism
training
Form Community
Advisory
Committee
Review of data
Charter
development
Other stakeholders
Plan for decision
making
Identification of
resources
Action planning
Begin
implementation
Town Hall meetings
Determine practice
models
MOUs
Who else should be
at the table?
Requirements
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Leadership commitment
Diversity and breadth of
Disproportionality Community Advisory
Committee
Commitment to stakeholder involvement
Alignment with Vision and Values
Statewide Accomplishments
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Through community advocacy, Texas has been legislatively
mandated to address disproportionality
State Disproportionality Director and Specialists in place
Target sites selected in several regions to implement
community strategies
Undoing Racism training achieved for all regional and state
office managers and directors, and for pilot site staff and
collaborators
Texas is one of 13 nationwide jurisdictions participating
Casey Disproportionality Breakthrough Series Collaborative
Best practice training curricula is being implemented to
address cultural competency for CPS staff
Disproportionality data used to guide community strategies
for systems improvement
Challenges and Opportunities
Challenges
• Public sentiment
•Impacting Social Context issues effecting Disparity issues
• Political will / support
• Practice issues
• Elevating the voice
• Supporting child welfare leadership
Opportunities
• Strong community engagement
•Strong relationships with stakeholders
•Anti-racist principles in all aspects of CPS and other systems embedded
• Constituents engaged in an in-depth way
• Impacting public policy through legislative engagement
• Bar will be raised for all children, youth, families & communities
• Chance for a collaborative evaluation with university partners
• Strong impact for sustainable change through legislative mandates
Benefits for African-American Youth
and Families
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More youth and family engagement
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Fewer youth in the foster care system
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Fewer out-of-home placement moves
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Less time in foster care placement
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More youth placed with kin
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More foster and adoptive homes
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More community commitment, involvement, and
resources
The Right Thing to Do
“Cowardice asks the question, is it safe?
Expediency asks the question, is it polite?
Vanity asks the question, is it popular?
But conscience asks the question, is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is
neither safe, nor polite, nor popular
– but one must take it because it is right.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.