1. Focus Groups and Surveys: Everything We Need to Consider AND Focused Case Review: What’s This All About?

2.  Research!!  Use the literature reviews to guide BOTH

3.  including  Bio-Parents  Foster Parents  Youth,  Courts: judges, attorneys etc,  Community-based service providers,  Tribal groups,  Probation supervisors,  Child Welfare supervisors  social workers,  probation officers.

4.  Structured conversation with a facilitator  6 to, a maximum of, 12 participants.  1 to 2 hours.  Allows key stakeholders to provide valuable insights on current practices and what changes they recommend for systemic and practice changes and for training related to the focus area.  Engage stakeholders in the PQCR, CSA, and ultimately the SIP process.  Tools: use the research!

5.  Needs to be a neutral party with good facilitation skills.  Viewed by the group as a person or authority who does not have power over the participants or practice and who will maintain confidentiality  Examples of non-neutral situations include: leadership or attendance by any management staff with personnel responsibilities for any participant of a focus group; and leadership or attendance by any staff who has contract responsibility for community partners participating in a focus group.

6.  Invite participants early.  Offer stipends, if possible.  Conduct the focus group in a comfortable, safe, and logistically accessible location.  Conduct the focus group at the time that best meets the participants’ availability.  Provide child care.  Provide transportation and/or reimbursement for transportation.  Consider ways to recognize the value of the time participants spend attending the focus group.

7.  Principles of continuous Quality Improvement form the foundation for the PQCR process  Research informs practice and guides the development of tools and analysis of data  A 360 degree perspective of practice provides a comprehensive view of services, and the impact on the focus area of the review  Case reviews  Interviews with probation and social workers  Focus groups with key stakeholders

8.  Tools need to be developed in line with the focus area and the research for the case review.  Separate tools for probation and child welfare need to be developed  Mock case review of the tool should be completed ahead of time, similar to the interview tool

9.  Incorporate into the training the concept of a narrowly focused case review driven by the focus area of the PQCR  Provide orientation to the county’s case filing system for the review teams  Emphasis the case review is: Intended to provide background information on each case and county policy/process Not an audit Just one part of the 360 degree perspective Not intended for use as a case conference 

10.  Provide key for County’s filing system  Provide SafeMeasures print out as an orientation to the case, and documentation  Emphasize confidentiality of case information; sign agreement if necessary  Provide each team access to CWS/CMS to support case review process (may not be able to do this during the training but have available for the review week)  Each team will then have about 45 mins to 1 hour to use the case review tool and review a case provided by the county