1 A Program funded through a five-year cooperative agreement with Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau in partnership with: Spaulding for Children The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Updated 3/6/15

2 SPEAKERS INTRODUCTION  Melinda Lis Vice President, Academy for Family Support and Preservation Spaulding for Children  Kathy Deserly Advisory Board Member for QIC-AG Co-Project Director, National Capacity Building Center for Tribes  Dr. Rowena Fong Co-Principal Investigator for QIC-AG The University of Texas at Austin  Connie Bear King Site Consultant for QIC-AG

 Who We Are Spaulding for Children, based in Southfield, Michigan, a private, non-profit child welfare agency, was established in 1968 when several entities, each seeking a way to make life better for children without families, joined together.  What We Do Spaulding for Children finds permanent homes for children that are in the public child welfare system and supports families in maintaining their children safely in their homes. It was one of the first agencies in the country that specialized in finding and training adoptive families for the placement of children with disabilities and other challenges. 3 WHO IS SPAULDING FOR CHILDREN?

 Phase I of our Journey: In 1968 a group of parent advocates and a local elderly gentleman farmer decided children with development disabilities placed in the child welfare system deserved permanent families. Warren Spaulding, was that farmer and he donated his farmhouse and surrounding land to establish Spaulding’s first office and our work was launched.  Phase II of our Journey: In 1985 the Spaulding agency was awarded a grant to develop what was then called…The National Resource Center for Special Needs Adoption, a demonstration project with a goal of training child welfare professionals how to use innovative techniques to place children out of the public child welfare system. Major focus areas were recruitment and retention, family assessment, placement, and post adoption services. This focus later switched to post adoption services and supports. Our Children’s Bureau Resource Center for Adoption concluded on September 30, SPAULDING’S JOURNEY

Phase III of our Journey: In 2014 the Spaulding was awarded the National Quality Improvement Center for Adoption/Guardianship Support and Preservation (QIC-AG). This webinar is intended to provide an overview of this initiative and discuss how we would like to partner with a tribal community as one of our sites. 5 QIC-AG

6 QIC-AG COLLABORATION QIC-AG is funded through a five year cooperative agreement with Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau.  Spaulding for Children  University of Texas at Austin  University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

7 QIC-AG TEAMING STRUCTURE

Over the five year project, the QIC-AG will work in partnership with 6-8 sites (state, county, tribal child welfare systems) to develop and support system capacity and implement and evaluate interventions that promote and support adoption and guardianship. 8 THE QIC-AG PURPOSE

The QIC-AG will develop evidence-based models of support and intervention that can be replicated or adapted by other child welfare systems across the country to achieve long-term, stable permanency in adoptive and guardianship homes for waiting children as well as for children and families after adoption or guardianship has been finalized 9 QIC-AG GOAL

1. Build a body of knowledge of the combinations of supports, services, and interventions that work best to ensure resiliency and stability for children in permanent homes. 2. Assist site to develop innovative, collaborative, culturally responsive, and effective practices that address the needs of the target populations. 3. Assist site to develop appropriate interventions and service- delivery mechanisms that match the needs of children and their adoptive parents or legal guardians and ensure ongoing stability and enhanced well-being. 4.Assist site to conduct a comprehensive assessment to ensure appropriate service intervention. Services will be available, accessible, culturally responsive, and effective to meet behavioral/mental health needs. 10 QIC-AG OBJECTIVES

5. Develop, in partnership with the selected tribal site, a system of tribally-driven, culturally responsive evidence- based services that improve permanency and stability outcomes for children in adoptive or guardianship homes; meet the community’s needs; and extend post-permanency supports and services to the post-adoption and guardianship population. 6. Conduct an evaluation with selected site and develop evidence-based model(s) of support and intervention that increase resiliency and assure permanency and stability for children in adoptive and guardianship families. 11 QIC-AG OBJECTIVES

 Increased post-permanency stability  Improved behavioral health for children  Improved child and family well- being 12 EXPECTED LONG-TERM OUTCOMES

 Group 1: Children served by tribal child welfare systems who have challenging mental health, emotional and/or behavioral issues and who are awaiting an adoptive or guardianship placement as well as tribal children in an identified adoptive or guardianship home where the placement has not resulted in finalization for a significant period of time.  Group 2: Children and families served by tribal child welfare systems who have already finalized the adoption or guardianship. This group may include children whose permanent placement has been established by private guardianship, customary adoption and domestic private adoptions. 13 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES TO BE SERVED

Applicant sites will include Tribal child welfare agencies who provide a continuum of services to increase permanency stability and support, beginning when children first enter the tribal child welfare system and continuing after adoption or guardianship has been finalized.  Pre-Permanency: Services and supports that engage, prepare, and connect tribal families to services prior to finalization of adoption or guardianship.  Post-Adoption or Guardianship: Services and supports that increase resiliency, placement stability, and the capacity of caregivers to meet the needs of children in their care. 14 CONTINUUM OF SERVICES & SUPPORTS

CONTINUUM OF SERVICES FINALIZATIONFINALIZATION P RE -P ERMANENCE P OST -P ERMANENCE Prevention Stages that are capacity building only are in grey. Areas where the QIC-AG will build capacity AND implement and evaluate interventions are blue (pre-permanence) and green (post- permanence).

 Through a three step site selection process, one tribe will be selected to take part in a national project designed to promote permanency and improve adoption and guardianship preservation and support. The tribe will be identified through this three step selection process (pre-assessment, initial assessment and full assessment).  The selected tribe will work in partnership with the QIC-AG to implement and evaluate a continuum of services that support the permanence and stability of tribal children in adoptive and guardianship homes.  QIC-AG will provide the selected tribe with resources, intensive technical assistance and support throughout the initiative. 16 SITE SELECTION

 Between March and April we will conduct general outreach and engage in preliminary conversations with tribes who express an interest to discuss potential collaborations and answer any questions.  In May, we will narrow the search to several tribes who have expressed an interest to participate in the expectations of this initiative and appear to have the structure that would allow for the successful implementation and evaluation of an intervention along the service continuum. We will conduct on-site meetings with the tribes to obtain foundational knowledge of their continuum of services, determine how this aligns with their vision and determine their capacity to participate in the initiative.  In June/July we plan to identify a tribal community as a partner site. A binding work agreement will be signed between the tribe and the QIC-AG initiative. 17 OVERVIEW OF SELECTION PROCESS

 Assessment  Data capacity  Evaluation  Learning community  Technical assistance  Training  Resources 18 SUPPORTS AVAILABLE TO SELECTED TRIBAL SITE

The evaluation will be done to assure that the capacity building supports and/or post-permanency intervention developed are evaluable and with rigor. But it will also take into account the context and size of the Tribal Child Welfare Agency. Evaluation components will include:  Process: organizational capacity, data capacity  Outcomes: short term and long term outcomes  Dissemination: preparing and sharing information and reports 19 QIC-AG EVALUATION

“As a foster and adoptive parent, tribal leader, and co-founder of the Indian Child and Family Resource Center, I have met and interacted with many of these vulnerable children and youth. I have heard their stories, shared their pain, and celebrated their triumphs. These children belong to all of us. We are responsible for them and their future.” Tracy King, Assiniboine, Ft. Belknap, MT President, Indian Child and Family Resource Center 20 CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE

21 NEXT STEPS Contact Connie Bear King at or (712) if you are interested in obtaining more information about this initiative or would like to express your interest in being considered a partner site. Tribes who want to be considered for this initiative must contact Connie by April 10, You can also visit the QIC-AG website at qic-ag.org to obtain additional information.

22 DISCUSSION & QUESTIONS Funded through the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau, Grant #90CO The contents of this presentation do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the funders, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This information is in the public domain. Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit Spaulding for Children.