Shared Family Care: An Innovative Model for Supporting & Restoring Families through Community Partnerships Amy Price, Associate Director National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center School of Social Welfare University of California, Berkeley October 15, 2003 For more information, contact Amy Price at or , or go to

Use of Shared Family Care Prevent Separation Restore/Reunify Decide to Relinquish

Key Elements of SFC  Community Partnerships  Engagement of Families as Partners  Use of Teams in Decision Making  Intensive Case Management & Support Services  Housing and Aftercare

Community Partnerships  Public/Private (CW Agency & CBO)  Mentors (community members)  Other local agencies including: Job training and employment Job training and employment Substance abuse treatment Substance abuse treatment Housing Housing Education Education

Engagement of Families  Participant Selection & Matching Process  Rights and Responsibilities Agreement  Individualized Family Plan

Use of Teams in Decision Making  Individualized Family Support Team Family members Family members Mentor Mentor Child welfare worker Child welfare worker Case manager Case manager Others invited by family Others invited by family Others invited by staff Others invited by staff  Monthly Team Meetings

Intensive Case Management & Support Services  Caseloads of 5-6  Meet with family avg. of 10 hours/week  On call 24/7  Monthly support meetings for participants  Monthly support meetings/trainings for mentors

Housing and Aftercare  Housing specialist begins 30 days into placement  Linkage with local housing agencies and landlords  6 months of aftercare  Linkage with community and faith based organizations

Who are the Mentors?  Average age 46  Single and married (about half)  73% African American, 15% Caucasian, 7% Latina, 4% Asian/PI, 1% other  Most work full or part time or are retired  25% have experience as foster parents and 2/3 have worked in human services  Stable

Shared Family Care Placements through May 2002 (n=87)

Who is Placed in SFC?  Mostly single women (a few single men)  Average age of 28  58% African American, 26% Caucasian, 13% Latina, 3% other  2 children an average age of 4  Uneducated, homeless, poor, and isolated from family and community  1/3 with criminal background  2/3 with substance abuse history

Outcomes  Family stability/self-sufficiency Income and Employment Income and Employment Housing Housing  Child safety & well-being Child welfare involvement Child welfare involvement

Percentage of Graduates Employed (N=25)

Average Monthly Income of Program Graduates

Percentage of Graduates Living Independently

Child Welfare Re-Entry Rate  8% re-entered foster care within 12 months of completing the SFC program.*  In comparison, 14% of children in California, and 17% of children in Contra Costa County, re-entered care within 12 months of reunification after regular non- kin foster care.**

Service Costs  Mentor recruitment, training and support  Pre-placement  Placement  Aftercare  Miscellaneous Administrative

Mean Monthly Cost Per Family SFC includes cost of direct placement services

Mean Total Cost Per Family SFC includes cost of direct placement services

Mean Total Cost Per Family (with all administrative costs) SFC includes all administrative costs

Other Costs  Start-up costs: a minimum of $100,000 over months  Respite  Matched savings  Transportation  Meeting costs  Administrative overhead

Potential Savings  Keeps families together  Less entry or re-entry to system  More stable, productive families  Multi-System savings, e.g., $750 per month in homeless shelter (see next slide)

Mean Monthly Cost Per Family with Cost of Homeless Shelter

Getting Started  Conduct community assessment of needs and resources  Educate key partners  Assess agency’s resources, readiness, experience, capacity, and commitment  Explore funding sources (look beyond child welfare)

Program Development  Allow months  Establish collaborative relationships (formal & informal); clarify roles & responsibilities  Identify goals and anticipated outcomes  Design program (address target population, length of placement, licensing, liability, aftercare, housing) to reflect outcomes  Develop policies and procedures

Program Development (cont.)  Establish mentor and client screening procedures and criteria  Conduct focus groups to target mentor recruitment  Recruit & train solid pool of mentors  Educate potential referral sources (CWWs, judges, attorneys, AOD counselors, etc.)

Make the commitment, start small, and have realistic expectations.