Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Strategies for Addressing Disproportionality through Community Engagement & Cross- System 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 11 th Annual Disproportionate Minority Contact Conference September 9, 2006 – New Orleans

Desired Outcomes for Today 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 Learn about the community engagement strategies for leading this work Recognize the challenges, barriers and opportunities in this work Establish the linkage of this work to DFPS Renewal in Texas 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 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  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  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) Provide cultural competency training to all service delivery staff. 2) Increase targeted recruitment for foster and adoptive parents to meet needs of children waiting for homes 3) Target recruitment efforts to ensure diversity among child welfare staff. 4) Develop collaborative community partnerships “to provide culturally competent services to children and families of every race and ethnicity.”

Additional Legislative Mandates  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: _Disproportionality.pdf _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? DFPS Casey Family Programs Youth and family representatives Community stakeholders 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 multi- faceted approach: socially, economically, educationally and politically  The community must be the driving force behind any sustainable change

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

Dallas County Data: FY 2005

2005 Texas / Dallas County Juvenile Justice Referrals * Texas Juvenile Probation Commission Formal Referrals State102,459 Dallas County 10,201 EthnicityStateDallas County White29,582 (28.9%) 1,497 (14.7%) Black25,103 (24.5%) 4,268 (41.8%) Hispanic46,674 (45.6%) 4,279 (41.9%) Other 1,100 (1%) 157 (1.6%)

Juvenile Age Population vs. Referrals * Texas Juvenile Probation Commission Juvenile Population StateDallas County White1,014,730 (40.9%) 67,497 (26.8%) Black 331,174 (13.3%) 63,515 (25.7%) Hispanic1,051,522 (42.3%) 109,127 (43.3%) Total2,483, ,253 Juvenile Offenses EthnicityStateDallas County White29,582 (28.9%) 1,497 (14.7%) Black25,103 (24.5%) 4,268 (41.8%) Hispanic46,674 (45.6%) 4,279 (41.9%) Other 1,100 (1%) 157 (1.6%)

Dallas County Juvenile Department  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  Examination of System 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  Began in May 2002  Community Vision, Mission and Goals Community focused, data-driven Existing data maximized and improved Gaps identified 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 Review of data Charter development Other stakeholders Plan for decision making Identification of resources Action planning Town Hall meetings Determine practice models MOUs Who else should be at the table? Form Community Advisory Committee Begin implementation 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 Leadership commitment Diversity and breadth of Disproportionality Community Advisory Committee Commitment to stakeholder involvement Alignment with Vision and Values

Statewide Accomplishments 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 More youth and family engagement Fewer youth in the foster care system Fewer out-of-home placement moves Less time in foster care placement More youth placed with kin More foster and adoptive homes 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.