1. Child Welfare Demonstration Project (CWDP)
Family Engagement Study Overview
Alexis Pigott, Evaluation Specialist
Justin Donofrio, Evaluation Coordinator
Friday, September 21, 2018

2. This Family Engagement Study Overview will help Demonstration Project Counties:
Establish an understanding of the Child Welfare Demonstration Project and the Family Engagement Study (FES) component of the project
Learn how to accurately complete all Family Engagement Forms to ensure they are included in the FES
Establish a clear process for review and submission of forms

3. Pennsylvania Child Welfare Demonstration Project Three Areas of Focus
Assessment
Evidence-Based Practices
Engagement
Over the course of the CWDP, counties will engage families, assess families and connect them to evidence based interventions toward achieving two outcomes (1) improved child & family functioning, and (2) improved placement decisions.

4. Pennsylvania Child Welfare Demonstration Project Three Areas of Focus
Assessment
Evidence-Based Practices
Engagement
Assessment Component:
Ages & Stages Questionnaires®/Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional® (ASQ/ASQ: SE)
Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS)
Family Advocacy & Support Tool (FAST)
Family Engagement Component:
Conferencing and Teaming
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM)
Family Team Meeting (FTM)
Family Group Conferencing (FGC)
Family and Teaming Conference (FTC)
Evidence-Based Practices Component:
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
Positive Parenting Program (Triple P)

5. The Family Engagement Study (FES)
The purpose of the FES is to assess:
Readiness
Readiness to implement/scale-up family engagement strategies
Fidelity
The fidelity of implementation and application of family engagement strategies
Impact
The impact of family conferences or groups on certain outcomes

6. Initial Conference Forms
Facilitator Face Sheet
Identifies logistical information about the conference
Completed by facilitator at each conference
Family Conference Survey
Measures fidelity to common core intervention elements
Completed by all participants (except facilitator) at conclusion of each conference
Initial Conference
Case Closure
Conf. #2
Conf. #...
Baseline Form
Identifies who attended, reasons for conference, what happened as a result of the conference, demographic and service information about a child
Completed by a professional at or shortly after initial conference
Follow-Up Form
Similar to Baseline Form, but focuses on services and living environment
Completed by a professional after each conference (after the initial)

7. Initial Conference Forms
An “initial” conference is the conference that occurs for either the first time in the history of the child’s involvement in CYF OR when more than 12 months have passed since the last conference.
A set of Initial Conference forms include:
1 Facilitator Face Sheet
The purpose of the Facilitator Face Sheet is to gather logistical information about the conference (e.g., was transportation provided, child care, what is the conference location); conference type, purpose of the meeting, attendance, and other important identifying information about the facilitator.
The facilitator completes the form either before or shortly after the conference.

8. Initial Conference Forms
Family Conference Surveys
The purpose of the Family Conference Survey is to measure fidelity to common core family engagement intervention elements (since each county uses a different family engagement model), and also to capture the voice of participants at the conferences. SO, it is very valuable!
This is completed by all participants (except facilitator) at the conclusion of each conference.
It is helpful when the identifying information portion of the Survey is completed prior to the conference by the facilitator. This will ensure consistency in the MCI numbers, date of conference and so on.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE!
If NO surveys were completed, a facilitator face sheet and a baseline should still be submitted. In this instance, these forms constitute a complete set.

9. Initial Conference Forms
1 Baseline Form
The purpose of the Baseline form is to identify who attended the conference, the reasons for conference, what happened as a result of the conference, and demographic and service information about a child.
The Baseline Form is completed at or shortly after the initial conference by a professional, such as:
Casework staff
CUA worker (Philadelphia only)
CUA worker and casework staff together (Philadelphia only)

10. Follow-Up Conference Forms
Facilitator Face Sheet
Identifies logistical information about the conference
Completed by facilitator at each conference
Family Conference Survey
Measures fidelity to common core intervention elements
Completed by all participants (except facilitator) at conclusion of each conference
Initial Conference
Case Closure
Conf. #2
Conf. #...
Baseline Form
Identifies who attended, reasons for conference, what happened as a result of the conference, demographic and service information about a child
Completed by a professional at or shortly after initial conference
Follow-Up Form
Similar to Baseline Form, but focuses on services and living environment
Completed by a professional after each conference (after the initial)

11. Follow-Up Conference Forms
A “follow-up” conference is held after the initial conference, at the time of a Family Service Plan revision OR when another conference is held due to an emergency situation (e.g., placement in jeopardy).
A set of Follow-Up Conference forms includes only one form that has not been discussed already and that is the Follow-Up Form:
Follow-Up Form
The Follow-Up form is similar to the Baseline Form, but its purpose is to focus on services and living environment.
The Follow-Up form is completed by the caseworker after each follow-up conference ( but not after an initial conference).
A set of Follow-Up Conference forms include:
1 Facilitator Face Sheet
The Family Conference Surveys
1 Follow-Up Form

12. Facilitator Face Sheet Family Conference Survey
Case Closures Forms
Facilitator Face Sheet
Identifies logistical information about the conference
Completed by facilitator at each conference
Family Conference Survey
Measures fidelity to common core intervention elements
Completed by all participants (except facilitator) at conclusion of each conference
Initial Conference
Case Closure
Conf. #2
Conf. #...
Baseline Form
Identifies who attended, reasons for conference, what happened as a result of the conference, demographic and service information about a child
Completed by a professional at or shortly after initial conference
Follow-Up Form
Similar to Baseline Form, but focuses on services and living environment
Completed by a professional after each conference (after the initial)

13. Case Closure Forms
Case Closure forms are completed when a case has its closure conference or you learn that the case has closed outside of a conference.
If “case closure” occurs at a conference, complete the following forms:
1 Facilitator Face Sheet
Family Conference Surveys
1 Follow-Up Form (marked that the case is closed)
If case closure, occurs outside of a conference, complete:

14. Remember! Quality Assurance Tips
Print forms from the website or make copies using a clean original to ensure that forms are legible
The forms have a scan code (bottom right) which needs to be clear in order to process them
We are likely to lose/miss information from forms that are not legible
Use the right forms for the right conferences
Use the correct combination of forms for initial, follow-up or case closure conferences
Information submitted on the wrong forms cannot be included in the study

15. Remember! Quality Assurance Tips, Continued
MCI Numbers are crucial!
The MCI is a critical identifier within the CWDP. We do not collect names, or DOB’s in the project, so the MCI Number is our ONLY link to connect the data on children and families.
MCI Numbers must be included and complete on each form (they can be up to nine digits long)
Writing on the forms must be legible
Illegible letters and numbers are misread or skipped resulting in inaccurate and missing information that will not be included in the study
*We share these reminders because we know that it takes a lot of time and effort to complete these forms – for you and the conference participants. Failing to do any of these things can make the forms unusable. We do not want to waste any of your time and effort, or miss out on this opportunity to hear from youth and families.*

16. Internal Quality Assurance Process
To ensure the forms your county submits are useable, it may be helpful to collaborate with the family engagement contacts in your agency to establish an Internal Quality Assurance Process. The process may include identifying who is responsible for each of the following:
Completing the top portion of the Family Engagement Survey forms at conferences to ensure that the information is accurate and consistent.
Revising submissions to ensure all of the appropriate forms were completed for a given conference type and that the information is accurate and complete.
Submitting Family Engagement forms to the CWRC.
Responding to/directing follow-up questions from the CWRC.

17. Family Engagement Resources
To access these resources, refer to PACWRC Website
Baseline Form Family Conference Survey          - Spanish Version Facilitator Face Sheet         Follow-Up Form User's Guide Frequently Asked Questions Instructional Video
Contact Information:
Alexis Pigott