ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND METHODOLOGY |
Preparation of Orange County's Self-Assessment has been a collaborative process involving CFS staff, Probation Department staff and other Orange County stakeholders. CFS would like to acknowledge the following individuals and agencies for their participation in and contributions towards the the preparation of this report:
California Youth Connection, Herbie Vanderhorst
CalWORKs managers, Patsy Calvert; Phyllis Watanabe, Pam Boozan
Court Appointed Special Advocate, Lynda Perring
Children and Family Services Staff
Children and Family Services Data Assessment Workgroup
Children and Families Commission of Orange County, Carole Mintzer
Children and Family Futures, Sid Gardner
Children's Attorney, Harold La Flamme
Community stakeholder, private consultant, Dan McQuaid
Contract Providers' Forum
Orange County Social Services Agency County Counsel, Rachel Bavis
Diocese of Orange, Marywood Center, Carmela Treanor
Family Support Network, Linda Smith
Foster Care Nursing/Public Health Nurses
Foster Care Nursing, Sally Wurth, Deborah Chitty
Foster Parents
FaCT, Mary Ann Soden
FaCT Family Resource Center Coordinators
Health Care Agency, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, Mary Hale and Mary Morris
Health Care Agency, Behavioral Health, Dr. M. Todd
Health Care Agency, Perinatal therapists
Human Options, Cindy Campbell
Juvenile Court Bench
Juvenile Justice Commission, Bruce Malloy, Marcia Adler
Kinship Center, Sharon Roszia
Orange County Department of Education Managers, Ellin Chariton
Orange County Child Welfare Redesign Planning Council
Orange County Housing Authority
Orange County Probation Department, Connie Muckenthaler and Christina La Morte
Orange County Public Defender's Office, James Steinberg and Anthony Mesa
Orangewood Children's Foundation, Gene Howard
Parent representatives, Lisa Carmel and Tim Workman
RAISE Foundation, Terri Paulick
Regional Center, Mary Kavli
Regional Training Academy, Linda Walker
Relative/NREFM caregivers
Orange County Sheriff's Department, Pete Gannon, Don Barnes, Wade Walsvick
SELPA, Lowell Joint Unified School District, Superintendent, Joe Gillentine
Templo Cavario, Reverend Lee deLeon
To complete the Orange County Self Assessment, input was sought from over 45 stakeholders, as listed above. CFS staff, including staff from Orange County Social Services Agency Research Department and the Self Evaluation Team (SET) analyzed the outcome data, identifying contributing factors such as the integrity of data entry and other systemic factors impacting performance. Community stakeholders were also involved in data analysis contributing other data resources to the analysis.
Prior to designating tasks and developing a work plan, training and education was initiated to familiarize CFS staff and stakeholders with the California Outcomes and Accountability System. A work plan was developed and responsibilities were disseminated. A review team was designated to oversee coordination of the project. The review team has met twice a week for over six months.
The Orange County Child Welfare Redesign Planning Council (Planning Council) has provided executive oversight of the self assessment process. Members of the Planning Council have a broad range of expertise in services to children and families, and fulfilled most of the core representatives needed for the self-assessment. Over 60 Planning Council members assisted in the analysis of data and pertinent system improvement issues.
Additionally, the Planning Council selected the SIP focus items.
Additional input for the self-assessment was obtained through:
· Individual interviews of the majority of Planning Council members and other core representatives.
· Multiple focus groups with CFS staff, child caregivers, contract service providers and community stakeholders. Please see Attachment I for a list of Self Assessment Participants.
· Surveys were sent by email and postal mail and conducted by telephone with caregivers and clients.
Information regarding CFS policy and practice for each of the systemic factors was provided by CFS managers and other staff. This information was evaluated to determine the impact of practice on outcome data.
As Orange County CFS completes its System Improvement Plan (SIP), and continues with on-going quality development activities, it is anticipated that partnerships forged through this self-assessment process will be strengthened, resulting in improved outcomes for the children and families of Orange County.