ALASKA CITIZEN REVIEW PANEL
CRP’s work and how you can help
BIA Providers’ Conference
Anchorage, AK
December 2, 2014
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
• What is the CRP, and what does it do?
• Panel’s activities since 2002
• This year’s goals
• Your participation
• A short survey
WHAT DOES CRP DO?
Federal Mandate:
– Review and evaluate practice as well as policy and procedure
– Collect public comment and
– prepare and present an annual report which details their
activities and recommendations (CRP Annual Report)
State Mandate:
“The CRP shall examine the policies, procedures, and practices
of State and local agencies and where appropriate, specific
cases, to evaluate the extent to which State and local child
protection system agencies are effectively discharging their
protection responsibilities.”
VISION AND MISSION
Vision:
To enable the Office of Children’s Services to
implement its policies and procedures in a culturally
sensitive and consistent manner across the state.
Mission:
• Review and evaluate the practices and procedures of
OCS
• Recommend changes and improvements
CRPS CAN REVIEW, EVALUATE, OR EXAMINE
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Intake and screening
Investigation or assessment
Family Services (in-home or out-of-home)
Practice behaviors
Coordination of services
Staff qualifications, training, and workload
Utilization of technology
Review of individual cases
CRP RECOMMENDATIONS
Can address…
Should be…
• Policy-practice gaps • Focused and specific
• Inadequate policy
• Should deal with issues
• Issues not addressed in within OCS control
policy
• Based on meaningful
and real information
• Systemic issues
• Be based on the work
done through the year
PANEL MEMBERSHIP
• Volunteers
• Broadly representative of the state
– Diverse personal and professional background
– All parts of the state
– Some experience and familiarity with child protection
The Panel’s members are chosen through a formal
interview process
THIS IS HOW IT WORKS…
Alaska’s Child Protection
Policy
Practice
Needs of
children and
families
CRP’s job is to check if these wheels are turning as
we expect them to – smooth.
THIS IS HOW IT WORKS…
Alaska’s Child Protection
What is supposed
to be done?
Policy
Practice
Needs of
children and
families
What is
needed?
What is actually
done?
CRP tries to know the answers to these questions.
THIS IS HOW IT WORKS…
Every year the Panel starts with a WORK PLAN
Goal 1
Blah blah blah …..
• Tasks….
Goal 2
Blah blah blah …..
• Tasks…
Goal 3
• Tasks…
Blah blah blah …..
THIS IS HOW IT WORKS…
CRP pursues these goals through:
• Monthly meetings
– Panel meetings
– Meetings with OCS senior leadership
• Site visits
– Meet with OCS staff
– Meet with local partner agencies including tribal
leaders and ICWA workers
• Present to the legislature every February
• Release an annual report
COVERED ALMOST ALL OF THE STATE…
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM 2013-2014
• Recommendation 1: OCS make several changes
to its intake policy
– Create and support several methods for people to
make a report
– Change the intake procedures so reporters have to
opt-out of receiving follow up on the case
– Uniformly implement the current pilot project of
having a supervisor reviewing cases after 10
screened-out PSRs
– Periodically send a list of screened out PSRs to the
local field office
SCREENED OUT BECAUSE…
Screen Out - Does not Meet IA Criteria
3500.00
3000.00
2500.00
2000.00
1500.00
1000.00
500.00
0.00
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Anchorage
Northern
Southcentral
Southeast
Western
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM 2013-2014
• OCS develop a model for serving in-home cases
in rural Alaska and improve its data collection on
in-home cases
OCS Caseload as of January 28, 2014
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
In-home
Out-of-home
Statewide
777
2003
Anchorage
162
833
Northern
103
354
Out-of-home
Southcentral
65
499
In-home
Southeast
84
154
Western
363
163
16-Nov-14
16-Oct-14
16-Sep-14
16-Aug-14
16-Jul-14
16-Jun-14
16-May-14
16-Apr-14
16-Mar-14
16-Feb-14
16-Jan-14
16-Dec-13
16-Nov-13
16-Oct-13
16-Sep-13
16-Aug-13
16-Jul-13
16-Jun-13
16-May-13
16-Apr-13
16-Mar-13
16-Feb-13
16-Jan-13
16-Dec-12
16-Nov-12
16-Oct-12
16-Sep-12
16-Aug-12
16-Jul-12
16-Jun-12
16-May-12
16-Apr-12
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM 2013-2014
• Recommendation 3: OCS address the root of
Initial Assessment (IA) backlog problem
Percentage of IAs open for more than 90 days
0.70
0.60
0.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.00
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM 2013-2014
• Recommendation 4: OCS make improved
relationships with community partners a priority
– Focus on relationships has been part of CRPs work
for several years
– There is no consistent practice in building and
sustaining good relationships
– No institutional structure guiding relationships
PAST RECOMMENDATIONS
• 2008 & 2009 - That OCS continue to work
toward having a fifth service region
headquartered in Bethel
• 2009 - Supporting and developing the
relationship between OCS & ICWA (Indian
Child Welfare Act) workers
PAST RECOMMENDATIONS
• 2011 - Work to improve the culture within the
agency (Wasilla site visit)
• 2012 - Establish deadlines that require
non‐emergency petitions to be filed allowing for
supervision of the family by the continuum of
legal parties without necessitating the removal of
the child.
GOALS FOR 2014-2015
Retained all four goals from last year
And added:
• Learn more about ORCA and its capabilities
• Understand and assess OCS’ foster care
recruitment efforts
COME JOIN HANDS…
OCS cannot resolve all the issues alone
CRPs are set up for us to participate
WE JUST NEED TO FIND A COMMON LANGUAGE
• Child protection is very complex
• OCS is a complex system
– $ 300 million annual budget
– 500 workers
– 5 regional offices
– 21 field offices
• Governed by Federal laws, state laws, codes of
ethics, professional values, rules and regulations,
legal cases and opinions, etc.
WE JUST NEED TO FIND COMMON LANGUAGE
OCS says…
– Not enough money
– Not enough people
– Higher ups will not let us
do that…
– We have to do things one
at a time…
– We are following a set
process
Citizens say…
– Needs are important
– I know things are not
right…
– Why don’t you do
something now…
– You don’t understand
my community…
– We have no idea what
you do…everything is a
secret!
WE JUST NEED TO FIND A COMMON LANGUAGE
CRP is trying to translate between these parties
Alaska’s Child Protection
What is supposed
to be done?
Policy
Practice
Needs of
children and
families
What is actually
done?
What is
needed?
CRP NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU
About…
– Your concerns with child protection in your
community
– Your interaction with OCS
– Your observation on how things are going with OCS
– Your feedback on CRP work
You can remain anonymous. Your comments will be
confidential.
CONSIDER JOINING CRP
• CRP needs members from all parts of the state
– Voluntary
– May involve travel
– Flexible and limited involvement possible
• Formal selection process
– Application
– Interview
– References
THANK YOU!
For an application or
more information
www.crpalaska.org
Contact
Sylvan Robb
907-450-2456
[email protected]