DRAFT - DCFS Chapin Hall FY23 Scope of Work~1.docx

STATE OF ILLINOIS

DRAFT CONTRACT

Dept. of Children & Family Services DCFS Multiple Projects

1. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES AND SERVICES

1.1. SUPPLIES AND/OR SERVICES REQUIRED: DCFS FY23 Multiple Projects

Vendor:

Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 1313 East 60th Street Chicago, IL 60637

Primary Contact:

Mary Sue Morsch, Policy Fellow Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 1313 East 60th Street Chicago, IL 60637 773-256-5180 (phone) 773-256-5380 (fax) mmorsch@chapinhall.org

Below is a summary of the scope of contractual work performed by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, for the Department of Children and Family Services for this Contract. Services provided under this Contract include research, evaluation, and implementation support for the management of improved client outcomes and system-level performance under the Department’s requirements for Federal funding and its obligations to the Federal court under the B.H. vs. Smith court decree.

In July 2015, a court appointed B.H. Expert Panel submitted a report making recommendations for systemic change at DCFS. The Court adopted the Expert Panel’s findings and asked for the collaboration of the parties and the Expert Panel to develop an implementation plan for DCFS to follow as it addresses systemic reform. The Parties jointly submitted the DCFS B.H. Amended and Revised Implementation Plan in 2016, in which Chapin Hall was specifically named as the research entity to support many aspects of the plan (see below). This followed a long- standing role Chapin Hall played as an evaluator and thought partner around key reforms of Illinois and other state child welfare systems. As of this writing, Chapin Hall has authored contents for the reports and attachments provided by DCFS to the Federal court under the B.H. consent decree. Chapin Hall also provides other reports to DCFS as needed.

This procurement also assists the Department in meeting its Federal reporting and funding requirements. First, several reform efforts that are part of the B.H. Implementation Plan are also part of the Department’s Program Improvement Plan (PIP) responding to the Children’s Bureau Child and Family Services Review findings. Chapin Hall is also supporting DCFS to comply with Federal requirements and developing a programmatic response and subsequent evaluation of the resources offered to States under the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). Chapin Hall’s team includes staff who have experience working in state and Federal child welfare agencies, which uniquely positions Chapin Hall to assist with activities related to the CFSR, PIP, and other Federal requirements.

Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago DCFS FY23 Multiple Projects Contract #: 3012009013 Scope of Work

There is a total of 21 projects in FY23. These include 19 continuations from FY22 and 2 new projects. Projects include research, evaluation, and implementation support that rely upon complex longitudinal datasets and analysis. Projects support State initiatives, Federal requirements, and consent decree obligations.

Due to the likely continuation of some public health precautions related to COVID-19, technology shall be used as much as/is practical to protect Chapin Hall staff, DCFS staff, and the public by minimizing in-person meetings to the greatest extent possible. This shall continue until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DCD), Illinois Department of Public Health, and/or Illinois Governor's Office declare the situation safe to resume in person meetings at will. For purposes of this Contract, Videoconferencing, Teleconferencing, Zoom, and WebEx are used interchangeably and have the same meaning as Video(ing) in the scope of work below.

1. Immersion Sites Evaluation

2. Families Together Evaluation (previously Therapeutic Foster Care Evaluation [TFC)

3. Residential Monitoring Evaluation (TRPMI)

4. Regenerations/RUR Support/CQI

5. Residential Care Research

6. Strategic Implementation Support

7. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Framework

8. Early Childhood Court Team (ECCT) Evaluation

9. Home Visiting Evaluation

10. Youth Empowerment Survey Support (YES)

11. Intact Family Services

12. Center for State Foster Care and Adoption Data (FCDA)

13. Data Support

14. Safety Assessment (formerly CERAP Review)

15. Family First

16. YVLifeSet Evaluation

17. Motivational Interviewing (Ml) CQI

18. Multisystemic Therapy (MST) CQI

19. Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT) Evaluation

20. Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation

21. Wraparound Evaluation

Description of Services:

1. Immersion Sites Evaluation

Chapin Hall conducts the evaluation of the DCFS implementation of a Core Practice Model via Immersion Sites. The Core Practice Model utilizes a Family-Centered, Trauma-Informed, Strengths-Based (FTS) curriculum that includes a Model of Supervision (MoSP) and training and coaching in child and family team meeting facilitation. Front-line staff across the state have or will be retrained using this curriculum and supervisors have or will be taught how to manage, coach, and evaluate regional front-line staff in their daily engagement and decision-making with children and their families. In addition, DCFS partners with its contracted providers to broaden the array of services that are available to children and their families at the selected immersion sites. The Chapin Hall evaluation of Immersion Sites is a cohort study.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Attend and participate in project meetings

· Develop and revise the logic model, process study plan, outcome study plan, and other program evaluation documents, as necessary

· Obtain and revise project permissions, as necessary

· Conduct, write up, and present analyses for monthly meetings, triannual reports to the Court as required by the B.H. consent decree, and ad hoc reports, as necessary

· Conduct Wave 2 worker and supervisor survey

Justification: DCFS established “Immersion Sites” as part of the B.H. Implementation Plan in March 2016. Chapin Hall has served as the Immersion Sites evaluator since planning activities began and is the only organization to have served as evaluator of this project. Therefore, it is the only organization that has the necessary history of planning and implementation activity that maintains the necessary data and database to conduct the research/evaluation. Another organization would have to start over, which would be time consuming, cost prohibitive, and detrimental to the Department’s efforts to move forward without disruption. Another organization would have to secure the data and build an extremely complex database for research and analysis.

2. Families Together Evaluation (previously Therapeutic Foster Care Evaluation [TFC])

The TFC Pilot evaluation ended in FY22. The evaluation measured the congruence of the program to the core values and guiding principles and its effectiveness in deflecting youth from higher end care or moving youth from higher end care into the community. In FY22, Chapin Hall began planning for the evaluation of the Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) Families Together Model, which includes Keeping Foster and Kin Parents Supported and Trained (KEEP), Generation Parent Management Training - the Oregon Model (GenerationPMTO), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Attend and participate in monthly project meetings and ad hoc meetings with DCFS. Monthly project meetings are in-person or by WebEx in Chicago, IL. Ad hoc meetings are in person in Chicago, IL or by WebEx, depending on meeting details.

· Develop and revise the logic model, process study plan, outcome study plan, and other program evaluation documents, as required to keep documents aligned with changes to the implementation or evaluation plans.

· Obtain and revise project permissions with the University IRB and LSSI and DCFS Research Review Committee, as required to keep permissions aligned with changes to the implementation or evaluation plans.

· Conduct, write up, and present analyses for project meetings and ad hoc reports, as necessary. Presentations are made in-person or by WebEx, depending on meeting details.

· Conduct and write up analyses for the TFC evaluation required by Public Act 099-0350.

Justification: The evaluation of the Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) Program examines implementation (in accordance with principles articulated in the exempt TFC Request for Proposals from provider agencies) and youth outcomes of placement in the TFC programs. It will measure the congruence of the program to the core values and guiding principles articulated in the RFP, as well as add to the field’s knowledge of whether the strategies proposed by the provider are effective for impacting the four key outcomes. The TFC Program began in FY16 when DCFS selected the providers to implement TFC. Evaluation activities began in FY16 and continued thru Fall, 2021. A five- year therapeutic foster care program is also required to be conducted and evaluated by Public Act 099-0350. The Chapin Hall evaluation for B.H. will serve as the evaluation for the legislatively mandated program, which is due in Summer, 2022. It is cost prohibitive and will delay the evaluation to retain another evaluator given the stage of the program and evaluation implementation.

3. Residential Monitoring Evaluation (TRPMI)

Chapin Hall conducts the evaluation of the Residential Monitoring Program. The provision of Therapeutic Residential treatment occurs in a complex environment that precludes a causal attribution related to monitoring. Chapin Hall developed an evaluation design that can detect differences between historical trends in practice and adherence to new protocols, known as an interrupted time series study. This requires documentation of baseline practice using existing monitoring tools as well as building upon these tools to provide mechanisms for capturing data on adherence to evolving performance expectations. The evaluation also incorporates components that assess organizational culture in residential facilities. In this way, the evaluation may inform DCFS of the likely impact of Residential Monitoring on both the quality of care and on child and youth outcomes. Chapin Hall also provides implementation support to the planning and implementation of a proposed new monitoring model under the B.H. consent decree.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Attend and participate in bi-weekly project meetings and ad hoc meetings with DCFS. Project meetings are held in-person in Chicago, IL, or by WebEx depending on meeting details.

· Develop and revise the logic model, process study plan, outcome study plan, and other program evaluation documents, as required to keep documents aligned with changes to the implementation or evaluation plans.

· Obtain and revise project permissions with the University IRB and DCFS Research Review Committee, as required to keep permissions aligned with changes to the implementation or evaluation plans.

· Conduct, write up, and present analyses for monthly meetings, triannual reports to the Court as required by the B.H. consent decree, and ad hoc reports, as necessary. Presentations are made in-person or by WebEx, depending on meeting details.

Justification: Pursuant to B.H. v. Sheldon expert panel recommendations in 7/2015, DCFS established litigation related tests of change. Residential Monitoring is one such test and Chapin Hall has been the evaluator from the beginning. It is cost prohibitive and will delay the evaluation to retain another evaluator given the stage of program and evaluation implementation. TRPMI began in January of 2017.

4. Regenerations/RUR Support/CQI

The evaluation of the Regenerations Pilot as part of the B.H. consent decree concluded in FY22. In follow-up to the evaluation phase, Chapin Hall will provide two separate areas of ongoing support. The first area is to support DCFS and the two providers, Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois (LCFS) and Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), with the implementation of the Regenerations model in the Central and Southern regions. Chapin Hall’s anticipated scope in these new regions includes providing implementation supports and developing a continuous quality improvement (CQI) structure. The second area of support is to continue the CQI support that is already provided to the Cook County Regenerations team in their effort to expand referral pathways into the program.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Attend and participate in monthly project meetings and ad hoc meetings with DCFS. Project meetings are in-person in Chicago, IL or by WebEx, depending on meeting details.

· Develop and revise implementation support plan and CQI plan.

· Obtain and revise project permissions with the University IRB and DCFS Research Review Committee, as required to keep permissions aligned with changes to study plans.

· Conduct, write up, and present analysis for monthly meetings, and ad-hoc reports, as necessary. Presentations are made in-person or by WebEx, depending on meeting details.

Justification: Pursuant to B.H. v. Sheldon expert panel recommendations in 7/2015, DCFS established litigation related programs. Regenerations is one such program. It began in 2015 and Chapin Hall has been the evaluator from the outset. This program has become increasingly important lately and the underlying issue has become a top priority for DCFS. It is cost prohibitive and will delay the evaluation to retain another evaluator given the stage of program and evaluation implementation. A new evaluator would need to start data analysis and other evaluation activities from the beginning, which would be duplicative of work already paid for to Chapin Hall.

5. Residential Care Research

Chapin Hall will support the implementation of a new approach to the administration of out-of-home care including residential care, by engaging in data analysis to examine changing utilization patterns over time, inform placement decision-making, and the development of home-based alternatives to congregate care for youth in or at-risk of entering out-of-home and residential care. The focus of this work will be to continue analytic procedures to inform the development of metrics to monitor and guide performance as well as to inform the implementation of various initiatives aimed at reducing the use of congregate care. These analyses will guide recommendations around development of community-based resources for youth in need of intensive services and supervision and the early identification of youth in need of high-end care. It will also help the Department implement changes in the use of residential care required by the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA).

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Attend and participate in monthly project meetings and ad hoc meetings with DCFS. Monthly project meetings and ad hoc meetings are in-person in Chicago, IL or by WebEx, depending on meeting details.

· Conduct, write up, and present analyses for monthly and ad hoc meetings, as necessary. Write-ups of analyses are delivered as requested to the Chief Deputy Director or their designee. Presentations are made in-person or by WebEx, depending on meeting details.

· Analyze trends and changes in trends of the utilization of residential care or youth at risk of placement in residential care, continue to develop and refine predictive analytic models for residential entry, re-entries, disruptions from residential step-down placements, and lateral moves from one to another residential center, describe Family First target population characteristics and risks for congregate care, and examine other issues related to the use of residential care and/or alternatives to residential care as requested by the Chief Deputy Director or their designee.

· Conduct review of existing literature to place Illinois performance and results of predictive models in appropriate context.

· Identify new or revised child welfare policies as needed to support Family First implementation.

· Conduct analysis from a variety of data sources to identify service availability and gaps.

Justification: This service provides the Department with research that will assist in the response to the B.H. lawsuit, the Federal CFSR, and PIP. An important part of the B.H. lawsuit regards the Department’s use of residential care, oversight of residential care, and development of alternatives to residential care. Use of residential and other forms of congregate care are also an important part of the CFSR review and are likely to play an important role in the PIP. This contract provides research that will allow the Department to improve programs for foster children and families. Research will determine the level of success in diverting families reported for maltreatment from the abuse and neglect investigation to appropriate services and avert future reports. Research leads to the development of appropriate services for youth that will improve their developmental outcomes, resulting in fewer youth in care. With a staff of researchers’ expert in the use of the Department’s administrative data and a staff with experience working within federal and state child welfare agencies (including Illinois DCFS), Chapin Hall is uniquely positioned to assist the Department by conducting residential care research.

6. Strategic Implementation Support

Chapin Hall provides targeted strategic consultation to the Department to help leadership meet their strategic objectives. With the release of the Report of the B.H. Expert Panel, joint filing of the B.H. Plan, and subsequent judicial and legislative mandates, there are requirements of the Department that represent opportunities for innovation and improvement if implemented soundly and in a manner consistent with research evidence. Some of the targeted strategic consultation activities focus on providing support for B.H.-related work such as incorporating evaluation considerations into implementation plans and providing data-informed guidance on implementation planning decisions.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Provide targeted consultation to help DCFS meet its strategic objectives.

· Conduct systematic reviews of existing literature regarding topics of strategic importance to the Department.

· Provide implementation Support for DCFS strategic initiatives, including B.H. projects, Federal PIP plans, Federal CFSR reviews, plans for targeted youth in care and selection and implementation of evidence-based practices.

· Attend meetings with DCFS and the expert panel. Meetings are in person in Chicago, IL or by WebEx, depending on meeting details. Participate on workgroups and in planning calls as needs and circumstances arise.

· Utilize, on behalf of DCFS, statistical methodological consultation to answer complex research questions.

· Provide feedback on the application of metrics and indicators to make policy and practice decisions.

· Present research findings relevant to strategic goals.

· Support the Department’s efforts to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) and implement its PIP.

Justification: Pursuant to B.H. v. Sheldon expert panel recommendations in 7/2015, DCFS established litigation related programs. Chapin Hall was asked to provide implementation support for those programs while at the same time serving as the evaluator. The Chapin Hall team provides unique expertise in supporting strategic implementation efforts of the Department. Chapin Hall has been working on these projects since 2015 and provides a both historical and ongoing record of both the plans and implementation rollouts according to the principles of implementation science.

7. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Framework

Chapin Hall provides support to DCFS to develop an enhanced statewide quality improvement process involving both DCFS and POS stakeholders and ensure that identified outcomes and benchmarks are aligned with Federal reporting requirements, court mandated system improvements, and DCFS strategic objectives.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Support the Department’s efforts to develop and refine an enhanced CQI process for DCFS and its POS agencies

· Provide consultation and coaching for the implementation of enhanced CQI through learning collaboratives and other strategies

· Prepare and revise CQI trainings as needed/requested

· Train and coach DCFS and POS staff on CQI as requested

· Prepare Permanency Enhancement Project (PEP) reports on a quarterly basis

· Serve as a member of the Permanency Enhancement Project Collaborative

· Conduct ACR/Aristotle P. validation and fidelity reviews

Justification: Chapin Hall is supporting skill development and the rollout of a robust CQI process for DCFS and its private agency partners to improve Illinois performance on Federal child and family services review indicators, as well as overarching outcomes as required under B.H. This work is essential to the improved performance of the Illinois system from both a Federal administrative, and Federal court perspective. Resources to support CQI per the BH Consent Decree Superseding Plan and support of the CFSR Program Improvement Plan. The 2018 Illinois Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) found that the Illinois Quality Assurance System is not in substantial conformity with Federal standards and will need to be part of the DCFS Program Improvement Plan (PIP). The Chapin Hall team has unique and proven CQI expertise at the Federal, state and local levels to support Illinois’ successful implementation of this effort.

8. Early Childhood Court Team (ECCT) Evaluation

The Early Childhood Court Team (ECCT) is a therapeutic dependency court that utilizes judicial leadership informed by the developmental needs of infants and toddlers. The therapeutic court model was initiated in Miami, Florida and later adopted by Zero-to-Three as the Safe Babies Court Teams (SBCT; Zero to Three, 2014). SBCTs seek to minimize the inherently adversarial nature of court processes through increased communication, knowledge of child development, and mediation and coordination that prioritizes the urgency of this developmental period and expedites permanency.

Evaluation of the Illinois ECCT Project includes process and outcomes studies. The outcome study focuses on permanency rates and whether in the ECCT context permanency rates change. The theory of change frames the evaluation. Chapin Hall continues to work with DCFS on the theory of change as a living document.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Continue to update evaluation plan and timeline, as necessary

· Collect data for study including demographic and outcomes data as specified above

· Participate in project implementation meetings

· Conduct interim analyses

· Provide preliminary results to inform next steps in implementation

· Refine the theory of change that links the ECCT model to specific exit rate probabilities

· Build and implement the Baseline, Target and Actual reports (BTA-R) to provide real-time input into the pace of discharges

· Integrate the foregoing with the improvement cycle and promote operational adjustments aligned with the theory of change

Justification: Under the terms and conditions of Federal Title IV-E waiver Chapin Hall was involved as a sub recipient on the IB3 (birth to 3) waiver evaluation. ECCT is a programmatic extension of the 1B3 initiative that offers specialized court teams to eligible families. Given its role as an evaluator of the parent program (IB3) and its familiarity with the resources needed to carry out an evaluation of the Safe Baby Court, it would be cost prohibitive to retain another evaluator given the implementation schedule and the need for timely, robust feedback from the evaluation team.

9. Home Visiting Evaluation

DCFS requested an evaluation waiver for the two home visiting interventions, Healthy Families America (HFA) and Parents as Teachers (PAT), which are both listed as "well-supported" on the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. Chapin Hall is responsible for implementing the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) plan for both home visiting interventions to monitor fidelity to the HFA and PAT models, to ensure that results of that monitoring will be used to improve practices, and to measure the outcomes that are achieved.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Participate in bi-monthly steering committee meetings

· Co-chair the CQI/evaluation subcommittee

· Analyze DCFS administrative data for the intact families and pregnant and parenting youth in care referred for or receiving home visiting services

· Analyze data collected by the Home Visiting Specialists and the Illinois Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Care Home Visiting (IPPYC-HV) Coordinator

· Analyze data collected by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) on the home visiting services families receive

· Collect survey and/or interview data from (1) families receiving home visiting services; (2) home visitors and home visiting supervisors from HFA and PAT programs; and (3) OCFS Early Childhood Project Home Visiting Specialists, DCFS and POS Intact Families Services case managers, and DCFS and POS Intact Families Services supervisors

· Prepare a year-end interim report

Justification: Chapin Hall has been designated under the Family First Prevention Services State of Illinois Plan as an evaluator to identify areas of improvement, select and implement continuous quality improvement activities, and monitor the results of those activities.

10. Youth Empowerment Survey Support (YES)

The Illinois State Legislature enacted SBl743 (P.A. 101-166) which requires the Department "to develop and process a standardized survey to gather feedback from children who are aging out of foster care and from children who have transitioned out of the foster care system" in coordination with the Foster Care Alumni of America Illinois Chapter, the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and the Department's Statewide Youth Advisory Board. According to the legislation, the survey should include questions about "the children's experience with and opinion of State foster care services, the children's recommendations for improvement of such services, the amount of time the children spent in the foster care system, and any other information deemed relevant by the Department." The Department is required to administer the survey to "all youth participating in transitional living programs, independent living programs, or Youth in College and to all youth receiving scholarships or tuition waivers under the DCFS Scholarship Program" every 5 years and submit a report based on the survey results to the Governor and the General Assembly. Chapin Hall prepared the first report at the end of last year. The Department has decided to administer the survey annually, rather than every five years, and has asked Chapin Hall to revise the survey, analyze the survey data, and prepare an annual report.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Monitor YES survey completion

· Analyze the YES survey data

· Prepare a written report on YES survey

Justification: The Illinois State Legislature enacted SBl743 (P.A. 101-166) which requires the Department "to develop and process a standardized survey to gather feedback from children who are aging out of foster care and from children who have transitioned out of the foster care system" in coordination with the Foster Care Alumni of America Illinois Chapter, the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and the Department's Statewide Youth Advisory Board. Chapin Hall was selected to assist DCFS in administering and analyzing survey data.

11. Intact Family Services

Building on foundational analytic and program design work for Intact Family Services completed in FY21 and guided by the Systemic Review of Critical Incidents in Intact Family Services issued in 2019, Chapin Hall continued to provide analytic and implementation support for key program improvements in FY22. Specifically, Chapin Hall partnered with Department leaders to improve Intact Family Services processes and practices for case closures, family engagement, and CWS Rereferral Program monitoring. Throughout, Chapin Hall facilitated the rigorous use of administrative data and other information sources, collaborative process and program design, and best practices for implementation.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

• Provide implementation support for DCFS strategic initiatives regarding critical incidents and intact family services

• Design a structure and process for the ongoing intentional use of administrative data and other information sources to monitor Intact Family Services program performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and initiate corrective actions; develop a business process map or other written materials describing the same

• Provide implementation support for new protocols, practices, and business processes; revise technical specifications for administrative data sources and Power BI report design as needed

• Provide design and implementation support for Child and Family Teams in Intact Family Services; facilitate coordination with the Department’s broader CFTM initiatives

• Facilitate communication, coordination and alignment with broader DCFS strategic initiatives impacting Intact Family Services, including, but not limited to 1) FFPSA prevention services, 2) Immersion Site wraparound services, 3) new safety assessment, and 4) revised Case Plan; provide implementation support as needed

Justification: With the lowest foster care entry rate in the nation, Illinois has a high threshold for child removal. Safe implementation of this threshold depends upon the use of accurate and sensitive tools for detecting safety threats and risk, as well as the availability of preventive services to stabilize and support families as they work toward meeting the needs of their children. As the Department prepares to leverage Intact Family Services to provide additional prevention services using evidence-based approaches, Chapin Hall has an opportunity to: (1) examine the population served to understand the array of needs, risks, and strengths they present; (2) examine the array of practices and services currently being offered; and (3) review the infrastructure supports, including technological systems, that allow for timely and comprehensive documentation that can promote early detection of increased risk and prevent harm.

12. Center for State Foster Care and Adoption Data (FCDA)

As part of its membership to Chapin Hall's Center for State Child Welfare Data, DCFS provides Chapin Hall electronic foster care records. Chapin Hall transforms those records into a longitudinal file that is uploaded to a web-based analytic interface that allows authorized users to answer mission-critical questions about trajectories and outcomes for children in foster care. The tool enables analysis at the state, county and child level as well comparisons to other jurisdictions.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Provide DCFS with a basic subscription to the Multistate Foster Care Date Archive (FCDA), which allows comparisons at the state, county, and child level.

· Generate a state specific file; develop programs to regularly update the agency file

· Provide technical assistance and support to web tool users.

· Upon request, further develop a state-customized longitudinal file and upload it to the web-based interface. This will permit intra-Illinois analyses using state-customized definitions. For example, in the state-customized fi le, the state may choose to add variables that classify cases by region, field office, or judicial circuit.

· Upon request, further develop a POS agency-based longitudinal file and upload it to a parallel webbased interface. This will permit comparisons at the provider agency level. Together with this work, Chapin Hall will work with the State to develop a plan for providing POS agencies access to the agency-based web tool.

Justification: The Data Center is a partnership of state child welfare agencies, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, the American Public Human Services Association, and the Center for Social Services Research at the University of California at Berkeley. It is the only such child welfare database in the country. The Data Center provides child welfare agencies with the precision tools they need to examine the extent to which they achieve their intended outcomes, whether they receive the best return on their investments, and how they might allocate future funds toward a more cost-effective system. The result is knowledge that enables states to make informed decisions about future programming and investments, sparking a cycle of continuous quality improvement based on evidence. Chapin Hall is the only provider of this service.

13. Data Support

Chapin Hall maintains an Integrated Database that is based on DCFS administrative data. Chapin Hall maintains the Integrated Database to have an available and supported file of DCFS data by which it can complete rigorous research, analyses, data integration, and evaluations for OCFS on an ongoing basis. The Integrated Database is also the primary information source for the other projects specified in this contract, although additional data sets, e.g., Chicago Public Schools, IL Department of Human Services, and other state agency data are often leveraged and linked to DCFS data to deepen and enrich analyses. Further, at the request of DCFS leadership, Chapin Hall provides prepared datasets derived from the Integrated Database to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Child and Family Research Center; the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Social Work; and others to support work those institutions conduct for and on behalf of the Illinois child welfare system.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Clean, link data elements in data files, reformat and document DCFS data on as needed basis

· Support all other tasks in this Contract and other DCFS-related research that requires up-to-date state and administrative data

· Continue to conduct quality control on data that is provided to Chapin Hall from DCFS and provide DCFS with specific information on the quality of data items

· Geo-code all DCFS data so that geographic data can be included, and spatial analysis can be conducted when needed

· Combine administrative data with data that is collected in each of the Programs in this contract as appropriate

· Chapin Hall to produce a cohesive set of state administrative data

· A secondary outcome is to combine this data with other data being collected by researchers and determine how it might become a regular part of the overall database

Justification: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago is the only organization that maintains 30 years of DCFS longitudinal data that can be used to answer research questions and conduct evaluations. At the request of OCFS, Chapin Hall also provides data to other Universities conducting research for the Department. It would be time and cost prohibitive to consider working with another organization who would have to start over in securing the data and building an extremely complex database. The new provider would need to replicate prior Chapin Hall work and would encounter severe learning curve issues to design and create the data system, including entering and implementing data sharing agreements with multiple parties. During this replication period, it is likely that data would not be available to support the DCFS research and evaluation efforts. Any effort to replication this system would be a complete duplication of work already paid for by the State.

14. Safety Assessment (formerly CERAP Review)

In FY22 Chapin Hall worked with DCFS to adopt and plan for implementation for enhancements to improve front-end safety assessment, based on the FY20 review of the Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol (CERAP). DCFS announced a decision to plan for the implementation of the SAFE Model of safety assessment. Chapin Hall has been assisting with broad plans for implementation and collaborated with the purveyor of the SAFE Model to discuss implementation considerations. In FY23, implementation planning will continue, and Chapin Hall will provide support for changes to business processes that may include guidance for training, IT, and policy refinement. The Chapin team will also develop plans for continuous quality improvement of new safety assessment strategies, including plans for ongoing monitoring and the development of metrics and indicators. This work will provide valuable information to inform the Department's future direction for training the workforce and implementing reliable and valid decision-making support tools.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Partner with the purveyor of the SAFE Model to assist with the initial implementation of the SAFE model in Cook and Central regions

· Partner with the purveyor in supporting development and integration of a change management plan through the project phases

· Partner with the purveyor to support work in project phases that include areas that are aligned with best practices for implementation in services to include: Education/Training; Practice/Policy Supports; Quality Assurance/Continuous Quality Improvement; and Technology

Justification: This project was added by DCFS in FY20 to further build on the intact family work regarding safety decisions for children who come to the attention of DCFS. Given Chapin Hall's longstanding relationship with DCFS and decades of data and experience implementing pilot programs, Chapin Hall is uniquely suited to provide this support and assist the Department with the implementation of a new safety model.

15. Family First

Chapin Hall began working with Illinois in FY20 to plan for the implementation of services, interventions and strategies to meet upcoming federal requirements around the Family First Prevention Services Act, in both the areas of family preventive services and community-based alternatives to congregate care for youth in care. In FY22, the state implemented the prevention plan as well as the shift to Qualified Residential Treatment Providers (QRTPs) to reduce its reliance on congregate care. Both streams of work continue in FY23 as the state continues to build on the successes of initial implementation phases and address ongoing challenges.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Support the ongoing refinement of SACWIS and the Provider Portal to document imminent risk, child specific prevention plans, and referral to and receipt of evidence-based interventions. In addition, support the ongoing refinement of SACWIS and implementation of practice changes related to QRTP assessment, court documentation, and service planning and monitoring.

· Assist with developing infrastructure to submit child-level prevention services federal reporting requirements starting in federal fiscal year 2024.

· Support the implementation of additional candidacy groups (i.e., Extended Family Support Program, Post-Adoption, and Subsidized Guardianship families) into the existing prevention services continuum.

· Assist the Department with the development of ongoing training efforts for both QRTP and prevention services audiences (e.g., workers, supervisors, qualified individual (QI) assessors, court staff, etc.).

· Support the Department’s ongoing implementation of technical and adaptative changes necessary to realign congregate care services and increase the unitization of community placement services.

· Conduct biweekly planning calls with a DCFS leadership team designated by the Director.

Justification: Under the Family First Prevention Services Act, Illinois can secure additional funding to implement evidence-based prevention services and has the risk of losing federal funding for children.

16. YVLifeSet Evaluation

Chapin Hall is evaluating the Youth Villages LifeSet program which has been implemented by selected POS agencies that provide transitional living program (TLP) and independent living opportunity (ILO) services for transition age youth-in-care. The LifeSet evaluation includes activities to monitor program entries and exits, the quantity, quality, and structure of LifeSet services, and the impact of these services on youth outcomes. The evaluation includes two phases, a descriptive only component (Phase I) and a descriptive and comparative component (Phase II). In Phase I, which was completed in FY22, Chapin Hall conducted interviews with the LifeSet supervisors and provider agency administrators to learn about program implementation and uptake. In addition, Chapin Hall used DCFS administrative data and program data collected by Youth Villages to provide a descriptive summary of the youth who entered the LifeSet program. In Phase II, which will begin in FY23, Chapin Hall will use the findings from Phase I to develop interview and focus group protocols to assess LifeSet youth and LifeSet specialists’ experiences with the LifeSet program. Also in Phase II, Chapin Hall will use DCFS administrative data and Youth Villages program data to evaluate selected placement stability, function, and safety outcomes among youth who receive LifeSet services compared with a similar group of youth who received traditional TLP or ILO services. The Chapin Hall evaluation of the LifeSet program in DCFS began in State Fiscal Year 2021 and will end in State Fiscal Year 2024.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables

· Finalize the analytic plan for the LifeSet Phase II evaluation (e.g., specific measures for youth-level outcomes, equivalent comparison group, etc.).

· Conduct focus groups and/or interviews with LifeSet case specialists.

· Conduct interviews with LifeSet youth.

· Collect and review program data from Youth Villages quarterly.

· Link and reconcile LifeSet youth program entries and exits using the DCFS administrative data and the Youth Villages LifeSet program data. Flag mismatches and provide feedback to Youth Villages and provider agencies as needed to strengthen data quality.

· Identify variables for creating a matched control group.

· Conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis of data collected.

· Describe and report the implementation and impact evaluation findings in the context of existing services for transition age youth and findings from LifeSet evaluations in other jurisdictions.

· Convene monthly evaluation planning meetings with DCFS and Youth Villages.

Justification: The LifeSet program started in FY20 in Illinois DCFS. DCFS asked Chapin Hall to begin evaluating LifeSet in FY21. In FY21, Chapin Hall worked collaboratively with DCFS and Youth Villages to support implementation and develop an evaluation plan that would generate useful and timely information on the potential benefits of the LifeSet program for youth transitioning from DCFS care to independence. In FY22 Chapin Hall implemented the first phase of the evaluation to learn about the strengths and challenges of the program. The analytic plan and evaluation outcomes for Phase II are informed by the findings in Phase I. Chapin Hall and Youth Villages have executed a data sharing agreement to allow Chapin Hall access to the LifeSet program data which can be used in combination with the DCFS administrative data to provide more detailed analysis of youth engagement and status in LifeSet. Furthermore, the Chapin Hall team have established solid relationships with the agency providers and have prepared protocols to conduct qualitative focus groups and interviews with agency staff and LifeSet youth.

17. Motivational Interviewing (Ml) CQI

DCFS is implementing Motivational Interviewing (Ml) as a prevention service under the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). Because Ml has been rated as Well-supported by the Title IV-E Clearinghouse, the evaluation will be conducted under an evaluation waiver and be called a CQI plan. The evaluation will include a process study and an outcome study. DCFS will work to implement Ml with fidelity. Information collected by DCFS for that purpose will be shared with Chapin Hall for use in the process study. In addition to documenting implementation fidelity, the process study will describe staff experiences with Ml. For the outcome study, Chapin Hall will describe child welfare outcomes for children and families assigned to Ml-trained caseworkers in comparison to children and families served prior to MI implementation.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Develop a CQI/evaluation plan including data collection and analysis method

· Revise CQI/evaluation plan as necessary given implementation changes

· Conduct qualitative and/or quantitative analysis

· Prepare quarterly CQI reports

· Attend evaluation and implementation planning meetings

Justification: Chapin Hall has been designated under the Family First Prevention Services State of Illinois Plan as an evaluator to identify areas of improvement, select and implement continuous quality improvement activities, and monitor the results of those activities.

18. Multisystemic Therapy (MST) CQI

DCFS and selected purchase of service (POS) agencies are implementing Multisystemic Therapy (MST) as a prevention service under the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). Because MST has been rated as Well-supported by the Title IV-E Clearinghouse, the evaluation will be conducted under an evaluation waiver and be called a CQI plan. The evaluation will include a process study and an outcome study. DCFS and selected POS agencies will work to implement MST with fidelity. Information collected by DCFS and selected POS agencies for that purpose will be shared with Chapin Hall for use in the process study. In addition to documenting implementation fidelity, the process study will describe child, family, and staff experiences with MST. For the outcome study, Chapin Hall will describe outcomes for children and families prior to and after completion of MST.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Develop a CQI/evaluation plan including data collection and analysis method

· Revise CQI/evaluation plan as necessary given implementation changes

· Conduct qualitative and/or quantitative analysis

· Prepare quarterly CQI reports

· Attend evaluation and implementation planning meetings

Justification: Chapin Hall has been designated under the Family First Prevention Services State of Illinois Plan as an evaluator to identify areas of improvement, select and implement continuous quality improvement activities, and monitor the results of those activities.

19. Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT) Evaluation

DCFS and selected purchase of service (POS) agencies are implementing Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) as a prevention service under the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). The evaluation will include a process study and an outcome study. DCFS and selected POS agencies will work to implement TF-CBT with fidelity. Information collected by DCFS and selected POS agencies for that purpose will be shared with Chapin Hall for use in the process study. In addition to documenting implementation fidelity, the process study will describe child, family, and staff experiences with TF-CBT. For the outcome study, Chapin Hall will describe outcomes for children and families receiving TF-CBT in comparison to similar children and families.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Develop an evaluation plan including data collection and analysis method

· Revise evaluation plan as necessary given implementation changes

· Conduct qualitative and/or quantitative analysis

· Prepare quarterly evaluation reports

· Attend evaluation and implementation planning meetings

Justification: Chapin Hall has been designated under the Family First Prevention Services State of Illinois Plan as an evaluator to identify areas of improvement, select and implement continuous quality improvement activities, and monitor the results of those activities.

20. Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation

Effective March 1, 2022, the Governor appointed Dana Weiner (Senior Policy Fellow at Chapin Hall) as the Director of the Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative and engaged Chapin Hall to provide research and data support to this important initiative. Ms. Weiner’s appointment follows the recommendation of an interagency workgroup consisting of all Illinois child serving agencies – DJJ, HFS, DHS, DCFS, ISBE and Public Health. Illinois recognizes that there are longstanding issues with how these agency’s programs are designed and funded to provide support and resources for youth with the most complex emotional and behavioral health needs. In this role, Dr. Weiner will engage the State agencies, providers, families, experts, and other stakeholders; oversee completion of gap analyses and other research; and make recommendations to the administration about how to improve the children’s behavioral health system. The goals of this work include ensuring that (1) youth with significant emotional and behavioral health needs receive the community and residential services they need to thrive; and (2) parents, guardians, and family members have transparency and clarity about where to go to access assistance for their children and the process for finding and getting placed in appropriate services.

FY23 Activities and Deliverables:

· Provide coordination, documentation, and continuous quality improvement for interagency crisis staffing

· Conduct gap analysis to understand needs of children requiring behavioral health services and determine appropriate allocation of resources appropriate to meet needs within existing programs

· Develop business process maps of pathways to accessing services, including but not limited to 10 business process mapping sessions with subject matter experts, sessions to vet these maps, and preliminary maps generated from policy documents

· Conduct policy analysis to include consideration…