The RIAC and other community partners will support quality management (e.g., program evaluation) and Continuing Quality Improvement (CQI) throughout the system of care by participating in formal collection and analysis of process and outcome data, and assist with the development and implementation of continuous feedback loops to improve the service delivery and make informed decisions.
A local System of Care Continuing Quality Improvement (SOC-CQI) committee must be established by and report to your RIAC. The committee will be chaired by one of your RIAC members.
The local SOC-CQI committee chair will also participate on a state-level SOC-CQI committee. There is a requirement for grantee's to implement a national evaluation that has an already established protocol, including a demographic study in which data will be gathered on all families served by SEED and a longitudinal outcomes study where data will be gathered every six months via direct interviews. A process for gathering the required demographic data will be developed as regions are selected, this process is facilitated by a web-based data entry system. The longitudinal data will be collected by trained data collection staff that will be hired by the state evaluation team.
The data collected will be used to generate reports that will be used as part of the overall CQI process at the regional level and state level. As regions are selected and evaluation protocols finalized there will be more detailed guidance concerning the evaluation requirement. I hope this answers your question, feel free to contact me directly for additional information or if you have more questions. Thanks.
The vocational counseling language is pulled straight from the federal guidelines and is generic to all SOC applicants. You are correct, since KY's SOC target population is 0-5, this is not relevant.
P&A - good catch. Yes it is supposed to be on there.
The State CQI team has not been developed but will consist of the KY SEED Evaluators, Lead Family Contact, Youth Coordinator, Local CQI reps and others. I am not sure of the anticipated meeting frequency.
The KY SEED State Implementation Team will approve and train family reps. You do not need to identify that person, just explain the process you will use to find the right person.
Questions:
Beth pages 18 & 19 of the KY SEED Application
Vocational Counseling???? Is says for those children 14 years and older who require them. Our group was wondering how that fits into the Application Birth to 5.
Protection and Advocacy was not on the Array Grid but was on the Notes and definitions, was that supposed to be on there?
Is their a State CQI Team already? Is so when do they meet and how do we need to become a part of that?
Will be coming with RFA to RIAC chairs, LRCs, ECMH specialist, CSD's, Community Early Childhood Council chairs, etc.:
Service grid
Contact list for early childhood persons
Glossary of terms
The official RFA will go out next week.
Remember that we are learning with you. This is a big task but we believe that it is needed to get children birth to five the services they deserve.
How do we decide how we are going to use the data when we are not yet sure of what that data will be from the national level?
Go ahead at this point and use the data that is available and currently existing from members of your RIAC and your early childhood groups. If you have specific questions about the type of information that might be availble from the national evaluation, then you can contact Chris Duckworth at cduckworth@northkey.org.
What steps can we do to correct this for next year?
Basically for the federal requirements, none of these funds can be used to supplant existing services. The region would have to re-instate to the 2008 funding level to apply for these grant funds.
How much time do we have for that?
You would have to re-instate for your 2010 budget. You probably want to check with your CMHC on that prior to applying for it. Your CMHC is probably working on its 2010 budget right now, so it is not too late to add that back in for the 2010 budget.
The RFA will come out again next year, so if you don't get it for the 2010 year, you will have the opportunity to apply at that time.
Contact your Community Early Childhood Council. We will be sending out information on the chair, etc. Also, your Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist should have that contact information also.
We will try to document questions and answers on this discussion board as we progress through the meeting. If we get behind, be patient--we will try to get all the information posted.
CASE REVIEW STRUCTURE
Your RIAC has an established process to review children that are referred to IMPACT and determined eligible.
o Discuss how your RIAC will either utilize your current process or establish a new process to review children birth to five. Include:
• How your RIAC will assure that it is an interagency review
• A description of how ongoing updates on a child determined eligible (include frequency).
• A description of how your RIAC will determine prioritization of children.
o Discuss how you will use the trends identified through aggregate data (combined data that is not child specific) to evaluate and more effectively serve children and families in your region. (This could include, but not be limited to, aggregate information about the child and/or family demographics of those brought to the RIAC; the referral sources; the diagnosis; the RIAC outcome data targeting this age group; etc.)
o Which members of your RIAC are champions of the case review process within their respective agencies or organizations? Convey a story of how one or more of your RIAC agencies and organizations have used case review to improve functioning of programs or services within your region.
SERVICE PROVISION
KY SEED will provide a structure for participating agencies and/or organizations to provide periodic updates indicating their staffs’ successful implementation of evidence based or promising practices (Examples: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy; Incredible Years; Parent-Infant Psychotherapy; etc.) This information will be made available to your RIAC.
o What process or procedure will your RIAC establish to review and monitor this data? Discuss how your RIAC might be able to use this information to assist with improving service provision for individual child and family outcomes and program level service provision within your region.
SERVICE PLANNING
Children and youth enrolled in IMPACT often times receive service coordination via the Wrap Around Process. This process can be used in any agency/community setting where a team is brought together to design and implement an effective plan.
o Describe which agencies or organizations on your RIAC, along with other potential community partners and family members, are willing to participate in a training with follow up coaching on how to use the wrap-around process to improve the effectiveness of team planning and implementation.
o Discuss how you will identify who in your community provides case management or coordinates/facilitates teams with the early childhood population? (Examples: those that facilitate IEPs; family team meeting facilitators; First Steps family service plans; etc.)
What other preparation and training do you anticipate they will need beyond the wrap around process training?
Who within your agencies, organizations or communities has expertise in early childhood that may be enlisted to provide coaching, consultation and mentoring to service teams and agency staff who serve the 0-5 population?
KY SEED will provide a structure for participating agencies and/or organizations to provide periodic updates indicating their staffs’ successful implementation of the wrap around process. This information will be made available to your RIAC.
o What process or procedure will your RIAC establish to review and monitor this data? Discuss how your RIAC might be able to use this information to assist with improving service planning within your region.
o How will your RIAC, along with the community mental health center (CMHC), assure adequate indirect time for the Local Resource Coordinator (LRC), the Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) specialist or another KY SEED approved alternate to allow for supervision and coaching around the fidelity of wrap around process with the IMPACT service coordinators who may serve young children? Include a timeline for this to be accomplished. (Consider the use of an MOU describing this function; the use of KY SEED funding to purchase indirect time; etc.)
o Describe how your RIAC agencies and organizations can modify existing documents (Examples: intake forms, service plans, treatment plans, etc) to be consistent with system of care values and principles and is developmentally appropriate?
o Discuss how your RIAC can allow adequate time either during or after RIAC meetings to provide consultation and recommendations for the children that do not meet the qualifying criteria for IMPACT? (Include within your discussion how significant issues and recurring regional barriers or successes or can be shared with the SIAC.)
o Explain how your RIAC membership agencies and organizations (other than the CMHC whose service coordinators are mandated to attend the training) will encourage their staff to become trained in the wrap around process?
o How can your RIAC encourage family/parent leaders to become trained in the wrap around process?
o Who, external to the RIAC membership, currently does or can provide strong leadership and support for the use of the wrap around process to facilitate service planning, facilitation or coordination? (Special Education Cooperative members; Kentucky Center for Instructional Discipline (KyCID); Administrative Office of the Courts; DJJ)
ENTRY INTO SERVICE SYSTEM
A number of agencies are already utilizing screening and assessment instruments that are mandated. (Reference Building A Strong Foundation for School Success: Kentucky’s Early Childhood Assessment Guide located at www.education.ky.gov/kde and key word Early Childhood Assessment Guide.)
o What screening tools are currently in use within your region that address the birth-5 population? Describe the potential for implementing common screening tools or common screening domains across agencies within your region. Include potential timeframes.
o What assessment tools are currently in use within your region that address the birth-5 population? Describe the potential for implementing common assessment tools or common assessment domains across agencies within your region. Include potential timeframes.
o How can early childhood information (via videos, handouts, etc.) be used to increase awareness of social/emotional developmental issues with other community partners within your region (such as neo-natal units, OB-GYN, midwives, health departments, pediatricians, family practice, maternity education, etc)?
o How will external partner agencies, organizations (non-RIAC members) and citizens (extended family members, recreational staff, church nursery staff, etc.) within your community be given information on how to make referrals or request for consultation from your RIAC?
o How can your RIAC membership’s respective agencies and organizations make early childhood information (via videos, handouts, etc) available during their agencies intake/screening process. (Consider including information about parental/family stressors that could include health issues, mental health issues, poverty, substance use, etc. and their potential effects on their children age 0-5?)
How will your RIAC identify persons within their membership agencies/organizations who can provide coaching, consultation and/or mentoring to support new or enhanced efforts for providing screening and assessment to children birth to five?
KY SEED will describe a way to collect data about how children enter your region’s system. This may include your communities orientation activities; screenings; assessments; referrals to your RIAC; and consultations that your RIAC provides.
o Describe how your RIAC will review this data to assist with eliminating barriers and increasing access to early childhood services and resources. (Include how the SOC-CQI team will be involved in this process or procedure.)
o How will your RIAC membership assure that staff within their respective agencies and organizations are aware of the early childhood services and resources?
o How will your RIAC membership assure that staff in their respective agencies/organizations have access to the necessary information to assist a young child’s easy entry into the service system (including, when necessary, a referral to the RIAC)?
QUALITY MONITORING
A local System of Care Continuing Quality Improvement (SOC-CQI) committee must be established and will report to your RIAC. The committee will be chaired by one of your RIAC members.
o Who on your RIAC will actively participate as the chair of the local SOC-CQI committee and consistently serve as a liaison to the state SOC-CQI team who will review the statewide data?
o Please describe potential continuing quality improvement (CQI) issues your RIAC may seek coaching or consultation for (i.e. How to get a CQI process started; how to apply CQI to a specific program area; how to utilize process improvement, how to share the RIAC membership’s individual agency CQI information and use it to inform the RIAC; how to use data to inform your CQI process, etc).
Your RIAC will be asked to provide information on the effectiveness and usefulness of and your region’s SOC-CQI team that reports to you.
o How will you know that your SOC-CQI team is meeting regularly? Describe ways that you anticipate your RIAC will receive and utilize information provided to you by the SOC-CQI team?
Data is important to provide the necessary information for a RIAC to make good decisions and determine successful implementation of system change.
o Which members of your RIAC champion the use of data? Convey a story of how one or more of your RIAC agencies and organizations have used data to improve functioning of programs or services within your region.
o Provide a story about how an agency, organization or resource, external to your RIAC membership, provided data to your RIAC. Discuss how that data assisted your RIAC with consideration of program or service development, enhancement or change within your region. (i.e. a pediatrician making the mental health center aware of the number of children being referred for ADHD medications; a pastor providing information about the number of churches willing to provide mentoring; a national evaluator providing data on the number of children being removed from the home because of a parent’s substance abuse; etc.)
o Describe how your RIAC can assure continued input (data and/or ideas) from agencies, organizations or resources external to your RIAC membership to improve the continuing development and support of quality services or resources within your region? (i.e. develop a process to have periodic updates submitted by identified entities that conduct needs assessments and recommendations; send out surveys to ask early childhood providers for specific data and recommendations; ask Head Start to provide a summary of their social/emotional classroom reviews conducted by a mental health professional and recommendations; etc.)
SERVICE ARRAY
The grid that your RIAC has completed for this application will be used as a baseline descriptor of the services/resources that your region has discovered during the application process. This grid will be revisited periodically throughout the grant.
o Write a brief narrative identifying the gaps within the service array grid.
Include in this narrative how you intend to address your service gaps. Discuss how you might use traditional and non-traditional providers to address issues such as a shortage of qualified personnel. Also consider other issues that may be pertinent to your region that may include, but not be limited to, a lack of people familiar with the system of care; a providers lack of knowledgeable about early childhood issues; cut backs in funding; barriers to developing non-traditional or innovative programming; the need for agency staff to participate in early childhood training?
o How will you identify existing or develop new positive community supports for the young children and families within your region? Consider how you could recruit those natural supports and mentors that families have already identified (i.e. caring adults at positive social activities, caring adults that support enhancing parenting skills, caring adults willing to assist with respite, etc.)
o Describe current funding for early childhood services and resources available to your region.
o Identify what other potential resources exist within your communities that could support your early childhood efforts (i.e. early childhood education for human service providers at the local colleges and universities; funding opportunities and resources through foundations; area development districts; United Way agencies; grant opportunities; community members who could serve as coaches or mentors for the children and/or their families; health care providers who will expand their screening and referral efforts, etc.)
Kentucky IMPACT is built on and supported by the System of Care values and principles. Your RIAC will receive training on these values and principles.
o Describe ways that you could provide the System of Care values and principles training to others within your early childhood community. (Consider the Community Early Childhood Councils (CECC), Head Start coordinators, pre-school, preschool Regional Training Center (RTC), HANDS coordinators, Family Resource and Youth Service Centers, First Steps, etc)
o Describe ways that you could provide orientation on your RIAC, the System of Care values and principles, and awareness of early childhood social/emotional/developmental concerns to others outside the early childhood community. (Consider RIAC and non-RIAC agencies and organizations; families; church communities; colleges and universities; etc.)
o Provide examples of what early childhood policy and/or funding issues your RIAC would consider seeking consultation, coaching and/or mentoring for. (Consider what you’ve become aware of while reviewing your early childhood council needs assessment; your Early Childhood Mental Health specialist’s program data; and other data from your community.)
o Describe your plan to identify agency specific barriers faced by your RIAC membership. (Example: specific agenda item; sharing information via email updates, etc.)
o How could your RIAC assist with minimizing the impact of these barriers and/or maximizing opportunities? (Example: Create a process for early screening and referral of young children with social/emotional issues who are not being appropriately identified and served; provide definitions of roles and functions to deal with a discrepancy in perception of job duties between upper management and field staff; reduce “silos” by offering training opportunities cross-agencies, etc.)
o It’s important to have a vision of how your system can change. Describe at least three ways your RIAC and/or community systems look now and describe your vision of how they will be different after implementing your early childhood plan. Discuss ways that these changes will be sustained after the grant funds end?
o Describe ways that your RIAC membership’s respective agencies can incorporate the System of Care values and principles? Consider how the RIAC agencies and organizations could incorporate the System of Care values and principles into the daily practice of their staff. (e.g. childcare centers include parent representation on policy making groups, child serving agencies become trained in and utilize the wrap around process with fidelity; non-agency “natural supports” are routinely included on treatment and service plans; etc.)
GOVERNANCE
RIACs that are selected for this early childhood enhancement must exhibit the following qualities and characteristics:
o Show a willingness to provide early childhood services and resources, as appropriate, within their respective agencies and the communities that they serve;
o Demonstrate a capacity to provide early childhood services and resources, as appropriate, within their respective agencies and the communities that they serve;
o Demonstrate a commitment to accessibility to quality services and resources;
o Is willing to operate under the System of Care values and principles; and
o Is willing to sustain the efforts to improve the early childhood resources and services beyond the grant.
Your RIAC must add an “early childhood representative” to your membership. The early childhood representative will need to be someone that exhibits the following qualities and characteristics:
Is able to make decisions or can positively influence decisions about early childhood.
Has been in an administrative or leadership role in early childhood
Is well connected and/or knowledgeable about the early childhood community
Has good communication skills
Has a diplomatic and collaborative spirit
Has knowledge of, or willingness to learn, about the system of care philosophy
Is comfortable speaking in front of a small group
Is able to work well with others as a team player
Has a minimum of high school diploma or GED
Has the ability to travel to meetings
o Discuss how you will select your early childhood representative. Include the expected timeframe of your selection.
o List any issues or barriers (such as child care, location of meetings, ability to attend trainings, other job duties, etc.) that your RIAC may need to consider when recruiting and selecting your early childhood representative?
Your RIAC must add an “early childhood family representative” to your membership. Your nomination must be approved by the KY SEED State Implementation Team. The early childhood family representative will need to be someone that exhibits the following qualities and characteristics:
Be a parent/caregiver whose child is receiving or has recently received early childhood services to address a social-emotional, behavioral, developmental, disability
Is comfortable speaking in front of a small group
Has a minimum of high school diploma or GED and one year work experience,
Has good communication skills,
Has the ability to travel to meetings
Has the ability to work well with others as a team player
Has a diplomatic and collaborative spirit
Has knowledge of, or willingness to learn, about the system of care philosophy
Expresses an intrinsic belief in the resiliency of the human spirit
Is capable of speaking on behalf of other parents and including their perspective (e.g. examples of connections where others’ perspectives are shared).
o Discuss how you will select your early childhood family representative. Include the expected timeframe of your selection.
o List any issues or barriers (such as child care, location of meetings, ability to attend trainings, other job duties, etc.) that your RIAC may need to consider when recruiting and selecting your early childhood family representative?
o One additional issue to consider when recruiting and selecting the early childhood family representative is that they may “out-grow” this role as their child(ren) mature and develop. How will your RIAC create a process for determining when a new early childhood family representative should be appointed by the RIAC?
KY SEED will provide members of your RIAC with required orientation and training in order to prepare you for implementation of your early childhood plans.
o How will your RIAC prepare your early childhood representative for active and meaningful participation on your RIAC (i.e. cultural issues, local topics important to your region, demographics, policies and procedures, etc)?
o How will your RIAC prepare your early childhood family representative for active and meaningful participation on your RIAC (i.e. cultural issues, local topics important to your region, demographics, policies and procedures, local support networks, etc)?
When implementing new services or resources within your community it will be important for you to be able to access consultation, coaching and/or mentoring.
o Provide examples of what early childhood program and/or resource issues your RIAC would consider seeking consultation, coaching and/or mentoring for. (Consider what you’ve become aware of while reviewing your early childhood council needs assessment; your Early Childhood Mental Health specialist’s program data; and other data from your community.)
o Describe how your RIAC policies and procedure already address, or can address, your relationship with the SIAC (i.e. a policy for taking complex cases to the SIAC, requesting a consult with the SIAC on policy and procedures, sending communication to the SIAC addressing funding issues, requesting consultation from the SIAC about new or needed resources, requesting assistance from the SIAC to resolve interagency barriers, etc)?
Within your respective RIAC agencies or organizations identify those who can provide strong leadership for early childhood. Consider those that have strong connections to potential resources. (i.e. the Early Childhood Mental Health specialists, the family support group leaders, an agency or organization CEO, an agency program administrator, a seasoned employee, etc.)
Identify those who currently provide or can provide strong external leadership (leadership found outside of your RIAC agencies and organizations) for early childhood. Consider those that have strong connections to potential resources. (examples: a legislator, a child care resource, specific members of the District Early Intervention Committees (DEIC), a head start director, a pre-school coordinator, a pediatrician, a person within higher education, etc.)
Chris Duckworth's response to evaluation questions
As the RFA states:
The RIAC and other community partners will support quality management (e.g., program evaluation) and Continuing Quality Improvement (CQI) throughout the system of care by participating in formal collection and analysis of process and outcome data, and assist with the development and implementation of continuous feedback loops to improve the service delivery and make informed decisions.
A local System of Care Continuing Quality Improvement (SOC-CQI) committee must be established by and report to your RIAC. The committee will be chaired by one of your RIAC members.
The local SOC-CQI committee chair will also participate on a state-level SOC-CQI committee. There is a requirement for grantee's to implement a national evaluation that has an already established protocol, including a demographic study in which data will be gathered on all families served by SEED and a longitudinal outcomes study where data will be gathered every six months via direct interviews. A process for gathering the required demographic data will be developed as regions are selected, this process is facilitated by a web-based data entry system. The longitudinal data will be collected by trained data collection staff that will be hired by the state evaluation team.
The data collected will be used to generate reports that will be used as part of the overall CQI process at the regional level and state level. As regions are selected and evaluation protocols finalized there will be more detailed guidance concerning the evaluation requirement. I hope this answers your question, feel free to contact me directly for additional information or if you have more questions. Thanks.
Evaluation questions
Are their any guidelines/requirements of the budget submission?
OR, am I to simply complete the attached form 131?
Is a budget narrative required?
Data collection - what are the elements? who will collect? what method of collection is required?
Response from Beth Jordan:
The vocational counseling language is pulled straight from the federal guidelines and is generic to all SOC applicants. You are correct, since KY's SOC target population is 0-5, this is not relevant.
P&A - good catch. Yes it is supposed to be on there.
The State CQI team has not been developed but will consist of the KY SEED Evaluators, Lead Family Contact, Youth Coordinator, Local CQI reps and others. I am not sure of the anticipated meeting frequency.
The KY SEED State Implementation Team will approve and train family reps. You do not need to identify that person, just explain the process you will use to find the right person.
KY-SEED Questions and answers
Questions:
Beth pages 18 & 19 of the KY SEED Application
Vocational Counseling???? Is says for those children 14 years and older who require them. Our group was wondering how that fits into the Application Birth to 5.
Protection and Advocacy was not on the Array Grid but was on the Notes and definitions, was that supposed to be on there?
Is their a State CQI Team already? Is so when do they meet and how do we need to become a part of that?
Deadline extended to April 17---due to Beth Armstrong
Will be coming with RFA to RIAC chairs, LRCs, ECMH specialist, CSD's, Community Early Childhood Council chairs, etc.:
Service grid
Contact list for early childhood persons
Glossary of terms
The official RFA will go out next week.
Remember that we are learning with you. This is a big task but we believe that it is needed to get children birth to five the services they deserve.
Contact for state level partners:
Beth Armstrong at beth.armstrong@ky.gov (Principal Investigator)
Mary Beth Jackson at marybeth.jackson@ky.gov (Acting Project Director)
Chris Duckworth at cduckworth@northkey.org (Evaluation Director for KEYS)
Carol Cecil at cwcecil@kypartnership.net (Family organization--KPFC)
data collection
How do we decide how we are going to use the data when we are not yet sure of what that data will be from the national level?
Go ahead at this point and use the data that is available and currently existing from members of your RIAC and your early childhood groups. If you have specific questions about the type of information that might be availble from the national evaluation, then you can contact Chris Duckworth at cduckworth@northkey.org.
What we need help with since we cut RIAC funding?
What steps can we do to correct this for next year?
Basically for the federal requirements, none of these funds can be used to supplant existing services. The region would have to re-instate to the 2008 funding level to apply for these grant funds.
How much time do we have for that?
You would have to re-instate for your 2010 budget. You probably want to check with your CMHC on that prior to applying for it. Your CMHC is probably working on its 2010 budget right now, so it is not too late to add that back in for the 2010 budget.
The RFA will come out again next year, so if you don't get it for the 2010 year, you will have the opportunity to apply at that time.
RIAC Chairs and CFO's can contact Beth Armstrong at beth.armstrong@ky.gov.
management and operation
The funding runs through the CMHC, but the RIAC will be responsible for making decisions about those funds. We will include that in the cover letter.
Good first step
Contact your Community Early Childhood Council. We will be sending out information on the chair, etc. Also, your Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist should have that contact information also.
Teleconference meeting
We will try to document questions and answers on this discussion board as we progress through the meeting. If we get behind, be patient--we will try to get all the information posted.
KY SEED DRAFT APPLICATION
KY SEED draft application sections are posted below.
Case Review Structure
CASE REVIEW STRUCTURE
Your RIAC has an established process to review children that are referred to IMPACT and determined eligible.
o Discuss how your RIAC will either utilize your current process or establish a new process to review children birth to five. Include:
• How your RIAC will assure that it is an interagency review
• A description of how ongoing updates on a child determined eligible (include frequency).
• A description of how your RIAC will determine prioritization of children.
o Discuss how you will use the trends identified through aggregate data (combined data that is not child specific) to evaluate and more effectively serve children and families in your region. (This could include, but not be limited to, aggregate information about the child and/or family demographics of those brought to the RIAC; the referral sources; the diagnosis; the RIAC outcome data targeting this age group; etc.)
o Which members of your RIAC are champions of the case review process within their respective agencies or organizations? Convey a story of how one or more of your RIAC agencies and organizations have used case review to improve functioning of programs or services within your region.
Service Provision
SERVICE PROVISION
KY SEED will provide a structure for participating agencies and/or organizations to provide periodic updates indicating their staffs’ successful implementation of evidence based or promising practices (Examples: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy; Incredible Years; Parent-Infant Psychotherapy; etc.) This information will be made available to your RIAC.
o What process or procedure will your RIAC establish to review and monitor this data? Discuss how your RIAC might be able to use this information to assist with improving service provision for individual child and family outcomes and program level service provision within your region.
Service Planning
SERVICE PLANNING
Children and youth enrolled in IMPACT often times receive service coordination via the Wrap Around Process. This process can be used in any agency/community setting where a team is brought together to design and implement an effective plan.
o Describe which agencies or organizations on your RIAC, along with other potential community partners and family members, are willing to participate in a training with follow up coaching on how to use the wrap-around process to improve the effectiveness of team planning and implementation.
o Discuss how you will identify who in your community provides case management or coordinates/facilitates teams with the early childhood population? (Examples: those that facilitate IEPs; family team meeting facilitators; First Steps family service plans; etc.)
What other preparation and training do you anticipate they will need beyond the wrap around process training?
Who within your agencies, organizations or communities has expertise in early childhood that may be enlisted to provide coaching, consultation and mentoring to service teams and agency staff who serve the 0-5 population?
KY SEED will provide a structure for participating agencies and/or organizations to provide periodic updates indicating their staffs’ successful implementation of the wrap around process. This information will be made available to your RIAC.
o What process or procedure will your RIAC establish to review and monitor this data? Discuss how your RIAC might be able to use this information to assist with improving service planning within your region.
o How will your RIAC, along with the community mental health center (CMHC), assure adequate indirect time for the Local Resource Coordinator (LRC), the Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) specialist or another KY SEED approved alternate to allow for supervision and coaching around the fidelity of wrap around process with the IMPACT service coordinators who may serve young children? Include a timeline for this to be accomplished. (Consider the use of an MOU describing this function; the use of KY SEED funding to purchase indirect time; etc.)
o Describe how your RIAC agencies and organizations can modify existing documents (Examples: intake forms, service plans, treatment plans, etc) to be consistent with system of care values and principles and is developmentally appropriate?
o Discuss how your RIAC can allow adequate time either during or after RIAC meetings to provide consultation and recommendations for the children that do not meet the qualifying criteria for IMPACT? (Include within your discussion how significant issues and recurring regional barriers or successes or can be shared with the SIAC.)
o Explain how your RIAC membership agencies and organizations (other than the CMHC whose service coordinators are mandated to attend the training) will encourage their staff to become trained in the wrap around process?
o How can your RIAC encourage family/parent leaders to become trained in the wrap around process?
o Who, external to the RIAC membership, currently does or can provide strong leadership and support for the use of the wrap around process to facilitate service planning, facilitation or coordination? (Special Education Cooperative members; Kentucky Center for Instructional Discipline (KyCID); Administrative Office of the Courts; DJJ)
Entry into Service System
ENTRY INTO SERVICE SYSTEM
A number of agencies are already utilizing screening and assessment instruments that are mandated. (Reference Building A Strong Foundation for School Success: Kentucky’s Early Childhood Assessment Guide located at www.education.ky.gov/kde and key word Early Childhood Assessment Guide.)
o What screening tools are currently in use within your region that address the birth-5 population? Describe the potential for implementing common screening tools or common screening domains across agencies within your region. Include potential timeframes.
o What assessment tools are currently in use within your region that address the birth-5 population? Describe the potential for implementing common assessment tools or common assessment domains across agencies within your region. Include potential timeframes.
o How can early childhood information (via videos, handouts, etc.) be used to increase awareness of social/emotional developmental issues with other community partners within your region (such as neo-natal units, OB-GYN, midwives, health departments, pediatricians, family practice, maternity education, etc)?
o How will external partner agencies, organizations (non-RIAC members) and citizens (extended family members, recreational staff, church nursery staff, etc.) within your community be given information on how to make referrals or request for consultation from your RIAC?
o How can your RIAC membership’s respective agencies and organizations make early childhood information (via videos, handouts, etc) available during their agencies intake/screening process. (Consider including information about parental/family stressors that could include health issues, mental health issues, poverty, substance use, etc. and their potential effects on their children age 0-5?)
How will your RIAC identify persons within their membership agencies/organizations who can provide coaching, consultation and/or mentoring to support new or enhanced efforts for providing screening and assessment to children birth to five?
KY SEED will describe a way to collect data about how children enter your region’s system. This may include your communities orientation activities; screenings; assessments; referrals to your RIAC; and consultations that your RIAC provides.
o Describe how your RIAC will review this data to assist with eliminating barriers and increasing access to early childhood services and resources. (Include how the SOC-CQI team will be involved in this process or procedure.)
o How will your RIAC membership assure that staff within their respective agencies and organizations are aware of the early childhood services and resources?
o How will your RIAC membership assure that staff in their respective agencies/organizations have access to the necessary information to assist a young child’s easy entry into the service system (including, when necessary, a referral to the RIAC)?
Quality Monitoring
QUALITY MONITORING
A local System of Care Continuing Quality Improvement (SOC-CQI) committee must be established and will report to your RIAC. The committee will be chaired by one of your RIAC members.
o Who on your RIAC will actively participate as the chair of the local SOC-CQI committee and consistently serve as a liaison to the state SOC-CQI team who will review the statewide data?
o Please describe potential continuing quality improvement (CQI) issues your RIAC may seek coaching or consultation for (i.e. How to get a CQI process started; how to apply CQI to a specific program area; how to utilize process improvement, how to share the RIAC membership’s individual agency CQI information and use it to inform the RIAC; how to use data to inform your CQI process, etc).
Your RIAC will be asked to provide information on the effectiveness and usefulness of and your region’s SOC-CQI team that reports to you.
o How will you know that your SOC-CQI team is meeting regularly? Describe ways that you anticipate your RIAC will receive and utilize information provided to you by the SOC-CQI team?
Data is important to provide the necessary information for a RIAC to make good decisions and determine successful implementation of system change.
o Which members of your RIAC champion the use of data? Convey a story of how one or more of your RIAC agencies and organizations have used data to improve functioning of programs or services within your region.
o Provide a story about how an agency, organization or resource, external to your RIAC membership, provided data to your RIAC. Discuss how that data assisted your RIAC with consideration of program or service development, enhancement or change within your region. (i.e. a pediatrician making the mental health center aware of the number of children being referred for ADHD medications; a pastor providing information about the number of churches willing to provide mentoring; a national evaluator providing data on the number of children being removed from the home because of a parent’s substance abuse; etc.)
o Describe how your RIAC can assure continued input (data and/or ideas) from agencies, organizations or resources external to your RIAC membership to improve the continuing development and support of quality services or resources within your region? (i.e. develop a process to have periodic updates submitted by identified entities that conduct needs assessments and recommendations; send out surveys to ask early childhood providers for specific data and recommendations; ask Head Start to provide a summary of their social/emotional classroom reviews conducted by a mental health professional and recommendations; etc.)
Service Array
SERVICE ARRAY
The grid that your RIAC has completed for this application will be used as a baseline descriptor of the services/resources that your region has discovered during the application process. This grid will be revisited periodically throughout the grant.
o Write a brief narrative identifying the gaps within the service array grid.
Include in this narrative how you intend to address your service gaps. Discuss how you might use traditional and non-traditional providers to address issues such as a shortage of qualified personnel. Also consider other issues that may be pertinent to your region that may include, but not be limited to, a lack of people familiar with the system of care; a providers lack of knowledgeable about early childhood issues; cut backs in funding; barriers to developing non-traditional or innovative programming; the need for agency staff to participate in early childhood training?
o How will you identify existing or develop new positive community supports for the young children and families within your region? Consider how you could recruit those natural supports and mentors that families have already identified (i.e. caring adults at positive social activities, caring adults that support enhancing parenting skills, caring adults willing to assist with respite, etc.)
o Describe current funding for early childhood services and resources available to your region.
o Identify what other potential resources exist within your communities that could support your early childhood efforts (i.e. early childhood education for human service providers at the local colleges and universities; funding opportunities and resources through foundations; area development districts; United Way agencies; grant opportunities; community members who could serve as coaches or mentors for the children and/or their families; health care providers who will expand their screening and referral efforts, etc.)
Management and Operations
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS
Kentucky IMPACT is built on and supported by the System of Care values and principles. Your RIAC will receive training on these values and principles.
o Describe ways that you could provide the System of Care values and principles training to others within your early childhood community. (Consider the Community Early Childhood Councils (CECC), Head Start coordinators, pre-school, preschool Regional Training Center (RTC), HANDS coordinators, Family Resource and Youth Service Centers, First Steps, etc)
o Describe ways that you could provide orientation on your RIAC, the System of Care values and principles, and awareness of early childhood social/emotional/developmental concerns to others outside the early childhood community. (Consider RIAC and non-RIAC agencies and organizations; families; church communities; colleges and universities; etc.)
o Provide examples of what early childhood policy and/or funding issues your RIAC would consider seeking consultation, coaching and/or mentoring for. (Consider what you’ve become aware of while reviewing your early childhood council needs assessment; your Early Childhood Mental Health specialist’s program data; and other data from your community.)
o Describe your plan to identify agency specific barriers faced by your RIAC membership. (Example: specific agenda item; sharing information via email updates, etc.)
o How could your RIAC assist with minimizing the impact of these barriers and/or maximizing opportunities? (Example: Create a process for early screening and referral of young children with social/emotional issues who are not being appropriately identified and served; provide definitions of roles and functions to deal with a discrepancy in perception of job duties between upper management and field staff; reduce “silos” by offering training opportunities cross-agencies, etc.)
o It’s important to have a vision of how your system can change. Describe at least three ways your RIAC and/or community systems look now and describe your vision of how they will be different after implementing your early childhood plan. Discuss ways that these changes will be sustained after the grant funds end?
o Describe ways that your RIAC membership’s respective agencies can incorporate the System of Care values and principles? Consider how the RIAC agencies and organizations could incorporate the System of Care values and principles into the daily practice of their staff. (e.g. childcare centers include parent representation on policy making groups, child serving agencies become trained in and utilize the wrap around process with fidelity; non-agency “natural supports” are routinely included on treatment and service plans; etc.)
Governance
GOVERNANCE
RIACs that are selected for this early childhood enhancement must exhibit the following qualities and characteristics:
o Show a willingness to provide early childhood services and resources, as appropriate, within their respective agencies and the communities that they serve;
o Demonstrate a capacity to provide early childhood services and resources, as appropriate, within their respective agencies and the communities that they serve;
o Demonstrate a commitment to accessibility to quality services and resources;
o Is willing to operate under the System of Care values and principles; and
o Is willing to sustain the efforts to improve the early childhood resources and services beyond the grant.
Your RIAC must add an “early childhood representative” to your membership. The early childhood representative will need to be someone that exhibits the following qualities and characteristics:
Is able to make decisions or can positively influence decisions about early childhood.
Has been in an administrative or leadership role in early childhood
Is well connected and/or knowledgeable about the early childhood community
Has good communication skills
Has a diplomatic and collaborative spirit
Has knowledge of, or willingness to learn, about the system of care philosophy
Is comfortable speaking in front of a small group
Is able to work well with others as a team player
Has a minimum of high school diploma or GED
Has the ability to travel to meetings
o Discuss how you will select your early childhood representative. Include the expected timeframe of your selection.
o List any issues or barriers (such as child care, location of meetings, ability to attend trainings, other job duties, etc.) that your RIAC may need to consider when recruiting and selecting your early childhood representative?
Your RIAC must add an “early childhood family representative” to your membership. Your nomination must be approved by the KY SEED State Implementation Team. The early childhood family representative will need to be someone that exhibits the following qualities and characteristics:
Be a parent/caregiver whose child is receiving or has recently received early childhood services to address a social-emotional, behavioral, developmental, disability
Is comfortable speaking in front of a small group
Has a minimum of high school diploma or GED and one year work experience,
Has good communication skills,
Has the ability to travel to meetings
Has the ability to work well with others as a team player
Has a diplomatic and collaborative spirit
Has knowledge of, or willingness to learn, about the system of care philosophy
Expresses an intrinsic belief in the resiliency of the human spirit
Is capable of speaking on behalf of other parents and including their perspective (e.g. examples of connections where others’ perspectives are shared).
o Discuss how you will select your early childhood family representative. Include the expected timeframe of your selection.
o List any issues or barriers (such as child care, location of meetings, ability to attend trainings, other job duties, etc.) that your RIAC may need to consider when recruiting and selecting your early childhood family representative?
o One additional issue to consider when recruiting and selecting the early childhood family representative is that they may “out-grow” this role as their child(ren) mature and develop. How will your RIAC create a process for determining when a new early childhood family representative should be appointed by the RIAC?
KY SEED will provide members of your RIAC with required orientation and training in order to prepare you for implementation of your early childhood plans.
o How will your RIAC prepare your early childhood representative for active and meaningful participation on your RIAC (i.e. cultural issues, local topics important to your region, demographics, policies and procedures, etc)?
o How will your RIAC prepare your early childhood family representative for active and meaningful participation on your RIAC (i.e. cultural issues, local topics important to your region, demographics, policies and procedures, local support networks, etc)?
When implementing new services or resources within your community it will be important for you to be able to access consultation, coaching and/or mentoring.
o Provide examples of what early childhood program and/or resource issues your RIAC would consider seeking consultation, coaching and/or mentoring for. (Consider what you’ve become aware of while reviewing your early childhood council needs assessment; your Early Childhood Mental Health specialist’s program data; and other data from your community.)
o Describe how your RIAC policies and procedure already address, or can address, your relationship with the SIAC (i.e. a policy for taking complex cases to the SIAC, requesting a consult with the SIAC on policy and procedures, sending communication to the SIAC addressing funding issues, requesting consultation from the SIAC about new or needed resources, requesting assistance from the SIAC to resolve interagency barriers, etc)?
Within your respective RIAC agencies or organizations identify those who can provide strong leadership for early childhood. Consider those that have strong connections to potential resources. (i.e. the Early Childhood Mental Health specialists, the family support group leaders, an agency or organization CEO, an agency program administrator, a seasoned employee, etc.)
Identify those who currently provide or can provide strong external leadership (leadership found outside of your RIAC agencies and organizations) for early childhood. Consider those that have strong connections to potential resources. (examples: a legislator, a child care resource, specific members of the District Early Intervention Committees (DEIC), a head start director, a pre-school coordinator, a pediatrician, a person within higher education, etc.)
KY SEED
If your RIAC has questions about KY SEED, please contact Beth Armstrong at beth.armstrong@ky.gov or Mary Beth Jackson at marybeth.jackson@ky.gov.
Kentucky's System to Enhance Early Development (Ky SEED)
Welcome to KPFC's Ky SEED page.