Home Like Continuum

Kids playing with blocks

Strategic Objectives

  • Safely transform the child welfare and youth justice system to dramatically increase the proportion of children supported in their homes and communities
  • Identify, recruit and support relative and like-kin caregivers, in support of children and youth who cannot be safely maintained in their home
  • Elevate and support the role of individuals with lived experiences to inform system changes

Updates

  • A draft candidacy definition for Wisconsin was developed following Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) requirements. The department created a helpful document which includes the working definition of candidacy and some frequently asked questions for those seeking more information.
  • Continued efforts were made to maximize stakeholder input to understand Wisconsin’s in-home families and their needs. This included partnering with University of Wisconsin-Madison to survey selected Child Welfare agencies that demonstrated a successful reduction in their out of home care populations. Analysis from UW-Madison on successful strategies used by those agencies is expected soon.
  • A formal partnership began with the Office of Children’s Mental Health to recruit parents with lived experience in the Child Protection System for a new Birth Parent Stakeholder Group. This stakeholder group will meet regularly and is slated to begin early 2021. The group will help inform various decisions across the Division of Safety and Permanence at DCF.
  • Using a system-lens, a holistic in-home service delivery model is being developed, aimed at keeping children safely at home with their families. This development seeks to answer 3 key questions: what services do children and families most need to remain safely together, what does the workforce need to support high-needs families in home, and how do we help families safely exit our system? A visual of this delivery model is coming soon. The Division has evaluated models specifically related to integrated services. A preliminary analysis regarding models in this category (Homebuilders, SafeCare and Wraparound) can be found here.
  • Research continues on evidenced-based and non-evidence-based services to support families in-home. Several evidence-based services continue to be evaluated for potential inclusion in Wisconsin’s 5-Year Prevention Plan. These models are Homebuilders, Motivational Interviewing, Healthy Families of America, Nurse-Family Partnership and Parents as Teachers. More information on evidenced-based practices can be found using a short document produced by DCF.
  • In consultation with the Intertribal Child Welfare Committee, potential models identified specific to meeting the needs of tribal families include: Family Spirit, Motherhood is Sacred, Fatherhood is Sacred, Positive Indian Parenting, and Linking Generations by Strengthening Relationships. These models have yet to be reviewed by the federal Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse but continue to be monitored by DCF for potential future inclusion in Wisconsin’s 5-Year Prevention Plan.
  • Coordination with the Professional Development System is ongoing. This work aims to identify and assess the feasibility of different approaches to strengthen in-home assessment and service planning practices. These efforts are aimed at solidifying Wisconsin’s existing safety model framework in order to support the child welfare workforce in preventing a child or youth’s removal from their family home.