MONDAY REPORT

September 17, 2001

SPECIAL NOTE:  Copyright 2001. The Monday Report is produced each week as a benefit to the member agencies of the Child Care Association. Please protect this membership benefit - DO NOT copy and distribute this report to agencies/staff that are not members of CCA. Thank you for your cooperation.

THE WEEK�S EVENTS

Difficult as it may be to concentrate on �business as usual� because of last week�s acts of terrorism, our Monday Report proceeds on.  Those of us who specialize in human services work painfully feel the trauma that must be experienced by those directly impacted by the tragedies. But we also experience daily the unique rewards of seeing children connected to families and families connected and secure. Our work makes us strive to bring such feeling to all families. As we comprehend the massive loss of life and connections it makes us reflect on how much we value those close to us, those we work with, and those we work for.  On behalf of all CCAI staff, we want our CCAI family to know how much we appreciate you and your efforts. Peace. (MB)

Table of Contents

MARK CALENDARS NOW FOR CCAI FALL MEMBERSHIP MEETING.. 2

POLICY COMMITTEE RETREAT SET FOR OCTOBER 17 IN BOLINGBROOK. 2

CHILD WELFARE. 3

SIBLING VISIT PENALTY STATUS. 3

COOK PERFORMANCE BASED WORK GROUP. 3

Appointment of New Co-Chairs. 3

Training Waiver 3

HMR Licensing Efforts. 3

4^th Quarter Reconciliation Preliminary Results. 4

One Worker � One Family Updates. 4

Specialized Foster Care Update. 4

Sibling Visitation Policy Proposal 4

Worker Licensing Issues. 4

Other Outcomes Benchmarks. 5

Next Meeting. 5

SOUTHERN REGION FOUNDATION TRAINING.. 5

HOMEMAKER RATES UNDER DISCUSSION WITH DCFS. 5

EDUCATION. 5

CCA CONTINUES WORK ON RATE-SETTING; MEETING SCHEDULED. 5

CCA AND DCFS SCHEDULED TO MEET ON OCTOBER 12 IN CHICAGO.. 5

GENERAL. 6

EMERGENCY AMENDMENT FOR TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES. 6

NATIONWIDE TANF CASELOADS. 6

SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAMS REPORT. 6

HEALTHY FAMILIES ILLINOIS POLICY AND ADVOCACY COMMITTEE. 6

TANF COMMUNITY MEETINGS. 7

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS CCA Members Win Awards for Foster Parent Law Implementation Plan. 7

MEDIA NEWS. 7

VIDEOS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN FROM CCA. 7

TAKE YOUR AGENCY�S PR TEMPERATURE WITH THE CCA COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY. 8

MEDIA INTERVIEWS UNDER PRESSURE: SOME TIPS FOR SUCCESS. 8

PUBLIC RELATIONS INFORMATION AND IDEA EXCHANGE. 8

KNOW YOUR LOCAL PRESS. 8

UPCOMING EVENTS/MEETINGS. 9

Calendar 9

MARK CALENDARS NOW FOR CCAI FALL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR THE CHILD CARE ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOIS

AND ITS MEMBERS

Mark your calendars for October 25 and 26 at the Hyatt Lodge Oak Brook for the opportunity to participate in the Strategic Planning Process of the Child Care Association.

Join your colleagues and CCAI staff for a challenging two days of looking into the future. This is a unique opportunity to:

Participate in the Strategic Planning Process of the Association

Contribute your ideas and identify future potential

Examine the suggested directions for the CCAI as developed in the CEO Retreat

Examine future impacts on your agency

Determine how you will become involved in future CCAI directions and decisions

Provide input & critique ideas

Examine policy directions and determine how your agency will be involved

These two days form the second essential step of the strategic planning process for CCAI that started with the CEO and Board Retreat in July.  It will help confirm the directions, build the plans and guide strategic decisions for the next few years. There will be ample opportunity to exchange ideas in large group sessions as well as during smaller focus groups. The final strategic directions and the implications of those strategies will impact the association and our individual member agencies. Your participation is crucial!!! Watch the mail later this week for full details and registration materials.

Cutoff date for Hotel reservations is October 10. Reservations can be made now with the Oak Brook Hyatt Lodge by calling 630-990-5800 or 800-233-1234.  Be sure to tell the Hyatt Lodge that you are attending the Child Care Association Meeting.  The single occupancy rate is $115.00. (MB)

POLICY COMMITTEE RETREAT SET FOR OCTOBER 17 IN BOLINGBROOK

Changing times call for new measures, methods and strategies. Join your colleagues on the CCAI policy committee for our annual retreat at the Bolingbrook Holiday Inn on October 17, from 9:30-4:00.

We will: Critique the format, structure and role of the Policy Committee�past, present and future; Identify the key issues for Association policy and legislative work over the next year; Identify and discuss state and federal legislation of interest to CCAI; Strategize on how to succeed in future policy efforts; Discuss the status of current legislation.

This retreat represents a unique opportunity to �Jump Start� our policy work this coming year. Current members of the Policy Committee, Board Members and any member wishing to get involved in the Policy Committee this year are urged to attend. Watch the mail later this week for full meeting and registration details. (MB)

SIBLING VISIT PENALTY STATUS

DCFS recently advanced a proposal generating from discussions with the Cook Public Guardian�s office to immediately apply financial penalties to agencies for failure to conduct sibling visits. All agencies are required in their contracts to assure all consent decree requirements are met. The Aristotle Consent Decree required regular visits among children in foster care.  A recent review of cases found the system is seriously delinquent in conducting these visits. At CWAC in August, DCFS agreed to work with CCAI to propose alternatives to the original financial sanction plan.

 The proposal advanced by CCA was agreed to by DCFS. We recommended that agencies be asked to conduct an immediate internal review and compliance report on the status of sibling visits. If they are out of compliance on any cases, they should submit a corrective action plan. In six months, financial sanctions would then be implemented for any cases out of a 50% compliance level. This plan acknowledges the seriousness of the sibling visit problem but provides agencies with an opportunity to self-correct and puts the focus on the programmatic end before financial sanctions are applied. Although the policy will be effective in late September, financial sanctions will not begin until February 2002.  Specific details will be sent to agencies within the next ten days via letter from DCFS. Our thanks to Arlene Happach for helping us formulate the alternative proposal. (MB)

COOK PERFORMANCE BASED WORK GROUP

The Cook Performance Based Work Group met on Wednesday, September 12^th at Catholic Charities.    Discussion focused on:

Appointment of New Co-Chairs

Marcia Weflen of LSSI and Melissa Ludington of DCFS will take over the chair responsibility beginning in October. 

Training Waiver

DCFS staff reported that the Department was approved for another IV-E waiver to cover costs of additional training of POS case management staff. Diane Yost is the coordinator of the training waiver, working with both the Office of the DCFS Research Director and Best Practice.  As a requirement of the waiver, there will be control and experimental groups, although the Department has not yet finalized how the distribution will be determined.  The Department is working with a POS advisory group on this as well as on how reimbursement will be provided.

HMR Licensing Efforts

In early July, DHHS issued a ruling that States can no longer claim for reimbursement of the administrative portion of dollars spent for children placed with unlicensed relatives. This includes �case management� expenses of staff salaries.  This could result in a $50 million dollar annual loss of reimbursement to Illinois, a state that currently has approximately 7,000 children placed in 4,100 homes of unlicensed caregivers. The first level of response is to review all unlicensed homes to determine the reasons why they remain unlicensed, and to identify any homes that can be immediately identified for licensing. DCFS will be sending lists of all such homes to agencies and asking for a review and response. DCFS is also looking at potential modifications of training requirements as a way to increase the number of licensed homes.  All Executive Directors should have received a letter from DCFS inviting them to a meeting to be held from 1:00 pm � 3:00 pm on Thursday, September 20^th at 6201 S. Emerald.  The meeting will address training expectations, POS responsibilities, and the timeframes for response.  The letter also asked each agency to select a point person to whom all information will be sent.  The designated name and contact information should be sent to APT as soon as possible. CCAI has met with DCFS and members of the African American Family Commission to address concerns about the future policy of Illinois Kinship Care, if the ruling stands. There will also be discussions with members of Congress to ask them to seek suspension of this ruling from DHHS.

4^th Quarter Reconciliation Preliminary Results

FY01 preliminary results were distributed.  The Unreconciled Permanency Rate for HMR in Cook was 28.7% (30.4% once AFCARS are corrected) and for TFC in Cook was 20.5% (21.9% once AFCARS are corrected.) The system as a whole performed better then originally anticipated, although there are a significant number of incomplete AFCARS. There are a few agencies whose performance rates will be significantly impacted by these missing AFCARS. Agencies must submit copies of completed AFCARS forms to Kara Teeple prior to the deadline in order to receive credit for the permanency. Final materials are due to DCFS by close of business Friday, September 14^th.   Final reconciled results should be ready by the first week of October. Contracts will then be adjusted according to the final reconciled performance levels. CCAI agencies can request a copy of the 4^th Quarter performance list from the Springfield CCA office.

One Worker � One Family Updates

During the month of June, CAU transferred 498 child cases as part of the consolidation process.  Ongoing monitoring of one worker � one family compliance will now be part of APT�s monthly monitoring visit.  If an agency has a case that requires consolidation, the agency will be given 30 days to consolidate the case.  If, after 30 days, the case remains split, APT staff will determine to which agency/region the case will be consolidated, based on the same criteria used in June, and will immediately begin the transfer process.  Non-Cook agencies and regions have now begun this process. Cook agencies may be contacted by non-Cook agencies in order to consolidate cases prior to September 30^th. 

Specialized Foster Care Update

The Department has decided not to move ahead with standardized specialized foster care rates and program plans in January 2002 as originally expected. Contracts for FY�02 are being adjusted to include full year obligated amounts based on the rate methodology being used this year. CCAI directed a letter to the DCFS Director and will be meeting with him in October to express concerns about the delay in progress in specialized. There are concerns about agencies being able to comply with performance outcomes when there are unequal playing fields programmatically and rate-wise. Additionally, many agencies have had rate enhancement requests postponed in deference to the standardization of rates and are now suffering with another full year of low rates.  CCAI has recommended that agencies file an appeal if their previous rate enhancements were declined. 

Sibling Visitation Policy Proposal

Marge reported that CWAC reviewed the anticipated sibling visit proposal and agreed that a private sector group should work with DCFS on a possible alternate to the previous sanction proposal. (See Sibling Visit section of this Monday Report.)

Worker Licensing Issues

The first group of new POS hires has finished foundation training, and agencies reported negative feedback from their staff.  There continue to be problems verifying worker�s licensed status once all other requirements are met.  Agencies receive duplicate information requests from both the office of licensure and APT, and often receive conflicting information.  It was recommended that agencies share specific examples with the office of licensure, and continue to work through APT staff for information.  APT should be viewed as troubleshooters on behalf of the agencies.

Other Outcomes Benchmarks

As part of FY02 contracts, agencies will be measured on their rates of:  re-entry of children that return to care within twelve months of reunification; and children who are victims of indicated abuse/neglect reports will in a foster care placement supervised by the agency.  Executive directors and DCFS RA�s were sent letters last week that include the FY00 rate to which the agency/region will be compared. We encourage our agencies to review these numbers carefully.  Any questions about the measure should be directed to Melissa Ludington. 

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 9, 2001 from 9:30 � 12:00 at the Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph, Sixth Floor. Note change in location.  Discussion will focus on: DCP issues; Rule 359 overview; AOD referral process tracking; FY02 contract adjustments; HMR licensing efforts; and worker licensure updates, as well as discussion about the future direction of the work group. (MB)

SOUTHERN REGION FOUNDATION TRAINING

DCFS training staff have informed us that there are very few registrations for the Southern Region foundation training due to start of September 24. If the class is not better attended, there is risk of cancellation of this training.  Those private agency staff will be moved to training cycles in other regions. We ask our Southern Region agencies to please review the upcoming training dates and your new hire schedule. If you will have any new hires, you should inform DCFS immediately in order to reserve the slot and try to maintain the planned training dates and locations. (MB)

HOMEMAKER RATES UNDER DISCUSSION WITH DCFS

In one of a series of meetings on this topic, DCFS and affected private agencies met last week to review the true cost of the Homemaker service and the development of priorities for the use of this service.  It became clear that DCFS believes that an increase in the Homemaker rate will require reduction in the units of service required.  Another meeting has been scheduled to come a conclusion in this effort (BRH).

CCA CONTINUES WORK ON RATE-SETTING; MEETING SCHEDULED

Budget increments for nonpublic special education facilities for increasing teacher salaries and benefits are still under discussion with ISBE.  Current IPCRB policy, which restricts salary hikes to entry-level position at the Chicago Public Schools and the nonpublic school median for the balance of state, was discussed with Chris Koch, Acting Deputy Superintendent for Special Education on Friday.  Several options were presented to him for modifying this policy, and CCA will continue to work with him on this modification.  Should IPCRB maintain its current policy this will be one of several issues that we will contest when the proposed rules are submitted to the Joint Committee on Administrative Review (BRH).

CCA AND DCFS SCHEDULED TO MEET ON OCTOBER 12 IN CHICAGO

DCFS and private agencies will meet to discuss DCFS plans in education and to discuss private agency concerns regarding education problems in foster care and institutions and group homes.  The meeting will be held at St. Joseph Carondelet, 739 E. 35^th St., Chicago from 10:00 until noon.  The, from 1:00 � 3:00 the CCA Education Committee will meet to discuss rate-setting.  All Education Committee members with nonpublic schools are urged to attend (BRH).

EMERGENCY AMENDMENT FOR TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES

The Department of Human Services adopted an emergency amendment for  �Temporary Assistance for Needy Families� effective 9/01/01 for a maximum of 150 days.  The rulemaking exempts from the 60-month lifetime TANF benefit limit any months in which the only adult in an assistance unit is the primary caregiver for a child under age 18 with physical or mental health problems or in which one adult is the primary caregiver for his or her spouse who likewise has physical or mental health problems.  The amendment requires that the health problems be serious enough to demand the caregiver�s full attention and be verified by a physician�s statement.  The Department shall also verify that the care being provided does not allow the caregiver to obtain or retain employment that would satisfy the requirements of this rule.  Questions or copies/comments may be submitted on this proposed rule until 10/22/01 to:  Susan Weir, DHS 100 S. Grand Ave. E., 3^rd Fl., Springfield, Ill.  62762.  217-785-9772.  (JMS)

NATIONWIDE TANF CASELOADS

A recent report issued by HHS shows that TANF caseloads continue to decrease.   Over the past year caseloads continue to decrease nationwide by 3%.   In addition to the decrease in the number of families receiving assistance, the number of individuals decreased by about 4%.  However, the report also shows that 17 states experienced an increase in caseload for recipients ranging from 0.2% to 16.4%.  The report can be found at www.hhs.gov/news/press/2001pres/20010905a.html.  (JMS)

SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAMS REPORT

SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Center for Substance Abuse Treatment) issued a report with positive findings for substance abuse residential treatment programs for pregnant and parenting women.  The study is entitled �1993-2000 Residential Treatment Programs for Pregnant and Parenting Women.   The report shows declines for those women using crack, marijuana, powder cocaine, methamphetemine, heroin and alcohol.  The study also shows improvement for rates of premature delivery, low birth weight and infant mortality.  (JMS)

HEALTHY FAMILIES ILLINOIS POLICY AND ADVOCACY COMMITTEE

The Healthy Families Illinois Policy and Advocacy Committee had a conference call on August 27^th to discuss how to share information about HFI with executive directors/administrators and board members of HFI organizations, strengthen their understanding and commitment to HFI and prevention, and generate their interest in advocacy activities at the state and local level on behalf of HFI.  Participants on the conference call represented statewide organizations, child welfare agencies and county health department.  There was a discussion of the challenges and the opportunities that different types of organizations face with and HFI program within their own organization.

Some of the challenges mentioned by child welfare organizations include:  1.) HFI is a small program among a large child welfare organization.  2.) Executives focus on changes within DCFS; 3.) The prevention message is viewed as key in marketing services to the community and getting local support; 4.) Prevention is not seen as a growth industry since the dollars are so small compared to intervention programs; 5.) Not a focus for agencies as child welfare numbers are falling.

Some of the challenges mentioned by health departments include:  1.) HFI is better funded than many other health programs so executives are less involved with HFI.  They are more focused on funding core health services.  2.) Funding is currently very tight for basic public health programs; 3.) Health departments have looked to HFI to diversify funding and bring additional resources; 4.) There is still confusion regarding the difference between Family Case Management and HFI; and 5.) CEO�s spend time fundraising and building relationships with other organizations. 

Based on the discussion and prior to additional planning for a meeting for executives next steps were identified:  1.) Members on the committee would meet with executives from their agencies to collect additional information; 2.) The chair of the committee with draft a survey that would be mailed to executives; 3.)The survey would be completed jointly by the executive and the program director. 4.) Results of the survey will be compiled to be included to plan for meeting with executives.  (JMS)

TANF COMMUNITY MEETINGS

A series of community meetings have been organized to provide a way for all interested parties to come together to review Illinois� welfare to work efforts and assess currently available services for families receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and how to adjust these services to reflect the reality of welfare as it exists today.  Anyone is invited to participate.   Meetings began this month and have already taken place in E. St. Louis, North Chicago and West Chicago.  Meetings in the upcoming weeks include Sept. 20, 2001 in Peoria, contact Cynthia Ragusa with DHS at 217-782-5901; Sept. 24, 2001 in Rockford, contact Donna Hughes with DHS at 217-785-9692; October 1, 2001 in Springfield, contact Vickie Dennison at 217-785-0463; October 9, 2001 in central Chicago, contact Marilyn Peals at 312-793-6644; October 15, 2001 in Southern Illinois, contact Mary Broughton at 217-782-5735; October 16, 2001 in South Chicago, contact Joyce Delk at 312-793-6679; October 18, 2001 in Rock Island, contact Janeece Robertson at 217-785-9703.  (JMS)

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
CCA members win awards for Foster Parent Law Implementation Plan

Five CCA members have won awards for top scores in their 2001 Foster Parent Law implementation plans. The winners are: Lakeside Community Committee of Chicago, the YMCA of Chicago, Catholic Social Services of Peoria, The Baby Fold of Bloomington, and Webster Cantrell Hall of Decatur.

MEDIA NEWS

PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL FAMILY WEEK, November 18^th-24^th, 2001.

Thanks to a mini-grant from the Alliance for families, CCA will be developing a public service campaign for National Family Week featuring pre-recorded public service announcements for radio and a number of other items developed around the theme, �Connections Count.�  A limited number of PSA�s will be available to member agencies for tagging in their markets on a first-come first-serve, so contact [email protected] to reserve your copies. 

VIDEOS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN FROM CCA

Three videos are now available for loan from CCA. They are:

�       �Attracting and Keeping the Best Volunteers,� a satellite videoconference produced by the Learning Institute for Nonprofit organizations

�       �Strengthening the Foundation of Effective Volunteer Involvement,� a satellite videoconference produced by the Learning Institute for Nonprofit organizations.

�       �Legacy of Community Action,� a documentary funded jointly by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation and HBO, tells the story of a multigenerational family who overcomes poverty, welfare, drug addiction and family tragedy to transcend to success.  The film would be a great starter for discussion on collaboration and an excellent training film on the range of challenges social service agencies and workers face when working with clients. 

TAKE YOUR AGENCY�S PR TEMPERATURE WITH THE CCA COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY

CCA has a number of services available for public relations professionals, and is currently analyzing membership needs and interest in the area of public relations. Take advantage of this opportunity to contribute ideas by filling out the CCA Public Relations Survey. You can request this survey by e-mailing your request to [email protected], or visit the home page of the CCA website at http://www.cca-il.org.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS UNDER PRESSURE: SOME TIPS FOR SUCCESS

�Media Interviews Under Pressure: Some Tips for Success� has been prepared by the CCA Communications office for member use. To obtain your copy, contact Linda Lenzini, Director of Marketing and Communications at CCA at [email protected]. Please specify whether you prefer a MSWord attachment, imbedded email, or hard copy of the information.

PUBLIC RELATIONS INFORMATION AND IDEA EXCHANGE

CCA offers an e-mail advisory list for public relations professionals and other personnel within member agencies that function in a public relations capacity. The Association will also be offering additional opportunities to exchange information and ideas and share your successes and challenges. To join your colleagues at CCA in these efforts, please e-mail Linda Lenzini at the Child Care Association at [email protected] or call the CCA offices at 217-528-4409.

NOW AVAILABLE: �HOW TO GET INTO THE NEWSPAPERS WITHOUT COMMITTING A CRIME� This handbook, prepared by the Illinois Press Association, is available to CCA member agencies upon request through a permission to reprint agreement with the Press Association. The handbook is ideal not only for communications professionals, but for educating staff, Boards of Directors, and volunteers. To obtain your copy, contact Linda Lenzini at CCA at [email protected] or by calling 217-528-4409. 

KNOW YOUR LOCAL PRESS

Names, titles, and contact phone numbers of your agency�s local media outlets are available for the asking from CCA. Contact Linda Lenzini at the Child Care Association at [email protected], or call the CCA offices at 217-528-4409.

Calendar

Sept. 19 -  CCA Board of Directors Meeting, Holiday Inn Select, Naperville

Sept. 20-21 � Open Minds Strategic Management Institute, Hyatt Regency O�Hare; The institute agenda can be viewed on the Open Minds Website, and CCA members can register online and receive a special discount at http://www.openminds.com.

Sept. 28 -  �Coaching the Social Service Van Driver�, Lawrence Hall Youth Services, Chicago, IL�A Free seminar for CCA members.  For more information or to register please call Sandy or Barb and CCA 217.528.4409, Ext. 21 or 22 (Space is limited)

Oct. 11 - �Assessing, Diagnosing and Treating the Mental Health Needs of Africa-American Adolescents in the Juvenile Justice System� at the Palmer House Hilton, Chicago; For further information call: Wendy Reese at 217/522-2663 or 800/252-8045

Oct. 17 � CCA Policy Committee Retreat, 9:30 � 4:00, Holiday Inn Bolingbrook, IL

Oct. 25-26 � CCA�s Fall Membership Meeting, The Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook, IL. The meeting is open to CCA Executive Directors and executive level staff

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