MONDAY REPORT

October 22, 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.

Table of Contents

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS.. 1

MONDAY REPORT PASSWORD TO CHANGE ON OCTOBER 29^TH. 1

LAST CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN CCAI MEMBERSHIP MEETING.. 1

�     Hotel Reservations at The Lodge. 2

CHILD WELFARE.. 2

UNUSUAL INCIDENT REPORT (UIR) UPDATE.. 2

COOK PERFORMANCE BASED WORK GROUP.. 2

�     DCP/ERC ISSUES.. 2

�     REVIEW OF RULE 359. 3

�     DHS FUNDING DECISION AND HMR LICENSING.. 3

�     RECONCILIATION RESULTS/CONTRACT ADJUSTMENTS.. 3

�     CHILD WELFARE EMPLOYEE LICENSURE.. 3

�     SPECIALIZED FOSTER CARE.. 3

�     SIBLING VISITATION.. 3

GENERAL.. 4

FEDERAL BUDGET ACTIONS.. 4

NATIONAL FORUMS ON WELFARE REAUTHORIZATION.. 4

REVISED CHECKLISTS FOR MEDICAID REVIEWS.. 4

PUBLIC POLICY RETREAT HELD 10/17/01. 4

VIDEOS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN FROM CCA.. 5

HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY. 6

UPCOMING EVENTS/MEETINGS.. 6

JUVENILE JUSTICE SUMMITS.. 6

Calendar 6

MONDAY REPORT PASSWORD TO CHANGE ON OCTOBER 29^TH

Rommel Sangalang will be contacting the appropriate people who retrieve the Monday Reports two weeks before the password changes.  Rommel will confirm the individual qualifications (a confirmation of employment to a qualified CCA Member Agency and a contact phone number) and place them in a new distribution list that will be used to send the new password one week before the change.

LAST CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN CCAI MEMBERSHIP MEETING

(See note below on hotel reservations)

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.  (MB)

�      Hotel Reservations at The Lodge

The Lodge (a Hyatt hotel at McDonald�s Office Campus in Oak Brook), the location for CCA�s Fall Membership Meeting, has extended the deadline for overnight reservations and also the overnight fee for CCA guests is still $115.00.  (The rack rate at The Lodge is $159.00).  The Lodge has miles of trails, with streams and forests, two natural lakes, all on an 88-acre property.  Among the amenities are: state of the art health facilities, indoor swimming pool, three whirlpools, steam room and sauna, paddle boats, five nature trails, and four-mile jogging trail.  Stay at the Lodge and join us for an educational and relaxing two days.  To make your reservation, please call 800.233.1234 or 630.990.5800.  Be sure to tell them you are attending the Child Care Association Meeting.  (SKA)

UNUSUAL INCIDENT REPORT (UIR) UPDATE

The UIR procedures and instructions for seeking waivers for high-end children are being distributed by DCFS. We have requested that DCFS send these to all agencies with any type of contract.

A work group of the CWAC-SED provided feedback to DCFS as the UIR process was refined. Members of this task force are now seeking feedback on how the process is working so that recommendations can be made to DCFS for any technical adjustments. Agencies should e-mail their comments to Ed Sherk of Shelter, Inc. who has volunteered to collect the feedback for use in future work group meetings with DCFS. Send e-mail to: [email protected] with a copy to CCAI: [email protected]. (MB)

COOK PERFORMANCE BASED WORK GROUP

The Cook Performance Based Work Group met in Chicago on October 9.    

�      DCP/ERC ISSUES

Mary Ellen Eades reported that the numbers of kids in the shelter is at around 100, an improvement from the recent average of 120, but not at the desired level of 70.  Staffings conducted by Hu-tech and DCFS clinical have been instituted at 48 and 72 hours in an effort to develop alternative placements in a timely manner.  ERC staff are responsible for notification of caseworkers regarding the staffings.  There are on going problems in communication and information exchange between DCP and CAU, which impedes the case opening process.  Mary Ellen Eades responded to the questions regarding processing of vouchers by DCP staff to the effect that if the voucher has not been included in the hand-off, it would be advisable for the follow-up worker to contact the region to secure the voucher.  It is unlikely that DCP would process the voucher after that point.  The appropriate region is the one corresponding to the region/site/field of the assigned caseworker.

�      REVIEW OF RULE 359

Bob Trine of Cook North reviewed the Sections of this rule relating to Payments for children�s clothing, financial assistance to Foster Parents, what is covered in the non-recurring expenses portion of POS contracts, and special service fees.  Of note: Home of Relative Compliance providing $250 per child to assist a relative in becoming licensed, as well as special service fees to reimburse foster parents for expenses related to sibling visitation.  Bob Trine made the same presentation at the Cook Intake meeting on 10-10-01.

�      DHS FUNDING DECISION AND HMR LICENSING

Agencies can expect to receive a letter this week regarding dates in late October and early November for training of licensing and permanency staff.  The baseline list of homes will be sent to the agency contact person.  Home of Relative Compliance financial assistance will be highlighted in the training.

�      RECONCILIATION RESULTS/CONTRACT ADJUSTMENTS

As a result of the reconciliation, DCFS expects to send out the contract adjustments for FY 02, which will occur in November, the week of 10-15-01.  The FY 01 final results were distributed, along with the lists detailing agencies� intake status.  Unlike FY 01 in which BARCS were reduced each quarter, BARCS will remain the same in FY 02.  The 2% CODB for the 4^th quarter will be reflected in contract amendments.  As there is no threshold for non-permanencies, BARCS and BATS will reflect decreases for straight numbers.

�      CHILD WELFARE EMPLOYEE LICENSURE

DCFS advised that if a worker has a �P� for pending in the database, the worker may be allowed to cover cases.  This means that the worker has passed CERAP and the Licensure test.

�      SPECIALIZED FOSTER CARE

As previously reported the standardized plan is on hold. It was reported that agencies can expect to see newly calculated rates effective 9-1-01 in their October payment cycle, which may represent a decrease for some agencies.  The Foster Care Infrastructure group is expected to meet in October. 

�      SIBLING VISITATION

DCFS distributed a copy of the letter going out to agency executives that describes requirements for compliance with the Aristotle P. Consent Decree.  Agencies will have until 12-21-01 to complete an internal review and a corrective action plan if the review reveals less than the required 50% compliance level.  ACR will be monitoring the visitation going forward and sanctions may be imposed after February 02.  Discussion concluded that documentation of visitation is extremely important.  It is suggested that DCFS visitation forms be used for this purpose.  The special service fees for sibling visitation referenced above are useful resources to support this effort.

This meeting provides a constructive opportunity for POS agencies to surface issues that require resolution in the interface with DCFS staff that have responsibility for performance contracts.  APT administration is represented here, as well.

(Our thanks to Marcia Weflen of LSSI for preparing this report.)

FEDERAL BUDGET ACTIONS

It was reported by This Week in Washington earlier this month the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee approved a $123.1 billion spending bill for fiscal year 2002.  Additional funding has been added to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in the amount of $3.5 billion.  The Child Care and Development Block Grant is funded at $2.2 billion which represents a $200 million increase as requested by the President.  Other increases could be demonstrated in the Substance Abuse Block Grant funded at $1.725 billion with an increase of $60 million and the Mental Health Block Grant funded at $440 million with a $20 million increase.  Unfortunately the Social Services Block Grant was reduced by $25 million below the FY 2001 level to a funding level of $1.7 billion. 

The spending bill does increase funding for the Promoting Safe and Program by $70 million from $305 million to $375 million for FY 2002.  Senate action is pending.  (JMS)

NATIONAL FORUMS ON WELFARE REAUTHORIZATION

The nation�s governors, state legislators, county officials, welfare program directors and welfare recipients will be invited to discuss ways to strengthen the TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) programs which was created by the 1996 welfare reform legislation.  The TANF program is currently authorized through Fiscal Year 2002.  Sessions will be held in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York, and San Francisco.  As the welfare legislation is reauthorized consideration must given to what is working and what needs further improvement and/or development.  TANF allocates $16.5 billion in federal block grant funds to states each year to provide cash assistance to needy families, support their transition to work and promote families.  (JMS)

REVISED CHECKLISTS FOR MEDICAID REVIEWS

At the last Medicaid Advisory Workgroup meeting, a draft of a revised checklist for Medicaid reviews was presented.  The intent was to simplify the checklist and only emphasize the most important issues.  IPI noted that the most dramatic changes were in the assessment section.  The current review checklist has a large number of items, many of them tied to small details.  The revised checklist eliminates a formal review of the small details and instead focuses on the question of whether the assessment sufficiently describes the mental health issues to support Medicaid treatment.  Another significant change is the approach to reviewing services.  The current checklist has a separate checklist for each and every service type.  The revised checklist divides services into three categories: Milieu Services, therapy/counseling services, and non-milieu services that are not therapy/counseling.  This should help highlight the most important service-related issues.  Overall the workgroup members were in favor of the revised checklist materials and would like to see the materials implemented as soon as possible.  A meeting has been scheduled for Oct. 24^th to iron out additional questions about the revised checklist.  (JMS)

PUBLIC POLICY RETREAT HELD 10/17/01

Over twenty members of CCA met in Bolingbrook on Thursday, October 17^th to begin crafting a public policy platform and develop processes that will help the Association jump-start its policy agenda this year. The group included CCA�s Public Policy Committee members and Chairperson Jim Sherman of the Children�s Home Association of Illinois as well as other interested CCA members.

Three areas of focus for policy have been recommended for this year. They are: The changing role of the not-for-profit service provider in relationship to government funders; current juvenile justice policy, both federal and state, and its impact on children and adolescents; and the role of the not-for-profit service provider as a member of the community and a community-builder.

Much of the discussion centered around the current legislative and economic environment that has been created by the events of September 11^th, and the challenge CCA faces in having its voice heard amid broad-based concerns about public safety and economic fallout.  Tom Nolan, principal of Nolan and Associates, CCA�s contract lobbying firm, emphasized that this year�s state budget may be cut by $450 million to $1 billion in the wake of the terrorist attacks and the subsequent security measures being put in place by the state.  Additionally, the introduction of new legislation, rare during most veto sessions, is being strongly discouraged by the Governor�s office and the legislative leadership during this year�s veto session, which is scheduled for November 12th-14th and 27^th � 29^th.  Nolan urged participants to consider an agenda that approaches budgeting issues creatively.

Additionally, the group discussed strategies for expanding the pool of influence that CCA as an association can have on policymakers. Recommendations included the involvement of agency board members, staff, program graduates, and donors, and identifying and working with those within the Illinois legislative body who are the most concerned about the issues that CCA supports and can wield the most influence.

A number of potential communications strategies and vehicles were also presented which could be adopted contingent on the direction and message of the final policy platform and the desired target audiences. It was emphasized that the environment of media interest, much like that of the legislature and the public-at-large, is currently focused on community safety and economic recovery, and the message must be timely, focused, and well-targeted to be heard.

An ad hoc committee was also formed to discuss ways to influence and the upcoming gubernatorial election and to assess candidates� positions on the issues that CCA supports.

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.

HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY

Tired of all that paper cluttering up your desk as you work on important public policy and advocacy issues? Check out these helpful online sites!

To find Illinois state legislators, their phone numbers, their districts, and their voting history:

http://www.state.il.us/state.legis

Provides legislation status and text, contact information for district or elected officials, and links to each legislator�s bio, voting record, contact numbers and e-mail address.

To find Congress members, phone numbers for districts, and voting history:

http://congress.org

Includes quick Capitol Hill tips, contacts for elected officials by zip code, issues and legislation, and a guide to the media. Provides bio�s and voting history for members of Congress and a quick means to contact them via e-mail.

To track CWLA public policy and advocacy information:

http://www.cwla.org/advocacy

Includes legislative agenda�s, report forms, Kids� Advocate Online, an interactive area of the website to obtain information and contact Congress, budget information alerts and updates, and more.

To track Alliance for Children public policy and advocacy information:

http://www.alliance1.org. Outlines public policy position statements, action alerts, and legislative tracking chart for current Congressional session.

To track DCFS Executive Summaries Monthly:

http:/www.state.il.us/dcfs

Includes updated Executive Statistical Summary Report covering trends in child abuse, foster care and licensing outcomes.

To learn how your congressional representatives and senators are doing at their jobs, identify and contact state or county elected officials and more: http://www.vote-smart.org is the Project Vote Smart website. Contains policy information by keyword category, as well as bio�s on elected officials, and much more.

JUVENILE JUSTICE SUMMITS

The Juvenile Justice Initiative is holding 3 summits on juvenile justice. These summits provide an opportunity to participate in the development of model policy and appropriate recommendations and implementation strategies. Registration is necessary. Call 217-522-7970 for additional information and registration form.
All summits are held from 10:00-4:00 with lunch included.
      Detention: November 5, Bloomington
      Prevention: October 30, Bloomington
      Fairness: November 1, Chicago
(MB)

Calendar

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