MONDAY REPORT

November 12, 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

CHILD WELFARE.. 1

JOINT PLANNING SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT. 1

FINAL FOUNDATION TRAINING CYCLES OF THE YEAR.. 2

DOWNSTATE PERFORMANCE BASED WORK GROUP.. 2

GENERAL.. 2

CONGRESSIONAL CONTINUING RESOLUTION.. 2

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON TANF REAUTHORIZATION.. 3

CWAC SACWIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.. 3

�     Best Practice and SACWIS. 3

�        Implementation of Phase I and II 3

�        Impact of Budget on SACWIS. 4

�        Financial JAD Sessions. 4

�     Field Visits to Private Agencies. 4

�     POS Issues  4

�        SACWIS POS Equipment Related Issues  5

MEDICAID AND SACWIS.. 5

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS.. 5

�     AICI Celebrates 30 Years of Adoption Listing Services. 5

�     The MILL Board of Directors Hires New President/CEO   5

�        Youth from The MILL Give Back to the Community  6

�     The MILL selected to participate in the Carroll H. Starr Endowment Challenge. 6

VIDEOS AVAILABLE FOR LOAN FROM CCA.. 6

HELPFUL WESITES FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY. 6

JOINT PLANNING SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT

The Joint Planning Subcommittee of SED convened its first regular meeting on 9/20/01.  The committee defined its goals and tasks.  These were identified as primarily:

The group identified the data it would begin examining.  This data was assembled by the Department and the committee met on 11/5/01 to begin the process.  The data presented and discussed included Provider Profile data, diagnostic profiles of ward in care collected by Chrysalis and CYCIS data about wards in care and wards who have been discharged in the past year.  Many aspects of the data were examined and discussed. 

The profiling data was examined in detail, both state wide and by region. Providers were placed in categories based on the number of severe risk behaviors and symptoms they reported as treatable in their settings.  The data was assembled solely on self-report, and resulted in 43% of the agencies falling in to the high-end category, 30% in the moderate category and 27% in the low end.  It was clear to the Department that the self-report method has limitations.  Some providers underreported their ability to treat high-end wards while other providers reported taking wards with high-end profiles even though they are not treating this level currently.  Even with these limitations, the profiling exercise was viewed as highly useful, as the agencies self-report will serve as a starting point for discussions with the Department about the level of service they provide.  These discussions will occur in the Program Planning process.

In the next two months, the Department will be working through the providers region by region to assess what level of providers exists in each area.  They will be forming assessments of the resources each region�s providers currently have and identifying where a gap exists between resources and needs.  Certain special needs populations such as SACY wards will not be served by every region, as it is clearly unrealistic to have highly specialized services in every region.  There is an active goal to have the rest of the residential population served in their own region, which may result in the cultivation of a particular level of provider where a gap in service exists.  As these assessments are completed, they will be shared with this committee for discussion and dissemination.  The subcommittee will meet again on January 7, 2002. We thank Margaret Vimont of Jewish Children�s Bureau, co-chair of this sub-committee for this report. (MB)

FINAL FOUNDATION TRAINING CYCLES OF THE YEAR

We remind all agency training coordinators that there are only a few foundation training sessions due to start before the end of the year. There are no training sessions scheduled during the December holiday season. We urge agencies to check the existing training schedule and match against anticipated hiring dates.

DCFS training staff has alerted us that the class scheduled to begin on 11/19/01 in Aurora only has 2 people registered. DCFS may have to cancel this session if the minimum of 6 participants is not registered within the next few days. (MB)

DOWNSTATE PERFORMANCE BASED WORK GROUP

The next meeting of the Downstate Performance Based Work Group is scheduled for next Monday, November 19, 2001 at 1:00 p.m. at 628 East Adams Street, Springfield. (MB) 

CONGRESSIONAL CONTINUING RESOLUTION

It was reported in This Week in Washington that Congress passed a fourth continuing resolution that provides funding for all federal agencies through Nov. 16^th while the 13 appropriations bills that keep the federal government functioning are being considered.  Although the President has not signed any appropriations bill into law, conference reports have been cleared on the Military Construction and Interior bills.  Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary; Energy and Water Development; Legislative Branch; Transportation; Treasury/Postal Services; Agriculture; Foreign Operations; and VA, HUD and Independent Agencies have all passed both chambers and are awaiting conference reports.  Bills for Labor, HHS, Education and the District of Columbia are still awaiting Senate action.  The remaining appropriations bill, National Security and Defense, has not passed in either chamber.  (JMS)

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON TANF REAUTHORIZATION

It was reported in a previous Monday Report that the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services issued a request in October for public comments on what changes should be proposed for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.  The federal law that created TANF will expire on Sept. 30^th next year.  HHS is also seeking comments on coordination issues with the Food Stamp Program, Child Care and Development Fund, Child Welfare and Child Support Enforcement.  Comments are due NOVEMBER 30, 2001.  Comments may be submitted through the mail to TANF Reauthorization Ideas, Office of Family Assistance, 5^th Floor East, Aerospace Building, 370 L�Enfant Promenade SW, Washington, DC 20447.  To comment online, go to www.acf/dhhs.gov/programs/ofa.  For any other questions contact Ann Burek Office of Family Assistance, 202-401-4528.

Suggested changes made by the National Center on Poverty Law include: 1.) Refocus the purpose of TANF from caseload reduction to poverty reduction; 2.) Increase TANF funding because maintaining current levels actually represents a decrease from 1997 of 13.5%;  3.) Eliminate the five-year lifetime limit on receiving assistance; 4.) Stop the clock if the lifetime limit stays while family is in work activity such as training, care giving, education or addressing work barriers; 5.) Redefine work to include education, care giving and participation in services to address barriers; 6.) Assure access to services to address barriers such as mental illness, physical disability, substance abuse and domestic and sexual violence; 7.) Ban full family sanctions; 8.) Support overcoming barriers and not sanction those with barriers or deny or terminate their benefits for noncompliance due to barrier; 9.) Revise and expand the Family Violence Option; 10.) Eliminate the out-of-wedlock studies, reports and bonuses.   The National Center on Poverty Law will submit written comments and post them on their web site at www.povertylaw.org.  (JMS)

CWAC SACWIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The SACWIS Advisory Committee met on Nov. 6, 2001 in Springfield, Ill.  The agenda included an update of best practices, review of the timelines for Phase I and II, status update on the POS identified issues of Medicaid, Residential, Communication, Training Coordination, Security and Schedule Changes of JADs, review of the POS equipment and payments and reports by the POS Advocates. 

�      Best Practice and SACWIS

Best Practice for investigations has been incorporated into policy and was submitted and approved by JCAR effective October 1, 2001.  Implementation of best practices is going well in Cook but there are some issues downstate.  The workload analysis seems to indicate that there is more work because it is more prescriptive.  For Phase II they will be piloting it in four sites downstate and one or two in Cook.  They will begin rolling out the training in December for initial sites.  They are also in the process of forming an Advisory Committee for Best Practice similar to the SACWIS Advisory Committee.

�      Implementation of Phase I and II

Timelines were distributed for both Phase I and II of the project.  John House has been designated the implementation manager for DCFS.  At this time Phase I (Intake and Investigation) is scheduled to be up and running by April 22, 2002.  The Joint Application Development sessions for Phase II are scheduled to run through March 2002.  Phase II is scheduled to be up and running by August 6, 2003.  Phase II will be implemented in three waves beginning with March of 2003. 

�      Impact of Budget on SACWIS

Although cutbacks are being reported for all state agency budgets based on the State�s revenue projections, SACWIS will not be impacted at this time.  One of the major issues is that major timelines be maintained for the project.  One impact on the SACWIS project is the reimbursement payments made to agencies for SACWIS equipment.  The reimbursement timeline has been extended by 3 to 4 weeks.  Agencies should anticipate reimbursements taking approximately 8 weeks now and if they have not received payment within 8 weeks they should contact DCFS.  Agencies are reminded that they can request payment based on a purchase order with a future delivery date.

�      Financial JAD Sessions

The financial sessions for Joint Application Development are not going to be pursued based on individual topic areas as with other focus group discussions.  Due to constraints within DCFS it was decided not to pursue full financial integration with SACWIS; however, an interface with MARS will be developed.  Areas that will not be included are children�s accounts, payables, contract management, FFP, budget, Medicaid Billing System appropriations act, and some of receivables.  Eligibility and some receivables will be included.  Some pieces of SACWIS will feed MARS.  There will be some type of session for financial but may more closely resemble integration sessions versus actual design sessions.

�      Field Visits to Private Agencies

Field visits were completed to Webster Cantrell and Beatrice Caffrey by American Management Information Systems.  The purpose of the visit was for AMS to see first hand how case management services are conducted in private agencies.   This information will be incorporated into the JAD session process.

�      POS Issues

The list of POS issues that continues to be raised for discussion as part of the development process for SACWIS are: Medicaid, Residential Care, Communication, Training Coordination, Security, and JAD Schedule Changes.  An additional issue raised is whether a workload analysis has been completed in conjunction with the implementation of the changes anticipated.  Will use of the system require less work for the staff or create additional work?  The question was also raised when the POS personnel information is added to the system how will this be maintained?  It was agreed that once the staff maintenance JAD sessions are completed which will identify the information to be included for the POS a workgroup would be organized to deal with how the POS information should be maintained in the system.

 The Medicaid issue of incorporating the assessment, treatment plan and case notes in the SACWIS system has been referred for discussion to a small committee of the CWAC Medicaid Workgroup.  The main concern of the POS is that staff should not have to enter duplicate information into two different systems.  With regards to communication efforts, AMS did a brief review of the SACWIS awareness sessions that are now taking place for Phase I (Intake and Investigation).  Forty-two out of the 100 scheduled sessions have taken place.  It was recommended that as Phase II implementation begins that these same type awareness sessions be integrated with Best Practice and Office Automation Training.  This also relates to the issue of training coordination with other department training requirements for staff to minimize the effect on days out of the office. 

A major issue that continues to reoccur during the JAD design process for Phase II is the last minute changes to the schedule and POS subject matter experts not being available for the new dates.  The most recent occurred related to eligibility and resources.     

�      SACWIS POS Equipment Related Issues

Identification of the number of POS sites has been completed.  This data will be used to begin planning stages for the T-1 and router installations.  The original number of POS sites was 328.  The completed count is 302 based on the Job Information Form survey and will be confirmed as part of the seat-count process.  The most recent caseload data and the BAT/BARC data have been obtained to be used as the basis for reallocation of funds based on the seat-counting process.  The staffing compliance penalty was removed from the grant agreement by the Director; however, agencies might still be penalized if they do not submit the required staffing reports.  Non-reporting agencies will not be reimbursed.  All but four private agencies have submitted their signed SACWIS contracts.  Reimbursements have been made this fiscal year to 34 different agencies.  (JMS)

MEDICAID AND SACWIS

A small workgroup of the CWAC Medicaid Subcommittee met on Nov. 7^th to discuss the issue of how the assessment, treatment plan and case notes would be incorporated into the SACWIS system.  This issue was raised by the POS providers on the SACWIS Advisory Committee before the Joint Application Development sessions began.  It was agreed that the main issue was addressing the incorporation of the case notes into the SACWIS system so that workers did not have to do duplicate entry of that information into a Medicaid billing system and the SACWIS client information system.  Since the agency must certify and sign off on the numbers for billing, it is important that the process allow for a review by the private agencies before a note keeping capability from SACWIS feeds into the Medicaid Billing system.   The issue was also raised about electronic signature since Medicaid does require it for its records.   It was also noted that although residential providers will not be part of the SACWIS system at this time the issue of how case information from residential providers is incorporated into system is still outstanding.  (JMS)

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

�      AICI Celebrates 30 Years of Adoption Listing Services

The Adoption Information Service of Illinois (AICI) held a news conference and celebration November 10, 2001 at the Chicago Children�s Advocacy Center to highlight the 30th Anniversary of the Adoption Listing Service.

Members of adoptive families, from teens to tots, and special guests from DCFS, The Children�s Advocacy Center, Dominick�s Foundation, and Bloomingdale�s were in attendance at the event, which was hosted by Merri Dee of WGN.    Bloomingdale�s specially designed Christopher Radko ornament, a heart-shaped �Celebrate Adoption 2001� glass ornament, was presented to adoptive families present at the event.

According to Marilyn Panichi, Executive Director of AICI, 4,600 children pictured and described in the pages of the Listing Service have been adopted since 1971.  Currently, 466 children are listed in the Adoption Listing Service book. The book, with photos and descriptions of waiting children, is distributed monthly to child welfare agencies and families listed with the Adoption Listing Service.

�      The MILL Board of Directors Hires New President/CEO

Dr. Robert Thorud has been hired as President/CEO of The MILL (Motivating Individuals for Learning and Living) in Rockford. Prior to joining the Mill, he was Chief Operating Officer for CHASI. He has served as a trainer, teacher, and presenter at local and national conferences in the areas of child sexual abuse, forensic and criminal profiling, hostage negotiations and other topics related to human services. Thorud serves as a Peer Reviewer for the Council on Accreditation.

�      Youth from The MILL Give Back to the Community

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois has awarded The MILL (Motivating Individuals for Learning and Living) a $2500 grant that enabled MILL students to build precision crafted Adirondack chairs. At a recent reception, residents, staff and Board Members from several retirement homes received four Adirondack chairs each.  Others were auctioned at The MILL�s annual fundraising event or sold to friends of The MILL. Plans are underway to go into production for sale to the public the beginning of next year.

�      The MILL selected to participate in the Carroll H. Starr Endowment Challenge

The MILL has been selected as one of three finalists to participate in the Carroll H. Starr Endowment Challenge offered through the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois. The intended endowment goal over the next three years is $126,100, of which 10% has already been raised through the leadership and support of The MILL�s Board of Directors.  The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois will match The MILL�s efforts with $42,033, and will administer the fund for The MILL in perpetuity.

(To submit your agency�s news for The Monday Report, send to Linda Lenzini, Director, Marketing and Public Relations, at the Child Care Association. MSWord e-mail attachments are preferred.)

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 WESITES 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 bios 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.