Training for Effective Child Welfare Practice in Rural Communities

Site visit report Training for Effective Child Welfare Practice in Rural Communities La Chundra Thomas, Children’s Bureau Federal Project Officer Jack Denniston, site visitor Project information  Children’s Bureau Funding Announcement: Training for Effective Child Welfare Practice in Rural Communities  Award #: 90CT00110  Project title: Tribal STAR: Addressing the Needs of Rural Native American Foster Youth  Grantee: San Diego State University School of Social Work  Tribal STAR partners: o Indian Health Council o Iipaay Nation of Santa Ysabel Social Services Department o Southern Indian Health Council o San Diego HHSA: Indian Specialty Unit & Independent Living Unit o Southern California Tribal Chairmen's Association, Intertribal Court o YMCA Youth & Family Services o South Bay Community Services o San Diego Youth & Community Services  Project Director: Dr Anita Harbert Director, San Diego State University School of Social Work Tribal STAR Principal Investigator Academy for Professional Excellence 6505 Alvarado Road, Ste 107 San Diego, CA 92120 (619) 594-5724 aharbert@mail.sdsu.edu  Project Coordinator: Dana Allen Academy for Professional Excellence 6505 Alvarado Road, Ste 107 San Diego, CA 92120 (619) 594-3192 dallen@projects.sdsu.edu  Approved project period: 10/01/2003-09/30/2008  Other projects funded under this priority area o Southwest Missouri State University o Portland State University o Sonoma State University o Texas State University – San Marcos o University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 Abstract (adapted from their grant application) Rural Native American foster youth are at risk They are unique from other foster youth in that they have access to fewer economic and educational advantages and they have the dual burden of having to learn skills that are culturally sensitive and applicable in their rural tribal communities as well as in mainstream America These unique issues have led to troubling outcomes for many Native American youth The primary goal of our project is to improve the outcomes of rural Native American foster youth This will be accomplished through the development and implementation of two comprehensive, competency-based collaborative training programs, one for frontline staff, and the other for supervisory child welfare staff The training will be developed with input from a variety of Native American voices, including youth, tribal leaders, frontline workers, and professionals The training will provide participants with a solid understanding of the Indian Child Welfare Act, unique challenges associated with working with rural populations, the importance of operating from a position of cultural competency, the importance of collaboration, the fundamental components of the youth development philosophy, the developmental tasks of normal adolescents, challenges youth face, and assessment Training will occur locally, and throughout the state of California A particular emphasis will be placed on recruiting trainers of Native American descent In addition, Social Work students across the State of California will also be trained Communities will be offered technical assistance to aid them as they work to build collaboration and implement the training Pre- post-tests (knowledge surveys) will be conducted for each training Demographic and consumer satisfaction data will also be collected In addition, information about the curricula will be distributed across the state of CA, and all materials will be available via the web Need for this Program (adapted from their grant application) California now has the largest Native American population in the nation In addition, California is the State with the largest number of foster youth Rural children and families are often isolated and not have ready access to a variety of services Due to their rural upbringing, they often face fewer economic and educational advantages Given this dual burden of foster care and rural status, California foster youth are at risk In addition, when rural children and families are of Native American descent, they have added challenges including their minority status and cultural differences, which in turn renders their transition to adulthood more difficult Native Americans also have the dual burden of having to learn skills that are culturally sensitive and applicable in their tribal communities as well as in mainstream America These unique issues have led to troubling outcomes for many Native Americans Relative to the general population, Native American youth have shown higher rates of depression, suicide, anxiety disorders, alcohol and substance abuse, high school dropout, CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 and higher rates of out-of-home placement In addition, Native American mothers are more likely to have their first child when they are under the age of 20 As detailed in the results of three comprehensive studies, emancipated foster youth are not adequately prepared to make it on their own: 37-46% of youth have not completed high school, 25-52% are unemployed, 12-35% are homeless, and 32-47% receive public assistance Given these issues and their higher rate of out of home placement, one would assume that Native American foster youth would receive services through independent living programs, yet, Native American children comprised less than one percent of youth served by independent living programs in fiscal year 1996 This data strongly suggests that intervention is necessary In order to improve the outcomes of Native American foster youth, one viable intervention option is to thoroughly train those service providers working with the youth Service providers need to be knowledgeable about the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), cultural issues and risk factors that are unique and/or heightened for some Native American rural youth In addition practitioners need knowledge of the resources available to them through other agencies and must collaborate to ensure that the needs of all Native American foster youth are adequately met These needs must be addressed via a strengths-based approach to working with families, and within the guidelines of the youth development philosophy, which puts youth at the center of any proposed intervention A curriculum that integrates all of these aspects of unique challenges faced by Native American foster youth could prove invaluable to social service providers in rural areas and the youth that they serve These additional needs were identified by the project team during the site visit:  Reservations tend to be very rural and inaccessible, with few services available  Life is very hard for Native American children in the child welfare system In Native American culture, family is the heart of who one is So when Tribal children are removed their identity is lost Often, when they come back to the reservation they are treated like outsiders  Some Native American youth are not able to live successfully in either world They need to see good role models in the Tribal context, on the reservation Otherwise all they see is the media stereotype  Independent Living (IL) Program staff felt they were not meeting Native American needs, but they didn’t know what they didn’t know They were not making connections and they were taking youth out of their element IL information wasn’t getting to the right people, so Tribal youth were not getting the help they needed They want to prepare them to come back, and have them visiting the reservation more Tribal STAR is helping with this  San Diego State University had a Children’s Bureau IL grant from 2000-03 They provided foster youth training, including training of Tribal youth Two Tribal consortia were represented on their advisory board Yet they felt the needs of Tribal youth were not adequately met, and they wanted to more They co-wrote the proposal for the current project with Tribal representatives CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08   Native American people in the child welfare system are not always recognized This project has illuminated the need for greater cross cultural awareness and communication Training on working with Native Americans has traditionally focused on ICWA and meeting its requirements, “the letter of the law” Through a grant received from CalSWEC (California Social Work Education Center) by the Public Child Welfare Training Academy (a program of the Academy for Professional Excellence), Tribal STAR collaborated in the development of The Other Side of ICWA which is intended to address “the spirit of the law” It addresses issues missing from traditional training that are essential for successful implementation of ICWA This new training adds the whole cultural component Otherwise the media stereotype of Native Americans prevails At the time of the site visit, the project team was preparing to pilot this training at the upcoming State ICWA Conference in June, 2007 Summary of Major Accomplishments to Date      They believe their greatest accomplishments are the connections, relationships, and networks that are forming They started with four partner organizations: Indian Health Council, Inc (a consortium of nine tribes in the north county), Southern Indian Health, Inc (a consortium of seven tribes in the southeastern county), San Diego County Department of Health and Human Services Indian Specialty Unit and Indian Child & Family Services of Temecula, CA The partnerships have grown to eight, adding the the Iipaay Nation of Santa Ysabel, the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association, Inter-Tribal Court, the Independent Living Unit of the San Diego County Department of Health and Human Services and its contractors, South Bay Community Services, YMCA Youth & Family Services, San Diego Youth & Community Services As organizations began participating regularly in the Tribal STAR work group, they were invited to become partners The Tribal partners are identified on the front page of all publications Building relationships with the legal system and courts wasn’t in the original plan, but in doing outreach for their training, they developed a relationship with a coalition led by a superior court judge This led to the development of the Checklist for Judges When Placing Indian Youth in Non-Indian Homes (see attached) The Checklist for Judges was developed to help judges determine the best circumstances surrounding the placement of a child in a non-Indian home to strengthen the potential for a successful outcome Project staff has helped several local entities build bridges of understanding and cooperation, and is being asked to this in other parts of the State They are hosting bi-annual community forums in Southern California and an annual community celebration They have finished developing curricula and have delivered it One version is for frontline workers and is called, Creating Connections: The Gathering, the other one is for directors, managers and supervisors and is called, Creating Connections: The Summit Both modules include participant manuals, a Reflections journal, and a resource CD CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08         At the time of the site visit they were starting a Train the Trainer program Participants especially like the mediation training, which is being included in the train the trainer module Training participants are gaining knowledge There are now people in the field who can this advocacy and training in their own units, so training infiltrates the workplace A modified version of the curriculum has been presented to MSW students Project staff is talking with CALSWEC at University of California at Berkeley about infusing Tribal STAR into the Statewide MSW curriculum via participation in the Statewide MSW Student Day and by facilitating a Statewide Faculty Institute They have worked with the Public Child Welfare Training Academy to develop The Other Side of ICWA training This addresses the spirit of the law: relationship building, identifying and engaging Indian children, and resources for native foster youth The training will be piloted at the CA ICWA Conference in June, 2007 They have developed a project website: http://theacademy.sdsu.edu/TribalSTAR They are publishing a quarterly newsletter: Tribal STAR Drumbeats They have developed digital stories, which are first hand accounts of Tribal youth and parents in the child welfare system There is a big demand for technical assistance (TA), which has now become a significant component of their workload Highlights of the site visit The visit took place at the offices of the Academy for Professional Excellence, San Diego State University School of Social Work on May 22nd, 2007 and in the meeting room at the Health Clinic on the Iipaay Nation of Santa Ysabel reservation on May 23rd The May 22 meeting included the following Tribal STAR staff:  Dana Allen, Program Coordinator  Tom Lidot, Curriculum Coordinator  Margaret Orrantia, Assistant Coordinator  Jennifer Tucker-Tatlow, Associate Director of the Academy for Professional Excellence  James Coloma, Evaluator  Dr Anita Harbert, Director of the School of Social Work and project Principal Investigator  Amy Okamura, Professor with the School of Social Work and project Faculty Advisor On Wednesday, May 23, the Tribal STAR team and the site visitor traveled to the Iipaay Nation of Santa Ysabel reservation for a meeting at the Tribal Health Center During the first part of the meeting, San Diego County DSS staff shared basic information with the Tribal community about the CFSR/PIP process Their county PIP is called their System CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 Improvement Plan (SIP), which is overseen by Leesa Rosenberg The county representatives were:  Leesa Rosenberg, Program Manager, San Diego County Child Welfare Services  Moses Savar, San Diego County Child Welfare Services Then these Tribal STAR partners shared their impressions and answered questions about the project:  Linda Ruis – Iipaay Nation of Santa Ysabel Dept of Social Services  Carol Banegas – Southern Indian Health Council  Karan Kolb – Indian Health Council  Temet Aguilar – Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association, Intertribal Court  Robert White – San Diego County Indian Specialty Unit  Rhonda Sarmiento – San Diego County Independent Living Unit  Christiana Tasto & Monica Bertola – Independent Living contract providers (from the YMCA Youth & Family Services) Unique and innovative features    The project is designed to improve outcomes for Tribal foster youth, and to improve relations between the Tribal and non-Tribal community They focus on Native American youth in foster care- their preparation and transition to adulthood The project is creating a safe space where networks can come together Project staff feels everything that they have done has had to be innovative or else they would not have had an audience to work with They have developed curricula with participant manuals- one for Tribal and NonTribal Directors, managers and Supervisors (Tribal STAR Summit), and one for Tribal and Non-Tribal Frontline Workers (Tribal STAR Gathering) The frontline worker manual contains the following sectionso Acknowledgements o Earth Walker (Poem) o My Clan o Connections and Collaboration o History and Purpose of Tribal STAR Program and Gathering o Connection and Loss o Historical Context of American Indians o American Indian Values and Culture o Walking in Their Moccasins o Stepping Into the Circle o Honoring the Seasons of Change o Identifying Services for Tribal Youth o Collaboration vs Coordination vs Cooperation o Applying Strengths and Addressing Barriers to Improve Outcomes o Stepping Into the Circle CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08    Each training participant is given an attractive Journal to document feelings and action steps They are also given a Resource CD, which makes it easier for trainees to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, makes materials easy to duplicate and provides context The CD has music by Elk Whistle This music plays while the user is reading the materials on the CD Their website http://theacademy.sdsu.edu/TribalSTAR is being re-done so it will be more like the resource CD Their technical assistance (TA) work now encompasses a significant portion of the workload They provide TA to reinforce the training, facilitate transfer of learning, connect the training and the child welfare community, and provide assistance with ICWA cases They get calls for help with connections, collaboration, and community Many participants ask for help with next steps in engagement and building relationships Project staff provides coaching on what to “after you get your foot in the door” This TA leads to and promotes transfer of learning from the training into practice The site visitor attended a project-sponsored CFSR 101 session for tribal leaders It was developed in response to new tribal interest in the CFSR/PIP/SIP (SIP is the county System Improvement Plan) process, which was expressed at a Tribal STAR workgroup meeting There was a sense that, up to now, CFSR Tribal engagement has not been relational or meaningful The workgroup sees this as one more way for Tribal STAR partners to engage with county child welfare staff The goal of this meeting was to have a safe but real dialog County staff presented information and answered questions CA’s 1st PIP closes October 2007 and their 2nd CFSR review is in February 2008 There has been some Tribal stakeholder involvement, but they feel more is needed The Native American leaders at this meeting were not aware of the new services and resources that CA’s PIP (through San Diego county’s SIP) has put in place They asked lots of questions and were told that more information would be posted on the Tribal STAR web site They discussed the new safety assessment tool and issues with rural family visitation and Native American and back country culture They discussed the need for over-rides, a Native American attachment, training for Native American social workers, and what to when parents live on the reservation and foster parents live in a town far away They also discussed other SIP initiatives related to Native American children, youth and families One tribal leader expressed disappointment that these are the very things Native Americans have been wanting for years, yet they didn’t happen until now Another noted that Native American ideas shouldn’t have had to wait until the CFSR legitimized them, but acknowledged that there is now an opportunity and a responsibility for Native Americans to participate in the SIP process DSS staff acknowledged these statements and committed to trying to better with the next round of CA’s CFSR Another Tribal leader stated that while it has been hard for Tribal child welfare staff to participate in the CFSR, Tribal STAR has helped a lot with this At the present time the systemic issue of overrepresentation is being addressed by a fairness and equity (F&E) initiative Last year the F&E committee focused on the African American community, and this year they will be focusing on the Native American community Tribal leaders stated that these meetings need to be held on the reservations, Tribal STAR agreed to help with this, and DSS staff asked the group if they wished to have their own F&E committee, to which they CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08     responded affirmatively Since the next round of CFSRs will have more of a focus on Tribes, next steps will include a closer look at CFSR data on Native Americans CA’s next self-assessment starts this summer and their next peer case review is in 2008 They want to bring in more community partners The group scheduled their next several meetings and arranged for materials to be sent out to everyone Project staff recognizes the need for Tribal leaders to be more informed and involved, and to access resources They discussed the many reasons why information doesn’t get to the people who need it They plan to help get the F&E committee going There is a growing understanding that this is a good way to find out about services and resources that are available For example, they learned about foster parent training at this meeting Tribal leaders felt there needed to be on-going meetings before the county could say Tribes are now engaged They appreciate the renewed focus on IL services for tribal youth They see their next steps as being more informed, being more involved in the CFSR process, setting up an F&E committee, and being more aware of what is going on in the county The group expressed their appreciation to DSS staff for coming out to the reservation for this meeting Independent Living (IL) training is now being provided on the reservation This came about as a result of the Tribal STAR IL Forum At this forum Chafee requirements regarding Tribal youth were addressed State and local IL staff presented and 40-50 people attended As a result there was recognition of the need for IL classes on the reservation The YMCA is now providing these classes They put together a panel of adults who had come through the foster care system One recalled that when she was an 18 year old child living on the reservation, she knew her rights Because of this she was able to help other kids, including her cousin, and help them access resources Another youth talked about how youth wanted social workers to listen to them and Tribal STAR gave them this opportunity IL is helping Tribal youth increase their self esteemThey believe it is important for the youth to remain connected with their community so they will see their lives within the Tribal context on the reservation This will also give them healthy Tribal role models rather than the distorted view of Tribal people often portrayed in the media They are finding that the process of identifying Tribal youth can in effect become a litmus test on how acculturated the youth is, which helps them to develop an appropriate case plan for the family and youth They have engaged with the judicial community The superior court judge requested a checklist of the things judges need to remember when they place an Indian youth in a non-Indian home A copy of this checklist is attached Several tribes in CA have gotten funding to develop their own court system This means a change of jurisdiction, which has resulted in much discussion between Tribal chairs, and the Tribal court It has been the experience of project partners that ICWA training typically doesn’t achieve the desired outcome They feel the focus has typically been on the letter of the law, rather than the spirit of the law This knowledge and experience led to the development of a new curriculum, The Other Side of ICWA It is focused on the spirit of the law- context building, relationship building, how to engage Indian families, how to identify youth and resources This effort was funded through CalSWEC and at the time of the site visit there were plans to pilot it at the State ICWA conference CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 Challenges and Lessons Learned     In order to be effective Tribal STAR had to engage the Tribal community, but they found that it can be difficult for a non-Tribal entity to work with Tribes They have learned that only a few Tribal leaders may come to a first meeting For some participants, this is their first time to self-identify as Native Americans, or as being associated with Indian child welfare They have learned that it is necessary to whatever it takes to engage Tribes A strengths-based approach is proving to be most effective and they have found that integrity is essential They had to evolve their own relationships and their own cross cultural outreach so that internally they were walking the walk and not just talking the talk Everything that is done needs to be done with respect A lot of effort went into development There is a deep history of distrust and they found it important to address that history from the Tribal perspective Tribes view Universities as a part of the educational system that took away their children’s culture, wrote about them without engaging them, put their sacred objects in museums, and still uses caricatures of them as team mascots This distrust is not always apparent, but there is a significant public relations piece that is critical to the success of everything the project does It has proven difficult to develop Native Americans who can this training The model requires partnership, but schools of social work don’t have many Native American students, because there is a lot of negative history to overcome The target population for this project is rural Native American youth In San Diego County many Native American youth in foster care live in urban areas, and the project’s statewide approach to addressing the needs of rural Native American youth required an integration of urban/assimilated youth There is movement between communities, and the work impacts both They have found they need to work with everyone who works with the target population San Diego State University had previously done IL work, so they thought it would be relatively quick and easy to transfer that work to Tribes They found they had to make a lot of changes This was a major shift and it took a whole year They try to involve youth wherever they go, but that has proven challenging So at the time of the site visit they were creating digital stories – of which are youth stories Their plan is to provide all Tribal STAR trainees with this digital story series They have found they need to be strategic with their approach, while allowing time for participants’ hearts and spirits to be in the right place It is sometimes difficult to get people in right frame of mind, so they will follow through They originally proposed an ambitious timeline, but found it took longer than expected to build relationships When working cross culturally they have had to allow more time for everything At first they were trying to push an agenda when the community wasn’t ready for it They found they needed to expand their outreach efforts, which required a significant alteration of timelines The barriers between systems strained relationships at all levels Collaboration is hard to do, but it’s essential, so TA has been needed They have learned that they have to be careful and intentional in every aspect of the work Their experience is that things don’t come together until it’s meant CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08       to be When it does finally come together it sometimes almost appears as if no effort had been put into making it happen There are many barriers, and the various entities were miles apart County supervisors were real skeptical at first and some had negative attitudes For many of them, trying to meet ICWA requirements has been frustrating The Tribal STAR approach is very different than what they were accustomed to Some of the trainees were required to be there and initially they behaved like “prisoners” Many county workers sat with crossed arms at first In the end, many of these same workers had an epiphany, cried, and said they found the training rejuvenating Replicating this project in other counties and statewide takes a lot of time Urban politics and turf issues make it difficult for some county training departments and county DSS directors as they work with coalitions to agree on a training plan Whenever Tribal STAR brings people together, they never know what will happen There may be sparks of conflict, as there were at the CFSR intro meeting attended by the site visitor For the county it’s risky, and Tribes see it as business as usual if they are not engaged CFSR/PIP/SIP had meant nothing to Tribes before this meeting In San Diego county they found a real barrier between the Tribal community and the general population Their efforts to build relationships and trust around child welfare and youth development have been successful, and this is also benefiting other fields DSS has rapid turnover Every years there is a significant turnover, and the average length of stay for new child welfare worker is 24 months As a result, Tribal STAR could have stayed plenty busy just training new DSS workers if they had done nothing else The project has constantly had to address the lack of trust across cultures They have found it is relatively easy to talk about cross-cultural collaboration and teach people about the first steps they should take, but applying these principles and taking these steps is very difficult Habits and ideas about cultural issues are so ingrained that when one attempts to step into someone else’s world it is very difficult They have needed to be flexible as they implemented their work plan In addition to their original planned activities, they have also initiated and hosted several additional TA activities such as celebrations and forums This resulted in the involvement of approximately 400 additional individuals They have also created additional products/trainings These include the Checklist for Judges, Cross Cultural Tips for Trainers, published articles, and supplemental training materials that are culturally centered This project required an alternative approach to managing/appropriating funds For example more resources were needed for ‘gift-giving’, honorariums and food-hosting, in order to be culturally appropriate Successful strategies and keys to success  In their collaborative model the partners are always involved in everything, especially hiring and training In the beginning the project director acknowledged that she couldn’t this on her own and needed to work closely with the Tribal community to identify Tribal staff members They are working with the Tribal community to learn how to manage a conversation between the Tribal community and University/child welfare community This is the acculturation piece As a result they are all working CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 10    Staff noted that Tribal folks are more open when they are on their own turf Distance issues were made real to DSS workers who traveled to the reservation for training and meetings ILS had not been accustomed to doing training on Indian land After this project started, a training was held at the Indian Health Council Now ILS is being provided on the reservation This has proven to be a self-esteem builder for the youth For example, one youth that has been attending IL class just passed the high school exit exam and wants to become a social worker The engagement and TA process itself is fundamental to the success of this project Protocol is emphasized in training on community engagement with the Tribal community There is no such thing as a ‘cookie cutter’ approach They try to focus on the interests and needs of the audience/community and figure out how they can help them to their job better This requires a different approach for each community effort that they Many rural Native American youth are placed and/or are living in an urban setting Retaining identity and culture is crucial Supporting this helps youth in many other ways As they learn IL skills, it is important that they keep their cultural ties Youth had long said that they wanted child welfare workers to listen to them This is what Tribal STAR did Having youth, IL classes, the ILS program, and the Tribes work together is very different than what has happened in the past The Tribal community hadn’t often come together to talk about the needs of children and youth Talking and learning about connection and loss has motivated workers to put their best foot forward for youth From the County ILS perspective, identifying Native American youth and making connections had been difficult They didn’t know what they were missing until Tribal STAR taught them about connecting to culture and extended family They now recognize that Tribal youth removed from the reservation are disconnected from their families/communities They now know they need to support connections and their goal is for all youth to return to their family/community Participants learn that in Native American culture, one speaks of who one is as ones family and where one comes from, so they emphasize the importance of youth being able to retain identity and culture They learn how critical that knowledge is in order for Native American youth in foster care to maintain connections with their Tribal community During every Tribal STAR training, the perspective of those in the Tribal community who have been impacted by child welfare is shared- either in the form of a panel presentation or via a digital story This really impacted the non-Native social workers Evaluation/results   Project staff believes positive changes have occurred as a result of the services they’re providing They believe they are achieving their main goal, which is creating a context for relationship building to occur This belief is based on formal and informal preliminary evaluation results This program has required a different evaluation approach They have modified their original evaluation plan, because it would have measured knowledge gain but would have missed the important connections that are being made between people and organizations Their goal wasn’t to impart knowledge about dates, but to build CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 14    relationships and promote the utilization of information They recognized that their original evaluation model may not be capturing these kinds of outcomes They had to adjust their knowledge tests and in their follow-up survey they ask participants how they’ve used the training In December 2006, a follow-up survey was sent to all participants who attended one of the Tribal STAR Trainings This survey was sent to participants via postal mail and an email These surveys were submitted in a confidential manner and all results have been reported in aggregate Of the 88 surveys collected: o 97% of respondents strongly agree or agree that as a result of the training they attended, the respondent better understands the purpose of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and how it affects their practice o 97% of respondents strongly agree or agree that as a result of the training they attended, the respondent is more aware of Native American culture, traditions, and approaches to child rearing o 88% of respondents strongly agree or agree that the training they attended increased the value they place on the Indian children under their care o 84% of respondents strongly agree or agree that the training they attended made them more effective in delivering services to Native American Children o 83% of respondents strongly agree or agree that as a result of the training they attended, the respondent is more aware of resources in the community which are appropriate for Native American children o 60% of respondents strongly agree or agree that as a result of the training they attended, the respondent is collaborating with more organizations in order to meet the needs of Tribal youth under their care o Anecdotal information from the follow-up surveys provides a picture of improved collaborative efforts Many respondents reported connections being established through having people come together in a neutral space Robert White of the San Diego County Indian Specialty Unit had this to say about Tribal STAR: “It is a cutting edge, hands on, program with all the right people at the table They use Native American trainers Activities are held on Tribal land In some cases this is people’s 1st time on the reservation Partners shared numbers and expenses, put together names and faces, and identified next steps Trainees don’t want to leave at the end They appreciate the enlightenment, and feel very positive about the training The project brings people together, so they can sit and talk County DSS people came and stayed hours after it was over It made them want to learn more The real results occur afterward Tribes and county people came together to bring services to youth on the reservations Real people who want to connect are at the trainings They follow up at and months regarding personal goals and case management.” Other indicators of project success include the following: o Appropriate placements are up, IL classes are being held on the reservation, they have doubled the number of partners, and they are receiving requests to participate in MOU development o Tribal STAR has become a conduit, connecting everyone Through the project’s work, they are seeing connections made and barriers lowered Tribal CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 15 STAR is seen as a neutral party, a catalyst to bring people together, a facilitating entity Their intensive engagement work has led to some unanticipated outcomes Relationships were delicately established at a community level, which generated significant outcomes They have seen increased collaboration and increased placements For example, placements were made during the course of two training events This has changed their perceptions of how to evaluation, as they didn’t initially plan to measure this type of outcome o Tribal STAR’s way of valuing experiences is making things better for youth In their Tribal updates they are seeing ILS outcomes improving They have several documented reports of improved outcomes for Tribal foster youth o They have estimated the cost per person/per training so that they can better respond to TA requests and so they can identify the financial resources needed to continue training and TA efforts o The non-Tribal community and the Tribal community watch the project very closely They what to know what the outcomes are and who is involved Partners are included in every thing the project does, which reflects the importance of the partnership They believe they are achieving their goal of developing individuals that can advocate within their own units and agencies Dissemination      The peer to peer (Tribal to Tribal, DSS to DSS, University to University) word of mouth validation has strongly supported the Tribal STAR effort They continue to get requests to additional trainings on child welfare and other topics, and to present at nationwide and statewide conferences They are getting good coverage in other organization’s newsletters and reports A Tribal leader from Alaska is seeking to bring an initiative like Tribal STAR to his area Through their train the trainer program they are doing outreach to trainers, community engagers, and collaborators A presentation at the Statewide MSW Student Day and facilitation of the Statewide Tribal STAR Faculty Institute in the Spring of 2008 will ensure dissemination to the Schools of Social Work The Tribal STAR website URL is http://theacademy.sdsu.edu/TribalSTAR/Welcome.htm Sustainability and Replication    The Tribal STAR team has begun the development of a sustainability model under the assumption that the program will continue at the current agency Their engagement and TA process promotes sustainability The county is beginning to move legal oversight of Native American children from the county to the Tribes The Tribes are working to create children’s codes and Tribes need support in working with the courts They believe there is a need to expand existing Tribal STAR program, bringing the training to more people, and to repeat the training on a regular basis Many people have not been trained yet and the county recognizes that they need more training, CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 16  because there is lots of turnover They also believe there is a need to continue bringing Native American non-foster youth into ILS program to contribute their own Native culture They believe the work groups and connections need to continue and that there is an on-going need for TA For those who wish to replicate the Tribal STAR program, they believe the process would be similar in other communities They would recommend hiring gatekeepers in the community and looking to the community as a resource in hiring the T/TA team They have found that trust is based on intentionality, so it is important to state ones intent in clear terms One needs to start with a strong partnership and remember that the relationship-building process takes time and requires a creative approach They believe the need for relationship-building spans across many fields, so this type of program would be likely to have benefits for mental health, the elderly, utility companies, and others The packaging of materials needs to include a framework for community preparation before training Another consideration is whether the State is a public law 280 state (concurrent jurisdiction on Tribal lands) which requires working with each county CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 17 Conclusion           The project is designed to improve outcomes for Tribal foster youth, and to improve relations between the Tribal and non-Tribal communities They are working with the Tribal community to learn how to manage a conversation between the Tribal community and University/child welfare community They believe their cross-cultural team is essential to the project’s success They have developed curricula with participant manuals- one for Tribal and NonTribal Directors, managers and Supervisors, and one for Tribal and Non-Tribal Frontline Workers These curricula include history, context, and adolescence, and they teach protocols and approaches for respectfully dealing with the Tribal community Each training participant is given innovative materials, including: a journal to document feelings and action steps, a Digital Story DVD (containing several stories from those in the Tribal community who have been impacted by child welfare), and a Resource CD, which makes it easier for trainees to share what they’ve learned with colleagues and provides ease in duplication and referencing They provide TA to reinforce the training, facilitate transfer of learning, connect the training and the child welfare community, and provide assistance with ICWA cases The project sponsored a CFSR 101 session for Tribal leaders IL training is now being provided on the reservation At the request of a superior court judge, they developed a checklist of the things judges need to remember when they place an Indian youth in a non-Indian home Based on formal and informal preliminary evaluation results, project staff believes positive changes have occurred as a result of the services they’re providing They believe they are achieving their main goal, which is creating a context for relationship building to occur CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 18 Appendices     Program Announcement The Tribal STAR Training Model Values and Ideals Checklist for Judges CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 19 2003C.2: Training for Effective Child Welfare Practice in Rural Communities ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Public or non-profit institutions of higher education with accredited social work programs or other accredited bachelor- or graduate-level programs leading to a degree relevant to work in child welfare Under this priority area, only those institutions that have knowledge and experience in training professionals for work in rural communities and have child welfare-related experience in serving rural America would be eligible to apply PURPOSE: The purpose of this priority area is to develop, field test, revise, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a field-tested, competency-based training curriculum and training plan to enhance frontline and/or supervisory staff capacity to provide effective child welfare services in rural communities NOTE: The Census Bureau definition of rural will be used to determine eligibility under this priority area The weblink for this definition is: http://landview.census.gov/population/censusdata/urdef.txt In the Census Bureau definition, territory, population, and housing units not classified as urban constitute "rural." The Census Bureau defines "urban" as comprising all territory, population, and housing units in urbanized areas and in places of 2,500 or more persons outside urbanized areas An urbanized area comprises one or more places ("central place") and the adjacent densely settled surrounding territory ("urban fringe") that together have a minimum of 50,000 persons The urban fringe generally consists of contiguous territory having a density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile The weblink contains additional information and the complete criteria are available from the Chief, Geography Division, U.S Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC 20233 BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Recognizing the unique characteristics and needs of rural communities and the relevance of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mission to these communities; the Secretary of HHS, Tommy G Thompson, issued a charge on July 25, 2001 to all HHS divisions to improve and enhance the provision of health and social services to rural Americans Five goals were identified by a HHS Rural Task Force: (1) improving rural communities' access to quality health and human services, (2) strengthening rural families, (3) strengthening rural communities and supporting economic development, (4) partnering with States, local and tribal governments to support rural communities, and (5) supporting rural policy/decisionmaking as well as ensuring a rural voice in the consultation process for the 65 million people living in rural America The Child and Family Services Reviews (CFS) Reviews that were authorized by the 1994 amendments to the Social Security Act have shed light on the need to identify and address the unique skills and knowledge necessary for effective child welfare practice in rural communities Reviewers are finding that the responsibilities of child welfare workers in rural areas are often more generic than specialized, as opposed to their urban counterparts These rural workers need a different set of skills to deal with children and CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 20 families across multiple areas of intervention There are also issues regarding the availability and accessibility of services in rural areas, skills associated with engaging families in case planning when they may be located in remote areas and identifying and using more "natural" support systems to assist families and protect children Thus, Child Welfare Training grants on rural child welfare services will not only support the goals of the HHS Rural Initiative, but will also assist rural communities in meeting needs being identified by Child and Family Service Reviews The Children's Bureau proposes to fund efforts to develop, implement, field-test, and evaluate competency-based training curricula designed to assist rural States/communities in broadening the service array, managing barriers to effective services, working effectively with rural populations, improving access to quality child welfare services, strengthening rural families, including strengthening the role of fathers, and partnering with State, local and tribal governments to improve child welfare services in rural communities CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 21 The Tribal STAR Training Model The Tribal STAR Training Model contains roles for three individuals:  A Tribal member  A non-Tribal member  A Tribal Elder (an individual 55 years or older who is known in the Tribal community) This team facilitates discussions, presents lecturettes, directs large and small group activities, and mediates challenging or sensitive discussions that end with positive closure This team works together to create an atmosphere of openness and trust The team models cross-cultural collaboration by utilizing trainers who are both Tribal and nonTribal, and intergenerational by including an Elder (a tribal elder that is respected and trusted in community) Modeling of cross-cultural collaboration includes:  Visible cross-cultural trainers  Cross-cultural welcome/opening (ideally with non-Tribal and Tribal representatives)  Acknowledging contributions of both Tribal and non-Tribal parties  Utilizing outreach efforts to obtain input from both Tribal and non-Tribal venues The team conducts the training as a cultural immersion program, by creating an environment that is governed by Tribal rather than western values This is experienced by participants not only through the training format, but also by the etiquette they will observe during lunchtime Functioning as an immersion program includes:  Training format which includes cultural components through:  Opening and closing ceremonies  Etiquette and decorum that follows tribal protocols  Sharing cultural history, music, stories, and art  Integrating tribal spirituality A holistic approach of integrating activities and discussions that touch upon the physical (body), mental (mind), emotional (heart), and spiritual (spirit) aspects of each participant is also an important component of the training This approach is similar to the adult learning theory (ensuring a variety of sensory modalities), but is framed in the context of the American Indian belief system of “living in balance” with one’s body, mind, heart, and spirit Utilizing a holistic approach includes integrating an American Indian belief system of living in balance with one’s body, mind, heart, and spirit, with adult learning theory Tribal Youth are intended to be the center of all discussions, and their best interest is remembered in all outcomes throughout each small and large group discussion Placing youth at the center of all discussions and outcomes includes maintaining a common interest and focus on the needs of Tribal foster youth during collaborative discussions that can lead to positive outcomes 22 Values and Ideals Our Values Cultural Centeredness: In program design, implementation, and evaluation This requires a respect for culture and tradition that will be evident in the format, approach, implementation, and inclusion of spirituality by utilizing the wisdom of Elders Cultural Centeredness ensures that our materials and products reflect our values and respect for culture and tradition Tribal STAR also integrates ceremony through opening, closing, and talking circle activities Interdependence: By modeling and promoting the importance and strengths of utilizing a participatory process from focus groups for planning, to evaluation Community and youth are encouraged and valued at all meetings and training This relates to the tribal belief that all things are connected Innovation: * (see next section) Tribal STAR’s intent has always been to things differently to maximize impact and understanding We realize that to reach our audience we need to things differently than before and provide a multi-level, multi-sensory experience for participants This means doing things ‘out of the box’! Strength-based approach: Assess, discover, and utilize experiences, and strengths of staff, workgroup, partners, and participants to achieve outcomes Every individual brings their special gifts, uniqueness, purpose, and destiny to the process Reciprocity: A cultural value that requires generosity with our resources, ensuring that Tribal members and non-Tribal members feel their time is valued by the program and staff At training everyone should feel acknowledged for their contribution 23 Professionalism: In approach, outreach, and products Tribal STAR strives to provide products of the highest quality and model the finest example of professionalism during each training and event Emphasize Trust and cultivate long term relationships: Tribal STAR is aware that every interaction is an opportunity for bridge-building History and culture have shaped Tribal vs non-Tribal relations and this program is part of this historical relationship, so we must act conscientiously We are now the gatekeepers and the stewards of successful collaboration Creating Positive Outcomes for Tribal Foster Youth is the intended outcome for each action – Youth are at the Center! Tribal STAR believes that positive outcomes are achieved by the intentional effort to ensure youth are at the center of our decisions and outcomes * Tribal STAR Ideals The Training should be a life-changing experience, and unlike anything participants have experienced before; A Tribal STAR event is a dignified event, and makes participants feel valued for the time Individuals will be recognized for their participation Participants will have the most recent information and highest quality products given to them Everyone will be treated with respect and an atmosphere of comfort and trust will be established A Tribal STAR event is an immersion process to help non-Tribal participants understand Tribal culture and values All discussions, all activities, and all actions of the training will result in better outcomes for Tribal youth, as they are the center and purpose of this effort 24 25 26 27 28 ... included in the train the trainer module Training participants are gaining knowledge There are now people in the field who can this advocacy and training in their own units, so training infiltrates... The Tribal STAR Training Model Values and Ideals Checklist for Judges CA San Diego CWT Rural Report 2-26-08 19 2003C.2: Training for Effective Child Welfare Practice in Rural Communities ELIGIBLE... reservation for training and meetings ILS had not been accustomed to doing training on Indian land After this project started, a training was held at the Indian Health Council Now ILS is being provided