keeping children connected naehcy conference november 2006
TRANSCRIPT
Keeping Children Connected
NAEHCY Conference
November 2006
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Goal of Keeping Children Connected
Session
• To provide information about – Program development– Involvement of stakeholders– Integration into common practice
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Topics
• How to develop a new initiative for a common purpose
• The history and process of how Keeping Maine’s Children Connected was established and sustained.
• How to link local grassroots, state and federal initiatives to achieve a common goal
• How schools and state agencies can work together to support youth and decrease school disruption.
• How to establish a state wide communication networking system
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Topics• How to create, establish and sustain regional groups
comprised of stakeholders (i.e. school, parent, community representatives and state agencies)
• How to create a training program that addresses multiple issues, Federal and State Law compliance, sustains regional conversations and networking on behalf of youth as well as helps systems learn about each other’s practices and policies.
• How to sustain an Advisory Board with an active parent and youth membership
• The results of the evaluation component conducted by the Muskie Institute of Public Sector.
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Developing A Collaborative Initiative
• Recognition of federal, statewide, and regional initiatives and mandates that have similar outcomes
• Acknowledgement, support and commitment from multiple levels including:– Individual staff directing the initiatives or mandates
– Commissioner or Chief Administrator of each of the child serving state agencies
– Associate Commissioners and State Bureau Directors
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Developing A Collaborative Initiative (cont’ed)
• Meet regularly with individual staff to “norm and storm” and report status to Commissioner or Chief Administrators
• Appoint primary person to manage and lead collaborative initiative
• Present to stakeholders groups statewide to:– disseminate proposed ideas
– get feedback on proposed solution as well as their perspectives on issues and challenges
History of Keeping Maine’s Children Connected
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Ah Ha Moment!The Community Notices
• Recognition of federal, statewide, and regional initiatives and mandates that have similar outcomes
• McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to help the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness
• Reintegration of Youth from Correctional Facilities
• Improving Educational Outcomes of Youth in Foster Care
• Psychiatric Facility and School Transition Initiative
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Challenge for Youth and Children Experiencing School Disruption
• Stability in schooling is one of the major predictors of academic success.
• In Maine, an unprecedented number of children and youth are experiencing transitions into or out of home, school, and community—resulting in disruptions in education
• Youth access and drift among the multiple systems/agencies while these systems work in isolation.
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Gaining Support
• Acknowledgement, support and commitment from multiple levels
– Gain support and commitment from Commissioners and Associate Commissioners (Maine Children’s Cabinet)
– Meet with staff involved with the 4 separate initiatives
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Battle Hymn of the Republic
• Meet regularly with individual staff to “norm and storm” and report status to Commissioner or Chief Administrators
• Explain individual initiatives and mandates• Build group relationships and trust and recognize different
working styles• Explore similarities and differences of initiatives• Identify critical aspects of each mandate or initiative• Identify and agree on focus of work
• Update Associate Commissoners regularly
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♫ Takin’ It To The Streets ♫
Present to different stakeholders groups statewide
• Include variety of stakeholders– Superintendents, Special Education Directors– Nurses, school counselors– Alternative Education Staff– State agency staff– Community agency staff
• Topics– Disseminate proposed ideas– Get feedback on the proposed solution as well as
perspective on issues and challenges
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Another Ah Ha Moment!
• Enlightenment
As a result of the stakeholder meetings we needed to:
– Build on strengths rather than focusing on differences
– Recognize that youth drift among multiple systems
– Integrate our work to be more effective rather than working separately
– Shift from calling ourselves the 4 Initiatives to Keeping Maine’s Children Connected
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♫ Leader of the Pack ♫
Appoint primary person to manage and lead collaborative initiative
• Establish and manage the statewide initiative Keeping Maine’s Children Connected
• Secure funding
• Become primary spokesperson for initiative
• Expand and sustain commitment for initiative on multiple levels
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Keeping Maine’s Children Connected(KMCC)
• Integrated approach to help children and youth who experience school disruption due to– homelessness, – foster care placement, – correctional facility placement– in-patient psychiatric care and/or – high mobility
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Keeping Maine’s Children ConnectedStatewide Liaison Network
The intent is to:– simplify the transitions to and from school so youth can stay
connected or re-connect to their educational program as soon as possible
– facilitate communication among those people working with the youth
The result is:– KMCC liaisons established statewide in school districts, regional
state agency offices, juvenile correctional facilities and in-patient psychiatric facilities.
– Youth continue their educational program, complete the educational year and connect with their home, school and community.
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Heard It Through The Grapevine♫ (Statewide and Regionally) ♫
Communication and Collaboration
• KMCC Statewide Liaison Network System
– Establish and Train KMCC Liaisons
– Electronic Database
– Regional KMCC and Homeless Liaisons Meet Statewide 2 to 3 times a year
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Liaisons…What Are They?
• School Homeless Liaison: – The School Homeless Liaison ensures that homeless children and
youth are identified, enrolled, and receive educational services for which they are eligible. Based on the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act, there is a homeless liaison in every school district
• Keeping Maine’s Children Connected (KMCC) Liaison:– The KMCC Liaison facilitates communication among those
involved with the youth to determine who are the best people to assist in a plan to support the youth in transition. There is a liaison in every school district, regional state agency office, in-patient psychiatric facility and correctional facility.
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Role of the Keeping Maine’s Children Connected Liaison
• Identifies the best person/team within “the agency*” to assist with the student’s support plan.
• Encourages use of natural communication channels that already exist in their “own agency”
• Assists with the process if there is a breakdown in communication, i.e., can work with staff within own “agency” or among “agencies” to facilitate communication and support of children and youth.
* Agency is used to describe facilities, school districts, state agencies, and hospitals
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Role of Liaison(Cont’d)
• Reviews internal protocol of own “agency” to enhance communication among staff who can assist youth
• Attends (or sends designee to) regional liaison meetings that are held 2 to 3 times a year.
• Informs own staff of new policies or programs or resources regarding these children and youth.
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The Person in This Capacity Should:
• Have knowledge of confidentiality laws
• Have knowledge of protocols and “agency” staffing
• Have ability to work with administrative and general staff to review internal protocols
• Have ability to communicate information from regional liaison meetings with appropriate staff from own “agency”
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The person in this capacity should: (cont’d)
• Have general understanding of policies and issues affecting these children and youth
• Be willing to participate in ongoing professional development for carrying out this role
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KMCC Website
• Website address: www.maine.gov/education/speced/kmcc/index.htm
• Database of KMCC liaisons
• Link to statewide trainings
• Information on Keeping Children Connected Project and Associated Initiatives
• Link to other child-serving state agencies, facilities and schools including the school homeless website
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Electronic KMCC Liaison Database
• Statewide list of KMCC liaisons
• Information in database includes: Agency Name KMCC Liaison Name and Title Mailing Address E-Mail, Telephone Number or Cell Number
• Updated regularly
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Benefits to Integrated Approach
• Establish links across systems by streamlining communication
• Standardize system of communication among school districts, state agencies, correctional facilities, and in-patient psychiatric facilities
• More effective use of staff resources
• Stability and continuity of educational programming for students
• A more supported transition for the students
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Come Together(On The Road Again!)
Regional Liaison Meetings
Who Attends…
• Integrated Regional 2 Hour Meetings Statewide 2 to 3 times a year
– Include School Homeless Liaisons, Keeping Maine’s Children Connected Liaisons, parents, foster parents, community representatives and anyone who wants to come
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Come Together(On The Road Again!)
• Purpose of Regional Network Meetings
– To hear updates on policy changes and issues affecting youth
– To share regional resources based on regional needs
– To discuss challenging situations and brainstorm solutions
– To develop face to face relationships among those who are working with youth
– To increase awareness of homelessness for youth
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Recipe for Successful Regional Meetings(How to establish and sustain regional groups)
• Utilize free space– Use meeting rooms at schools, state agency offices and facilities
• Always have an agenda that is relevant – Include time for different groups to provide updates– Information should relate to their work– Encourage interaction including questions– Check-in at end of meeting– Future meeting topics determined by group at end of meeting
• Start and end on time (2 hour meetings)• Combine/integrate with existing meetings, when possible• Send reminders of meetings (don’t hesitate to make calls
to ensure full representation of different stakeholders!)
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How To Create AnIntegrated Training
• Identify critical components of each initiative’s training
• Develop agenda to incorporate the best and most relevant material
• Integrate training material and manual/resource book
• Appendix is a great place for informational material
• Share expenses
• Build on trainers knowledge and strengths
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Other Considerations(The Real Story)
• Matching outfits for visual harmony
• Chocolate to ensure active participation
• Specialize in speed talking to ensure all topics are covered
• Make sure one person has an inkling how to turn on any equipment that is needed
• Avoid late afternoon meetings for school staff that are early risers
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Maine School Homeless and KMCC Liaison Training Outcomes
• Increased understanding of the roles of School Homeless and Keeping Maine’s Children Connected Liaisons
• Knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of local school districts under the McKinney-Vento Law
• Increased understanding of the different “agencies” working with children and youth who experience school disruption and/or homelessness
• Identification of the common issues and barriers affecting children, youth and families who experience school disruption and/or homelessness
• Increased awareness of strategies and resources to help children and youth who experience school disruption and/or homelessness
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Program Outcomes for Children and Youth
• Continuation and completion of educational program
• Increased sense of belonging in the school and community
• Active involvement in the development of his/her own re-integration plan
• Increased attendance at school
• Participation in extra curricular school or community activities
• Reduced number of school transitions
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Training AgendaI. Welcome! Goals and Outcomes for Training
II. Defining the Issues: Nationally and in Maine
III. McKinney-Vento Overview: Law and Liaison Responsibilities
IV. Keeping Maine’s Children Connected: Overview and Liaison Role
V. Overview of Agencies and Policies: Panel Discussion
VI. Scenarios
VII. Barriers, Strategies and Resources
VIII. Evaluation and Final Comments
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Who Is Here?(Example of an opening activity)
What do you do as part of your job, that no one would know or expect that you do?
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Sustain Involvement of Advisory Committee
• Recruit a high profile advocate as chair of the committee
• Establish reasonable meeting times
• Include policy makers, direct care service providers, primary stakeholders and parents, foster parents and/or youth. (1/3 should be parents and youth)
• Create an agenda that is reasonable and meaningful
• Generate a work plan so they can see the result of their work
• Develop mission and vision statement
• Create a 1 to 5 year plan
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Evaluation forKeeping Maine’s Children Connected
• Tracked development, implementation and results of program activities designed to improve transitions for youth who experience disruption– Efficacy of training materials
– Dissemination of training materials within agencies, facilities, schools and regional offices
– Change of working status within agencies, facilities, schools and regional offices
– Baseline feedback on current practices
– Data collection on individual youth from 5 pilot sites
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It Works!
“Do you realize what you have in this room, what has been accomplished and the effect of what you are doing? They are sitting next to each other, problem solving and tackling tough issues. This is amazing work!”
Mike from Portland Public Schools
“It was a great example of regional and community networking. It meant that questions could be answered before it became a bigger problem.”
Stephanie from Department of Corrections
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For More Information Contact:
Shelley Reed, Maine Department of Education: Homeless, Truancy, Dropout, Alternative Education, School
Counselors, & Reintegration of Youth from Correctional Facilities
207-624-6637
or
Susan Lieberman, Keeping Maine’s Children Connected
207-822-0172
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Website Addresses
• Dept of Education: Homeless Youth– www.maine.gov/education/homeless_ed/index.htm
• Department of Education: Truancy, Dropout, Alternative Education, School Counselors, Reintegration of Youth from Correctional Facilities
www.maine.gov/education/tdae/
• Keeping Maine’s Children Connected– www.maine.gov/education/speced/kmcc/index.htm