Center for Tribes Needs and Fit Exploration Tool Phase 2

OMB Control No.: 0970-0484

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Capacity Building Center for Tribes (CBCT)

Needs and Fit Exploration Tool (NAFET) Phase II

Purpose 1

Instructions to Conduct NAFET Phase II and Report Findings 3

Sample Agenda for NAFET Phase II Meeting 4

Structured Interview Protocol for NAFET Phase II Meeting 5

Case Flow Review: Reviewing the Life of a Case 9

Purpose 9

Method 9

Evaluation and CQI Discussion 10

Purpose 10

Role of the Center for Tribes Evaluation/CQI Lead: 10

Role of the Cross-center evaluators: 10

Role of the Tribal Implementation Team: 10

Meeting Participant List and Contact sheet for Cross-Center Evaluation 12

Needs and Fit Exploration Tool 13

Review Form 15

Appendix A: Case Flow Review Diagram and Guiding Questions 18

Case Flow Review Guiding Questions 19

Appendix B: Assessment of Foundational Capacity 20

Purpose

• The purpose of NAFET Phase II is to conduct an on-site meeting with a tribe when there is sufficient information gathered in Phase I to proceed with Phase II. This next phase occurs when the Center for Tribes Team and Collaborative Review Team concur that the Tribe’s inquiry may be addressed through a brief or intensive capacity building project. Phase II occurs after the Collaborative Review Team has approved the Phase I Summary Assessment Report.

• The Phase II of the Needs and Fit Exploration process occurs during an on-site meeting between Center for Tribes Team members and tribal child welfare leadership and stakeholders. Using structured group conversations, the onsite meeting continues to build relationships, learn more about how the tribal child welfare agency operates, share information about how the Center for Tribes capacity building services and evaluation functions, and assess the Tribal program’s needs and current capacity.

• Brief and intensive recommended level of services and requirements for a Center for Tribes project will be discussed and performance expectations of both the tribe and the Center will be outlined.

• In Phase II of the Needs and Fit Exploration, we will also gather additional, and more in-depth, information to clarify tribal understanding of Center for Tribes involvement, match fit of Center for Tribes services to tribal expectations, and discuss tribal commitment to a capacity building project.

Upon conclusion of on-site meeting, a Needs and Fit Exploration Phase II Review Form will be completed by the Center for Tribes and provided to Tribe and Collaborative Review Team.

NAFET Phase II: On-site Meeting with Tribal Child Welfare Team

Instructions to Conduct NAFET Phase II and Report Findings

PRIOR TO ON SITE VISIT

• 1. Send NAFET Phase II Needs and Fit Exploration questions to tribe for review prior to the scheduled on-site visit.

• 2. Develop a site visit agenda and share with the tribe for review and comment.

• 3. Center for Tribes Site Team members review all information collected through the assessment process and incorporate it into visit planning

• 4. Center for Tribes Site Team coordinator requests the tribes IV-B Plan and sends to Center for Tribe site team members to review (or uploads to DMS)

DURING ON SITE VISIT

• 5. Discuss with Tribe that basic information gathered during the on-site visit will be provided to the CB Collaborative Review Team for final project approval.

• 6. Ensure Tribe understands the possibility that tribal participants may need to give informed consent for participation in any evaluation-related activity

• 7. Have tribal participants fill out the Meeting Participant List and Contact sheet for the Cross-Center Evaluation (the cross center evaluation will be sending out satisfaction surveys).

• 8. During this NAFET II meeting, the Center for Tribes Team listens to tribal stakeholders, discusses with the tribe expectations and fit. Center for Tribes site team explains next steps including review and approval process, TOA if applicable, and other steps of the General Implementation process including the MOU and/or Letter of Commitment, and timeframes.

• 9. CBCT Site team lead works with the Center for Tribes team to prepare the Summary Assessment Report (SAR)

RECORDING AND REPORTING POST SITE VISIT

• 10. CBCT site team members enters NAFET II data, SAR, uploads a photo or document of the “Case Flow Review” and any additional meeting notes into the DMS

• 11. CBCT Eval/CQI lead completes and enters the Assessment of Foundational Capacity Survey into the DMS; exports the Excel file and sends to JBA. THIS SURVEY IS NOT A QUESTIONNAIRE CONDUCTED WITH THE TRIBE DURING THE NAFET 2. This survey is part of the cross center evaluation requirements and for the CBCT; it is completed by the CBCT Eval/CQI lead AFTER the NAFET 2 is completed.

• 12. Center for Tribes team enters individual notes into the DMS

• 13. Center for Tribes Site Team Lead sends Summary Review Form to the Collaborative Review Team (CRT) and to the Tribe

Sample Agenda for NAFET Phase II Meeting

8:30 – 9 am Introductions of Center for Tribes Site team and Tribal team and overview of the Phase II Meeting

9am - 12 pm Structured Group Interview and discussion using the NAFET 2 protocol

12:00 - 1:00 pm Lunch

1:00 - 2:30 pm Case Flow Review and the program structure and operations (including review of IV-B plan if not covered earlier)

2:30 - 3:00 pm Evaluation discussion

• Expectations of the project specific and cross-center evaluation

• Consent to share contact information

• Discussion of CQI services offered

3:00 - 4:00 pm Next steps and General Implementation Process

• (Can use Center for Tribes flow charts if appropriate)

4:00 - 4:30 pm Tour of the building or other sites

Structured Interview Protocol for NAFET Phase II Meeting

The following questions comprise an interview protocol for an on-site structured group discussion to continue to explore tribal interest, readiness, and fit for a brief or intensive tailored services and designation as a permanency project.

Prior to conducting the on-site visit, the Center for Tribes Team should review all assessment information gathered up to this point and the IV-B Plan if available, and familiarize themselves with what is known in each of the question areas below. The Site Team Lead will tailor questions according to the information gathered to date.

INTRODUCTION OR REITERATE WHAT REQUEST WAS ORIGINALLY FOR HERE?

The purpose of our meeting today is to have a conversation about the needs of your tribal child welfare program, and how the Center for Tribes might be able to support you in building the capacity of your program. We want to learn about your program, including the operations and structures, functions and workforce, so that we can get a better understanding of what a project might look like. We also want to share the details of our service delivery model and how we work with tribes to build capacity so that you can determine whether our approach might be a good fit for your tribal program.

1a. We would like to start out with briefly talking about your IV B plan.  Can you tell us about the main activities of your IV B   plan? How closely do you think your work aligns with what you set out to accomplish?

1. We discussed this during one of our previous telephone calls and I’d like to touch upon it again. What outcomes, or changes, do you expect to see as a result of a Center for Tribes project?

Reiterate response from Phase I; probe more deeply or ask if additional thoughts in this area have arisen since the phone call.

2. We began discussing your tribal child welfare program’s major challenges and needed changes and improvements in our previous call. Have you thought of anything additional or do those who were not part of the call want to share their thoughts?

Reiterate response from Phase I; probe more deeply and ask if anything has changed since the last discussion.

• How have you tried to address this issue(s) in the past? What has worked? What hasn’t worked?

• How do you see a Center for Tribes project helping you address these challenges?

• To what extent do you feel the services being offered by the Center for Tribes will help your tribal child welfare program make the changes you’ve identified?

3. What strengths exist in your tribal child welfare program that will help it be successful with a Center for Tribes project?

4. What do you hope the Center for Tribes will help your tribal child welfare program accomplish?

Reiterate phone call response as to how tribe would benefit from a Center for Tribes project; ask if there are additional thoughts in this area.

• What is your understanding of the role of the Center for Tribes in bringing about this change?

• What is your understanding of the tribe’s role in bringing about this change?

5. To what extent do you anticipate support for a Center for Tribes child welfare program project?

• What efforts do you think will be needed to get the buy-in from tribal leadership and/or other decision-makers?

• What efforts do you think will be needed to get buy-in from child welfare program staff to fully participate in a Center for Tribes project?

• How do you think child welfare staff members will feel about a new project (i.e., excited, cautious, jaded, etc.)

• Will there be any group that will not be supportive?

6. What internal resources are you expecting to devote to implementing a Center for Tribes project?

• What needs to be put in place, or strengthened, to increase the readiness of the program to carry out a Center for Tribes project?

• What internal resources are you expecting to devote to implementing a Center for Tribes project?

Now we are going to ask you some questions about your program structure, relationships with other agencies and staffing

7. Does your program have written policies and procedures?

• Is there a shared understanding of the work flow (?) among your staff and a consistent way that everyone does their job?

8. Do you think there are there a sufficient range of services to meet the needs of children and family in your community?

• Who pays for and provides these services? The tribe? The state/county?

• Do you have strong collaborative relationships with service providers in your community?

• Do you have collaborative relationships with state/county courts?

• How would you characterize your relationship with the state/county? (i.e., positive, strong, challenging, and reasons why, etc.)

9. How do you currently track and monitor cases?

• What child and family information do you think will be important for planning your project?

• Do you maintain documentation about cases in an electronic data system or in a hard copy paper files (or both)?

• Do you document child-level information about permanency, well-being, and risk/safety outcomes for children and families?

• How do you use the information you document about families and children to monitor, manage, and improve practice for the cases you serve?

• Are you interested in improving your program’s ability to collect, analyze, and use data to manage cases, improve practice and make decisions?

10. How do you recruit, select and training staff in your program?

• What kinds of professional opportunities are available for new and experience staff?

• Are there opportunities for coaching, mentoring, and feedback for staff?

• Do you have a formal staff performance assessment process?

• Do you think your staff have the skills and training and that they need for the job?

12. Is there anything that hasn’t been discussed that would limit the tribe’s or child welfare program’s ability to commit to carrying out a Center for Tribes project?

• Who will make the final decision to engage in a Center for Tribes project? Who will sign the letter of commitment or MOA for the Center for Tribes project?

This completes the on-site interview questions for the group. After lunch, we will review the life of a case and your program structure and operations as well as talk about the project and cross center evaluation.

BE SURE THE Meeting Participant List and Contact Sheet for the Cross Center Site Evaluation IS COMPLETED

Case Flow Review: Reviewing the Life of a Case

Purpose

This component of the NAFET II on site visit is designed to gain a fuller and deeper understanding of the how the tribal child welfare program operates and functions, and where there may be gaps in policy, process or shared understanding between staff members. For projects that may be intensive, this information will be foundational for the Tribal Organizational Assessment. For brief projects, this understanding will help guide the goals and activities in the work plan and identify facilitators and barriers to implementation.

Method

During this section of the NAFET 2 meeting, the Site Team lead will facilitate a conversation with the tribal team that involves a step-by-step look at the process by which the program handles a child protection case. This process will be different for each tribe. For example, some tribes only handle ICWA referrals; others just do intake and investigation, which some programs provide the full-spectrum of child protective services.

Creating a flow chart of the process described by the program staff is helpful, either using flipchart paper or a white board if available. This process is similar to business process mapping, with slightly less detail.

SEE APPENDIX A FOR CASE FLOW REVIEW DIAGRAM AND PROMPTING QUESTIONS

(Complete the diagram, take photo.... Whatever works! But be sure to upload to the DMS)

Evaluation and CQI Discussion

Purpose

This purpose of this discussion is to ensure that the tribal implementation team has a preliminary understanding of the project-specific and cross-center evaluation components of the project, expectations for tribal implementation team members, and the role of the Center for Tribes CQI/Evaluation lead as part of the site team.

Role of the Center for Tribes Evaluation/CQI Lead:

• Help gather data during the NAFET 2

• Conduct the Tribal Organizational Assessment (for intensive projects)

• Support the Tribe in developing the Pathway to Change and work plan.

• Support the Tribe in developing an Evaluation/CQI plan that the Tribe will use to engage in a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process to assist in monitoring the implementation and outcomes of their project and a brief evaluation to assess their experiences with the Center’s capacity building assistance and project outcomes.

• The Center for Tribes evaluator will conduct interviews with key staff and stakeholders at project end.

Role of the Cross-center evaluators:

• Explain that the Center for Tribes is part of a larger project consisting of three centers and there is a cross center evaluation we are part of.

• The company, James Bell Associates (JBA), are the cross-center evaluators for the Capacity Building Collaborative

• JBA will send web-based surveys to the tribal implementation team after the work plan is developed, and after the project is completed.

  • Participation in the surveys is voluntary

• JBA will conduct telephone interviews with Tribal Program Directors in in 2018.

Role of the Tribal Implementation Team:

• Gather and monitor CQI/Evaluation data during the course of the project

• Complete cross-center evaluation surveys

• Participate in cross-center leadership interviews in 2018

• Participate in local project interviews during the TOA and at project end.

Center for Tribes staff should conclude the meeting with a discussion with the lead agency contact at the tribe of next steps including: review and approval process, TOA if applicable, and the General Implementation Process.

CBCT team will complete the NAFET Phase II Review Form that follows.

Center for Tribes staff will complete the Phase II Review Form. Next steps include: Preparation of Summary Assessment Report (SAR) Upload Case Flow notes and diagram Complete and Enter the Foundational Capacity Survey into DMS (CQI/Eval lead) Sends necessary documents to Collaborative Review Team (CRT) CB Collaborative Review Team review Discussion with Tribe about recommendations Letter of Commitment (for brief projects) or Memorandum of Agreement (for intensive projects)

Capacity Building Center for Tribes (CBCT)

Meeting Participant List and Contact sheet for Cross-Center Evaluation

All members of the tribal implementation team will be invited to participate in the Children’s Bureau cross-center evaluation. Your email addresses will be shared with the cross-center evaluation team at James Bell Associates who will email links to satisfaction survey for staff after the work planning is complete, and at the end of the project. All email addresses and survey data will be kept private and confidential. Although we encourage feedback on the surveys, participation in the evaluation is completely voluntary.

Name	Email	Phone Number	Job Title

Center for Tribes Staff (including consultants) onsite at NAFET-2

Needs and Fit Exploration Tool Review Summary - Phase 2
Please rate the following capacity areas:	Serious Concerns	Some Concerns	Some Strengths	Clear Strength	Could not Assess	Notes
Infrastructure (program structure and operations)
Workforce
Support of leadership and decision-makers
Available internal resources
Data and Technology
Organizational climate
Engagement and partnerships
Anticipated project challenges or barriers
Level of Interest
Level of readiness
Fit with CBCT services model
Feasibility of tribe’s proposed project

Needs and Fit Exploration Tool

Review Summary- Phase 2 (continued)

Center for Tribes Team supports approval of this project: □ Yes □ No

Reviewer name: ______________________________________

Please add additional comments here:

Needs and Fit Exploration Phase II

Review Form

Tribal organization requesting assistance: ___________________________________________________

(A3) Need Statement: _______________________________________________________________________

Date of NAFET on-site visit: _________________________

IV-E status: ___Direct IV-E __IV-E Planning Grant __IV-E State agreement __ N/A __Other

(C2) Type of project recommended:

□ Tailored services project □ Brief □ Intensive

□ Permanency project □ Brief □ Intensive

(D1) Capacity Dimensions

Capacity Dimensions	Capacity Sub-dimensions

Needs and Fit Exploration Phase II

Review Form (continued)

Anticipated duration of the project: __________ months

Briefly outline the proposed project:

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Anticipated outcomes/changes: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Areas of concern identified from Phase I NAFET call: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Needs and Fit Exploration Phase II

Review Form (continued)

Explain how these concerns were addressed or resolved during the on-site visit: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Appendix A: Case Flow Review Diagram and Guiding Questions

Case Flow Review Guiding Questions

Intake and Investigations

• What happens when a report of abuse/neglect comes in? Who takes the intake and responds to the investigation?

• If you respond to investigations as the primary, what are your timeframes for response?

• If you partner with the state on investigations, what is your role and how does communication/notification from the state work?

• What is the role of BIA, FBI or Tribal LE in investigations?

Custody and Placement

• If there is an emergency need to place a child can the Tribe take custody of the child?

• If the Tribe can take custody, does the child welfare department have the authority?

• If the Tribe cannot take emergency custody, who has the authority to transfer care and custody of the child?

• Does the Tribe have their own licensed foster homes for placement?

Case and Permanency Planning

• Once a child/youth is in placement, who is charged with the development of the case plan and the assessment of progress/compliance?

• Does the Tribe manage cases in Tribal Court or through State Court?

• What agency is responsible for assessing ongoing risk and safety of children/youth while in placement?

• Is there a system/process for the use of family team meetings or other process to support joint decision making and permanency planning?

Service Delivery

• Does the Tribe offer services for families/children in the child welfare system? If so, what core services are available?

• What services are accessed through the State or other agencies?

• Does the child welfare agency offer voluntary services and voluntary placement if requested by families?

• What is the service area served by the Tribe?

ICW

• Is there a Tribal-State agreement? If so, what does the agreement include?

• Do you manage ICW cases? If so, how many cases do you manage?

• What ICW services do you provide?

• How many case managers provide the ICW services?

Appendix B: Assessment of Foundational Capacity

Assessment of Foundational Capacity

THIS SURVEY IS NOT A QUESTIONNAIRE CONDUCTED WITH THE TRIBE DURING THE NAFET 2.

This survey is part of the cross-center evaluation requirements and for the CBCT, it is completed by the CBCT Eval/CQI lead AFTER THE NAFET 2 is completed. The CBCT Eval/CQI lead then enters this survey into the DMS; exports the Excel file and sends to JBA.

Please tell us the extent to which you agree with the following statements about your tribal child welfare agency’s or group responsible for child welfare services’ capacities.

Organizational Resources

In my opinion, in my tribal agency or group responsible for child welfare services, there is/are:
	1	2	3	4	5	6
	Strongly Disagree	Somewhat Disagree	Somewhat Agree	Strongly Agree	Don’t Know	Not Applicable To Our Work
A sufficient number of staff to perform the work of our tribal agency or group responsible for child welfare services effectively
An acceptable level of stability among leadership of our tribal agency or group responsible for child welfare services
An acceptable level of staff retention across the tribal agency or within the group responsible for child welfare services
Acceptable facilities to conduct the business of our tribal child welfare agency or the group responsible for child welfare services
Acceptable materials and technology to perform the work of our tribal child welfare agency or the group responsible for child welfare services
Direct and easy access to information, materials, and tools on best practices to guide tribal child welfare agency leadership or leadership of the group responsible for child welfare services
A data system that stores accurate and current information about the children and families we serve

Organizational Infrastructure: Competency

In my opinion, in my tribal agency or group responsible for child welfare services, there is/are:
	1	2	3	4	5	6
	Strongly Disagree	Somewhat Disagree	Somewhat Agree	Strongly Agree	Don’t Know	Not Applicable To Our Work
An effective process for training new tribal child welfare agency staff or new members of the tribal group responsible for child welfare services
A sufficient and accessible process for ongoing training and professional development of tribal child welfare agency staff or new members of the tribal group responsible for child welfare services
A system to provide feedback to staff to develop and improve their skills, through support, consultation, or coaching

Organizational Infrastructure: Administration

In my opinion, in my tribal agency or group responsible for child welfare services, there is/are:
	1	2	3	4	5	6
	Strongly Disagree	Somewhat Disagree	Somewhat Agree	Strongly Agree	Don’t Know	Not Applicable To Our Work
Procedures that allow us to get useful data from our data systems in a timely manner
Processes by which we can internally review the performance of our work and make improvements in response to what we find
Written policies and protocols that guide the day-to-day functioning of our agency
A sufficient array of services available to meet the needs of children and families
Structured ways, such as workgroups, regular meetings, and anonymous surveys that allow families and youth to provide feedback on their experience in our work, which inform practice and decision making at the organizational level, not only with individual families

Knowledge and Skills: Workforce

In my opinion, in my tribal agency or group responsible for child welfare services, there is/are:
	1	2	3	4	5	6
	Strongly Disagree	Somewhat Disagree	Somewhat Agree	Strongly Agree	Don’t Know	Not Applicable To Our Work
A workforce with the professional educational preparation, such as an MSW, if required, needed for our tribal agency or child welfare group’s work
Staff with the specialized training and skills needed for our child welfare work
Staff or workers with the knowledge and skills necessary for us to achieve selected improvements to outcome measures of safety, permanency, and well-being

Knowledge and Skills: Analytic/Evaluative

In my opinion, in my tribal agency or group responsible for child welfare services, there is/are:
	1	2	3	4	5	6
	Strongly Disagree	Somewhat Disagree	Somewhat Agree	Strongly Agree	Don’t Know	Not Applicable To Our Work
Internal expertise or ability to access external expertise readily in collecting and analyzing data to assess our child welfare work, and whether or not it is conducted as planned
Internal expertise, or ability to access external expertise readily, in collecting and analyzing the outcomes of our work, to determine whether our activities are leading to the results that we want
Leadership/management that is skilled at facilitating solutions to perceived barriers to the implementation process
A deep knowledge of and respect for the role of culture in the families we work with

Organizational Culture & Climate

In my opinion, in my tribal agency or group responsible for child welfare services, there is/are:
	1	2	3	4	5	6
	Strongly Disagree	Somewhat Disagree	Somewhat Agree	Strongly Agree	Don’t Know	Not Applicable To Our Work
A shared sense of mission and values toward the children and families we work with in our agency
An organizational environment in which staff feel valued and perform their job at their full potential
An organizational climate of inclusion in which diversity and culture of staff and viewpoints are valued
An organizational climate in which staff value and use multiple sources of formal and informal data to inform their work
A sense of mutual trust between staff and leadership/management
Tribal leadership open to and supportive of change
Tribal leadership understands and values the work of the children and families’ department
Staff or workers are able to accomplish personally meaningful things in their work, remain personally involved in their work and treat clients in a personalized way
Staff or workers are able to manage stress, conflicting demands and high work volume

Organizational Engagement & Partnership

In my opinion, in my tribal agency or group responsible for child welfare services, there is/are:
	1	2	3	4	5	6
	Strongly Disagree	Somewhat Disagree	Somewhat Agree	Strongly Agree	Don’t Know	Not Applicable To Our Work
Effective collaborative partnerships with the children and families that we serve
Effective collaborative relationships with service providers in our community
Effective collaborative relationships with the tribal court system
Effective collaborative relationships with state/county courts
Effective collaborative relationships with state/county child welfare system

Needs and Fit Exploration Tool (NAFET) Phase II, Revised 04/05/2016 ; 11/07/2016, 11/18/2016 page 13