On behalf of the Children’s Bureau, JBS would like to invite you to serve as a participant in a series of focus groups. Your input in these focus groups will help shape how those with lived experience in child welfare are engaged in evaluating and improving the child welfare system in their states through a process called the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs). Young people are uniquely positioned as catalysts to change the systems that affect them. You hold a unique perspective that can help inform changes to the CFSRs and create better outcomes for youth and families.
The CFSRs look at what is happening to children, youth, and families receiving services in state child welfare systems, including all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The child welfare system includes the state’s child welfare agency, the courts, and other stakeholders. Each state works together on the CFSRs with a team of individuals from the federal government (Children’s Bureau) to improve services and outcomes. During the review, the Children’s Bureau works with the state to look at data and information about state child welfare programs, and to review a sample of cases. They also hear from people involved in those cases (e.g., youth, parents, caseworkers) and from people who partner with child welfare services (e.g., community partners). The information gathered is used to answer whether children, youth, and families involved in the child welfare system have positive outcomes in three areas: safety, permanency, and well-being.
Your background, including professional and personal experience, is essential to this work. We would be honored to gain your perspective on how states can better engage their young people in the CFSRs. Your participation will help to inform guidance and recommendations on how states can include the voices and experiences of young people in evaluating and improving the child welfare system
To inform this work, we will engage a team of experts who will be asked to draw on their lived experience to:
Inform authentic and respectful engagement strategies;
Identify roles in the CFSR for young people with lived experience in child welfare; and
Review a memo of results and recommendations identifying a range of strategies that can be used to engage young people with lived experience in the CFSRs.
The final result of this project will be recommendations and strategies for engaging young people with lived experience in child welfare. The Children’s Bureau will use this information to plan for future CFSRs, and to offer program support and technical assistance to states in implementing recommendations and strategies for authentic youth and young adult engagement.
You will receive a $250 honorarium for time spent providing your expertise throughout this process. We ask that you choose to participate in the full series of focus groups. You will be asked to sign a consent form that outlines the activities and tasks and provides information to allow us to distribute your honorarium . Participation in all of the activities is voluntary. Participants can choose not to answer questions during the focus group without any consequences (for example, your honorarium will not be affected).
These focus groups will be conducted virtually. Each of the four focus groups will take up to 60 minutes, not including preparation and debriefing time. They will be held in late 2021. The total amount of time we expect this project to take, including preparation, focus group participation, and debriefing, is approximately 7 hours.
If you are interested, please respond to this doodle poll: (insert link). We will select from the times that you provide to schedule a group orientation using Microsoft Teams. Capacity is limited; participants will be invited on a first-come, first-served basis according to their availability.
Thank you!
On behalf of the Children’s Bureau, JBS is hosting a series of focus groups to hear from young people about the best ways to engage young people with lived experience in child welfare. We are reaching out to several national organizations who work with people who have been involved with the child welfare system. Can you help us recruit participants with lived experience in child welfare for our focus groups who are from your organization? Their input in these focus groups will help shape how those with lived experience in child welfare are engaged in evaluating and improving the child welfare system in their states, through a process called the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs).
To support this effort, would you please forward this email to the staff person who works with young people and/or to three young people within your organization’s network who you think might like to participate in this project? More information on this work is provided below. If you have questions, please email them to us at [email protected].
Thank you!
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On behalf of the Children’s Bureau, JBS would like to invite you to serve as a participant in a series of focus groups. Your input in these focus groups will help shape how those with lived experience in child welfare are engaged in evaluating and improving the child welfare system in their states, through a process called the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs). Young people are uniquely positioned as catalysts to change the systems that affect them. You hold a unique perspective that can help inform changes to the CFSRs that can create better outcomes for youth and families.
The CFSRs look at what is happening to children, youth, and families receiving services in a state child welfare system, including all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The child welfare system includes the state’s child welfare agency, the courts, and other stakeholders. Each state works together on the CFSRs with a team of individuals from the federal government (Children’s Bureau) to improve services and outcomes. During the review, the Children’s Bureau works with the state to look at data and information about state child welfare programs, and to review a sample of cases. They also hear from people involved in those cases (e.g., youth, parents, caseworkers) and from people who partner with child welfare services (e.g., community partners). The information gathered is used to answer whether children, youth, and families involved in the child welfare system have positive outcomes in three areas: safety, permanency, and well-being. More information on the CFSRs is included in the attachment.
Your background, including professional and personal experience, is essential to this work. We would be honored to work with you to understand how states can better engage their young people in the CFSRs. Your participation will help to inform guidance and recommendations on how states can include the voices and experiences of young people in evaluating and improving the child welfare system.
To inform this work, we will engage a team of experts who will be asked to draw on their lived experience to:
Inform authentic and respectful engagement strategies;
Identify roles in the CFSR for young people with lived experience in child welfare; and
Review a memo of results and recommendations identifying a range of strategies that can be used to engage young people with lived experience in the CFSRs.
The final result of this project will be recommendations and strategies for engaging young people with lived experience in child welfare. The Children’s Bureau will use this information to plan for future CFSRs, and to offer program support and technical assistance to states in implementing recommendations and strategies for authentic youth and young adult engagement.
You will receive a $250 honorarium for time spent, including preparing for and participating in the focus groups and debriefing. We ask that you choose to participate in the full series of focus groups. You will be asked to sign a consent form outlining tasks and activities and provides information to allow us to distribute the honorarium. Participation in all of the activities is voluntary. Participants can choose not to answer questions during the focus group without any consequences (for example, your honorarium will not be affected).
These focus groups will be conducted virtually. Each of the four focus groups will take up to 60 minutes, not including preparation and debriefing time. They will be held in late 2021. The total amount of time we expect this project to take, including preparation, focus group participation, and debriefing, is approximately 7 hours.
If you are interested, please respond to this doodle poll: (insert link). We will select from the times that you provide to schedule a group orientation using Microsoft Teams. Capacity is limited; participants will be invited on a first-come, first-served basis according to their availability.
Thank you!
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Katelyn Franke |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2022-05-04 |