Partnership with California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA); 24 QPI counties
QPI commitment exemplified through county-level and statewide initiatives in practice areas including:
Comfort calls
QPI influenced resource family investigations
Transitions from one home to another
Strengthened partnership between staff and families
Relationships between birth and resource parents
Four counties (San Diego, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, and San Francisco) piloted “Quality Parenting Outreach” (QPO) text message-based survey technology to engage resource parents
Hosted 3rd National QPI Conference in San Diego, 2015
Partnership with The Family Initiative (TFI) and Cornerstone of Care (COC)- two of the foster care recruitment agencies currently under contract with Kansas DCF.
Both agencies have agreed to work in partnership. Their 2022 goals are to:
Create a culture where a relationship between foster parents and birth parents are supported contingent upon appropriate training of foster parents on reunification;
Increase their interdisciplinary approach by ensuring more system participants support the decision-making process about child(ren) moving a different/new foster home; and
Address data privacy in what can be shared with foster parents, so that necessary information will be shared with foster parents to allow them to “co-parent”, role model, and mentor successfully.
Highlights:
First Kansas QPI Champion training cohort graduated January 2022 having completed six months of QPI training, agency coaching and discussion.
Strategic planning has begun by reaching out to other key stakeholders- i.e. courts, foster parents, etc.
Recruiters with each Kansas involved agency are working together to share a common message to potential foster parents that focuses on reunification, including the expectation that mentoring and role modeling of birth parents is expected.
Louisiana
Joined QPI in 2016
Statewide partnership with Department of Children and Family Services and includes nine regions.
Statewide Highlights & Current Priorities:
Planful Transitions
Early connections focus – Initial “Comfort” Calls & Icebreaker Meetings
QPI Practice Guides developed for use by staff, foster caregivers, birth parents, partners clarifying best practice in that area, and implementation strategies. Topics include:
Confidentiality and Information Sharing
Initial Calls
Icebreakers
Planful Transitions, and
Placement Guide for Care Setting Decision Making with Young Children
Birth and Foster Parent Mentors (region specific)
Minnesota
Joined QPI in 2017
Partnership with Aspire MN and specific private agencies
Highlights:
Initial (comfort) calls passed into legislation effective November 2020
Reunification day proclamation by Governor Walz June 25, 2020
QPI-MN Champions cohort; 12 individuals trained
Published “Starting Journey as a Relative / Kin Foster Parent” video series in conjunction with Mitchell Hamline Law School
Current Priorities
Developing a toolkit for recruitment and licensing agencies that includes the lived experience perspective from first contact point of a prospective foster family’s journey into fostering.
Youth creating presentations, trainings and educational materials for prospective families and currently licensed foster families.
Increasing leadership of BIPOC youth and parents to enhance practices and policies that address system disproportionately.
Expanding statewide network QPI-MN regional sites and members.
Piloted QPI Champions program in 2020
Learn more about QPI Minnesota’s history and current movement at qpimn.org
Nevada
Joined QPI in 2011
Statewide partnership includes Clark County Department of Family Services, Clark County, Washoe County Human Services Agency Children’s Services Division, and Division of Child and Family Services – Rural Region
Significant areas of focus and achievements:
Statewide policy on Normalcy
Relative placement data indicates high priority and nationally competitive numbers
Siblings being placed together for Clark data high
Statewide policy on Information sharing
Court improvement Project and local judicial partners on QPI ideals and impact on practice
Peer support coaches both for resource families and placement stabilization (Foster Parent Champions in Clark)
Washoe was initial site to practice and formally study the ABC-V practice model now statewide FRV practice
Statewide integration of QPI philosophy
2022 initiatives:
Statewide transition policy (pending)
Statewide caregiver support groups through foster kinship
Hosted 2nd National QPI Conference in Las Vegas, 2014
Washoe joined QPI Champions program in second cohort, October 2020
Graduated first cohort of QPI Champions, December 2021
Launched Quality Parenting Outreach “QPO”, December 2021
QPI presented at the largest child welfare and juvenile justice conference in the state, Children’s Law Institute, January 2022
Statewide QPI Council launching March 2022
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Joined QPI in 2014
Partnership with City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services (county agency) which includes 10 case management agencies, and 25 resource home licensing agencies
Joining the QPI Champions program in 2022
Areas of focus:
Resource parent court participation
Information-sharing with resource parents
Icebreakers
Training
Implementation of “Comfort Calls”, initial phone calls between parents and caregivers
Hosted 6th National QPI Conference in Philadelphia, 2019
Began Texas partnership with Our Community Our Kids (OC-OK), a division of ACH Child and Family Services, First3Years. Currently partnered with Texas Family Initiative (TFI), formerly known as 2INgage.
Highlights & Current Priorities
OC-OK assumed case management from DFPS in March 2020 to serve the families of youth in care.
Expanding QPI to rural counties and expanding therapeutic services for youth.
