The Center for Children and Families at Texas State University-San Marcos in collaboration with leaders from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and the Dallas Regional Office of the Administration for Children and Families hosted the 8^th Annual Title IV-E Child Welfare Roundtable on Thursday, June 10 and Friday, June 11, 2004 at T Bar M Ranch in New Braunfels.

 

The event was designed to build a strong collaborative network for universities and agencies that prepare personnel to work with children and families.  Over one hundred representatives from twenty-four child welfare agencies, nineteen universities, and six states attended.  Following morning presentations, university and agency personnel spent the next two days working in small task groups on current issues. 

 

Focus Groups

 

Curriculum

Reporting Chairs:  Joe Papick - Houston, TX, Anna Rae Rozell – Denton, TX

 

What’s New

1. Online Blackboard Curriculum for BSW students
   1. Practice Course for seniors
2. West Texas A&M Modules that are web-based courses for BSW students
3. University of Houston – preparing case studies on child welfare cooperating writing skills center
4. Sharing case studies

 

What’s Needed

1. Practical administrative skills
2. Collaborate on courses; put courses on-line and share with students
3. Field supervisor training – Alan Detlaf is offering this across the state
4. Title IV-E stipend students and UT to do groups
5. Need to determine what Title IV-E students have to take at various universities and share this information
6. Universities to work more closely with DFPS regarding screening and hiring process for interns
7. Develop more case scenarios dealing with values, deficiencies and different generations

 

What’s Next

1. Discussion time next year at roundtable
   1. Preference:  longer time
2. Develop curriculum across schools that deal with administration
3. Session at Fall meeting for committee discussion
4. Sending newsletter to all Roundtable participants

 

New Chairs:  Mary Mulvaney – University of Texas Austin, Teresa Buehler – University of Texas Arlington

 

Employment and Retention

Reporting and Returning Chairs:  Pat Nayle – Houston DFPS, Brian Brumley – University of Texas A&M Commerce

 

What’s Needed

1. To replicate tracking system that Houston region uses and was developed by Pat Nayle and use it in all regions
2. To develop an exit question for every employee who received a IV-E stipend.  The question will address why they are leaving
   1. Want to decide if exit question should be face-to-face or anonymous and written

 

What’s Next

1. Want to make Houston tracking system state-wide
2. Retention committee wants to meet with evaluation committee at the Fall meeting
3. Look at contracts by region at Fall meeting

 

Evaluation

Reporting and Returning Chair:  Patrick Leung – University of Houston

 

What’s New

1. Redo survey of DFPS employees based on last survey, and look at other variables

 

What’s Needed and Next

2. How long do BSW interns stay at the agency who work off their commitment compared to BSW interns who get MSW degrees and then pay off their commitments.
3. For DFPS employees who receive IV-E stipend, What is their job title before they receive the stipend and what is their job title after they receive the stipend?
4. The committee will explore funding to support possible research on case outcomes
5. The committee will contact funding sources such as the state and private foundations; for example C.A.S.E.Y.
6. The committee will collect and analyze qualitative date related to case outcomes
7. The committee will carefully discuss how to define the variables in the case outcome evaluation.  They may look at this from a macro perspective.
8. The committee will pursue evaluation at the regional level rather than state level

 

Field Focus

 

What’s New

1. Why universities give different stipend amounts to students for varying number of semesters.
   1. Benefits
   2. Rationale

 

2. Field placements for employees returning for their MSW.
   1. Meeting agency versus educational needs.  University versus CSWE requirements
   2. Benefits to agency and student
   3. What is being done?
   4. MSW switching jobs and being required to remain in “field” position for one year.
   5. Evening and weekend opportunities for placement.

 

3. Availability of units – challenges of placing students into a unit or providing day-to-day oversight of learning activities and experiences.
   1. Ways to train supervisors/workers to incorporate students more effectively into their units.

 

4. Including Field Instructors and/or University instructors as references when completing the hiring process
5. Brainstorming ways to conduct weekly supervision with students due to time constraints and student BSD training.

 

What’s Needed

1.     Continue discussion and problem solving through

a.      Blackboard

b.     Yahoo

c.      Additional meetings

 

2.     Compilation of report/proposal to send to state office

a.      Benefits and rationale for discrepancies for stipend amounts

b.     Benefits and rationale for MSW students completing their internship in another position within the agency

 

What’s Next

1.     At Fall meeting, have 2(a) ready to present to contact persons.

 

General Planning for Fall and Spring Meetings

 

Fall Meeting   October 21-23, 2004

• In conjunction with NASW in Austin, October 21-23

Agenda

1. Individual meetings of the four focus groups
2. Meetings with all four focus groups combined
3. Have state led session on contract issues
4. To do next steps:  Karen Brown
   1. To confirm a date for meeting with state office, with Liz Kromrei by August 15, 2004
   2. Request state office to send notice of Fall Meeting by August.
   3. Request state office to send reminder and agenda by end of September.

 

Spring Meeting 2005

1. Change focus from state to regional
2. Planning committee to decide structure of Roundtable, and change length and number of federal presentations.  Want to lengthen time for focus groups.
3. Confirmed date of Roundtable Conference:  June 2-3, 2005, at TbarM.

 

Planning Committee

1. Karen Brown to convene planning committee via phone and email by end of August
2. Schedule face-to-face meeting at October meeting in Austin.

 

 

 

Planning Committee Members: