New Jersey Department of Children and Families Job Reviews

Continuous Quality Improvement

The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) promotes excellence in child welfare practice through its ongoing commitment to continuous quality comeback (CQI). DCF's commitment to CQI is embedded in its work and the structure of its divisions and offices. DCF has developed and employs systems to support its power to self-analyze and self-correct and become a learning organization.

What is Continuous Quality Improvement?
CQI is the process of identifying, describing, and analyzing strengths and problems so testing, implementing, learning from, and revising solutions [1] . CQI is a pro-agile, positive management approach that believes practices and processes can ever exist made better.  CQI is dependent on the inclusion and participation of stakeholders, including bureau staff, children, youth, families, community partners, law enforcement, judges, and court advocates.  DCF's Role of Performance Direction and Accountability (PMA) applies the collective knowledge and experiences of stakeholders to advance learning and execute CQI activities throughout DCF.

[1] Reference. Using Continuous Quality Improvement to Improve Child Welfare Practices, Casey Family Programs and National Child Welfare Resource Heart for Organizational Improvement, May 2005.

What are the goals of CQI?

• Create a continuous learning environment to meliorate future outcomes;
• Ensure sustainability of DCF'S case practice model and reform efforts;
• Improve agency processes, procedures, and quality of services by using data to guide fiscal and programmatic controlling; and
• Sustain and enhance DCF's power to cocky-monitor.

DCF is implementing the CQI plan in phases and will keep to update it on an ongoing basis. The initial CQI program document focuses primarily on DCF's instance practice service delivery.  Nonetheless, DCF has adult a framework and is in the process of and committed to developing a CQI organisation that can exist generalized to our piece of work in all divisions within DCF and with external providers.

CQI Framework

How We Get It Done
   Our Staff
   Our Employ of Data
   Our Partnerships

 CQI Acme

Our Staff

DCF Executive Direction
The DCF Executive Direction Team is charged with ensuring the DCF mission, vision, values, strategic priorities and strategic goals are upheld. Executive Management uses data from various sources to assistance guide collaborative efforts, and inform the goals and priorities of the DCF Strategic Programme.  Team Members utilize data from key departmental meetings (east.m., executive case reviews, ChildStat, Quality Review, Manage by Data Fellows reviews) to identify themes and trends among internal CP&P Example Practise, external purchased services, and, at a systems-level, to inform department planning, strategic priorities, and individual efforts within each partitioning. In improver, DCF Executive Management uses information to inform policy, management of the service assortment, automatic system evolution, preparation and other supportive systems.

Part of Performance Management and Accountability
The Role of Performance Management and Accountability is committed to ensuring the safety, permanency, and well-being of New Jersey's children and families. PMA monitors CQI activities related to collecting, organizing, and managing administrative data; aggregating, analyzing and disseminating data to support daily practice; conducting qualitative reviews, monthly ChildStat reviews, case tape reviews, and Fatality and Executive Case Reviews; every bit well every bit supporting the evolution and implementation of canton level programme improvement plans. PMA works with CP&P leadership at various levels to assistance to organize quality improvement activities at the local offices.

Designated Roles to Back up CQI Oversight. DCF believes every staff member plays a critical office in supporting continuous comeback of services. DCF leadership recognizes the importance of maintaining strong oversight to ensure that the CQI system is implemented consistently. DCF has designated staff members who provide oversight and ensure CQI information sharing beyond all levels of the section. These designated CQI entities and roles include:

• Executive Leadership. Executive Leadership stays informed of CQI activities at every level of the Department and ensures that DCF has the resources and infrastructure in place to carry out formal CQI activities.
• Country CQI Steering Commission. The State CQI Steering Committee oversees the continuous development and implementation of DCF's CQI arrangement and ensures that executive management and state leaders stay abreast of important CQI related information. The committees work to monitor policies, better documentation of CQI related standards and procedures, support implementation of CQI grooming and coaching programs, and monitor the implementation of the major components of the CQI plan.
• Part of Quality CQI Liaisons and Team Leads. The CQI Liaisons and Team Leads piece of work closely together to support CQI activities at the local office and area levels beyond the state. The CQI Liaisons participate in the development of CQI training; provide guidance for the evolution of local CQI teams; manage the procedure of synthesizing information gained from the local CQI activities; track the implementation of Steering Committee directives, and communicate results, lessons learned, and recommendations in written and verbal grade, every bit needed, to the CQI Steering Committee and other DCF stakeholders. The Team Leads are responsible for providing technical assistance to support to the local CQI Teams in development and monitoring of the program comeback procedure.
• Area Quality Coordinators. Nine Area Quality Coordinators manage CQI teams and the program improvement program procedure at the county level and ensure that information gained from the local CQI activities is shared with the CQI Liaisons.
• CQI Statewide Collaboration Team. The CQI Statewide Collaboration Squad ensures that the CQI communication program is fully functioning, develops strategies to meet staff training and information needs related to implementing CQI activities and implements and monitors activities that support organizational learning at all levels.
• Canton CQI teams. The County CQI teams develop, implement and support the evaluation of interventions outlined in the program improvement plans (PIPs). Members of the county CQI teams also share data related to any boosted CQI activities with the Area Quality Coordinators.

Sectionalization of Kid Protection and Permanency
The Partition of Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P) is New Bailiwick of jersey'south child protection and child welfare agency within the section. Its mission is to ensure the condom, permanency, and well-being of children and to support families. CP&P is responsible for investigating allegations of child corruption and neglect and, if necessary, arranging for the kid'south protection and a family's handling.  CP&P utilizes the DCF Case Practice Model (CPM), which was developed and published in 2006 and was followed by intensive staff training on the model's components and immersion training to integrate the model into the practice of every local part. This included coaching and mentoring to reinforce training and build staff competency.  There are numerous staff positions at the state (central office), area- and local-levels within CP&P to back up CPM implementation and ongoing CQI process and activities.

• CP&P Central Office. CP&P Central Office, led by the Banana Commissioner, is responsible for leadership, management, and oversight of instance do.  Cardinal Office is likewise responsible for Key, Area and Local Part staff dedicated to supporting the implementation of the CPM.
• CP&P Area Offices. There are ix CP&P Area Offices throughout the state established to manage and support the CP&P Local Offices in their daily activities and performance.  These offices are responsible for managing staff who are designated to support caseworkers at Local Offices and monitoring the ongoing quality of example practise.
• CP&P Local Offices. In that location are 46 CP&P Local Offices throughout the land established to and responsible for arranging for protection services and providing support to the families. Extensive training, coaching and dedicated staff positions are used to support caseworkers' effective implementation of the case practice model at the local level.

Office of Information and Technology (OIT)
The Role of Information technology manages and supports the Department in using the Statewide Automated Kid Welfare Information System (SACWIS) besides equally all other critical information management systems (e.grand. Prophylactic Measures).

Office of Preparation and Professional person Development. The Office of Training and Professional Development partners with leadership throughout the Department to develop curricula and evangelize educational training needed to promote continuous quality improvement of case practice.

Office of Strategic Development (OSD)
The Office of Strategic Evolution (OSD) monitors the quality and effectiveness of programming purchased by the Section.  The mission of OSD is to modernize the service array by applying the best available evidence and developing transformational solutions to address the needs of children, youth and families.  In close partnership and collaboration with CP&P, PMA and the Office of Contracting, OSD is leading the charge of reviewing and assessing whether core services purchased by the Department are meeting the needs of CP&P involved families.

Our Use of Information

Information Management Systems
DCF has clear processes for collecting and extracting quantitative and qualitative data.

Information management systems include:

NJSPIRIT. The New Jersey Statewide Protective Investigation, Reporting and Information Tool (NJSPIRIT) is DCF's main information management system for example do. It is a comprehensive, automated case direction tool that integrates various aspects of case practice in a single statewide arrangement. NJ SPIRIT has several built in validation tools to support data quality, meets federal requirements for a Statewide Automatic Kid Welfare Information System (SACWIS) and supports several federal reporting systems.

SafeMeasures. The SafeMeasures (SM) organisation is a software awarding that feeds data from NJSPIRIT into a user-friendly reporting arrangement. Frontline caseworkers, supervisors, and managers throughout the agency use SM to guide workflow, track timely data entry, data quality, and measure out results.

CP&P Longitudinal Outcome Information. DCF contracts with an evaluation, research, and consulting firm, to transform data recorded in NJSPIRIT into longitudinal data reports. The firm provides information via a Statewide and County Workbook. This Workbook is utilized by the DCF Office of Research, Evaluation, and Reporting and available to CP&P management staff. All CP&P managers and key back up staff take been trained on the use of the longitudinal outcomes report.

Ongoing Focus on Data Quality
PMA collaborates with leadership throughout DCF to ensure the reliability and validity of data used to inform conclusion making. DCF has designated staff working to ensure information is inputted, collected and extracted systematically and is committed to providing ongoing training and development opportunities.

• PMA'southward Office of Research, Evaluation and Reporting (RER). The RER staff monitors data nerveless in NJSPIRIT to ensure information is entered accurately and consistently. RER analysts regularly evaluate the data to ostend that the trends that emerge mirror the work of our staff and accurately reflect the experiences of our families.
• The Office of Information Technology (Information technology). IT staffs a NJSPIRIT Assist Desk to address any technical issues related to the employ of DCF's information management systems. IT also participates in mandated systems compliance reviews of NJSPIRIT on behalf of the Department. These reviews are carried out by the Division of State Systems (DSS). The reviews assess DCF'due south allegiance to federal requirements and ensure the development of organisation improvement plans.
• Manage by Information Fellows. DCF'southward Manage past Information Fellows Program is a nine-calendar month grooming plan for middle management staff to acquire how to monitor and better utilize data to back up improved case do and outcomes for children and families.
• Role of Policy & Regulatory Development. DCF provides guidance to staff through its policies about data entry. These policies identify what needs to exist collected and entered in NJSPIRIT. This guidance describes specific content, fourth dimension frames for completing data entry, and the order in which the sure data fields should be entered. There are hundreds of DCF policies outlining how and when a staff fellow member enters information into the NJSPIRIT organisation.
• Automated Information Entry Alerts for Case Managers. RER and Information technology have partnered to develop and continue to monitor functionality within its data management systems that give staff automatic prompts to support data entry and, thus, data quality.
• Staff Training. The Professional person Grooming and Development Center trains new and seasoned workers in child protection and permanency practice.  In add-on to the case practice model curriculum, training includes pedagogy on how to navigate DCF information management systems and how to develop and maintain automated records management, example planning, service planning, and information tracking. Boosted DCF data-related training programs include, yet are not limited to, Data Skills for Supervisors, Documentation for Child Welfare Professionals, Excel Training, New Worker Pre-Service Training, and Qualitative Review training.

Instance Tape Review Data and Procedure
PMA'south Office of Quality is committed to conducting ongoing case reviews, analyzing and disseminating performance data, and providing feedback to stakeholders and decision makers that focuses on improving Departmental service delivery and instance practice.  The Role of Quality leads numerous case reviews that provide an understanding of what is "behind" the safety, permanency and well-being data in terms of 24-hour interval-to-day practice in the field and how that practice is impacting child and family operation and outcomes.

Example Case Review Tools Include:

• Qualitative Review. The Qualitative Review uses a combination of tape reviews, interviews, observations, and professional assessment to place patterns regarding children, youth, families, and the people who support them. The QR examines the condition of the child and family in several of import areas of life such as safety, stability, wellness, and family unit resourcefulness. The review too assesses practice functioning areas such as engagement, teamwork & coordination, ongoing assessment process and example planning.
• ChildStat. ChildStat is an internal case presentation that focuses on the quality of the do and the services offered to a family. There is a statewide audition from the state, area and local office levels. This forum provides an opportunity for DCF staff to examine practice, policy and procedure from a systems perspective.
• Enhanced Reviews (Fifth and 10th Month). The fifth month enhanced review is a formal internal review of children, who take been in placement for v months. This review is conducted by the Administrative Placement Reviewer, an independent consultant to all parties. The review focuses on progress fabricated toward the case programme, including the completion of central permanency tasks. Team members such as parents and providers are encouraged to attend. The tenth month placement review is another critical determination-making time in which the bureau must assess case progress.
• Executive Directed Instance Reviews. Executive Directed Case Reviews are monthly quality case reviews involving executive leadership on a youth identified past the Commissioner, Director of the Segmentation of Child Protection & Permanency (CP&P) or the Managing director of Children'south System of Intendance (CSOC). The process of the review entails gathering all relevant and available data to appraise the example or clinical practice of the agency or contracted staff.
• Targeted Reviews. DCF conducts targeted reviews to review the quality of specific components of practice. For example, DCF conducts several special reviews of New Jersey Child Protection Services investigative practice to assess the overall quality of exercise around CP&P fulfilling its statutorily mandated role to investigate reports of alleged kid abuse and neglect. DCF also conducts a special review of the Land Central Registry (SCR) to assess the overall quality and effectiveness of the manner, speed, and clarity with which SCR receives, screens, prioritizes, dispatches, and act on calls from the public.

Collaborative Data Assay
DCF's leadership collaborates internally likewise equally with university partners and consultants, external community work groups and systems representatives' to analyze and interpret information.

• DCF's Information Analyst and Case Review Squad Leads. Data Annotator and Case Review Team Leads in PMA oversee various quantitative and qualitative data collection efforts and deport analyses to understand the quality of case practise, outcomes for families and key performance indicators (e.g. to parent-child visits, family unit team meetings, case worker kid visits, and supervisory conferencing).
• DCF'south PMA, CP&P Leadership and Executive Management. CP&P and PMA collaborate regularly to support accurate analysis and estimation of data.
• University Partners and Consultants. DCF contracts with university researchers and consultants from private firms to obtain technical assistance in collecting data and reporting data about our many initiatives and programs.
• System Partners. The Quality Review and ChildStat processes include consensus building and debrief opportunities that allow community stakeholders to participate in the assessment,   hear the findings from the review and provide insights to support next steps for case planning.

Dissemination of Agency Level Results
DCF disseminates bureau level results for use by a broad range of stakeholders by posting several reports on the DCF Website.

Example reports and resources include:

• Commissioner's Monthly Report. The Commissioner's Monthly Report is a monthly report of selected data points that supports NJ DCF in understanding who information technology is serving and how well it is performing.  The Commissioner's Monthly Report helps guide NJ DCF efforts as it strives daily to fulfill its section-wide vision and mission.
• New Bailiwick of jersey Child Welfare Data Information Portal.The Data Portal makes New Bailiwick of jersey Child Welfare data available to the public, and allows users to explore key indicators of child welfare through customizable visualization and query tools.
• Screening and Investigation Written report. The Screening and Investigation reports use New Bailiwick of jersey State Central Registry Action data (e.g. monthly number Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline calls) and reports on annual trends, assignments past county, and the referral sources.
• Data Fact Sheets. The fact sheets provide information and data regarding DCF's efforts to collaborate with stakeholders and community partners and to enhance the effectiveness of advice with employees, partners, the media and the general public.  All data facts sheets tin be found on the New Jersey DCF public spider web site. Some examples of data information sheets include, yet are non limited to, the post-obit:
• Family Success Centers (FSCs)
• Office of Adolescent Services Safe Infinite Program
• County Inter-Agency Coordination Councils' (CIACC) Educational Partnerships
• Adolescent Housing HUB- The Boyish Housing Hub (AHH)
• Scholarship Programs for Post-Secondary Education
• Responsible Fatherhood/Batterers Intervention Program
• Interstate Compact and Interstate Services Office
• Aid Me Grow
• Children's Interagency Analogous Council Summary of Action. The Children'south Interagency Coordinating Council Summary of Activity report provides data on caller information (east.thou. demographics, reasons and resolutions for calls), besides every bit information regarding services provided to active youth (e.chiliad. referrals, Out-of-Home Treatments, I/DD services, and substance corruption services).
• DCF Needs Assessment Report. The needs cess non only provides the data for DCF to empathise the needs of children, youth, and families, merely prioritizes needs for implementing actionable change to enhance the electric current service array.
• Educational Stability for Children in Foster Care. The educational stability reports on the stability (divers as remaining in aforementioned schoolhouse or irresolute schools) of eligible children past age of kid, county, and reasons for schoolhouse alter.
• Annual Child Corruption and Neglect Report.The Annual Abuse and Neglect Report looks at the rates of established/substantiated abuse and neglect by quarter, year, county, municipality, type of maltreatment, and age of child victim.  The report besides looks at the rates of institutional abuse and neglect past canton and facility blazon.
• Child Protection & Permanency Quarterly Demographic Summary. This study provides the demographics of those receiving in-habitation and out-of-home placements (e.chiliad. county, age, race, ethnicity, gender, type of placement).
• DCF Workforce Report. This report summarizes the demographics and characteristics of the current child welfare workforce and highlights a variety of indicators of effective workforce planning and development.
• Safe Haven Surrenders. This report compares Rubber Haven surrenders and Unsafe Abandonments past yr.
• Federal Performance Measures. The U.Due south. Section of Health and Man Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Children's Agency utilizes data submitted by the 50 States, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia to provide reports on child protection and child welfare programs beyond the State. NJ DCF shares this information on the NJ DCF website to provide information both on New Jersey'south operation, and likewise to provide a national comparison.
• Child Fatality and New Fatality Review Lath (CFNFRB) Annual Reports. This report summarizes the piece of work of the CFNFRB, which reviews fatalities and near fatalities of children in order to identify their causes, relationship to governmental support systems, and methods of prevention.
• New Jersey Domestic Violence Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board (DVFNFRB). The Reviews and Recommendations report summarizes the work of the DVFNFRB, who reviews the facts and circumstances surrounding domestic violence-related fatalities and virtually fatalities in New Jersey in order to place their causes and their relationship to government and nongovernment service delivery systems, and to develop methods of prevention.
• Kid and Family Services Programme (CFSP)/ Almanac Progress and Services Reports (APSR). The CFSP is a strategic plan that sets forth a vision and goals to strengthen NJ DCF.   It outlines initiatives and activities that will acquit out over the next 5 years to administer and integrate programs and services to promote the prophylactic, permanency, and well-being of children and families.  The Almanac Progress and Services Report (APSR) provides an annual update on the progress towards the goals and objectives in the CFSPs and outlines the planned activities for the upcoming fiscal year.
• New Jersey Task Forcefulness on Child Abuse and Neglect-Annual SORS (Staffing and Oversight Review Subcommittee) Report.This report summarizes the piece of work of SORS, which is to review CP&P staffing levels in order to develop recommendations for effective methods of recruiting, hiring, and retaining staff within CP&P.
• New Jersey Task Strength on Child Abuse and Neglect (NJTFCAN) Written report. The purpose of this report is to summarize the work of the NJTFCAN, which is to study and develop recommendations regarding the most effective means of improving the quality and telescopic of child protective and preventative services provided or supported by Country government.
• Country of New Jersey Transparency Centre-Governor'southward Functioning Center.This report provides the quarterly progress on cardinal performance indicators, comparing the information with the previous quarter and 12 month average.

Our Partnerships

Examples of collaborative efforts include:

• HSAC - Human Service Advisory Councils. In each canton, a HSAC reviews county level homo service activities and serves as the primary vehicle for making local recommendations to assist both county governments, the New Jersey Section of Human being Services and DCF in decision-making.
• Children's Inter-Bureau Coordinating Councils. The Children's Inter-Bureau Analogous Councils (CIACC) serve equally the mechanism to develop and maintain a responsive, accessible, and integrated system of intendance for children with special social, emotional and behavioral needs.
• Youth Advisory Boards. DCF's Youth Informational Boards consist of current and quondam foster youth who get together and discuss how to improve the policies, procedures and services provided by DCF.
• Children in Court Improvement Commission. The Children in Courtroom Comeback Committee (CICIC) allocates and administers federal grants for Children in Court Improvement projects affecting the lives of children in foster intendance.
• Informational Council on Domestic Violence. The twenty-fellow member Informational Quango on Domestic Violence is appointed by the Governor and represents regime and non-profit groups. The council is charged with studying needs, priorities, programs, and policies throughout the State; ensuring that service providers and customs organizations are aware of needs and services; making recommendations for community education and preparation programs; monitoring the effectiveness of laws concerning domestic violence and making recommendations for their comeback.
• Domestic Violence Fatality and Almost Fatality Review Lath. The Lath'south main objectives are to identify domestic violence related fatalities and nigh fatalities; engage in quantitative and qualitative reviews of statewide fatalities; and recommend system changes in order to promote victim condom, offender accountability, and piece of work towards prevention of domestic violence fatalities.
• Child Fatality and Well-nigh Fatality Review Board. The Kid Fatality and Nearly Fatality Review Board members are appointed by the Governor and have expertise or feel in child abuse. The purpose of the Board is to review fatalities and most fatalities of children in social club to identify their causes, relationship to governmental support systems, and methods of prevention.
• New Jersey Task Forcefulness on Kid Abuse and Neglect. The purpose of the New Jersey Task Forcefulness on Child Abuse and Neglect is to study and develop recommendations regarding the most effective means of improving the quality and scope of child protective and preventative services provided or supported by State government.
• Governor's Informational Council Against Sexual Violence. The multidisciplinary Governor'southward Advisory Council Confronting Sexual Violence is comprised of governmental and non-governmental members from across the State, who are charged with reviewing and recommending policies, procedures, protocols, legislation, trainings, and standards related to sexual violence and recommending solutions for the prevention of sexual violence.
• New Jersey Advisory Committee on the Condition of Women. The Commission is composed of eleven members appointed by the Governor. The Commission advises elected officials and the DCF Division on Women regarding issues affecting women; acts as a resources for municipal, canton, and local commissions and for women'due south organizations throughout the State; and empowers women through partnership, programming and publicity.
• Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Council. The Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Council meets regularly to examine existing needs and services and makes recommendations to DCF for youth suicide reporting, prevention, and intervention.
• Staffing and Oversight Review Subcommittee (SORS). The New Jersey Chore Force on Kid Abuse and Neglect Staffing and Oversight Review Subcommittee (SORS) reviews staffing levels of CP&P and develops recommendations regarding the most effective methods of recruiting, hiring, and retaining staff within the organization.

CQI Summit

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Source: https://www.nj.gov/dcf/about/divisions/opma/cqi.html

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