USM Muskie School, Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy: Children, Youth and Families News

Bernotavicz Publishes Article on Child WelfareLeadership Model

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:16:13 +0000

Numerous studies have shown that a comprehensive and unifying leadership model, with an associated defined set of leadership competencies, has largely been absent from the field of human services. In the complex and turbulent field of child welfare, leadership skills are necessary at all levels of the agency. This article, co-authored by Freda Bernotavicz, describes the child welfare leadership and competency models developed by the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) and provides examples of how their application in a national training and capacity-building program has led to personal leadership development and systems change.

This article, co-authored by Freda Bernotavicz, describes the child welfare leadership and competency models developed by the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) and provides examples of how their application in a national training and capacity-building program has led to personal leadership development and systems change.

Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy

Maine Roads to Quality (MRTQ) chosen to lead state BUILD Initiative

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:03:39 +0000

Maine Roads to Quality director Sonja Howard has been named the lead for a BUILD Initiative grant received by the State of Maine to help shape the technical assistance program offered to its early care and youth education practitioners.

The grant creates state teams that will engage in a structured dialogue with one another and with national experts to assess their current state technical assistance systems on four levels: early learning programs, technical assistance professionals, supervisor/sponsoring agencies, and state administration. State teams also will work to develop implementation plans to establish a more effective and efficient technical assistance system that can promote high quality early care and learning programs and achieve better outcomes for children. Maine is one of only eight states chosen to participate in this national initiative.

In addition, Maine Roads to Quality recently has been awarded a 21-month, $2.2 million contract from the Office of Child and Family Services, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, to improve the quality of early care and education settings in Maine through a statewide professional development system. The primary objectives of this effort include support for programs to advance Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) steps, the distribution of scholarship funds to increase the professional development of practitioners in the field of early care and education, tracking professional development through one centralized provider registry for the State of Maine, and collaboration with other agencies in the state to support a network of services to support early care and education programs in Maine.

MRTQ director Sonja Howard has been named the lead for a BUILD Initiative grant received by the State of Maine to help shape the technical assistance program offered to its early care and youth education practitioners. Maine is one of only eight states chosen to participate in this national initiative.

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Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy

NRCOI Publishes Child Welfare Practice Model Guide

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:05:35 +0000

To help families achieve positive outcomes, child welfare systems throughout the country are strengthening their approaches to practice. Many States choose to do this using a new or renewed child welfare practice model. Simply stated, practice models are the basic principles and approaches that guide an agency’s work and provide a framework for an organization’s overall approach to child welfare work—from vision through outcomes—and the specifics in between.

The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement's Guide for Developing and Implementing Child Welfare Practice Models offers an overall framework for developing, implementing, and/or strengthening a child welfare practice model; cites specific examples from the field; and provides additional information to help child welfare agencies and their partners make informed choices in selecting their approaches to this important work. It provides guidance on developing a practice model, and details steps to take through each stage of implementation, including a discussion of 14 specific implementation drivers. The Guide includes worksheets to help agencies articulate practice model principles, identify frontline practice skills, and assess readiness, and lists resources for ongoing support.

"A practice model really defines how you do business every day; it defines core values that inform how you interact with children and families. It also gives you a common and accepted set of principles and goals as you work with providers and other outside partners." - Cheryl Williams, Foster Care Program Manager, Richmond, Virginia, Department of Social Services

Download the Guide here!

Guide published by the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement offers an overall framework for developing, implementing, and/or strengthening a child welfare practice model, helping child welfare agencies and their partners make informed choices in selecting their approaches to this important work.

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Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy