GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Child and Family Services Agency Performance Oversight FY14-15 Follow-up

Child and Family Services Agency
Responses to Performance Oversight Hearing Follow-up Questions

Submitted to the Council of the District of Columbia
Council member David Grosso Committee on Health and Human Services
Committee on Education Chairperson
March 6, 2015

I. Educational Neglect Referrals

I am very concerned that the Agency is receiving so many referrals for Educational Neglect
when so few are substantiated. I understand that you have dedicated an entire unit to this
issue.
1. Can you estimate the number of hours your staff is spending on these referrals?
In school year (SY) 2013-2014, the Triage Educational Neglect Unit, consisting of 11
staff, worked approximately 18,476[1] hours processing educational neglect referrals.
2. Do you know what percentage of that is spent on referrals that are not
substantiated?
CFSA is unable to isolate the number of hours dedicated to substantiated referrals. However,
the following chart represents the number of substantiated referrals for SY 2014 and SY 2015
through December 31, 2014.
School Year
2013-2014
2014-2015

# of Substantiated Referrals
128
26

# of Children
166
33

[1]

Hours were adjusted for peak school season months (September-June) and time off for employees.

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Child and Family Services Agency Performance Oversight FY14-15 Follow-up

3. What steps are taken when a referral is substantiated?

Notification
CFSA verbally notifies the caregivers about the substantiated allegation(s) and mails
them a disposition letter informing them of two things: 1) the substantiation finding for
child abuse and neglect and 2) placement on the Child Protection Registry. CFSA also
mails a notification letter outlining caregiver rights to request a Program Administrative
Review of the decision and the Fair Hearing Process.
Services
When CFSA determines risk (likelihood of future maltreatment) to children to be low to
moderate, we offer caregivers access to community-based services. While social workers
encourage families to take advantage of services, parents have the right to decline.
When CFSA substantiates an allegation and determines risk to be as high to intensive, we
usually open an in-home case. If a family declines to participate with CFSA and to use
recommended services, CFSA can use court intervention to obtain family cooperation.

4. What about when they are not?

Child Protective Services Investigations Track
CFSA notifies caregivers verbally and in writing of the unfounded allegations. However,
we still assess for risk to children and then, based on the findings, act as described in the
response to question 3. Specifically, when CFSA determines risk (likelihood of future
maltreatment) to children to be low to moderate, we offer caregivers access to
community-based services. While social workers encourage families to take advantage of
services, parents have the right to decline. When CFSA substantiates an allegation and
determines risk to be as high to intensive, we usually open an in-home case. If a family
declines to participate with CFSA and to use recommended services, CFSA can use court
intervention to obtain family cooperation.
Child Protective Services Family Assessment Track
The majority of the educational neglect referrals are serviced through the Family
Assessment track. Family Assessment is an alternative approach to responding to
allegations of child abuse and neglect without a determination of maltreatment. As a
result, most caregivers are not substantiated for educational neglect, unless they are
nonresponsive to the intervention plans developed to improve and sustain their
child (ren)s attendance in school.

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Child and Family Services Agency Performance Oversight FY14-15 Follow-up

Once a safety assessment has been completed to ensure the children can remain in the
home, social workers develop an intervention plan with the family to ensure the
attendance issue is improved or resolved. The intervention plan details support services to
a family such as housing stability, transportation, school enrollment, uniforms, linkages
to medical, mental health, and substance abuse services, how to navigate the school
system to maintain open communication with the school about the needs of their children,
and diversion to community based organizations for long term support as needed. In the
event that the social worker identifies severe safety concerns during the family
assessment process, the family will be converted to the Investigative track for appropriate
follow up.
5. Are there legislative changes that should be made to improve this situation, or is it
an issue of interagency coordination?
Current legislation requires schools to submit a referral to CPS, if a child misses 10 days
of school. The Administration is exploring proposals for legislative revisions.
II. PASS Program
According to the Agencys responses to the Committees questions, CFSA has entered into
an MOU with the Department of Human Services regarding the PASS program. It is my
understanding that this program is currently overburdened, with far more referrals than it
has capacity to serve.
1. Do you have information on how many youth CFSA has referred to PASS?
In FY14, CFSA referred 44 youth to PASS. In FY15 (as of February 24, 2015), CFSA
referred 21 youth to PASS.
2. Have you tracked outcomes for the youth referred to PASS?
CFSA receives monthly data updates from the Department of Human Services (DHS)
regarding the status of youth we refer to PASS.
Of the 44 youth CFSA referred to PASS in FY14, four are still involved, and DHS has
closed cases with the remaining 40.

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Child and Family Services Agency Performance Oversight FY14-15 Follow-up

Of the 40 youth who have a closed case:

12 youth successfully completed services;

20 cases closed early because the family (parent, youth or both) declined or did
not follow through with services, the youth continued to offend, or the family
relocated; and
8 cases closed before DHS engaged the family due to no response or refusal to
participate.

Of the 21 youth referred to PASS in FY15, 17 are still involved, and DHS has closed
cases with four. The four cases that closed were because the family declined services or
because they were not stable enough to access the services.
CFSA is also in the process of gathering outcome data from our own case management
system for youth we referred to PASS. This includes identifying whether a family of a
youth referred to PASS was the subject of a report to CFSA for allegations of child abuse
or neglect or if the youth was removed from the home within 12 months of involvement
with PASS.
III. Child Protective Services
It is very helpful to have the break down of referrals for family assessments and
investigations by allegation category, but I would like to know what the outcomes
delineated by allegation category as well. For example, I would like to know if a high
number of referrals for physical abuse result in removal of the child from the home,
or if there are other categories with low levels of removal. Can you provide this
information?
See tables below for response.

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Child and Family Services Agency Performance Oversight FY14-15 Follow-up

Accepted Hotline Calls by Allegation Type in FY14 and FY15 (1st Quarter)
Family Assessments
FY 2014
Allegation Type

Domestic Violence
Educational Neglect
Inadequate Housing
Inadequate Supervision
Medical Neglect
Mental Health
Neglect
Other
Physical Abuse
Substance Abuse
Total2

Accepted
Hotline
Calls
250
814
271
648
141
51
364
15
570
303
2,428

FY 2015

Number of
Victims

Removals1

444
953
556
1,019
164
69
632
17
694
516
3,428

3
3
0
9
1
0
1
1
3
4
19

Accepted
Hotline
Calls
55
217
57
207
48
39
113
0
166
36
648

Number of
Victims

Removals

103
243
122
336
56
76
190
0
217
49
947

0
0
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
2

Investigations
FY 2014
Allegation Type

Child Fatality
Domestic Violence
Educational Neglect
Inadequate Housing
Inadequate Supervision
Medical Neglect
Mental Health
Neglect
Other
Physical Abuse
Sexual Abuse
Substance Abuse
Total

Accepted
Hotline
Calls
12
361
172
275
1,403
235
97
328
85
1,578
596
621
3,540

FY 2015

Number of
Victims

Removals

12
621
217
546
2,060
279
124
567
89
1,807
692
1041
4,671

0
28
6
25
204
18
9
31
5
91
12
66
269

Accepted
Hotline
Calls
6
72
48
68
319
74
45
78
0
310
141
68
780

Number of
Victims

Removals

6
144
61
136
511
83
56
140
0
360
178
123
1,134

0
5
1
7
41
3
1
10
0
17
2
9
54

For both tables, the "Removals" columns shows the number of victims who entered foster care on/prior to the Family
Assessments /Investigation closure date; or as of the report run date if the Family Assessments/Investigations remained opened.
2

For both tables, the totals may not add up as a hotline call may have multiple victims or victims with multiple allegations. 3.
The "Total" is a unique count for each column.

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Child and Family Services Agency Performance Oversight FY14-15 Follow-up

IV. Tutoring and Mentoring Referrals

I worked to ensure that we had extra resources going to schools for each student in foster
care. In the Agencys responses to the Committee, CFSA stated that in FY14, 100 youth
had been referred for tutoring and 200 for mentoring.
1. How is CFSA tracking outcomes for these referrals?
Tutoring and mentoring are provided through CFSA-funded grants or contracts. CFSA
tracks educational outcomes for youth receiving tutoring based on comparison of pre- and
post-test scores measuring for proficiency. CFSA also reviews monthly status reports for
students receiving tutoring to monitor hours received and progress made. In addition, for
students currently connected to tutoring and attending DCPS, CFSA will compare firstand second-term grades in the FY14-15 school year to further determine improvements.
2. Why does this number not represent the total students in CFSA care who are testing
less than proficient in reading or math?
The capacity for the CFSA tutoring program is 100 students. Social workers monitor
educational progress and make referrals to CFSAs Office of Well Being for specialized
services as needed. Many students are connected to community resources and school
supports rather than to CFSAs contracted provider. CFSA is working on an overall
education strategy to ensure appropriate attention in this area and to improve overall
outcomes for children and youth and to capture outcome data for students connected to
community resources and school supports.
The 200 students receiving mentoring in FY14 were connected through three grants,
which ended in October 2014. CFSA monitored outcomes through quarterly reports
provided by the grantees that included individual mentee success highlights, mentor
retention, average match length, participation of mentees and mentors in individual and
group activities, and challenges/barriers. In FY15, CFSA awarded two new contracts for
evidence-based mentoring services. For these new contracts, CFSA will measure client
outcomes in five domains:

Cognitive functioning (including school engagement/attendance, academic

achievement, etc.).
Social functioning (pro-social behavior, positive outlook, self-esteem, coping
skills).

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Child and Family Services Agency Performance Oversight FY14-15 Follow-up

Abstinence/reduction/cessation of substance use (depending upon age and

behavior of client upon referral).
Abstinence/reduction/cessation of delinquent behavior or court involvement
(depending upon age and behavior of client at time of referral).
Involvement of caregivers.

To measure progress in these specific areas, each mentoring provider is required to

administer a pre-service assessment to collect baseline data on the childs functioning in
each of these areas. Results of the pre-service assessment inform the individual
mentoring plan for each child, including goals for improvement in each of the identified
domains. Providers report aggregate data showing progress on achievement of those
goals to CFSA quarterly.

V. Stable Housing Outcomes for Youth Aging Out

In the Agencys responses to the Committees questions, staying with a mentor/friend
and transitional housing are listed as stable housing outcomes for youth aging out of
CFSA.
1. What is the rationale for classifying these situations as stable?
The youth listed as staying with a mentor/friend was listed as stable because the
relationship was a long-term shared living arrangement with the youth contributing to
household expenses. This is no different than any young person who takes on a
roommate to make ends meet. Transitional housing, while not forever, should be a
positive step toward permanent housing. Thus, we view it as stable.
2. What is CFSA doing to improve the housing outcomes for youth aging out of care?
Transitional housing programs typically last at least one year or longer, and youth in
these programs are supported throughout the duration of their stay in planning for their
move from the program. CFSA has increased transitional housing options by expanding
our partnerships with DBH and the DC Housing Authority. Additions, such as Wayne
Place, Elizabeth Ministries, and Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers from the
DC Housing Authority provide venues that offer a tailored approach for each youth based
on his/her specific needs.
As we work to ensure housing for our most vulnerable populations, youth aging out of
CFSA have emerged as a priority group. The CFSA Strategic Housing Plan recommends
a number of strategies to address homelessness among CFSA youth. Those strategies
are: 1) shared housing; 2) Generations of Hope projects for parenting teens and other

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Child and Family Services Agency Performance Oversight FY14-15 Follow-up

priority CFSA populations; 3) adoption of an evidence-based transitional supportive

housing model such as the Foyer model; 4) identification of FUP voucher opportunities;
5) exploration of an innovative transitional housing program focused on jobs training
program for young men transitioning from foster care; and 6) retooling our existing
Rapid Housing dollars to meet the needs of this population.
Some of our key housing initiatives for this population include:
Program
Wayne Place

Services

A major rehabilitation of 27 units that will

become 22 residential units with the remainder
serving as administrative and communal space.

The Wayne Place Project is a joint effort of the

Child and Family Service Agency and the
Department of Behavioral Health to provide
transitional supportive housing for youth aging
out of foster care or psychiatric residential
centers that require intensive services to stabilize
them in a community environment. The program
focus is to provide a real life community
experience so that youth are prepared to
positively and successfully engage and
participate in the community environment. A
major component of the program is the evidencebased model, Transition to Independence
Program (TIP).
Provides one-time financial or on-going financial
assistance to youth approaching emancipation (or
post emancipation) to obtain and maintain stable
housing.
33 DC Housing Authority vouchers under the
federal Family Unification Program.

CFSA Rapid Housing Program

Family Unification Program (FUP)

Tenant based vouchers. CFSA families can

choose their housing.

Youth at least 18 years old and not more than 21

years old who left foster care at age 16 or older
and who lack adequate housing.

FUP vouchers used by youth are limited by

statute to 18 months of housing assistance.
8

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Child and Family Services Agency Performance Oversight FY14-15 Follow-up

Program

Elizabeth Ministries

Generations of Hope/Mi Casa

Services

In addition to rental assistance, supportive

services will be provided to FUP youth for the
entire 18 months in which the youth participates
in the program.

7 furnished 2 bedroom apartments.

Transitional supportive housing.

The target population is parents 21-24 years of

age who have aged out and or are at risk of
having children placed in foster care.

Intensive case management.

An intergenerational, intentional community
prevents homelessness and housing insecurity by
providing permanent supportive housing for
residents at rents affordable to persons at or
below 50 percent of area median income (AMI).

The target population is parenting youth who are

aging out of foster care and their children. The
other target population is elders who earn less
than 60 percent of AMI.

Elders agree to volunteer to work with parenting

youth in exchange for reduce rent.

27 apartments, newly constructed housing

development based on the Generations of Hope
Community (GHC) model.

9 of the 27 units are dedicated to youth, 2-3

bedroom apartments.