DCYF is partnering with the University of Colorado’s Kempe Center to evaluate the efficacy of the Permanency From Day One grant interventions. The first grant intervention is a random control trial that will provide Enhanced Permanency Planning Meetings for a subset of Child and Family Welfare Services (CFWS) cases in intervention offices. Eligible cases will be run through a randomization tool to determine if they will receive the Enhanced Permanency Planning Meetings or the office’s ‘business as usual’ permanency planning meetings. The randomization tool will be created and maintained by our partners at the Kempe Center.
The Kempe Center will collect qualitative as well as quantitative data to measure the intervention’s effect on various measures (see below). The Kempe Center will leverage quantitative data available through DCYF’s internal database, FamLink, Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) case review, as well as outside data collection sites such as the Administrative Office of the Court (AOC).
In order to collect qualitative data, Permanency Outcome Facilitators at each intervention office will work with staff to complete a Staff Survey prior to implementing the Enhanced Permanency Planning Meetings. Additionally, the Kempe Center has developed online surveys to be administered after each Permanency Planning Meeting. Permanency Outcome Facilitators will provide links to meeting participants after each meeting so participants (including parents, caregivers, tribal representatives, relatives, community supports, CASAs/GALs, attorneys, etc.) can complete these post-meeting surveys. Parent and family voice are central to the intervention and therefore to the evaluation. All meeting participants are encouraged to respond to each survey provided to them.