Family Preservation Services Annual Report

Corry Counseling of LECOM Health

Family Preservation Services

FY2021-2022 Annual Report

Program Description

The Family Preservation Services (FPS) Program serves children ranging in age from birth to eighteen, whose families are active with the Erie County Office of Children and Youth (ECOCY). These children are at risk of removal from their home or are being reunified with their families following foster or kinship placement. The identified clients served are parents and/or caregivers.

The components of the Family Preservation program include individual, couples, and family counseling. Depending on the family constellation and presenting concerns, counseling sessions are held with the entire family, with the parents/caregivers in the family, with individual children and/or with sibling groups in the home.

Services utilize a strengths-based approach to address personal, interpersonal, and family concerns. FPS program staff works with families to establish stability, consistency and structure; to constructively resolve problems and conflicts; to establish appropriate and age-congruent rules and expectations for children; and, to effectively communicate needs and expectations. The primary focus of interventions is working with parents/caretakers to improve their relationships and ability to work together to care for their children. Skills-based interventions, including home and resource management, are also utilized. The FPS staff works with parents to maintain households that are free of hazards and safe for children. Parents are assisted to budget their available funds so as to adequately provide food, clothing and shelter for their children. In addition, the program provides 24/7 on-call support.

Clients

During this fiscal year, 47 unduplicated clients were served. Of those clients: 42 were women and 5 men. In regards to race: 38 were Caucasian, 7 African American, 1 Hispanic, and 1 Bi-Racial. In regards to age range: 18-25 = 5, 26-45 = 37, and, 46-64 = 5. There were 1,195.25 hours of services provided.

Staff

There are 2 staff positions in the FPS program: one full time supervisor (who also supervises FBMH), and one full time worker. There have been no new hires.

Training

The FPS supervisor and full time worker completed 2 on-line (Relias) trainings:

· Motivational Interviewing

· Fire Safety

In addition, the FPS worker completed: Working More Effectively with the LGBTQ+ Community through Relias. The worker also attended a webinar Conference: Re-establishing Families as the Secure Base in the Aftermath of Domestic Violence.

Productivity

The FPS program productivity was 97.5%. This is an increase from last year.

Client Satisfaction Survey Results

Client satisfactions surveys were completed in January. 14 FPS clients completed surveys. In addition to the 5 statements to which all agency clients were asked to respond, the 2 specific statements for FPS clients were “I am learning how to get support from family and community when I need help with my child” and “I feel that my FPS worker is assisting me to improve my parenting skills”. All respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the program statements.

93% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statements, “I am able to get an appointment in a timely manner” and “I would refer a family member or friend with similar concerns.” 100% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statements, “I am treated with respect here,” “I felt included in the development of my treatment plan” and “My personal information is kept confidential.”

Outcome Results

The FPS program outcomes are measured by the Mercyhurst Civic Institute as they are contracted by ECOCY to track program outcomes. The defined outcomes were improved parenting, family stability, and child safety. The outputs were the number of clients served, number of appointments attended, and the units of service delivered. The data source is the North Carolina Assessment Scale (NCFAS). The indicators are improvements of scores on the NCFAS; children are at home with their families; and no new incidents of abuse/neglect. Agency targets are that on at least 5 domains of the NCFAS at least 70% of families will be rated at baseline or above at closure; at 6 months post-closure, 90% of children will remain at home; and at 6 months post closure, 90% of families will not have new indicated/validated/founded incidents, as reported by the Mercyhurst Civic Institute. The Civic Institute outcomes report was not yet available at the time of this report.

Expectations for the Coming Year

The FPS program has experienced an increase in the amount of referrals over the past year and has been at capacity for many months. The program would like to hire a part time worker due to this; however, there have been minimal applications for the position.