D S S P R E S S R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release:
April 10, 2008
Contact: Sara Anderson
(573) 526-0407
Gov. Blunt, Social Services Director Recognize Children's Division for Completing Program Improvement Plan Requirements
Jefferson City — Gov. Matt Blunt and Department of Social Services (DSS) Director Deborah Scott today were joined by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, in congratulating the Missouri Children’s Division for successfully completing the requirements of its Program Improvement Plan (PIP) required under the federal child and family services review.
“I commend the Children’s Division for answering my call to improve the child welfare system in Missouri,” Gov. Blunt said. “We are keeping our commitment to improve the safety and well-being of vulnerable Missourians with achievements such as the successful completion of this plan.”
ACF, the federal agency that provides oversight for all state child welfare agencies, required each state to develop an improvement plan.
The Children’s Division entered into a two-year plan to improve safety, permanency and well-being outcomes for children. Under the plan Missouri not only successfully completed all of the action steps and tasks leading to systems change, but also met the goals established by the plan for improvement.
The PIP goals successfully completed by Missouri include reducing the rate of child maltreatment, improving the response time for investigating child abuse and neglect reports, increasing the stability of foster home placements, preserving family connections for children in care, and improving stakeholder collaboration. The changes that have been made include family involvement in the development of case plans, enhanced worker and supervisor training, an improved array of services, and the implementation of a quality assurance system.
“We are so pleased to have completed the PIP. We have been successful in making these changes because of the hard work and commitment of Children’s Division staff in collaboration with our community partners,” said Paula Neese, Children’s Division Director. “The changes made through the PIP are resulting in improved outcomes for children and families, and we are committed to continuing to make improvements.”
The Children’s Division also has been working towards national accreditation through the Council on Accreditation (COA). To be in compliance with COA standards, each local office must meet the 832 standards. These standards address adoption services, foster and kinship care services, child protection services, family centered casework as well as organization and management standards in general areas such as ethical practice, financial management, behavioral management and organizational integrity. The process to become an accredited child welfare agency began in 2004 and is expected to be completed in 2009. A fully accredited Children’s Division will result in quality services for Missouri children and families, improved worker morale, improved consumer and stakeholder confidence and standardized caseloads.
