Family Empowerment Team in Action (FETA)

Introduction The Family Focus Resource Center (FFRC) and the North Los County Regional Center (NLACRC) have identified challenges that underserved families encounter which extend beyond the scope and services of both organizations. Both organizations are keenly aware that when a family has a child or children with disabilities, the family must get their basic needs met before they can effectively utilize services. If the family is primarily consumed with making sure the children have their basic needs (shelter, food, healthcare, etc.) met or the family is facing a crisis situation (loss of housing, immigration / legal issues), access and utilization of robust services provided by NLACRC will not occur. The objective of this project is to develop a responsive team of two social work master level interns and their supervising faculty member from California State University Northridge (CSUN). The Response team will address challenges (see types of challenges below) that prevent families from accessing and utilizing Regional Center services. The ability of underserved communities to access and utilize RC services is severely limited due to the lack of transportation, language barriers, and basic need challenges (immigration, health care, housing, etc.). Interns and the supervising faculty member will be the direct intervention and part of a larger team, which includes, a Family Focus Resource Center coordinator and a Regional Center lead. These two individuals will provide overall coordination / communication support. During the second year of the program, two additional interns will be added, and in year three, four more interns and another supervising faculty will join the team. A total of 8 interns and two supervising faculty will be fully operational in year three. The program will also hire undergraduate student assistants who will provide support to the interns. They will also collect data and assist with vendor sensitivity training and empowerment training for underserved families in all three valleys the NLACRC serves. The interns with support from student assistants and supervising faculty members will address the core challenges as identified by the Promotora Project: A Collaboration of Lanterman Regional Center and Esperanza Community Housing Corporation (2015). These challenges include: Accessing health care for parent Securing mental health care for parent Applying for Medi-Cal Securing low-income housing Accessing legal advice - housing issues and family law Locating donated furniture Obtaining information about family planning Getting employment assistance Locating quality child care for client's siblings Immigration problems and assistance Locating food banks and securing food Improving parent / client relationship Two additional services will augment the Family Response and Empowerment Team: 1) cultural sensitivity training for vendors, and 2) advocacy and empowerment training and support for families. Family Response and Empowerment Team Development The steps in developing a FRET include: Establishing a Location for the Program The location of the program is the CSUN Family Resource Center located on the campus of California State University, Northridge. Interns will not utilize office space at the NLACRC office unless a family requests to meet at NLACRC instead of at their home or a public place such as a Starbucks. Interns will spend their time working with their families in the community and they will only meet with a family at the CSUN FFRC / NLACRC Center when a family requests this location. Supplies The Program requires cell phones for interns to connect and respond to families and a secure locked filing cabinet, which will be located at the CSUN Family Focus Resource Center. Three secured laptops will be purchased for the team?s use (interns, student assistants, and coordinator). The Team During the first year of the program, the team consists of two MA social work interns (candidates who have not graduated), Victoria Berry, FFREC program manager as lead coordinator, Dr. Wendy Ashley, professor in the Department of Social Work, FRET coordinator at the CSUN Family Focus Resource Center, and personnel from NLACRC (to be determined by NLACRC leadership). In the second year, the number of interns will double to four, and in year three, another supervising faculty member and 4 interns will be added. The social work interns will be fluent in Spanish (written and conversation) and they will work 20 hours per week. The team will meet twice a month for approximately two hours to discuss cases and progress made by the families. At the first meeting, NLACRC staff will present 20 families as referrals for the Family Response and Empowerment Team. The FRET will discuss each family?s challenge(s) and formulate intervention plans. Each intern will be assigned 10 families (maximum per credential requirements). As cases are closed, new families will be referred to the Family Response and Empowerment Team. The FRET will determine entrance and exit requirements for the cases and cases will only be closed by review and mutual consent of all members on the Family Response and Empowerment Team. Services to Augment Family Response Team 1. Vendor training ? culturally sensitivity training. The empowerment coordinator and three advocates will develop a training series for all vendors and will present these trainings in each valley. 2. Advocacy training ? empowerment training for families. The empowerment coordinator and three advocates will develop curriculum and set up ongoing trainings in all valleys. Student assistants will assist in developing curriculum, contacting families, and facilitating families attending the training. Detailed Case Management Protocol and Procedure 1. RC case managers will identify and contact families eligible for the program. They will secure verbal consent to participate from the family. 2. The families who have consented to be part of the program are referred to the Family Response and Empowerment Team Coordinator (CSUN office) the Regional Center FRET coordinator. 3. Criteria for referral include: ? Accessing health care for parent ? Securing mental health care for parent ? Applying for Medi-Cal ? Securing low-income housing ? Accessing legal advice - housing issues and family law ? Locating donated furniture ? Obtaining information about family planning ? Getting employment assistance ? Locating quality child care for client's siblings ? Immigration problems and assistance ? Locating food banks and securing food ? Improving parent / client relationship ? Parent has a special need 4. The Family Response and Empowerment Team will convene to determine which families are selected for the program. Families selected will be discussed in greater detail allowing for the team to develop effective intervention strategies. The FRET will take special note of cultural differences and plan culturally sensitive interventions. 5. The supervising faculty member will meet with each intern individually to discuss intake and to fine-tune the intervention plans generated at the Family Response and Empowerment Team meeting. The Family Resource Center coordinator will work with the faculty member to make sure there is ongoing communication and coordination with the Family Resource Center staff. 6. The social work intern will contact the RC case manager who initially referred the family. The social work interns will also gather any additional information from the case manager and have an opportunity to ask questions and gain RC case manager?s input about the family and its unique qualities, strengths, and challenges. The RC case manager will contact the family to inform them a CSUN intern will contact them to discuss additional support for the family. 7. Once the RC case manager and social work intern have met (either in person or by phone), the social work intern will contact the family and set up an appointment to visit the family. This appointment will occur at the family?s home. 8. The initial meeting will be to introduce the intern and to discuss the program requirements (family?s participation and consent). 9. The intern will conduct a comprehensive intake with the family and secure written consent. The family will be notified of their rights to terminate the program at any point in time. 10. The intern provides a progress report at each FRET meeting. Plans are reviewed and modified based on information gathered. Evaluation The CSUN Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing (ICHWB) will utilize the FRET and some of the families served to develop evaluation criteria. The ICHWB team will be responsible for collecting data. The ICHWB will provide the FRET with program feedback and the NLACRC Executive Team with a yearly program evaluation report.