Strategies for Building: An Engaged Strengthening Families State Leadership Team

Strategies for Building: An Engaged Strengthening Families State Leadership Team

ECI Learning Community ~ OHIO The National Alliance of Children s Trust and Prevention Funds is the national membership organization for state children s trust and prevention funds. The Alliance leads a national Early Childhood Initiative (ECI), which includes a 30-state Learning Community of state trust funds and their partners. The Alliance is committed to partnerships that support young children and their families, intentionally seeking to build the protective factors that lead to the prevention of child maltreatment and optimal child and family well being. With the generous support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Alliance engaged in numerous collaborative projects with various members of the ECI Learning Community. This document is part of a series of resources that were developed as a result of those projects and that are available at no cost. To see the full array of resources developed, please visit the Alliance web site at www. ctfalliance.org. You may also contact the Alliance at info@ctfalliance.org. Table of Contents What is the role of thestrengthening Families Leadership Team? 1 Strengthening Families Ohio 2 Building a Strengthening Families Leadership Team 2 Raising Awareness 2 Educating 3 Building Engagement 4 Building Ohio s Strengthening Families Leadership Team 2 4 Resources and Tools Needed to Build and Engage Strengthening Families Leadership Team 5 Keys to Success 6 Additional Resources 6 The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, wildlife conservation, medical research and the prevention of child maltreatment, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke s properties.

ECI What is the role of the Strengthening Families Leadership Team? The primary function of the Strengthening Families Leadership Team is to provide overall guidance and direction for the statewide Strengthening Families Initiative. In Ohio, the state leadership team is tasked with the following: i Governance: Provide oversight and direction for the implementation of the Strengthening Families initiative throughout the state. i Data and Accountability: Measure progress over time to inform policies, system infrastructures, workforce practices and child development. This is necessary to track progress toward improved outcomes. i Marketing and Community Relations: Increase understanding and knowledge of the importance and value of investing in the five protective factors in early care and education, child welfare and community serving organizations that work with children and families in order to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect. i Linkages: Ensure strong linkages and collaboration by integrating Strengthening Families into the work of state and county agencies, community organizations and other state planning processes. i Communication: Ensure families and communities have access to information regarding the services and supports available to promote the healthy development of children and families. Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ~ Henry Ford An Engaged Strengthening Families State Leadership Team 1

ECI Learning Community ~ OHIO The goal of Strengthening Families Ohio is to prevent child abuse and neglect by embedding the Strengthening Families Protective Factors (SF/PF) framework into the daily work of all individuals, organizations and systems that touch the lives of young children and their families. Working with child care and child welfare professionals and community organizations, the Ohio Children s Trust Fund (OCTF) facilitates the integration of state prevention strategies to strengthen families within the early care and education and child welfare systems and engage parents and communities in building protective factors. Our approach is simple: Engage collaborative partners within the early care and education, child welfare and community service sector in creating a child abuse and neglect prevention framework that shifts the focus of prevention efforts from family risk and deficits to family strengths and resiliency. Ohio s action plan includes the following three focus areas: i Early care and education. i Child welfare. i Community serving organizations. Engaged Strengthening Families Leadership Team was written by: i Kristen Rost, Program Manager. Building a Strengthening Families Leadership Team In Ohio, the Ohio Children s Trust Fund (OCTF) had not been a traditional partner at the early care and education or child welfare tables. Realizing that it would take time to gain a seat at these tables and understanding the important role the state leadership team plays in guiding and mobilizing Strengthening Families within the state, the OCTF embarked on a three step plan to garner the interest, support and engagement of key stakeholders. We intentionally reached out to stakeholders across the state utilizing the following strategies: i Awareness. i Education. i Engagement. Raising Awareness The OCTF recognized that in order to transform child abuse and neglect prevention in Ohio so that families feel supported in parenting and ultimately more children live in safe, stable and nurturing families we must first raise awareness about the Ohio Children s Trust Fund and Strengthening Families framework and protective factors while simultaneously developing partnerships with state and local advocates in the early care and education field, child welfare field and in community organizations across the state. As a result, the process of raising awareness was twofold. We had to raise our awareness of three arenas we traditionally did not operate in while at the same time increasing their awareness of the Trust Fund and Strengthening Families. Building Ohio s Strengthening Families Leadership Team May 2009 Began having conversations about Strengthening Families with key stakeholders in Ohio. June 2009 July 2009 Created an inventory of missions and activities of child and family serving organizations in Ohio and identified key stakeholders. 2 An Engaged Strengthening Families State Leadership Team

ECI In order to better understand the three arenas we were about to enter, we: i Surveyed and inventoried the missions and activities of child and family serving organizations in Ohio and identified key stakeholders. i Familiarized ourselves with the real opportunities and challenges our partners in the early childhood field, child welfare field and community serving organizations face as well as the systems that support and sustain their work. To help raise the awareness of our stakeholders, we: i Launched the Strengthening Families Ohio webpage to raise awareness of the Strengthening Families initiative and educate stakeholders on the tenants of the Strengthening Families framework and Ohio s three pronged approach to Strengthening Families. i Created fact sheets on Strengthening Families Ohio and The Ohio Children s Trust Fund. Educating In order to have the active participation of every member of the Strengthening Families Leadership Team, we held individual meetings with those individuals and agencies we identified as key stakeholders. This meeting was critical. We took the time to explain the Strengthening Families framework and protective factors, how the framework and protective factors fit with the work they currently engaged in and how this approach better serves the families and children they serve. We also listened to the potential stakeholder describe the time, energy, resources and/or expertise they felt they had to offer. We listened to see if potential stakeholders felt there was a natural fit between Strengthening Families Ohio and the continued on next page June 2009 August 2009 Set up and attended informational meetings with potential stakeholders to ensure that the agencies goals/ missions align with Strengthening Families. September 2009 Formally invited stakeholders to Strengthening Families State Leadership Team. November 2009 Held first Strengthening Families Ohio State Leadership Team meeting. Provide training on Strengthening Families, develop meeting structure, determine role of Leadership team and create workgroups An Engaged Strengthening Families State Leadership Team 3

ECI Learning Community ~ OHIO mission of their agency and the work they do. Only if they saw the natural fit, did we extend an invitation to join the Strengthening Families leadership team. To assist us in educating our potential stakeholders, we created three fact sheets that illustrate the link between child abuse and neglect prevention and early care and education, child welfare and community organizations: i Strengthening Families in Early Care and Education. i Strengthening Families in Child Welfare. i Strengthening Families in Community Organizations. Building Engagement Awareness and education are the foundation needed to build engagement. We held our first Strengthening Families Ohio State Leadership team meeting once this foundation was in place. During the leadership team meetings we began to see stakeholders shift from supporting the theory behind Strengthening Families to supporting the implementation of Strengthening Families. Leadership team members not only actively participated in creating specific recommendations and action steps for statewide implementation of Strengthening Families but also took steps to educate their constituents about the Strengthening Families framework and protective factors and implement Strengthening Families within their own organizations and at the county level. This transformation occurred due to the following steps: 1 Formal presentation on Strengthening Families at the first Strengthening Families Leadership team meeting to ensure all stakeholders are on the same page. Building Ohio s Strengthening Families Leadership Team (cont.) November 2009 December 2009 Reached out to stakeholders who attended the first Strengthening Families Leadership Team Meeting. Followed up on any concerns voiced in meeting and listened to individual feedback. January 2010 Held second Strengthening Families Ohio State Leadership Team Meeting. January 2010 February 2010 Reached out to stakeholders who attended the second Strengthening Families Leadership Team Meeting. Followed up on any concerns voiced in meeting and listened to individual feedback. 4 An Engaged Strengthening Families State Leadership Team

ECI 2 Presentation on how other states are implementing Strengthening Families in early care and education, child welfare and community organizations. This discussion really helped shift Strengthening Families from a theoretical construct to a strategy that could be implemented. 3 One-on-one follow up meetings with each stakeholder. These meetings allowed the OCTF to cultivate and build relationships with each stakeholder who attended the larger Strengthening Families Ohio State Leadership Team Meetings. They resulted in every member feeling engaged and valued and allowed the OCTF to understand any concerns or challenges a stakeholder may be facing, gauge their level of interest and find out how they may wish to participate. We also created a survey designed to measure the Strengthening Families Ohio State Leadership Team s awareness and understanding of the Strengthening Families Protective Factors. This survey allowed us to evaluate the effectiveness of the leadership team meetings. The survey measured the following: i The leadership team s understanding of the Strengthening Families Protective Factors. i The leadership team s understanding of the benefits of incorporating Strengthening Families Protective Factors into their work. i The leadership team s level of engagement and willingness to promote the Strengthening Families Ohio initiative throughout the community. We found great champions in our Strengthening Families Ohio State Leadership Team members. They have opened up many doors to the Ohio Children s Trust Fund allowing us a seat at both the early care and education and child welfare tables. They have also been instrumental in helping the OCTF make the case for embedding the Strengthening Families Protective Factors and strategies into policy and practice and build system supports that will sustain Strengthening Families. Resources and Tools Needed to Build and Engage Strengthening Families Leadership Team i Inventory database of potential stakeholders. i Strengthening Families/ Organizational Factsheets. i A PowerPoint presentation on Strengthening Families. i A PowerPoint presentation on how Strengthening Families is implemented in other states. i Strengthening Families Leadership Team Engagement Survey. January 2010 May 2010 Presented Strengthening Families to stakeholders constituencies. March 2010 Held third Strengthening Families Ohio State Leadership Team Meeting. March 2010 April 2010 Reached out to stakeholders who attended the third Strengthening Families Leadership Team Meeting. Followed up on any concerns voiced in meeting and listened to individual feedback. An Engaged Strengthening Families State Leadership Team 5

ECI Learning Community ~ OHIO Additional Resources For more information about Strengthening Families and building a State Leadership Team, go to: i National Alliance of Children s Trust and Prevention Funds: Early Childhood Initiative Learning Community, monthly networking calls, training, technical assistance and other supports, quarterly Research Review and other free online resources. i Ohio Children s Trust Fund: Information on Strengthening Families Ohio and tools and resources for building an engaged Strengthening Families Leadership Team. i Center for the Study of Social Policy: Information, online resources and free Strengthening Families tools. Keys to Success The OCTF used the following strategies to build an engaged Strengthening Families State Leadership team: i Involve key partners: Your Strengthening Families Leadership Team is strengthened when multiple organizations support the work and promote it to their constituencies. i Do your homework: Take the time to understand the real challenges that your key partners face and the systems that make up their world. Once you understand their point of view, illustrate how Strengthening Families fits with their work. i Ensure Strengthening Families aligns with agency/coalition goals: Meet with potential stakeholders before you formalize a leadership team to ensure that Strengthening Families aligns with their agency goals. i Engage in one-on-one follow up meetings with Leadership Team members: These meetings will help ensure that members are fully engaged and understand the strategic plan of the leadership team. i Capitalize on existing opportunities: Embed Strengthening Families into existing opportunities. Once Strengthening Families Leadership Team members see Strengthening Families move from theory to practice the engagement levels and excitement increase. i Pay attention to timing: Timing is everything. Pay attention to the priorities of the areas you are trying to embed Strengthening Families. Only move forward if the timing is right. Your ability to capitalize on timing will increase the engagement level of your Leadership Team. ECI Early Childhood Initiativ e Martha Reeder, Director Early Childhood Initiative martha.reeder@ctfalliance.org ~ www.ctfalliance.org 6 An Engaged Strengthening Families State Leadership Team Monica Gillison, Executive Director Kristen Rost, Program Manager Kristen.Rost@jfs.ohio.gov ~ http://jfs.ohio.gov/octf