Happy New Year!

The National Family Preservation Network (NFPN) is entering the new year at full speed. We’re excited to kick off 2015 by sharing about our new resources. Our current resources include assessment tools, father-involvement training curricula, research and practice documents, and training/technical assistance. For more information on all of our resources visit NFPN.org.

NFPN is introducing two new resources in the first two months of 2015. This month NFPN is introducing a quality improvement instrument, and next month NFPN will introduce two new assessment domains: Trauma and Post-Trauma Well-Being.

Today, NFPN is pleased to announce the release of a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Instrument for use with Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS).

Importance of CQI

The federal Administration for Children and Families—Children’s Bureau defines Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) as the complete process of identifying, describing, and analyzing strengths and problems and then testing, implementing, learning from, and revising solutions.

The Children’s Bureau addresses quality assurance (QA) of state child welfare agencies through Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR). During the first round of reviews conducted from 2001 to 2004, the Children’s Bureau found that 31 states had QA systems. That number increased to 40 states in the second round of reviews conducted from 2007 to 2010.

The Children’s Bureau further lists five key components of an effective CQI system:

• A strong foundational administrative structure
• Quality data collection
• An effective case record review process
• Process to analyze and disseminate data
• Processes to provide feedback to stakeholders/decision-makers and adjust programs and process

The complete memorandum is available at:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/im1207.pdf

Purpose of CQI for IFPS

One essential component of an effective child welfare system is Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS). Thus, it is critical to maintain and improve the quality of IFPS programs on an ongoing basis. The CQI-IFPS Instrument allows states and contracted providers, through the case review process, to determine if they are meeting best practice for IFPS and that includes the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. The CQI instrument assists in determining what is currently being done well along with identifying areas that need improvement in the future.

Components of the CQI-IFPS Instrument

The CQI-IFPS Instrument is grounded in many years of research on IFPS. Each item of the Instrument has been carefully selected and field-tested.

The CQI-IFPS Instrument and supporting materials including:

• Introduction (Definition, Basis in federal law/policy, and Purpose of IFPS CQI)
• CQI-IFPS Instrument (10 domains covering a total of 75 items)
• Tally Sheet (Checklist for case reviewers that allows tallying of up to 5 case files)
• Directions for Use (Preparation, Reviewing Case Files, Debriefing, Using Findings to Guide Improvement in Practice)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The following is a portion of the Tally Sheet showing how the instrument is used and scored:

NFPN recommends that IFPS programs be operational for at least one year prior to using the CQI instrument.

Pricing

The CQ-IFPS Instrument is affordably priced, ranging from $125 for small private agencies to $250 for large private and government agencies. You may order and pay online with access to the instrument and resource materials immediately following payment.

Order Today!

To get started, visit: http://nfpn.org/cqi-ifps

If you have questions or need more information, contact director@nfpn.org or phone 888-498-9047.

Posted by Priscilla Martens, Executive Director
National Family Preservation Network