Regional Partnership Grant Program Summary The Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-288), signed into law on September 28, 2006, was designed to improve the lives of abused and neglected children and their families and included provisions that specifically address children affected by parental substance abuse. The law authorized and appropriated $145 million over five years for a new competitive grant program: Targeted Grants to Increase the Well-Being of, and to Improve the Permanency Outcomes for, Children Affected by Methamphetamine or Other Substance Abuse. Grants funded under this program termed the Regional Partnership Grant (RPG) Program support regional partnerships in establishing or enhancing a collaborative infrastructure to build the region's capacity to meet a broad range of needs for families involved with substance abuse and the child welfare system. The legislation also requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to annually submit a report to Congress on the services and activities provided by the grant, the performance indicators established under the grant, and the progress being made in addressing the needs of these families and in achieving the goals of child safety, permanence, and family stability. The second report is available at http://www.cffutures.org/files/rpg_program_second_report_to_congress.pdf In October, 2007, the Children s Bureau, in the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Health and Human Services awarded 53 Regional Partnership Grants (RPGs) to applicants across the country. The grant awards ranged from $500,000 to $1,000,000 per year and span 29 states and 6 Tribes. The grants addressed a variety of common systemic and practice challenges that are barriers to optimal family outcomes: 1) recruitment, engagement and retention of parents in substance abuse treatment; 2) differences in professional perspectives and training; 3) conflicting time frames across the systems to achieve outcomes; and, 4) chronic service shortages in both child welfare services and substance abuse treatment systems. Program strategies to address these barriers included: 1) creation or expansion of family treatment drug courts; 2) expansion of and timely access to comprehensive family-centered treatment, in-home services, case management and case conferencing; 3) use of evidence-based practice approaches such as motivational enhancement therapy and parenting programs, parent partners, mental health and trauma informed services; and, 4) strengthening cross-system collaboration. Data pertaining to twenty-three performance indicators were collected over the course of the grant period. These performance indicators measured: 1) child safety, permanency, and well-being; 2) systems improvement; and, 3) treatment-related outcomes such as timeliness of treatment access, treatment completion, and parent s recovery. The 53 grantees performance indicator data reflects the more than 8,300 adults and 12,200 children, representing 7,100 families served through March 31, 2010. Initial results show the vast majority of children in the RPG program at risk of removal from the home remained in their parent s custody. The majority of children in out-ofhome placement were reunified in less than 12 months and only a very small percentage re-entered foster care after reunification. RPG adults achieved timely access to substance abuse treatment, stayed in treatment for an extended period, and showed reduced substance use. The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act (Pub. L. 112-34) was signed into law on September 30, 2011. The Children s Bureau in the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families awarded 1
new 5-year RPG grants to 17 partnerships in 15 states. Also funded were 2-year extension grants to eight of the regional partnership sites who were funded in 2007. Regional Partnership Grantees, 2007-2012 Alaska Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. Anchorage Arizona State of Arizona Phoenix California Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services Oroville California Center Point, Inc. San Rafael California County of San Diego, Health and Human Services Agency, Child Welfare Services San Diego California County of Santa Clara, Social Services Agency San Jose California County of Santa Cruz Health Service Agency, Alcohol and Drug Program Santa Cruz California Mendocino County Health & Human Services Agency Ukiah California SHIELDS for Families, Inc. Los Angeles California WestCare California, Inc. Fresno Colorado Clarity Counseling P.C. Dolores Colorado Connect Care, Inc. Colorado Springs Colorado Denver Department of Human Services Denver Colorado Island Grove Regional Treatment Center, Inc. Greeley Florida Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners Tampa Georgia Juvenile Justice Fund Atlanta Georgia Supreme Court of Georgia Atlanta Idaho Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Boise Illinois Children s Research Triangle Chicago Iowa Judicial Branch State of Iowa Des Moines Iowa Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc. Graettinger Kansas Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Topeka 2
Kentucky Department for Community Based Services Frankfort Kentucky Kentucky River Community Care, Inc. Jackson Massachusetts Massachusetts Department of Public Health Boston Minnesota White Earth Band of Chippewa White Earth Missouri Kids Hope United-Hudelson Region St. Louis Missouri St. Patrick Center St. Louis Montana Second Chance Homes Billings Montana Apsaalooke Nation Housing Authority Crow Agency Nebraska Omaha Nation Community Response Team Walthill Nevada State of Nevada Carson City New York University of Rochester Rochester New York Westchester County White Plains North Carolina North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Raleigh Ohio Butler County Children s Services Board Hamilton Ohio County of Lucas Toledo Oklahoma Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Durant Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Oklahoma City Oregon Baker County Baker City Oregon Klamath Tribes Chiloquin Oregon Multnomah County Portland Oregon OnTrack, Inc. Medford Rhode Island Children s Friend and Service Providence Tennessee Child and Family Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Nashville Texas Aliviane, Inc. El Paso 3
Texas Houston Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Houston Texas Travis County Austin Vermont Lund Family Center Burlington Washington Pierce County Alliance Tacoma Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Madison Regional Partnership Grantees, 2-year extension 2012-2014 California County of Mendocino Ukiah Iowa Judicial Branch, State of Iowa Des Moines Kentucky Kentucky River Community Care Jackson Massachusetts Commonwealth of Massachusetts Boston Montana The Center for Children and Families Billings North Carolina North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Raleigh Tennessee Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Nashville Texas Travis County Austin Regional Partnership Grantees, 2012-2017 California Center Point, Inc. San Rafael Georgia Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc. Atlanta Illinois Children s Research Triangle Chicago Iowa Judicial Branch, State of Iowa Des Moines Iowa Northwest Iowa Mental Health Center dba Seasons Center Spencer Kentucky Kentucky Department for Community-Based Services Frankfort Maine Families and Children Together Bangor Massachusetts Commonwealth of Massachusetts/Massachusetts Department of Public Health Boston Missouri Alternative Opportunities, Inc. Springfield 4
Montana The Center for Children and Families Billings Nevada State of Nevada Division of Child and Family Services Carson City Ohio Summit County Children Services Akron Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Oklahoma City Pennsylvania Health Federation of Philadelphia, Inc. Philadelphia Tennessee Child and Family Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Nashville Virginia Rockingham Memorial Hospital Harrisonburg * The city represents the location of the grant s lead agency. However, the location of the lead agency is not always the same location where the program is being implemented and services are being provided. The majority of grantees are providing services to families in multiple counties or regions throughout a State. Tribal grantee 5