Improving Outcomes for Children (IOC): How Single Case Management and Community Involvement Are Changing the Landscape of Child Welfare in Philadelphia

Abstract

As discussed previously in this journal (McElroy, 2012), Improving Outcomes for Children (IOC) is a comprehensive, citywide initiative aimed at improving the outcomes for children, youth and families receiving child protective services in Philadelphia. This Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) initiative builds on the belief that a community-neighborhood approach with clearly defined roles between county and provider staff best impacts safety, permanency and well-being outcomes. IOC aims to decentralize the provision of direct case management services through a network of Community Umbrella Agencies (CUAs) that demonstrate the capacity to engage families while providing community-based child protective services. Each CUA is required to have a community advisory board, which comprises a diverse group of community representatives who ensure that services are culturally appropriate and responsive. CUAs are charged with making local solutions and resources readily accessible to families, including formal and informal neighborhood networks as well as foster and adoptive homes. A critical component of this charge includes a requirement for the CUAs to develop culturally appropriate foster parent recruitment and retention strategies that lead to more children and youth being safely maintained in permanent homes within their communities of origin. Once IOC is fully implemented, Philadelphia will have ten CUAs, each geographically assigned based on police districts.