Revealing Data Show Opportunities for Improvements

Olympia — The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) leads with transparency in its effort to improve our internal practices and the services provided to children and youth in the care of the agency. The evaluation of the DCYF’s performance is a research-driven approach. Two new reports will help the agency improve services and programs as we strive to become the data-driven agency envisioned in HB 1661.

The first of those reports examines the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) implemented statewide at juvenile justice residential facilities. The study entitled An Evaluation Of Dialectical Behavior Therapy In Washington State’s Juvenile Rehabilitation finds significant areas of improvement in the application of DBT. One of the primary findings was the relationship between Environmental Adherence (EA) and reductions in recidivism. It suggests that staff engagement with youth has a significant impact on their future success. Therefore, DCYF will implement key recommendations to improve engagement with youth by making support and training for staff a priority.

“Our agency wants to focus on improving relationships with staff and residents by taking a serious look at our approach to rehabilitation,” said Ross Hunter, Secretary of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. “This report is a transparent look at improving our practices to transform the way we serve youth in our care.”

The second study was conducted by TriWest Health Alliance and is titled Washington State’s Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project Family Assessment Response Final Evaluation Report. Family Assessment Response (FAR) is a differential response pathway used for screening allegations of abuse and neglect. It is an alternative approach to traditional Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations. The key finding of this report is that FAR largely succeeds in some significant areas. One of the most notable is a 17 percent reduction in the probability of removal over a 12-month period.

The FAR approach allows caseworkers and families to work together more closely as partners. Caseworkers often see the principles of FAR as an opportunity to provide non-adversarial services that help families improve. As a result, the caseworkers and families can avoid escalation of problems that lead to the removal of children and youth.

“A long-term strategy for DCYF is to assess how children enter care and evaluate how to provide supports that strengthen families and lean more toward prevention rather than plunging them deeper into crisis,” said Secretary Hunter.

Funding for Family Assessment Response (FAR) began in 2014. Juvenile Rehabilitation (JR) has implemented some level of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) since a pilot program was introduced in 1998.

The FAR and DBT studies are part of an on-going effort to evaluate how effectively these approaches are being implemented within the agency. DCYF will continue to monitor these approaches in order to achieve better outcomes for children, youth and families.

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