D S S P R E S S R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release:
March 23, 2006
Contact: Deborah Scott
(573) 751-4815
Council on Accreditation Completes Site Visit
of Missouri Children's Division Central Administration
Jefferson City - On Wednesday, March 22 the Council on Accreditation completed an on site review of the Missouri Department of Social Services' Children's Division central administration. The Council sent a panel of three peer reviewers to Jefferson City to conduct a review of the division's policies and practices to determine if they meet national accrediting standards. The review was the culmination of nearly two years' work on the part of the division in preparation for the scrutiny by the national accrediting body. The reviewers make recommendations to the Council, which ultimately makes the decision to accredit.
The panel of reviewers consisted of three peers, one each from the states of Illinois, Maine and Washington. Mr. Reid Scher of Maine functioned as the team leader on behalf of COA. An exit conference was held yesterday to provide preliminary feedback to the Division and the Department.
"This is a very positive review," said Scher. "There is tremendous commitment to compliance on the part of the Division, from an evidence perspective as well as in motivation."
Sher and his colleagues provided comments on compliance with each of the major categories for the 832 standards with which the agency must comply to reach accredited status.
Terry Whipple, an experienced COA reviewer from neighboring Illinois, complimented the state on its strong showing saying, "Missouri is on a really good path." He provided positive feedback on an impressive hotline system, recruitment efforts and the state's continuous quality improvement system.
Missouri's General Assembly expressed its intent for the Children's Division to achieve accreditation through House Bill 1453, sponsored by former Speaker of the House Catherine Hanaway. The bill included sweeping reforms of the state's child welfare system, including accreditation, and became effective on August 28, 2004. Monies were included in the state's 2005 budget to support a reduction in caseload sizes, which helped move the division toward accreditation standards. The state's accreditation plan spans a five year period, with central office, the hotline and four regional circuits to undergo scrutiny in the first phase. The states' 41 remaining circuits will be evaluated circuit by circuit over the next few years. The state's child protection system is organized around Missouri's 45 judicial circuits.
"We couldn't be more pleased with the outcome of our visit this week," said Paula Neese, Interim Children's Division Director. "We learned a great deal from our visitors; they indicated they learned much from us, as well. They validated that policies, practices and protocols are in good shape. Our challenge now is to strengthen the consistency of our performance. It is not enough to be good on paper; we have to make it happen every day on the frontline. Strengthening training and support for frontline supervisors as they coach and mentor staff will continue to improve outcomes. We know we have some heavy lifting ahead to become all we need to be for Missouri's children, and we are committed to doing it."
Department Director Gary Sherman stated, "We are absolutely dedicated to an accountable, transparent child welfare organization. This scrutiny by a national, outside entity will help us ensure that our division is setting best practice standards."
The four Children's Division circuits that will undergo COA site visits this spring are:
Circuit 11 – St. Charles County
Circuit 32 – Perry, Cape Girardeau and Bollinger Counties
Circuit 33 – Scott and Mississippi Counties
Circuit 34 – New Madrid and Pemiscot Counties
The reviewers' recommendations were mailed to the Council on Accreditation Wednesday. Reviewers indicated the next step would be a preliminary accreditation report from the council, which should be received in two to three months.
