Miterioa preencia e* i0ino

No.

V. In your state, are there noteworthy practice models or research reports related to adoption support and preservation that you could share with us?

A. Please describe practice models

For families facing significant challenges, Illinois’ Adoption and Guardianship Preservation program provides a range of services to strengthen and stabilize families. Adoption/ guardianship therapists, most with an MSW or master’s degree and advanced training, serve relatively small caseloads (average of 10), providing intensive, home-based services. In addition to therapeutic counseling with parents, families and with children, AGP provides support groups for parents and for children, advocacy for families to receive needed services, training and support of parents as they master new skills to better meet their children’s emotional and behavioral challenges, and participation in educational reviews.

Preservation services are described as intensive, family-centered support and therapeutic services to help families gain stability and to reduce the risk of out-of-home placement. It is based on the recognition that families built through adoption or guardianship, especially when there is a history of trauma, maltreatment and loss, can significantly differ from those created through birth. Families served “often feel they are at the end of their rope,” families who often have tried traditional, less- intensive services without success.

The goals of all preservation programs are to help parents: - Feel better about their ability to parent

- Understand adoption and guardianship and its impact on children - Connect their children’s current behavior to past history

- Understand the children’s past losses - Gain skills to help their children

Illinois

Donaldson Adoption Institute 83

B. Significant findings of program evaluations or other post-adoption studies conducted in the State in the past 10 years

Refer to Jeanne Howard, Ph.D., Director, Center for Adoption Studies, Illinois State University, Bloomington, IL.

C. Contact persons who could give us more information about noteworthy practice models or research and their phone number

Cheryl McIntire telephone: 217 443-3200.

VI. Please share any strategies that you have used to successfully advocate for post-adoption services in your state

Because the Adoption Preservation and Adoption Respite programs have been very effective and have been widely utilized, the rate of children being returned to the care of the state has been under 1 percent. The cost of funding these programs is far less the than the cost of maintaining children in foster care. In addition, by stabilizing families and providing permanency for children, the promotion of health and well-being of children and families is long-term and the benefits to society are long-lasting.

INDIANA

RESPONDENT: Sandra Caesar, Adoption Program Manager Indiana Department of Child Services

I. General Information (background on state service system)

 County-based vs. statewide system

Indiana has a state-administered child welfare system. Prior to 2009, Indiana administered post- adoption subsidies at a county level, but that changed to a centralized, state-administered system in January 2009.

 Uniformity of services across the state

Post-adoption services are currently provided by three contracted agencies. Contracted agencies have service standards as part of the contracts and are expected to provide services uniformly across the state. More services tend to be available in metropolitan areas than in the rural parts of the state.

 Children on subsidy as of June 2013

There are 9,951 children currently receiving federal (AAP) subsidies in Indiana. There are currently 1,422 children on the waiting list to receive state-funded subsidies (SAS). State subsidy is currently unfunded and has been since January 2009; 1,550 children who qualified for state subsidy prior to 2009 (CAS) with the county system are still receiving subsidy. Children who qualify for federal or state subsidies also qualify for, and receive, Medicaid.

 Are public child welfare adoption workers expected to provide post-adoption services?

Child placement workers do not provide post-adoption services to families. Families who have post- adoption service needs are referred to one of seven regionally placed SNAPS (Special Needs Adoption Program Specialists) workers. These workers have a centralized intake process and refer families to one of three contracted agencies to provide post-adoption supports.

II. Post-Adoption Services Funded by the State for Adoptive Families

Indiana utilizes a teaming model in their child welfare practice, which extends to post-adoption programming. This model seeks to draw on families’ natural support networks and empower families to understand and meet the needs of their children. This service philosophy extends to post-adoption support as well. Post-adoption services are provided for an average of 6-12 months. The standards for post- adoption services are delineated on the following website:

http://www.in.gov/dcs/files/Post_adopt_Service_Standard1-14-11-km_edit1.pdf.

Information and Referral

Information and referrals are provided by state employees with the title of Special Needs Adoption Program Specialists; there are seven SNAPS across the state. These workers determine child and family needs and refer them to the contracted provider of post-adoption services in their region. The three providers as of July 2013 were Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY-northern region), the Children’s Bureau (central region) and the Villages (southern region). The contracted agencies utilize the CANS tool for assessment at intake. This process is further explained at: http://www.in.gov/dcs/3184.htm. Also, two extensive resource directories for adoptive families in the northern and southern parts of the state are available online at: http://www.in.gov/dcs/3184.htm.

Indiana

Donaldson Adoption Institute 85

Educational Programs or Materials

The state standards for post-adoption services do not specifically address educational programs or materials in post-adoption service provision expectations.

Support Programs

The state standards specify that support groups should be provided as needed for families. Contracted agencies are expected to develop a directory of existing support groups, to utilize these to the extent possible, and to fill in gaps when support groups for children or parents do not already exist.

Therapeutic Interventions

Crisis services are provided by the contracted agencies, including safety planning and monitoring. Mental and behavioral health services, if needed, are sometimes provided by the contracted agencies and sometimes provided by community mental health centers or private practitioners. Families typically utilize health insurance (Medicaid or private) to pay for mental health services.

Advocacy

Advocacy services are not specifically addressed in the state standards for post-adoption services. However, the contracted post-adoption worker may provide advocacy support by bringing key people onto the team to partner with the family.

Respite

Emergency respite services are provided by the state if deemed necessary to maintain placement stability. If on-going respite care is needed, families are supported in finding appropriate resources. Families are expected to pay for ongoing respite care from subsidy or other private funds.

Residential Treatment

 Does the state pay for residential treatment for children adopted from foster care? What is the process for obtaining this?

In some limited cases, the state picks up some of the cost of residential treatment (in excess of what Medicaid pays).

 If yes, what is required to obtain this?

Residential treatment is provided only after a thorough assessment is conducted and other, less- restrictive mental health services have been tried. The cases in which the state is contributing to the cost of residential treatment services for an adopted child are a result of a pilot program currently underway in Indiana. This pilot program was created to utilize community support systems to triage mental health needs and make appropriate determinations of the need for residential treatment. In these pilot programs, residential treatment can be paid for by the state without having to take a child into custody.

 Does the child have to re-enter state custody?

Historically a child must be in the custody of the state in order for the state to contribute to the cost of residential treatment. As described above, a current pilot program is seeking to remedy this, and allow for the state to financially support residential treatment, when medically necessary, without returning the child to state custody. This program is not specific to but is inclusive of adopted children.

III. Qualifications for Post-Adoption Services

A. What are the eligibility criteria for receiving services?

Any adoptive family residing in Indiana is eligible to receive post-adoption services. There are no post-permanency services available to families who have guardianship status.

Indiana

B. Under what circumstances, if any, are these services provided to children who were not adopted through the state system?

Families who adopt privately, internationally or who adopted children from another state system qualify for post-adoption services. Even stepparent adoptions qualify a family for post- adoption services, if needed. The family must be currently residing in Indiana.

IV. Support for Post-Adoption Services

A. What is the total annual budget for post-adoption services (excluding Adoption Assistance)?

For FY 2013/2014 the annual budget for post-adoption contracts totals $1,454,208. The contract funding breakdown is as follows:

SAFY - $625,400 CB - $442,808 The Villages - $386,000

B. What are the primary sources of funding for post-adoption services? (Please order from 1=top funding source to the source that the lowest amount of funds is used.)

Title IV-B, Part 1, Child Welfare Services

1 Title IV-B, Part 2, Promoting Safe and Stable Families for “Adoption Support & Promotion"

Title IV-B, Part 2, Promoting Safe and Stable Families from categories other than adoption

Adoption Incentive Funds

Early Periodic Screening and Diagnostic Testing Title XX, Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) Title IV-A, TANFF

Federal grants such as Adoption Opportunities

Other federal funds-specify: ________________________________________ State child welfare funds

Other state funds-specify: __________________________________________

C. Which, if any, of these services is legally stipulated in state law? If any post-adoption services are included in state law, please describe:

None

D. Have there been significant cutbacks in post-adoption services or adoption subsidies in the state in the past 10 years? If so, please describe:

State subsidies have not been funded since 2009, when Indiana moved from a county to state subsidy system. However, a higher number of families qualify for federal adoption subsidies under the Fostering Opportunities legislation. There have not been any other recent funding cutbacks to post-adoption services in Indiana.

V. In your state, are there noteworthy practice models or research reports related to adoption support and preservation that you could share with us?