Texas Partnership for Family Recovery
Deliverables and Products

Return to Partnership home

The following three products will be developed over the course of the IDTA effort:

Product 1: Practice Protocol

A Practice Protocol that provides minimum guidelines for statewide implementation that (a) for each system, defines parameters for cross-system collaboration in the best interest of the child’s safety and well-being and (b) is respectful of parents rights. The Protocol will address, but not be limited to, the following:

• Identifies the shared goal/joint outcome for all systems, i.e., reunification, family wellbeing
• Guidance to child welfare providers on criteria to screen out substance use disorders; this will be included on the referral, progress and follow-up form(s)
• Investigative, screening, referral, progress and follow-up forms to include information on in utero ATOD exposure.
• Guidance for substance abuse providers on screening for child safety/risk and how to report child abuse and neglect, with appropriate systems coordination so that such reporting does not jeopardize the client’s recovery.
• Defines the roles and responsibilities of parent attorneys, children’s attorneys, prosecutors, guardian’s ad litem (GAL) and the judiciary in implementing the protocol.
• Coordinated case planning, assessment, referral & engagement processes and tools that look at the entire family.
• Evidence-based AOD prevention, intervention and treatment practices for every member of the family (including all of the children, foster and adoptive placements, relative caregivers) and their individual needs (including medical, developmental, neurological, psychological and emotional).
• Confidentiality guidelines and templates
• Accessing recovery supports and building them into the service planning process, including child care, transportation, housing, employment, parenting education.
• Accessing appropriate services for FASD and other ATOD related developmental delays.
• Evaluation of activities, processes and outcomes.
• A clear communication pathway describing what information needs to be collected and flow to whom, when and for what purpose, through all three systems so as to ensure complete and timely information sharing.
• Includes a glossary of terms.

Product 2: Evaluation, Sustainability and Marketing Plan

Develop a communication and sustainability plan, which will include social marketing strategies, to maximize cross-system communication and participation in support of the Texas Partnership for Family Recovery. Each component of the plan will contain recommendations for policy, improving cross-system coordination, resources and data system implications and needs. The plan will include the following:

• Memorandum of Understanding among the OCA, CIP, DSHS, CASA, DFPS that reflects shared values and guiding principles and defines joint outcomes.
• Overall, providing recommendations as to how to ensure that the Texas Partnership initiative is to be initiated and will be institutionalized in terms of structure, policy and practice. These recommendations will include strategic, long-term recommendations, including the need for capacity assessment and plans for identifying and filling service gaps.
• An evaluation plan that will define what to measure, including both process and product elements.
• A funding/resource collaboration plan and recommendations that address both private and public entities, opportunities for resource sharing, current resources and funding sources/parameters for accessing funding, analysis of overlap, gaps and limitations
• A stakeholder marketing plan addressing various audiences (policy makers, local jurisdictions, legal/judicial groups, fund sources, general public, consumers, taxpayers, system staff, lead agencies, providers) that addresses audience-specific messages and defines the communication mechanism, venues, timeframes and plans.
• Data guidance that identifies gaps and limitations, definitions, elements, processes and defines the implications for what is needed in order to ensure sustainability.
• Collecting and disseminating information about Family Drug Courts in Texas to inform expansion efforts and activities.

Product 3: Cross-system Training Plan

Design strategies to strengthen, enhance and improve legal, judicial, child welfare and substance abuse professional training, as well as training and educational resources provided to families and caregivers, using family focused strategies to enhance content, delivery and participation. Steps in developing these training strategies will include:

• A template for information gathering to assure uniformity, consistency and relevancy.
• Gather information on the required training in each discipline, opportunities for training in each discipline, who sets training requirements, training resources for each (e.g., caseworker training, bar association CLE), and sources of funds for each.
• Analysis of gathered information using a taxonomic method that identifies essential elements/best practices to be included in training, where training already exists and the gaps.
• Recommendations for strategies to meet the goal of strengthening professional/staff training and family training and educational resources
• Develop training and delivery plan – a strategic plan to implement the recommendations, supporting implementation training for the Practice Protocol (Product 1).

Return to Partnership home
Project Background
Issues and Goals
Complete Project information on a single page

This page was last modified January 26, 2007