SUBSTITUTE ADOPTED - JANUARY 22, 2002

Agenda Item No. 28

Introduced by the Law & Courts, Administrative Services/Personnel and Finance Committees of the:

INGHAM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

RESOLUTION FOR INGHAM COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT - FAMILY DIVISION TO ENTER INTO A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH INGHAM COUNTY FIA TO ENHANCE THE INTENSIVE NEGLECT SERVICES PROGRAM AND TO TRANSFER FOUR F.T.E.'S TO THE CHILD CARE FUND

RESOLUTION #02-027

WHEREAS, Ingham County Circuit Court - Family Division has provided a very successful Intensive Neglect Services Program for 15 years through a combination of funding by Ingham County and the Child Care Fund to prevent either children entering foster care or allowing early return of them from foster care in child protection proceedings; and

WHEREAS, Ingham County Circuit Court - Family Division has seen a significant increase in neglect and abuse petitions which has resulted in children being placed in costly out-of-home care; and

WHEREAS, Ingham County FIA and Ingham County Circuit Court - Family Division has outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding a process and protocol to transfer several hundred court cases between the two organizations by June 1, 2002; and

WHEREAS, Ingham County Circuit Court - Family Division requests approval to transfer fifty percent (50%) of the salary and benefits of the Court Psychologist position to the Child Care Fund. This person facilitates the Adolescent Sexual Offender Program, which is considered an In-Home Care Program by the Child Care Fund; and

WHEREAS, with the Ingham County Board of Commissioners' approval, the Memorandum of Understanding between Ingham County FIA and the Ingham County Circuit Court - Family Division will re-align personnel salaries and benefits from the County General Fund to the State of Michigan Child Care Fund. Due to this personnel shift to the Child Care Fund, the Court was able to meet the 2% reduction request, required because of the Governor's Executive Order for the 2002 budget

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Ingham County Circuit Court - Family Division's plan be approved by the Ingham County Board of Commissioners to enhance the current Intensive Neglect Services Program to prevent children from entering foster care or returning early from costly long-term foster care.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Board of Commissioners approve and allow the Ingham County Circuit Court - Family Division and Ingham County FIA to proceed with the Memorandum of Understanding to transfer neglect and abuse cases between the Court system and Ingham County FIA.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Circuit Court - Family Division be allowed to transfer 4 positions, including their salaries and benefits, and additional Supervisor's hours, from the Ingham County General Fund to the State of Michigan Child Care Fund.

ADOPTED - JANUARY 22, 2002

Agenda Item No. 28

RESOLUTION #02-027

Position Number Classification FTE

PROCRT081 Juvenile Court Officer 1

PROCRT084 Juvenile Court Officer 1

PROCRT065 Juvenile Court Officer 1

PROCRT117 Casework Assistant .5

PROCRT040 Staff Psychologist .5

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, upon Ingham County Board of Commissioners' approval of the Memorandum of Understanding, this process to transfer neglect and abuse children would start early in February of 2002 and continue until all cases are appropriately reassigned, approximately by June 1, 2002.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chairperson of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners is authorized to sign any contract documents consistent with this resolution subject to the review and approval as to form by the County Attorney with the following changes: the agreement shall be for one year and shall continue thereafter on a month to month basis with the same terms and conditions. Either party shall have the ability to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding upon sixty (60) days written notice.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Circuit Court - Family Division will submit a new Child Care Budget and Plan with FIA to update the program and personnel modifications.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Board of Commissioners directs the Controller to make the necessary budget adjustments in the Ingham County Circuit Court - Family Division 2002 budget and changes in the Personnel Allocation list consistent with this resolution.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners acknowledges the efforts of the Circuit Court to meet the expanding demand for juvenile and other court services while reducing cost increases to the county; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners encourages the Circuit Court to propose for its consideration other means of meeting the expanding demands for juvenile and other court services, including the use of some portion of the long term savings which will be generated from the transfer of 4 FTE's from the General Fund to the Child Care Fund.

LAW & COURTS: Yeas: Krause, De Leon, Dedden, Stid, Grebner, Minter, Schafer

Nays: None Absent: None Approved 1/10/02

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES/PERSONNEL: Yeas: Swope, Lynch, De Leon, Celentino, Severino Nays: None Absent: None Approved 1/15/02

FINANCE: Yeas: Grebner, Stid, Swope, Hertel

Nays: None Absent: Krause, Schafer, Minter Approved 1/16/02

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

BETWEEN THE

INGHAM COUNTY FAMILY INDEPENDENCE AGENCY

And

INGHAM COUNTY 30^TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COURT - FAMILY DIVISION

And

INGHAM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

JANUARY 2002

WHEREAS, the Circuit Court Family Division (hereinafter Court) is interested to expand their successful in-home Intensive Neglect Services Program (INS) in order to strengthen home-based family preservation services for temporary court wards and their families, and to further prevent the reoccurrence of abuse/neglect, and to reduce the length of stay in foster care; and

WHEREAS, the Court is willing to transfer their Regular Neglect Services caseload (current and ongoing) to the Ingham County Family Independence Agency (hereinafter FIA) in order to redirect resources to the expansion of INS; and

WHEREAS, the FIA is willing and able to assume casework responsibilities for the Regular Neglect Services caseload in exchange for additional referral slots to the expanded Court INS program; and

WHEREAS, the Court will provide judicial oversight, via the Family Division Judges, to cases throughout the transfer and transition process, both initially and on an ongoing basis; and

WHEREAS, the Court will optimize alternative funding resources by transferring the 3.5 Regular Neglect FTEs from 100% county general fund to the County Child Care Fund, which has a 50% State match; and

WHEREAS, the Ingham County Board of Commissioners (hereinafter County) supports the expansion of the Court INS program and the transfer of the Regular Neglect caseload to FIA; and

WHEREAS, the County is willing to commit sufficient and necessary resources to the Child Care Fund to maintain the Court INS program at its expanded level for year 2002 and annually thereafter, and

WHEREAS, the Court and the County, and FIA, mutually agree to the proposed transition plan and timelines, as follows.

TRANSITION PLAN AND TIMELINES

For the

EXPANDED COURT INTENSIVE NEGLECT SERVICES PROGRAM

And

REGULAR NEGLECT SERVICES CASELOAD TRANSFER

A. The Court will:

1. Provide training to FIA staff prior to the transfer of cases, with the training date tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, February 6, 2002, starting at 9:00 AM, to be held at the Ingham County FIA office.

2. Conduct a progress review before a court referee on each individual case prior to transfer to determine continuing legal status and need for court jurisdiction, or closure or possible transfer to INS program.

3. Conduct a case conference between Court and FIA casework staff for each case proposed for transfer, and arrange for a joint transition home visit with the family, whenever appropriate.

4. Commence the transfer of existing, open cases effective March 4, 2002, following the case conference and a Court progress review.

5. For cases still in "pending adjudication" status, review together with FIA to determine the optimum point of transfer in order to minimize disruption of services to the family.

6. For each case identified for transfer, obtain all necessary court orders assigning "care and supervision" responsibility to FIA. The transfer effective date will be the FIA formal "acceptance date" of the properly executed court order, acknowledged via form 3204, Youth Acceptance Notice.

7. Provide FIA with a complete and updated case file and record at time of transfer.

8. Complete the transfer of existing cases by June 1, 2002.

9. Effective March 4, 2002, begin accepting additional referrals from FIA cases to the expanded INS program. Accept at least 60, not to exceed 80, new cases during 2002, which is over and above the existing INS caseload size of 120 child-cases. (It is estimated that 60 to 80 "child-cases" will convert to approximately 25 to 35 "family" cases.)

10. Establish together with FIA, written criteria for referrals to the INS program, by
March 4, 2002.

11. Defer and assign new Regular Neglect In-Home Cases to FIA effective February 11, 2002, contingent on FIA filling additional casework positions by this date.

12. Effective February 11, 2002, discontinue accepting "aftercare" cases into the Regular Neglect In-Home program, in which a court ward is returned home from foster care. These cases will continue to be the responsibility of the foster care agency and/or FIA.

13. Provide notice of all scheduled hearing dates and hearing changes to FIA.

B. Ingham County FIA will:

1. Insure FIA staff participates in the court sponsored training on February 6, 2002.

2. Begin to accept the transfer of open Regular Neglect Court Ward In-Home Cases effective March 4, 2002, contingent on FIA filling additional casework positions by this date. Each case identified for transfer will first receive a Court progress review and case transition conference between the Court and FIA casework staff. A joint transition home visit will be made with the family, whenever appropriate.

3. Complete the transfer of existing cases by June 1, 2002, contingent on the total number transferred not exceeding 150 child-cases (estimated at 50 to 60 "family" cases).

4. For transferred open cases, prepare all subsequent Updated Service Plans (USP) within 90 days of the last progress review and quarterly thereafter. Attend the scheduled six-month progress review hearing for ongoing cases and submit written USP to court at least five working days prior to the scheduled hearing.

5. Commence accepting new Court Ward In-Home cases effective February 11, 2002, for "care and supervision", contingent on FIA filling additional casework positions by this date.

6. For each case, provide the Court with the Youth Acceptance Notice form 3204 acknowledging the formal "acceptance date" by FIA for "care and supervision" following receipt of the properly executed court order.

7. For all new accepted cases, provide the Court with the Initial Service Plan (ISP), Treatment Plan and Service Agreement within five working days prior to the scheduled dispositional hearing.

8. For new cases, attend all scheduled review hearings for ongoing cases and submit a written USP to the Court at least five working days prior to the scheduled hearing.

9. File a dismissal petition prior to closing a case or to continue services (with FIA prevention program or ongoing CPS) without continued court jurisdiction of the child.

10. When deemed necessary to remove a court ward from their in-home placement after the dispositional hearing, file an emergency removal petition with a judge or attorney-referee. If prior to the dispositional hearing, file motion to review custody with any referee.

11. File for a dispositional review hearing before a judge or attorney-referee to change any existing court orders.

12. Establish internal case management procedures to insure new "court ward own home" family cases are transitioned timely between CPS Investigation and CPS Ongoing staff.

13. Participate with the Court to establish written criteria for INS referrals to insure timely, sufficient and appropriate family referrals.

C. The Ingham County Board of Commissioners will:

1. Maintain funding levels within the County Child Care Fund budget to adequately sustain the expanded Court INS program in 2002 and subsequent years.

2. Receive reports upon request, but no less than annually as currently provided in the County Child Care Plan, describing the outcomes achieved by the in-home care transition/expansion plan, including but not limited to:

� Number of successful case closures by FIA and by the Court INS program.

� Number of children replaced out-of-home while serviced in-home by FIA or the
Court INS program.

~~~

Signatures

The undersigned hereby affirm the participation of their respective organization in the aboveMemorandum of Understanding.

Honorable Peter D. Houk, Chief Judge 30^th Judicial Circuit Court Date

Honorable Paula J. M. Manderfield, Presiding Judge Family Division Date

Janice Watkins, Director, Ingham County Family Independence Agency Date

John Czarnecki, Chairperson, Ingham County Board of Commissioners Date