The “Common Language & Shared Understanding” workgroup is one of the 6 workgroups that meet monthly as part of the Pathways to Permanency project. Participants who join the monthly sessions are from across the Vaya Health catchment area and work in child welfare, Medicaid managed care, behavioral health, and child placement. This cross-system group of professionals is tasked with developing solutions to challenges identified during the beginning of the project.
The focus of this workgroup has been on supporting the development of a shared understanding of common practices and creating cross-training opportunities across the child serving systems. During the focus groups, it was noted that various stakeholders (foster parents, County DSS staff, LME/MCO staff, behavioral health provider staff, and child-placing agency staff) do not fully understand each other’s mandates or the current system changes that are occurring. Specifically, challenges regarding a common understanding were noted for:
- Normalcy & prudent parenting standards
- Medicaid Transformation
- Foster Parent Bill of Rights
- Family First Prevention Services Act
The workgroup has developed sustainable solutions in collaboration with stakeholders and a Lived Experience Advisory Council to better advocate for and equip one another with the tools necessary to partner and serve common clients more cohesively. Currently, the workgroup has developed the following solutions:
Cross-training: General System Policies and Practices
Within this solution, the workgroup has developed three cross-training opportunities: Child Welfare 101, Health Plan 101 and the Child Services Continuum training. Once the trainings are finalized, they will be offered to all cross-system partners to establish foundational and instrumental understanding of the function of each system thus creating common and shared understanding. Trainings will be facilitated and/or co-facilitated by Vaya Health and county Child Welfare staff.
Monitor Regular Medicaid Transformation Communication
This solution focuses on ensuring that updates to the changes regarding Medicaid Transformation are being disseminated and that both providers and beneficiaries understand how changes impact them.
Advocate for Updates on Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) Updates
Stakeholders have shared that there is not a cross-system understanding of this legislation and upcoming changes. NC DHHS collaborated with stakeholders across the state to choose evidence-based practices that will be offered to the counties and reimbursed through IV-E dollars. Those services will be provided by agencies who apply for a Request for Proposal and are awarded the contract by NC DHHS. The services that were selected and will initially be implemented include Triple P Level IV, MST, Methadone Maintenance, Motivational Interviewing, Parents as Teachers, and Homebuilders.
Cross Training: Prudent Parenting & Normalcy, Foster Parents Bill of Rights, and Managing Behavioral Expectations
The workgroup is developing additional cross-training opportunities for professionals in the Reasonable and Prudent Parenting Standard & Normalcy, the Foster Parents Bill of Rights, and helping to manage and understand behaviors that should be expected in the varying levels of placement (family foster care, therapeutic foster care, and therapeutic group care). The goal of this set of cross-trainings is to assist professionals in their efforts to better support caregivers.
Looking ahead, the Common Language and Shared Understanding workgroup will finalize trainings as well as the plans for implementation and sustainability of each solution. Look out for training opportunities coming soon!
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