Child Welfare Citizen Review Panel Facilitation
Client
California Department of Social Services via Child and Family Policy Institute of California
Context
In the fall of 2019, the California Department of Social Services contracted the Child and Family Policy Institute of California (CFPIC), with RDA as a subcontractor, to facilitate and manage the state’s three citizen review panels (CRPs). California’s CRPs, which are mandated by the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), are charged with reviewing state and local policies, procedures, and practices enacted in alignment with the Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP) Strategic Plan and preparing an annual report that recounts CRP activities and provides recommendations to remove barriers to and improve services of the CWS at the state and local levels.
Approach
CFPIC and RDA’s work in this engagement includes recruiting CRP members, ensuring each CRP meets at least quarterly, coordinating meeting venues and agendas, supporting the CRPs’ policy and data review, ensuring completion of annual reports, and engaging OCAP at key milestones. As a partner in this effort, RDA supports meeting facilitation and the logistics of CRP management such as scheduling and agenda development. RDA is also responsible for gathering and analyzing literature, policy updates, and data to inform the CRPs’ development of recommendations for CWS improvement.
Results
Through this project, CFPIC and RDA are equipping the CRPs to develop data-driven recommendations that can enhance the services to, and therefore the wellbeing of, children and families throughout California.
