PIÑON PERSPECTIVES NEW MEXICO CYFD PROTECTIVE SERVICES E-MAGAZINE : OCT. 2013

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1 PIÑON PERSPECTIVES NEW MEXICO CYFD PROTECTIVE SERVICES E-MAGAZINE : OCT. 2013

2 YOUR PERSPECTIVES I continue to enjoy Piñon Perspectives and gain insights into Protective Services. This publication does an excellent job of creating a conversation between all of CYFD, allowing people in different divisions to learn from one another. Thank you y muchisimas gracias for such a beautifully designed magazine that is always informative and insightful. Saludos Cordiales, J. Martín Rodríguez Cultural & Linguistic Competence Office of Community Outreach and Behavioral Health Programs, CYFD Thank you for the lovely publication. It is one I look forward to seeing every month. Lois Haggard, PhD Community Health Assessment Program NM Department of Health I took seriously the daring piece last issue about having Courageous Conversations and successfully had one with a colleague that I think made a real difference. Thanks for the inspiration. Jesse Leinfelder, Office of Child Development, CYFD WELCOME Our goal is to provide you with a way to communicate with the PS workforce and share lessons learned nationally, so please consider sharing your news, insights and ideas for new articles, interviewees, and photography. All the best The Piñon Perspectives Team Contact us at: pinon.project@state.nm.us. THE ART OF PIÑON About the artwork. Alonzo Zozo Garcia has a love of dessert that he shares in his work in progress with art and chocolate lovers. Zozo studied at New Mexico State University and plans on going to graduate school to attain a Masters of Arts in either painting, drawing or art restoration. He first started painting in watercolor at the age of nine and slowly branched out to drawing and painting in every medium available. He loves painting and drawing with extreme contrasts of light, shadow and color. Art Alonzo Garcia. You may contact Alonzo Garcia about his art at: zozoga@yahoo.com

3 PART 1 Q&A: John Barela Data Evaluation Specialist, Santa Fe John works in the Data Evaluation Unit within the Research, Assessment and Data Bureau. One of his projects is the 360 Degrees Report. Continues on next page

4 What do you like most about your job? I work with a great group of people. We all show each other respect, work hard, and use our knowledge and skills to solve problems. I also feel that our work is making a positive change in the lives of the children in New Mexico and is truly appreciated. What is a typical week like for you? In a typical week I work on updating various monthly reports that are used by both internal and external stakeholders. Some of these publications include the desktop, pending and aging, central intake, and the permanency and investigations caseload reports. I also respond to our information requests, and update the 360 degrees County Profiles and strategic planning measures on a quarterly basis. What are the biggest challenges you face in your job? One of the biggest challenges I currently face is developing and modifying existing reports. The data unit is working on developing a new annual report that will cover the current state fiscal year. This report will cover statewide data and will hopefully answer many commonly asked questions. We will also be unveiling a new 360 degree County profile report in the upcoming fiscal year. PS is a very complex area where people specialize-- - and those of us working in it often only experience a small part of the overall system. How have you learned about the PS big picture? Positions in the data unit are unique because we need to be knowledgeable about the entire system. In order to report statistics we need to have at the very least a basic understanding of the various processes that occur. What innovation would you like to bring to PS in NM? I would like to get a system where individuals in my bureau could access resources on the network and run reports online. This would give us more freedom and we could respond faster to requests. How have you found ways to enhance your work experience? We can t always decide which projects we work on, but I believe it s important to express where you believe your skills would be best utilized. How can central office and county office staff work to create work environments that foster courageous conversations-----addressing work problems and conflict? I think people need to be honest and respectful with others in order to address problems. How can information technology improve the PS process----with laptops, tablets and cell phones offering access to the net? Technological advances are constantly changing the way business is done in the private sector, and how we live our lives. We need to adapt to and embrace such items because they allow us to become mobile, provide better services, and stay competitive with other states. What type of professional development opportunities would you like to see offered? As the economy continues to recover I hope there will be more opportunities for training and attending conferences so that we can see what others are doing to address the needs in their states. How does our collection of data inform practice? In my position I provide statistics and reports that are used by others to make decisions which can have a great impact on improving child welfare outcomes. The data is used to focus efforts, show needs, and determine the effectiveness of current practices. What is one thing you wish the public understood about PS? I wish the media would provide a more balanced approach in their reporting. It is always great when they are able to tell the public about our success stories. Thank you for your time and insights.

5 PART 2 EXPERIMENTS Learning from Innovation and Adaptive Leadership in the Field. San Juan County Manager Nicole Garcia shares her office s adaptive challenges and solutions. What problem or challenge were you facing? San Juan County worked on the challenge of more consistent application of the safety assessment tool and safety management process. Continues on next page

6 What experiment did you implement to address the challenge? We tested the assumption that teaming across different service areas within PS would lead to an increase in shared responsibility for outcomes and the exchange of information would be more seamless across units. Many experiments we tested included some form of Teaming between units, such as each unit being represented at key decision making points in a case. For example, participating in 48 hour staffings, FCMs, or facilitated meetings that went over treatment progress. How did staff and/or clients react? Teaming benefits that both staff and families, as well as other key stakeholders, have reported include the following: The transition is much smoother when PPWs (Permanency Planning Workers) are involved while the case is still with the investigators. All units which have contact with families involved in the case should be represented at these early meanings. The people who will be working the case get to know the dynamics, the family, the possible problems, input from investigators about supervised visits, etc. With all workers involved early there is better cooperation and coordination between units. staffing/fcms (Family Centered Mediations) stated the information being received makes for more effective case transfer and less information being lost or not transferred.. Placement staff also noted it was helpful for them to assist with identification of relatives and for placement staff to see the big picture outside of just their perspective. Improved communication with all at the table at the same time and reduced time to permanency. Parent questionnaire results indicate positive teaming experiences and improved communication. Workers have seen the shift in office culture; improved internal communication with provider and all other service providers. What is your assessment of the success, thus far, of the experiment? After multiple tries at experimenting with teaming and the positive outcomes being reported by staff and families it became standard practice to do business this way. It increased our respect for the work each individual brings to the table no matter what position or role you have within the office. Adaptive Leadership: Work in Progress To keep up to date on the Piñon Project and adaptive leadership, visit: It becomes a partnership rather than yours and ours and the families can t play one unit against the other. It s unified decision-making. (We consider this a Best Practice)Ego has to be left out of the process; the goal is working together for finding the best options for the child. Teaming will improve the working relationship with the foster family. Feedback from the staff who participated in these

7 EXPERIMENTS Adaptive Leadership and Innovation in the Field Lessons from Jolene Martinez Dona Ana County Office Manager Permanency Planning and In-Home Services

8 What problem or challenge were you facing? In Doña Ana we initially selected Supervisory Capacity as our adaptive challenge. Through a brief experiment we realized we may have been focusing our energy in the wrong direction. We regrouped on selecting our adaptive challenge and we are now focused on improving our Internal Relationships. We are focused on the Piñon Value of customer service. We are throwing our energy into improving our relationships with better communication, understanding one another s roles, managing our competing demands, and by taking ownership for our work products. What experiment did you implement to address the challenge? We gathered some pre-experiment data from our staff on the issue of customer service. It collected basic opinions about issues like office morale, support from supervisors, and addressing office conflict/gossip. We used this baseline information to implement our experiment of using Learning Circles. The goal of a learning circle is to build, share, and express knowledge though a process of reflection and group dialogue. The key concepts include developing shared responsibility for the leadership, problem solving, and task completion related to addressing the problems at hand. We have multiple Learning Circles going on currently. We are currently collecting data in the form of the survey, to see how staff opinions have changed regarding our internal relationships, with a central focus on customer service to one another. They take a clear effort in the positive change that is occurring in our office. We are hoping to take the concept of Learning Circles, and open it up to our community partners and other stakeholders like our foster parents as we gain expertise with the process. What is your assessment of the success, thus far, of the experiment? We are looking forward to the data results of our post intervention survey, but in the mean time I believe that the majority of staff feel heard, they feel part of the office decision making, and they know that there is a consistent culture and setting where they can present their concerns. We have seen improved communication and feelings about coming to work. It has developed relationships amongst supervisors and management as a team. Adaptive Leadership: Work in Progress To keep up to date on the Piñon Project and adaptive leadership, visit: NEWS & UPDATES CYFD employees were recently recognized for their hard work. The Heart Gallery of New Mexico Foundation presented the Heart Gallery Heart and Soul Award to Renee Fitts, Acting Statewide Recruitment Manager, and Isela Burciaga, Foster Care and Adoption Bureau Chief for their work in the recruitment of foster and adoptive parents and tireless efforts to support the CYFD Heart Gallery of New Mexico. How did staff and/or clients react? Our staff is the key to the success of the project implementation here in our county. They work hard, and take the time to engage openly in the process as well as to be reflective on their contribution to the shared values we have. Our staff have demonstrated a clear competency of the project.

9 Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick. Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso. ~Spanish Proverb