Orange County

Orange County sought to build on existing collaborative efforts within the County with the goal of enabling decisions about the prioritization and allocation of existing community resources to be data-informed and based on the identified needs of families with co-occurring child welfare and substance abuse problems that are in the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court.

Orange County’s primary goals:

• Conduct an analysis of the range of services and supports available in the community for the members of families in the priority population, which includes a survey of current and former clients of the three lead systems to poll for what services are the most needed and seen as the most useful;
• Develop a more streamlined approach to distributing information about available resources in the community in order to contribute to a more seamless referral process so that system linkages are strengthened and access to services improves;
• Compile an inventory and analysis of existing data available about the priority population and the services needed to support better outcomes related to safety, permanency, wellbeing and recovery, in order to identify where critical data gaps exist and establish a data development agenda that can support more informed allocation and prioritization of resources; and
• Develop a cross-system training plan to support ongoing collaboration and improved practice, in accordance with the shared values and jointly agreed upon outcomes identified by the lead entities.

The major product goals and level of accomplishment include:

• Collaborative Training Matrix - a shared training plan between the collaborative partners for cross-system training
• Partnered with multiple disciplines to offer training on the topics of Substance Use and Co-Occurring disorders
• Collaborated on the development of the Substance Exposed Infant Client Intake and SEI Client Status Form
• Designed an Authorization to Release Records form for utilization by Health Care Agency and Social Services Agency
• Systems have improved awareness and knowledge – empathy for clients and for system partners
• Data Workgroup developed a draft logic model and a standing data committee reporting to the Blue Ribbon Commission
• Resource and Referral Workgroup engaged 211 Orange County, Help Me Grow, Rainbow Directory and other key resource management stakeholders
• Service System Workgroup conducted parent and professional surveys and developed the “Call to Action” report with recommendations
• Resources and Service System Workgroup – completed flowchart and system concerns from Virtual Walk-through of sample child welfare case
• Completed Two Plan, Do, Study, Act cycles - System Improvement Change Projects
• Improved system for contracting- increased fee for service