Integrating Technology into Effective Social Work Practice

Increasingly technology is being used to support effective social work practice. This seminar will explore a variety of ways in which information technology can help implement and sustain effective services. In combination with local organizational support and coaching, information technology can provide consistent training, certify basic competencies, help plan services, support supervision, and monitor progress. Multiple examples will illustrate meaningful uses of technology in practice settings. Participants will explore opportunities and implications for education and practice

Transforming Indiana’s Behavioral Health System for Children and Their Families

State (Boggs, 2005) and federal (New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, 2003; SAMSHA, 2005) policy calls for the transformation of mental health care to achieve the promise of recovery so that individuals are able to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their community. Access to effective treatments and support services are necessary to realize this promise (NFCMH, 2003). Transformation is by definition more than reform; it “represents the bold vision to change the very form and function of the mental health service delivery system to better meet the needs of individuals and families it was designed to serve .... it will be a complex process that proceeds in a non-linear fashion and that requires collaboration, innovation, sustained commitment, and a willingness to learn from mistakes” (SAMHSA, section 5, 2005). Why is transformation needed? What does transformation mean for the behavioral health system for children, youth and their families in Indiana

Systems of Care

The System of Care (SOC) model of service delivery supports accessible, effective behavioral health services and supports for young people with mental health needs and their families. The SOC model provides a framework for cross-system collaborative service systems that are child centered, family focused, community based, and culturally competent. SOC collaborative infrastructure supports access to a comprehensive array of individualized services that are delivered in the least restrictive settings with family members involved at all levels of planning and delivery of services. Over the last twenty years, local and state level cross-system collaborative SOCs have developed across Indiana, and access to intensive home and community based services has improved. The attached slides review SOC values and principles, statewide progress, national and state impact, and related translational implementation research. Presented in masters level social work community practice courses, the slide deck includes an activity, application of the SOC model to real world challenges

Indiana Systems of Care Expansion Planning Grant Processes

poster abstractIndiana received a federal system of care (SOC) expansion planning grant to implement and sustain SOC statewide, supporting access to effective services and supports for young people with mental health needs. State and local SOC include families and youth, child mental health, addiction service and other child service providers, child welfare, education, and advocates. The presentation describes related research processes including the instrument selection, adaptation of a self-assessment tool, the use of quantitative research techniques, and data analysis. Participatory research processes were used to select a self-assessment survey instrument, to refine the tool while maintaining validity, and to collect data from the survey and regional focus groups. The poster includes some challenges of participatory research and solutions to the challenges, including ongoing communication with team members. A cross-system evaluation team (Indiana Department of Child Services and Indiana University School of Social Work) reviewed ten readiness-for-change assessment tools considering these criteria: (1) standardized, research based tool, (2) feasibility, (3) inclusion of SOC values and principles, (4) infrastructure components, and (5) readiness to change measures. After narrowing the options to three instruments, local and state SOC partners selected the Systems of Care Implementation Survey (SOCIS) based on the criteria and availability of research related to the tool. With permission from the SOCIS developers, the survey was adapted for state use. Findings: Regional family focus group themes highlight the need for increased public and family knowledge about mental health and mental illness; coordination among mental health providers, child welfare, schools, and families; access to care (funding and location challenges); and developing the workforce. Preliminary SOCIS findings include a description of respondents’ roles (perspectives). Survey ratings differ across characteristics of respondents, identifying possible disparities that are not reflected in mean scores for SOCIS Factors. Discussion: SOCIS surveys and focus group results are being used to help create a strategic plan to develop and sustain SOC infrastructure at the state and local levels. For quality improvement initiatives, county level survey results will be classified using US Census data and compared with results of a national study of over 200 developing SOC sites by county size and poverty levels. We will compare current survey results to a similar past Indiana local SOC assessments, and use the SOCIS in future years to monitor progress. This process is a good example of translating research into practice

Evaluation outcome update community-alternative to psychiatric residential treatment facilities Indiana intensive youth services

On September 30, 2012, Indiana and eight other states completed a five year Medicaid grant to demonstrate that intensive community based services can be effective for youth complex behavioral health. These are youth who might otherwise be treated in a psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF). This interim report reviewed findings from Indiana between January, 1 2008 and June 30, 2011. In addition to usual Medicaid clinical and rehabilitation services, grant services were coordinated using the wraparound process (Suter & Bruns, 2009). Non-traditional grant services included: habilitation (skill development), clinical consultation, family training and support, respite, flex funds and non-medical transportation. The Deficit Budget Act grant was to determine the cost effectiveness of home and community based services as an alternative to using a PRTF. This analysis specifically examined under what circumstances youth and families benefit from intensive community based services

Validating a Behavioral Health Instrument for Adults: Exploratory Factor Analysis

Increasingly, social workers and behavioral health practitioners use assessment instruments to support service planning and to monitor progress. Following statewide implementation of the Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment (ANSA) to identify behavioral health symptoms, related functional challenges, risks, and strengths, this validation study explored the underlying structure of the instrument. An exploratory factor analysis used routinely collected information for Midwestern adults with diagnosed behavioral health disorders who participated in community-based services (N = 46,013). Five factors with adequate to good internal consistency (α = 0.733−0.880) emerged: personal recovery, trauma and stress related problems, substance use risks, self-sufficiency, and cultural-linguistic considerations. Validation of the ANSA supports use of the instrument to engage individuals and families, to plan services, to monitor progress, and to conduct research. Implications for social work education, supervision, and practice include the importance of understanding culture, holistic assessment, and services supporting personal recovery for individuals living with mental illness or substance use disorders. Confirmation of findings requires additional research