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CPMT discusses CSA audit QI plan, foster care counts and prevention funding in Tazewell County
Summary
At its May 23, 2022 meeting the Tazewell County CPMT reviewed a CSA quality-improvement (CQI) tool, discussed foster care placement counts and high-cost residential placements, and urged a shift toward prevention services and cross-agency collaboration.
The Tazewell County Community Policy and Management Team (CPMT) on May 23, 2022 discussed a Children’s Services Act (CSA) program audit quality-improvement plan and possible data points for tracking service gaps, with a focus on foster care placement trends and prevention spending.
The CSA Coordinator presented a CQI Documentation Tool and suggested three candidate data points for the CPMT to monitor: foster care placement/prevention, family substance-abuse prevention, and contingency planning. The coordinator asked members to select a topic, complete the CQI form, and return it for compilation.
Foster Care Supervisor Sherri Hale reported local placement data: "Currently Tazewell County has sixty-eight children in foster care," "twenty-eight foster care homes," and "twenty-seven foster children in a FC home." Members discussed the cost and outcomes associated with residential placements; Ms. Hale said there are "10 or 11" children in residential treatment centers and noted that three of the county’s foster children receive services while residing in Russell County. She also reported that eleven young adults 18 and older have chosen to stay in foster care through the Independent Living program.
Chair Jeff Brintle and Ms. Hale noted that case-level decisions sometimes drive residential placement, and Ms. Hale said TCDSS has at times pushed for family reunification while a guardian ad litem (GAL) recommended residential placement. The minutes record no formal rebuttal to that observation.
Members urged a stronger prevention emphasis and cross-agency collaboration to reduce costly placements. Lori Gates-Addison, director of the Cumberland Mountain Community Services Board, emphasized working with schools and courts and gave examples of prevention-oriented supports such as targeted financial help (for example, paying for bed-bug extermination to keep children in school), mentoring, and the Ropes Program. "How do we redirect our services and develop services to fill a gap?" she asked, urging coordination among agencies.
The CPMT also discussed contingency planning for cases when the Tazewell County DSS office is closed. The discussion referenced Va. Code § 2.2-3708.2, which governs public bodies meeting by electronic communication during declared emergencies. David Taylor said a County Closure Contingency Plan exists and could be reviewed for adaptation to CPMT procedures.
The CPMT received OCS training materials and CSA performance reports for FY2019–2021 for Buchanan, Russell and Tazewell counties and discussed the need to document member training in the COVLC/COVIC system. The coordinator offered to compile training transcripts if members provided them.
The CPMT recorded a policy decision not to share foster homes with other counties to protect local capacity, asked members to complete CQI forms on selected topics, and planned follow-up work to align prevention resources with identified service gaps.
