Empowering Families to Achieve Self-Sufficiency Through Developmental Case Management I. TOPIC Renewing Parental Partnerships Program II. LOCATION Central Iowa III. SUBJECT Empowering Families to Achieve Self-Sufficiency Through Developmental Case Management IV. SUMMARY Low-income families in central Iowa, especially single-parent families, experience many obstacles in their efforts to attain self-sufficiency. Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA), a community action agency serving central Iowa, believed that a family-based, developmentally supportive program of case management could help low-income families increase their self-sufficiency and decrease their dependence on public assistance. MICA established partnerships with the Iowa Peace Institute, the Center for Creative Justice, and four mental health centers to develop a program of case management that helps families achieve self-sufficiency. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Community Services awarded a Demonstration Partnership Project (DPP) grant to the project in 1992. Families participating in the Renewing Parental Partnerships Program during the DPP grant period increased their income by 35 percent and embarked on a clear course toward self-sufficiency. The program has also served as a model for other service providers who want to implement a case management approach to social service delivery. V. SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE Formed a partnership to establish a program of comprehensive case management that assists low-income families attain self-sufficiency and has served as a model for other social service providers. VI. CONTACT Gary Stokes, Chief Executive Officer Magi York, Executive Director Arlene McAtee, Project Director Mid-Iowa Community Action (A Community Action Agency) 212 W. Ingledue Marshalltown, Iowa 50158 515-752-7162 515-752-9724 (FAX) VII. CASE STUDY The Problem: Low-income families in central Iowa, especially single-parent families, experience many obstacles in their efforts to attain self-sufficiency. One of the greatest obstacles is an often acrimonious relationship between the custodial and non-custodial parents that frequently leads to insufficient or non-existent child support payments. Inadequate or unaffordable child care diminishes the custodial parent's opportunities for employment leading to self-sufficiency. These families often lack knowledge of or access to programs intended to help them and have not established the support networks of friends, family, or service providers that help families through troubled times. The Approach Adopted: Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA), a community action agency serving central Iowa, believed that a family-based, developmentally supportive program of case management that includes provision of concrete services and mediation assistance could help low-income families increase their self-sufficiency. The Renewing Parental Partnerships Program (RPPP) was designed to increase household income, primarily through improved child support payments, and improve child visitation by the non-custodial parent. Improving the parents' conflict resolution skills and communications capabilities would also help alleviate the children's negative reactions to the divorce or separation of their parents. How They Implemented The Approach: MICA established partnerships with the Iowa Peace Institute (IPI), the Center for Creative Justice (CCJ), and four mental health centers to develop a program of case management that helps families achieve self-sufficiency. IPI and CCJ developed staff training for mediation skills and provided services to families individually and at retreats. The mental health centers helped design the workshops, retreats, and staff training; they also provided individual and group services to program participants. Representatives from the Iowa Child Support and Recovery Unit and Fathers for Equal Rights served as consultants and on an advisory board. After the project's first year, IPI underwent an internal reorganization that compelled it to withdraw from the partnership. CCJ and a private psychologist took over the functions that IPI had been performing. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Community Services awarded a Demonstration Partnership Project (DPP) grant to the project in 1992. The RPPP is open to single, custodial parents who earn less than 125 percent of the federal poverty level and who are not receiving court-ordered child support. The partners recruited participants from MICA's family development caseload and from Head Start families. Each family entering the program is assigned a Family Development Worker who meets with the family from one to several hours per month, as needed. The family development aspect of RPPP has four primary components: 1. Assessment: Helps family members identify systemic needs and strengths through a comprehensive set of descriptive and analytical tools. 2. Goal Setting: Facilitates establishing goals and the development and implementation of incremental plans of action that translate goals into reality. 3. Joining: Aids family in establishing community ties, support networks, and avenues to enriching activities. 4. Support: Provides family with information, encouragement, referral, and celebration of successes through regular, ongoing contact. RPPP also uses weekend retreats and workshops to educate participants about parental rights and responsibilities, the impact of divorce on children, involving the extended family, mediation, communication after divorce, and parenting after divorce. Assistance with legal fees is available to program participants if it becomes necessary to modify child support orders. However, participants are required to go through mediation before the program will offer assistance with legal counsel. RPPP also educates parents about mediation and how to use mediation techniques within the family structure. Individual and family therapy services are also available if the Family Development Worker thinks it will help improve the relationship between divorced parents. Support groups allow parents to discuss their relationship difficulties with persons in similar situations and improve their understanding of and ability to overcome their problems. Results: By the end of the project's DPP grant period, program participants experienced a significantly larger increase in family income than members of a comparison group. Participating families had a 35 percent increase in income versus an eight percent increase for the comparison group. Although a majority (54 percent) of participating parents could not cite a good aspect of their relationship with the former partner, many participants noted things such as improved relationships with children, a lessening of conflict, and better communication between parents as positive outcomes. VIII. PROGRAM SPIN-OFFS The RPPP and other applications of the family development/case management approach have served as models for many social service providers that want to develop a case management approach to service delivery. MICA and its partners have provided information and training to more than 3,000 people, and their work has led to the creation of the Institute for Family Support and Development. IX. KEY WORDS Case Management Child Support Children Community Action Agency Demonstration Partnership Project Department of Health and Human Services Family Self-Sufficiency Office of Community Services Partnerships Single-Parent Families Self-Sufficiency ref: mica.L4doc