Current Projects
American Humane Association is at the forefront of supporting states, counties and tribes with the implementation of differential response in child protective services. We provide training, technical assistance, coaching, system design, evaluation, and quality assurance.
American Humane Association’s current projects are:
Ohio Alternative Response
The Supreme Court of Ohio and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
We are collaborating with the National Research Implementation Network and the Institute of Applied Research to guide, facilitate and support a statewide implementation of alternaive response in Ohio. Evaluation results collected after a 30-month project, with 18 months of data collection in 10 pilot counties, are markedly positive. Ten additional counties will launch alterative response systems on Oct. 1, 2010.
Learn more about the Ohio Alternative Response project.
New York Family Assessment Response
The New York State Office of Children and Family Services
We’ve teamed up with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to implement Family Assessment Response, the agency’s differential response practice approach, in 19 counties (and counting) since 2008. American Humane Association is providing training, technical assistance and coaching throughout the state. OCFS will renew their legislation next year and plans to continue to expand the implementation of Family Assessment Response throughout the state over the next few years.
Learn more about the New York Family Assessment Response project.
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families
Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare (in development)
American Humane Association will assist the work efforts of Casey Family Programs, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare (BMCW) by providing expert consultation, technical assistance and content-matter expertise on an Alternative Response Pilot. We will do this by conducting orientation meetings for all BMCW staff to provide an overview of the alternative response process; facilitating a forum for community and child protection stakeholders, including civic groups, religious leaders, law enforcement officials and personnel, attorneys and judges; and conducting training for workers and their supervisors on alternative response practice, with a dedicated focus on assessment and engagement.
Bureau of Indian Affairs -- Rocky Mountain Region
Crow, Northern Cheyenne and Fort Peck Tribes
We have entered into agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to facilitate the understanding and adoption of a culturally responsive model of differential response and assist three tribal nations -- Crow, Northern Cheyenne and Fort Peck -- with the development and execution of implementation plans. American Humane Association will bring the three tribes together in April 2011 to discuss their respective experiences and lessons learned, and develop recommendations for future use of this approach in Indian Country.
In October 2008, American Humane Association, in partnership with Walter R. McDonald & Associates and the Institute of Applied Research, was selected to receive a federal cooperative agreement totaling nearly $10 million over five years to develop the National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response in Child Protective Services. The grant was awarded by the Children’s Bureau of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
