Building a New Model for Child Well-Being in Oregon: OPT-In Initiative

Project Context: 

• The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) wants to strengthen their efforts to support families without child welfare system involvement whenever possible.
• Two regions in the state have established initiatives to support families who are reported to the hotline but whose situations do not require a child protection response.
• This includes family coaches from ODHS and a community-based organization reaching out to offer support.
• The GPL is working with the Doris Duke Foundation on their Opportunities for Prevention & Transformation Initiative (OPT-In for Families), which focuses on identifying families that may be at higher risk of child protection interactions and then connecting them to voluntary, community-based supports. Oregon is one of the demonstration sites. 

How the GPL is Supporting:

• Analyzing calls that were “screened-out” at the child protection hotline to enable the agency to identify families at higher risk of child welfare involvement that could benefit from community resources. 
• Helping Oregon DHS refine their process for referring families identified at the child protection hotline to community resources. 
• Aiding community resource providers in redesigning their data management process so that they are better equipped to track, analyze, and report program outcomes. 
• Facilitating a community of practice between community resource providers to share, learn, and workshop together on opportunities to strengthen outreach and engagement practices with families.