Redesigning the Service Array for Families in Rhode Island

Impact Highlight: With GPL support, the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families dramatically expanded its portfolio of family-based services, leading to a 180% increase in families referred to prevention services.

Project Context:

• In 2015, outcomes for children and families in the care of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) were among the worst in the country. There were high numbers of children living in group settings rather than with families, being removed into protective custody, and experiencing repeat maltreatment.
• DCYF spent 40% of its budget on contracted services to support families, yet due to the large number of subcontracted providers, siloes between departments, and data gaps, DCYF did not know how effective these programs were at meeting families’ needs.
• DCYF leadership reached out to the GPL for help transforming their service delivery system in order to better serve families.

How the GPL Supported:

• Helped DCYF restructure, reprocure, and begin to more actively manage the agency’s $90 million array of 100+ services for families. This included:
  • Strategically assessing service needs, including identifying which programs had waitlists, and opportunities for new interventions.
  • Conducting an outcomes-based procurement that asked providers to propose programs they believed would help achieve the identified outcomes.
  • Collaboratively reviewing performance data in real time between the agency and providers, emphasizing the priority goals of linking families to services and preventing future child protection involvement.
  • Attaching a small performance-based payment for each child who was living in their permanent home after 180 days to ensure both the department and the providers were able to learn about the effectiveness of interventions even after the specific programming ended.

Results: 

• The share of foster children living in group homes decreased by 23%.
• The share of clients in community prevention programs for whom DCYF subsequently opens a case decreased from 8% to ~3%.
• DCYF dramatically expanded its portfolio of family-based services.
• Developed new contracts for 116 services, including alternatives to group care, a 50% expansion of foster care resources for the most challenging adolescents, and doubled the capacity of high-quality family visitation and reunification services.
• Rhode Island was honored by Results for America with its 2018 Invest in What Works State Standard of Excellence.