Brief Overview of Networks across the State: Overall Structure

In 1992 the Washington state legislature enacted the Family Policy Initiative, which created the Family Policy Council to design and carry out principle-centered, systemic reforms to improve outcomes for children, youth and families (RCW 70.190). The legislature also codified into state statue the Family Policy Principles as guideposts for these reforms.

The Council is composed of the heads of the five state agencies dealing with children and family services, four members of the legislature, and a representative from the Governor's office.

In 1994, the Washington State legislature passed the Youth Violence Reduction Act, which established the development of grassroots organizations across the state, called Community Public Health and Safety Networks. Important characteristics include:

Purpose of the Networks

The Networks are charged with improving seven "problem behaviors" identified by the state:

• child abuse and neglect
• youth violence
• youth substance abuse
• teen pregnancy
• domestic violence
• school dropout
• teen suicide

In addition all Networks are working on reducing out-of-home placements of children in the child welfare system.

They are working on these results by assessing strengths and concerns in their community, researching effective strategies, and devising local solutions to build on the assets and address the concerns in order to improve outcomes for children, youth and families.

Scope:

The networks have the authority to support the development of new programs; review existing programs, law and regulations; and recommend changes in state and local policies.

Size:

There are now 36 networks, covering every area of the state, including five Tribal Networks. They range in size from just over 200 people (Port Gamble S'Klallum Tribe) to over 550,000 people (South King County). The boundaries of each network were not pre-determined by the state but were decided by the citizens within each one.

Citizen-driven: The legislation established that each board would have 13 members who do not make their living from the social service delivery system (called "non-fiduciary members"), and 10 who do (called "fiduciary members"). They represent cities, counties, Indian Tribes, parks and recreation programs, law enforcement agencies, education, state children's service workers, employment assistance workers, and/or private social or health providers.

The Work of the Networks

For the past 18 months, the Networks have been developing their boards, starting to build community partnerships, gathering data about their community, and learning to work together. To decide on specific strategies, they have chosen three (sometimes more) problem behaviors and identified the risk and protective factors that affect those problem behaviors. They are in the process of analyzing what community resources are already available to address those risk and protective factors, and what their long-term and short-term strategies are to improve their chosen problem behaviors.

In developing their strategies, the Networks have been working on two levels: practice and policy. They are pursuing immediate help for children and families, as well as the long-term changes that will ensure that the larger systems, from neighborhood clubs to formal, professional services, will work better for those families, everyday and everywhere.

On the practice side, the Networks' role is both to plan and begin to implement specific strategies that will help their children in the short term. Children and families need help now, while we are moving the larger mountain of systemic change. The Networks are analyzing strategies based on specific research that shows them to be effective. They are identifying where there are duplications, and where there are specific gaps. They are choosing strategies based on a thorough understanding of what works in their own neighborhoods. And they are choosing strategies that encompass not just formal human services but encourage the informal, close-to-home supports that most families turn to first

These specific strategies are necessary but not sufficient to make the wholesale changes needed to change outcomes across the state. So a second facet to the Networks is to recommend and help implement the policy changes necessary to make whole systems work better in their communities. Changing the problem behaviors will take dedication not only from the "bottom up" but from the "top down" -- not only from the Networks, but from elected and appointed leaders and policymakers in Olympia and across the state. It also requires dedication and commitment from the thousands of human service professionals, public and private, in middle management and the front lines, who serve families everyday and who are key partners in this movement.

In addition, the legislation also asks the Networks to recommend state and local policy changes that would improve service delivery in order to affect the targeted problem behaviors. In particular, the legislation asks them to comment on the prospects for decategorizing specific programs.

Decategorization is seen as a means to the end of improving outcomes for children and families, not as an end in and of itself. The Council defined decategorization as possibly taking several forms:

• Complete decategorization;
• Decategorization of rules and/or policies; and/or
• Decategorization of award process.

While the Networks support the move to decategorization, they also recognize that this shift is complex. They want to proceed carefully, with full exploration of the ramifications with the other organizations and individuals involved.