The program builds capacity for collecting “gap” data in current SACWIS
Daphne Short is the new Project Director of the Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) Self-Evaluation Program, effective February 6, announced Melissa Connelly, Director of CalSWEC’s Child Welfare In-Service Training Project. She succeeds Tara Lain.
The ETO program assists counties with the collection of “gap” data not tracked in the current Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS). It is hosted by the Regional Training Academy Project at CalSWEC.
Ms. Short will direct the program, which enables outcome measurement and self-evaluation using web-based, modular software called Efforts to Outcome (ETO) developed by Social Solutions. Also on the ETO team is Research Data Analyst Colleen Clark.
Ms. Short began her social work career at Stanislaus County Child Welfare Services, where she worked for 13 years, including with high-risk youth in need of specialty mental health services. When the county piloted the California Permanency for Youth Project, she was one of two social workers selected to work intensely with older youth in foster care to find permanency and develop life-long connections. She was recognized by the California State Assembly for this work. She was also involved in California Connected by 25 initiative, a Team Decision Making facilitator, and a data analyst before promoting to supervisor for the Independent Living Program and Permanency Teams.
Ms. Short transferred to Merced County Child Welfare Services as a supervisor for the Permanency Planning team and was soon promoted to Program Administrator. Her responsibilities included management of the Court, Voluntary Family Maintenance, and Family Reunification Teams, as well as project oversight for Katie A. implementation, Psychotropic Medication, Wraparound, and the Continuum of Care Reform.
For the past five years, Ms. Short has been a trainer for the Central California Training Academy and provides training for CWS/CMS, SDM, and SafeMeasures. She is a 2005 Title IV-E MSW graduate of California State University, Stanislaus.
More about ETO
The ETO Self-Evaluation Program allows flexibility of program type within each county and can be configured to meet the needs of an identified program.
County data collection efforts with ETO are focused in three key areas:
- Transition Age Youth: This program tracks ILP services; youth outcomes across seven categories via survey/assessments; Post Emancipated youth outcomes and services; National Youth in Transitions Database determination; state and local mandated outcome data. Both county personnel and county contracted service providers enter data, gather reports from the database, and utilize project director training and technical assistance.
- Team Decision Making (TDM): Team meetings specific to child welfare placements (ages 0–21) from initial placement to placement moves to placement exit are tracked. Data include meeting and child level details, participants and outcomes. Counties utilize the data in conjunction with CWS/CMS data to determine the effectiveness of teaming strategies over time.
- Recruitment Development and Support (RDS): This program is utilized by county licensing and social work staff to track prospective resource parents from initial contact through licensing ongoing training, and supportive retention services. Outcomes are utilized to determine the success of recruitment strategies and targeted recruitment campaigns, among others