Office of Case Management
Introduction
The Office of Case Management coordinates and monitors case planning and service delivery among the Divisions, in support of Department goals and in accordance with a system of care philosophy.
OCM represents a Department perspective and the best interests of children through case management expertise and coordination of multidisciplinary cases, assessment, consultation, review and recommendation.
This is accomplished by providing services/functions in the following areas:
- Family Court Liaison Unit
- Interstate Compact Unit
- Mixing Reviews
- Quality Review Unit
- Department Safety Council
- Root Cause Analysis
- System of Care
- Other Functions
- Constituent Relations
- Consultation and Dispute Resolution
- Joint Fund
- Service Integration Fund
Interstate Compact Unit
- Del C. 31 § 5402 - ICAMA
- Del C. 31 §5203 - ICJ
- Del C. 31 §381 - ICPC
- Del C. 31 §6101 - ICMH
- PL 100-300 USC 42§11601 - ICAR
- PL 96-272 - AA & CWA
- PL 95-608 25 USC §1901 - ICWA
The Interstate/Intercountry Office provides for the protection of children who are placed into or out of Delaware for the purpose of foster care, relative care, adoption, or probation and aftercare supervision. The Interstate Office contracts with private agencies to provide home studies and supervision for placements referred to Delaware from other states.
The unit provides technical assistance to families, agencies, attorneys and courts. The Interstate Office certifies the eligibility of a qualified family for other states, the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of State or foreign authorities. Interstate placements are monitored for the continued appropriateness of the home and the provision of benefits and services.
Contact Staff
Rose Holmquist, Deputy Compact Administrator. Telephone:
302/633-2698 | Email: rose.holmquist@state.de.us
Mixing
Del C. 10 § 1009j
The purpose of the Mixing law is to ensure that the placement of a juvenile adjudicated of specific Serious Misdemeanor acts or otherwise charged with or adjudicated of a Felony will neither represent an unreasonable and unmanageable physical risk to nor conflict with the best interests of dependent or neglected children in any residential shelter, group home, foster home, treatment center, individualized residential treatment home("IRT"), institution or any other place designated as a temporary or permanent residential placement for children located in the State of Delaware, excluding accredited or licensed hospitals. Placement approval is required from The DSCYF Cabinet Secretary, a division director, or designee for Serious Misdemeanor acts and additionally Family Court for Felony Level or Repeat Offenders (3 Serious Misdemeanor adjudications within a 24 month period).
Once all the requirements are met and the child is
placed, reviews are conducted to assess the overall
level of risk to others in the facility. These reviews
are implemented by the Office of Case Management within
5 working days of the placement and then the Child
Placement Review Board after two months.
A listing of Serious Misdemeanor Offenses applicable
to the Mixing Law is located within the revised subsection
of the Delaware code. DSCYF staff may also obtain this
list as well as instructions for processing a Mixing
from the OCM Mixing Reviewer.
Contact Staff
Angela M. Stancil, OCM Mixing Reviewer, Telephone:
302/892-6405 | Email: angela.stancil@state.de.us
Family Court Liaisons
The Family Court Liaisons provide a central point of contact and expertise for the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families when Family Court interfaces with the Division of Family Services, Child Mental Health and/or Youth Rehabilitative Services. Their goal is to effectively represent DSCYF in court proceedings by providing a department perspective resulting in recommendations that are presented in one voice and support positive outcomes for all participants. The liaisons are often the first point of contact for families when youth become involved with the juvenile justice system. They are also a resource for families who need assistance navigating court and department processes and procedures.
Contact Staff
Heidi Carroll, Family Services Program Support Administrator
(302/255-0485) | Email: heidi.carroll@state.de.us
Susan Burns, Program Support Supervisor (302/633-2676) |
Email: susan.burns@state.de.us
Quality Improvement Unit (QIU)
The Quality Improvement Unit is dedicated to quality assurance and quality improvement through assessing practice and outcomes, as well as, compliance. The Quality Improvement Unit supports the use of Delaware Quality Award Baldrige Criteria and best practices including System of Care. The Unit consists of a Management Analyst and Administrative Case Review Specialists who provide a departmental perspective in assessing and improving the quality of services. This specialized unit has autonomy in reviewing the work of all operational divisions and their supports.
Administrative Reviewers conduct reviews of specific cases, or case circumstances and provide detailed reports that include findings and recommendations. The Unit completes ongoing, regularly scheduled quality reviews including the System of Care Review, Ferris Safety Review, and Department Critical Incident Reviews. Special reviews are also completed at the request of the Department Secretary, Divisions, Department Safety Council and external partners. The Quality Improvement Unit monitors and analyzes data to discern trends, identify service gaps, barriers and systems issues, and documents the progress made by the implementation of improvement plans.
Contact Staff
Karen Triolo, Program Support Manager (302/633-2682)
| Email: karen.triolo@state.de.us
Department Safety Council (DSC)
The Departmentof Services for Children, Youth and Their Families recognizes the importance of being a self-correcting agency with a constant focus on safety and quality of services. The Department Safety Council is a multi-disciplinary work group composed of two representatives from each Division. Representatives are appointed by the division directors. The purpose of the DSC is to ensure all incidents falling within the definition of a critical incident are reviewed and recommended for further review (Root Cause Analysis or an internal review) when potential system issues are identified. DSC members bring a vast amount of knowledge and experience and are strong advocates of practices and system improvements that contribute to improving child safety. The Office of Case Management (OCM) chairs and staffs the committee.
Contact Staff
Karen Triolo, Program Support Manager. Telephone: 302/633-2682 |
Email: karen.triolo@state.de.us
Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
The Department recognizes the importance of being a self-correcting agency with a constant focus on safety and quality of services. In 1999, the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) process became a part of the Children’s Department quality assurance efforts. RCA is a multi-disciplinary process that gathers and examines information and identifies underlying system issues that if corrected could prevent similar incidents from occurring. The RCA process requires a team of DSCYF representatives identified for their expertise in specific areas to complete this thorough review and analysis, determine the root causes (if any) and make recommendations for system improvements. The Root Cause Analysis report and recommendations are presented to the Cabinet Secretary and division director(s). Upon approval of the report, the involved division(s) develops and implements an improvement plan addressing the identified system issues. The Office of Case Management oversees this process through conducting training for DSCYF staff, providing staff support to RCA teams, maintaining data on completed RCA reports and monitoring compliance and progress with the improvement plans.
Contact Staff
Karen Triolo, Program Manager. Telephone: 302/633-2682 |
Email: karen.triolo@state.de.us
System of Care
The Office of Case Management has a lead role in the promotion and integration of the System of Care principles and philosophy. The Office of Case Management provides leadership and staffing on the following committees:
Work Force Development Charter Stream
The Work Force Development Charter Stream consists of members from each division representing various disciplines and functions. The goal of the Work Force Development Charter Stream is to integrate System of Care philosophy. Efforts to achieve this include but are not limited to developing and implementing comprehensive, skills-based training and identifying desired competencies for caseworkers, supervisors and managers designed to guide practice within a System of Care environment.
SOC in Action
SOC in Action is a Workforce Development sub-committee, formed following the Leading the SOC Team training provided in 2006. The primary goal of SOC in Action is to promote System of Care internally throughout the Children’s Department. Accomplishments of the this subcommittee include the creation of posters to raise awareness regarding the benefits of SOC throughout the Department; the development of two SOC Reference Guides aimed at helping staff to put SOC in Action and the creation of an SOC in Action Kudos form as one method to recognize staff who utilize the System of Care philosophy with youth and families.
Contact Staff
Karen Triolo, Program Manager. Telephone: 302/633-2682 |
Email: karen.triolo@state.de.us
Susan Burns, Program Support Supervisor (302/633-2676) |
Email: susan.burns@state.de.us
Other Functions of the Office of Case Management
Constituent Relations
The Office of Case Management responds to constituent concerns received from Constituents, Legislators and the Governor’s Office. Concerns are forwarded to the Constituent Relations Liaison within OCM who reviews information pertaining to the issues presented; consults with the appropriate division and responds to the concerned party. This position is essential to provide information and recommendations to the department for improvements in client services and communication.
Contact Staff
Andrew Cohen, Management Analyst II (302/633-2528) |
E-mail: andrew.cohen@state.de.us
John Riley, Administrative Support (302/633-2685) |
E-mail: john.riley@state.de.us
Consultation and Dispute Resolution
As outlined in Policy 201, the Office of Case Management provides consultation to division staff on shared cases where staff are having difficulty reaching agreement on case management issues and provision of services. A member of OCM will schedule and facilitate a meeting with the goal of achieving consensus and resolution.
Contact Staff
Karen Triolo, Telephone: 302/633-2682 | Email: karen.triolo@state.de.us
Interdivisional, Joint Funded Cases
The Joint Fund Committee is a multi-disciplinary working group composed of a representative from each division designated by the Division Director and empowered to commit the Division’s funds. The Joint Fund Committee collaborates on joint cases to provide the most appropriate services for the youth and family while allocating costs associated with providing the necessary services between the appropriate divisions. The Office of Case Management facilitates monthly joint fund committee meetings as well as schedules and monitors the status of presented cases.
Contact Staff
Karen Triolo, Telephone: 302/633-2682 | Email: karen.triolo@state.de.us
Service Integration Fund
The Office of Case Management monitors activity and provides consultation and technical assistance regarding the Service Integration Fund. The Service Integration Fund was designed to enable staff to access resources for individualized services to assist families in meeting needs not covered by other funding sources. OCM distributes a monthly and annual report on the activity of this fund.
Contact Staff
Karen Triolo, Telephone: 302/633-2682 | Email: karen.triolo@state.de.us or
John Riley, Telephone: 302/633-2685 | Email: john.riley@state.de.us
