October 2010Vol. 11, No. 8The Mountains and Plains Child Welfare Implementation Center

With a service area that cuts through the middle of the country, the Mountains and Plains Child Welfare Implementation Center (MPCWIC) supports State and Tribal child welfare agencies in Regions VI and VIII, extending from Montana south to Louisiana and covering 11 States and 66 Tribes. MPCWIC's funded projects reflect the diversity of this large area and include:

Colorado Department of Human Services' Project on Child Welfare Practice Reform. This 3-year project will define and implement a Colorado child welfare practice model, with a focus on providing technical assistance to ensure improved capacity for data measurement and quality assurance/improvement.
New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department's Child Welfare Practice Model. This project is focused on the development and implementation of a clearly articulated practice framework, inclusive of vision, mission, values, and operating principles, to guide all of the State's change initiatives.
Osage Nation Implementation Project. The goals are to develop a business mapping model and a culturally based family-centered child welfare practice model, along with a decision support data system to help facilitate these models. The project will create system change on the management and direct practice level to improve the coordination and delivery of child welfare services to Osage Nation families and children.
The Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations) and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa's Skun-eyah (Garden) Project. The project includes the development and implementation of a culturally sensitive child welfare practice model that is directly related to improved outcomes for Native families and children. The project also includes a business process mapping component to ensure consistent quality child welfare services to families and children.

The MPCWIC approach for each implementation project will focus on aligning technical assistance and evaluation with the six stages of implementation:

Exploration
Installation
Initial implementation
Full implementation
Innovation
Sustainability

MPCWIC's website includes a number of presentations and other resources from its regional forums on such topics as system change and practice models. Access the resource links here:
www.uta.edu/mpcwic/link-resources

MPCWIC is operated under a cooperative agreement by the University of Texas at Arlington, School of Social Work, Judith Granger Birmingham Center of Child Welfare; the University of Denver, Butler Institute for Families, Denver, CO; and the Native American Training Institute in Bismarck, ND.

For more information, contact Dr. Maria Scannapieco, Principal Investigator:
mscannapieco@uta.edu

Or visit the MPCWIC website:
www.uta.edu/mpcwic