m Rhode Island » Systems integration

Agency integration, 2016

• Child welfare

  Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)

  Centralizes child welfare administration services at the state level.

• Integration level

  Single agency integration

• Juvenile corrections

  Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families, Juvenile Correctional Services 

  Centralizes administration of delinquency services at the state level.

Coordination, 2014

• Uses for coordination
• Does not use for coordination

• Data sharing

  Facilitated through the use of statewide information systems allowing for consistent data sharing between systems.

• Committees or advisory groups

  Multidisciplinary groups that often have regularly scheduled meetings to brainstorm ways to improve systems integration.

• Formal interagency MOUs

  Collaborative agreements to guide systems integration efforts

• Informal interagency agreements

  Commonly based on historical practice, mutual trust, and recognition of the need to collaborate in order to serve dual-status youth.

• Statute and/or rules

  Rules that mandate systems integration efforts

Summary

In Rhode Island, child welfare and juvenile justice services (including community supervision of delinquents) are responsibilities of the Department of Children, Youth and Families. Agency integration has enabled systematic data sharing about dual status youth at the state level. There are statewide policies and practices in place that allow for data sharing and routine identification of dually involved youth upon intake through the use of the statewide data system called the Rhode Island Children's Information System (RICHIST). There are also examples of data sharing and coordination for dual status youth at the local level in Rhode Island including inter-agency case planning and coordinated case management.

Child welfare cases and juvenile delinquency cases are heard by separate judges, however, if the judge hearing the juvenile justice petition orders the filing of a dependency petition then often that judge will handle both petitions. If the child welfare petition is already pending before the child welfare judge, then the juvenile justice judge may only hear the juvenile justice petition and not take over the child welfare matter. There are currently no specialized dockets for dually involved youth in Rhode Island.

Reported data