Western Wisconsin Collaborative for Children’s Well Being and Permanency

Background

October 2007 – September 2013

Wisconsin’s Western Region is the area of the state with the highest concentration of methamphetamine abuse, and on par with the state as a whole in its problems with alcohol. This project responded to those needs by forming an alliance among state, regional, and county/tribe-level partners who are committed to responding effectively to the safety and permanency needs of children whose parents or caregivers abuse alcohol, methamphetamine, or other drugs.

The Collaborative launched a regional initiative focused on systems change in order to build capacity for family-centered interagency coordination of services, and to eliminate barriers to service access, engagement, and retention. These efforts were designed to foster recovery among caregivers, thereby increasing the safety, permanency, and well-being of their children.

The Western Wisconsin Collaborative project had five major goal areas:
1. Service Capacity: Increase the region’s capacity to respond in collaborative, coordinated ways to parents’/caregivers’ substance use disorders and their effects on children’s lives and safety;
2. Family Support: Promote family safety, stability, and capacity to meet children’s needs through collaborative, family-centered case planning, case management, and support;
3. Parents’ Recovery: Promote parents’/caregivers’ retention in treatment, recovery from substance use disorders, and responsible choices;
4. Children’s Safety: Protect their children from abuse and neglect;
5. Permanency: Promote permanency and stability in these children’s living situations.