Client Enrollment

Family Ties Project inter-organizational relationships have evolved over the life of the project. The first grant application envisioned 7 collaborators and/or subcontractors, in addition to CCWthe parent organization.
The number of providers enrolling clients grew from 8 to 12 over the first 4-year funding period. This year agreements were signed with 2 new agenciesMiriam's House, which is a residential facility for women and young children with advanced stage AIDS and My Brother's Keeper, which works with incarcerated men and ex-offenders. The collaboration with Miriam's House resulted in the enrollment of 2 families. My Brother's Keeper has yet to refer clients for enrollment. Also this year the project staff renegotiated memoranda of understanding with 12 case management collaborator organizations. As of September 2001, 12 agreements were in effect in addition to the agreements with the
4 subcontractors. The number of agreements negotiated exceeds the 10 agreements delineated as one of the 11 project objectives for this reporting period.

An example of an agreement is included in the Appendix. The agreement specifies that the agencies will enroll eligible clients for Family Ties services, participate in follow up meetings on enrolled families (case conferences) and continue to provide case management services.

Figure 1 lists the agencies with which there is a current memorandum of agreement. From 1996­2000 the participation of the collaborating agencies varied considerably; the number of families referred and enrolled per agency ranged from 1 to 23 (Children's National Medical Center). This year 4 or 31% of organizations with which the project has a current agreement actually referred and enrolled a client family; 3 of these 4 organizations are subcontractors. In addition, there was 1 direct enrollment by Family Ties Project staff. Sasha Bruce Youthwork and Children's National Medical Center, both contractors, were the source of the majority (62%) of new client families (Figure 2).

Although not all of the agencies with which the project has an agreement contributed to client enrollments this year, many did send case managers and other staff to trainings and informational sessions as well as to the 6-month case conferences.

At the conclusion of the first 4-year grant period, a total of 87 families with 136 children had been enrolled. Subsequently an additional 28 children were identified as a result of improved record keeping. According to the project director, over time, services were provided to children of clients in addition to those children who were identified at the time of enrollment. This occurred, for example, when a client regained custody of a child or children of extended family members came into the household.

Of the 87 families ever enrolled, 65 families were active at the beginning of year 5. During October 2000-September 2001 16 families with a total of 38 children were newly enrolled to receive services. Therefore, a total of 202 children have received Family Ties Project services over the life of the project.

The enrollment of 16 families represents the lowest number of enrollees in any previous full year of the project. Considerably more families would have been necessary to accomplish the objective set forth in the grant application to provide services to 300 children this year. Figures 3 and 4 show the variation in enrollment over 5 years.

Of the 103 families ever served during the 5 years of the project, 79% (65 +16/103) received services at some time during the fifth year. 19 families terminated during year 5 for a net reduction of active families at the end of the reporting period to 62. Families terminate for various reasons as shown below:

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