The First Matrix Outcomes Model Conference 2005

At California State University Monterey Bay
June 15-17, 2005

Evidence-Based Programs that Track Outcomes with Children, Youth, Families, and Seniors in their Communities

The Institute for Community Collaborative Studies (ICCS) and fourteen organizations from across the country co-sponsored the event held at University Center at California State University Monterey Bay. Participants attended plenary and workshop sessions on the importance of using tools like the Matrix Outcomes Model with health and human service programs to develop program evaluation and case management models.

Programs from California, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, Arizona, Michigan, and Wyoming sent 139 participants to learn from current Matrix users how they improve services to clients and their families. Each of the programs the Institute “incubated” since 1997 presented their experience in designing outcomes for a variety of populations, shared their lessons and suggested recommendations for future applications. Their presentations included program outcomes, client population data, and the program and technological innovations they have created to improve services in their communities.

Their presentations are available below for downloading.

Matrix Conference 2005 Presentations

1. The Matrix Outcomes Model
• History • Structure • Indicators • Validity and Reliability • Data
Presenter: Jerry Endres, Institute for Community Collaborative Studies & Brad Richardson, National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice

2. Importance of Using Outcomes
The Foundation Consortium for California’s Children & Youth is an alliance of corporate, private, community and family foundations that bring philanthropy together with community, schools and government to improve public policy and practice at the state and local level. Their shared values on the whole child within the context of family and community, inclusion, accountability, and smart policy will be presented along with an interactive experience. Presenter: Executive Director. Judith Chynoweth

Ms. Chynoweth is a nationally recognized expert in strategic policy development, collaborative planning, and public policy affecting children and families. She has authored and co-authored several publications, including Strengthening Families, a Guide for State Policymaking, and Experimenting in Systems Change, a report to the Ford Foundation and United Way of America.

3. Children
Kinship Center 's AFTER program provides post-adoption services, including intensive Wraparound programs for three Counties in California . Adoptive children typically have a unique set of needs. A custom-designed Matrix is proving very useful as a mapping tool and a measure of progress, and for assisting the identification of ongoing needs. Presenter: Graham Wright, AFTER, Kinship Center, Monterey, California. Room 114

4. Early Head Start & Head Start
An overview of the Matrix project in Nevada detailing how the state has collaborated across five centers to use this family outcomes tool. Information regarding the data collection processes, the types of indicators that we use, tools used to gather and analyze the data, and how we market the outcomes will be shared. Presenter: Kellie Bates, Early Head Start and Head Start Association of Nevada. Room 115

5. Youth
The Matrix indicator scores have assisted Girl Scout staff in identifying trends within the regional Girl Scout program, to direct the focus for program design, and to recognize the success in achieving desired outcomes for 5000 Girl Scouts. Presenter: Andrea Fuerst, Girl Scouts of the Monterey Bay. Ballroom

6. Families
Family, agency and community outcomes; comprehensive family assessments and family service plans required for Medi-Cal billing for Targeted Case Management; and further analysis by combining Matrix data with data compiled by the ChildNet Results Manager for ongoing program improvement. Presenter: Darren DeRose, Solano County Family Resource/Children’s Network, and Cookie Powell, Dixon Family Resource Center, California. Room 115

7. Empowering Families
A community consensus project in Gilroy, California established culturally appropriate outreach, early intervention and family practice standards for at-risk children and youth using the Matrix outcomes model at all stages to assist family decisions, worker support and to assess outcomes. Presenter: Jerry Endres, Institute for Community Collaborative Studies. Ballroom

8. Child Welfare Partnerships
The California State Office of Child Abuse Prevention, the Strategies Network, and the Institute for Community Collaborative Studies are collaborating to create a public/private partnership between family resource centers and county child welfare programs. The Matrix outcome model will be used to identify family goals for family support and coordination with the child welfare system. Presenter: Annette Marcus and Judy Sherman, Strategies Region 2, Interface Children Family Services, Ventura, California. Room 114

9. Seniors
Evolved our Senior Support Matrix to measure the capacity of the environment/support system of senior clients at risk of institutionalization. Allows us to use the Matrix to evaluate the efficacy of our clinical programs. Data evaluating relationships between client impairment and case management results. Presenter: Steven Laird, Human Services Department, Aging and Family Services Division, City of Fremont, California. Room 116

10. Older Adults
The Winter Park Health Foundation was the champion for bringing the AdvantAge Initiative to Orange County and convened community stakeholders in a planning process that resulted in the creation of 33 recommendations regarding older adult programs and services in the community. The Matrix outcomes model is being used to not only evaluate but initially to design program goals, objectives, and implementation strategies for each of the AdvantAge related projects including: Otter – Older Teachers Training Early Readers, Florida Culture Change in Long-Term Care, Service and Employment One-Stop-Shop, Lifelong Learning Institute, Community Partnership Redesign of Long Term Care System, and Geriatric M.D. Education Project. Presenter: Paulette Geller, Winter Park Health Foundation, Orlando, Florida.

11. City
Our staff of therapists and interns assist children, youth and families through referrals from other programs throughout the City of Fremont. While often focused on social and emotional issues, we use the Matrix to gain a holistic view of the family situation and integrate it into the treatment plan. Presenter: Iris Preece, Department of Youth and Family Services, City of Fremont, California. Room 114

12. County
Over the past six years, Resources for Families and Communities (RFC) has used the Family Matrix Model to track family outcomes. Recently RFC revised the Family Matrix and redesigned our client database to enable us to track by indicator and category across three distinct family support programs. How we address the needs of different funders within our family support programs, and what the data to date tells us about our families in Santa Clara County. Presenter: Rosemary Baez, Resources for Families and Communities, San Jose, California. Ballroom

13. County-wide Implementation
The impact of the Matrix Model on service coordination for families; agency outcome reporting and fund development; program evaluation and development; and, community-wide planning. Presenter: Kristen Kania, The Lucas County Family Council and Kyle Grefe, United Way of Greater Toledo, Ohio.

14. Multi-community
The Mid-Penninsula Housing Services Corporation integrates family and senior needs assessments with on-site services and programs. The Matrix is used by a variety of services staff for assisting individuals, families and senior residents and its data will be compared to a census of residents for 75 projects across multiple counties throughout the Bay Area and central California. Presenter: Jesus Orosco, Mid-Penninsula Housing Services Corporation, Redwood City, California. Room 115

15. National
Presentation of evidence-based aspects of the Matrix model including study designs and exemplary sites of community collaboration and model implementation. The impact of the Family Matrix on service coordination and outcomes for families. Case examples and recommendations. Presenter: Brad Richardson, National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice, University of Iowa. Room 116