Embedded Files
Monitoring Purpose
Ongoing monitoring is the Head Start is the systematic approach that involves continuously reviewing internal and external data to ensure that program goals and objectives are met and that programs are in compliance with regulatory requirements. Gads Hill Center’s HS/EHS programs use ongoing monitoring to measure program performance, identify areas of concern, make immediate program corrections, and generate reports. The HS/EHS programs can also use ongoing monitoring results as a data source for the annual Self-Assessment. The internal review process should describe the scope, frequency, and process for corrective action of any identified issues. The internal review system ensures data will be used to assess program output toward meeting program goals, objectives, and program compliance with regulatory requirements.
Accountability
The Compliance Manager has the oversight responsibility to ensure that the ongoing monitoring system operates effectively:
• Making certain that monitoring procedures are in writing, available, and current
• Associate Directors will hold managers accountable, but managers will ensure staff upholds the quality of services at all times by monitoring caseloads on a weekly basis
• Ensuring that all managing staff are capable of fulfilling their monitoring responsibilities
• Compliance Manager to offer training as needed to guarantee that monitoring staff will be successful in their ongoing monitor role.
As ongoing monitoring is largely a management function, it is important to note that managers are often responsible for supervising teams or staff who have the direct monitoring responsibilities of assigned caseloads.
Managers are accountable to their teams and should ensure that staff are trained to execute their monitoring responsibilities of assigned caseloads. They should provide support in helping their team members become adept at being objective and consistent in their monitoring responsibilities. The Compliance Managers should also hold regular debriefings during monitoring activities with assigned managers. The Associate Directors are accountable to their governing body and should report key monitoring results to the governing body and the Policy Council. A Program Information Report (PIR) summary showing the progress of any corrections should also be provided to the governing body and Parent Policy Committee. Most importantly, we are accountable to our children and families. Through ongoing monitoring, programs are able to identify areas of concern and, through a process that includes data analysis and dialogue, determine the best path of corrective action. Children, families, and our
Communities are reliant on our ability to enact this process to keep the program viable and operating successfully.
Follow-up – 10 business days
Follow-up is integral to an ongoing monitoring system. When corrective actions are decided if it is of significant importance to include in corrective action strategies time to go back, evaluate, and determine if the proposed corrective action was successful. This also means that the dialogue about the course correction should also address the data and ask, “Are there other data or new data that should be collected and monitored?”
Assessment
GHC Head Start programs are required to use ongoing monitoring data that is collected, analyzed, and aggregated throughout the program year as the data used to conduct the annual Self-Assessment. The annual Self-Assessment creates the ideal time for our HS/EHS programs to examine that data—what has been gathered during the course of the year, through multiple years, and across different data sets—to uncover patterns or trends based on data collected during the ongoing monitoring process. Self-Assessment is a collaborative effort among management staff and is done in the spring.
Personnel
The following personnel are assigned to specific monitoring roles as a part of this plan:
· Associate Directors
· ERSEA Specialist
ERSEA Subsidy Specialist
Family Suppourt Manager
· Partner Network Coordinator
· Home Visiting Program Manager
· Site Managers
Health & Saftey Manager
Mental Health Disabilities Manager
· Head Start Human Resources Assistant
Education Coordinator / Infant toddler Specialist
Mental Health Clinicians
· Data Managment Aide
· Health Aide
Monitoring Process & Guidance
Monitoring is essential to the work that we do and integral to the fidelity of maintaining Head Start and Early Head Start, DCFS, PI/PFA, DFSS, HS, and GHC guidelines. Monitoring should occur in the following ways without exception:
Monitoring should occur monthly for each site without exception
Each Content Area Manager should pre-establish with the site administrator a monitoring time for that month that both can agree on this includes Partner Network Directors
Monitoring forms MUST be used during every monitoring session
Initially, 10% of the files for each caseload should be monitored. this means this should be completed by Family worker caseload (exceptions: ERSEA, and Family Engagement)
This means if a caseload has 35 families 4 file folders should initially be monitored.
Additionally, if your content area requires you to monitor by whole site numbers 10% of files should be monitored, meaning if a school has 124 children, then 13 (rounded up) files should be monitored.
IF there are findings in the initial 10% of monitoring then an additional 10% of files must be monitored for example if you originally monitor 4 files for a caseload of 35 and there are findings you would then monitor an additional 4 files.
All monitoring must be randomized and chosen at random by the monitor, this means that the individual being monitored should not be choosing the files that will be monitored.
IF there are findings in the additional files monitored you are required to monitor 100% of those files (examples of this are 124 children, 124 files monitored or caseload of 35 35 files monitored).
All monitoring sessions must conclude with a debriefing meeting between the monitored, the site administrator, and the monitor. All monitoring forms must be completed within 48 hours of the monitoring session and all debriefings must happen within 7 days of the original monitoring session.
ALL monitoring forms must include: Follow up actions and a date that follow-up will be provided based on the severity of the findings the follow up may occur the next monitoring session. If the findings are minor the follow-up date may be written as the next monitoring date. However, a follow-up date must be written on the monitoring form.
There must be signatures given by both the monitor and the monitored on all monthly monitoring sessions.
Please be advised that unless authorized by the Director of Programs there is no exception for monthly monitoring.
IF it is found that monitoring is not occurring monthly or debriefing meetings there will be a further conversation with the Director of Programs to address the occurrence.
Both the Content Area Manager and the site administrator are responsible for making sure monthly monitoring takes place. This means that if you do not have a scheduled monitoring session for the month on your calendar it is the onus of both parties to make sure that monitoring takes place.
Supervisors of Content Area Managers must conduct spot monitoring bi-monthly of the content areas they are responsible for.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse