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To help ensure and improve the quality of FCS services, the state regularly incentivized FCS providers to participate in fidelity reviews through 2023. However, 2024 marks the first full year in which these incentives were no longer available. Since then, FCS has continued to emphasize the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs), such as Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and Individual Placement and Support (IPS), to promote high-quality, consistent service delivery statewide. This approach reflects a commitment to improving outcomes for individuals and families by relying on strategies that are grounded in rigorous research and proven effectiveness.
Despite the loss of financial incentives, fidelity reviews have demonstrated a clear positive impact on both program operations and participant outcomes. As a result, many FCS providers continue to voluntarily host or participate in fidelity reviews. These agencies recognize the value of ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement and have committed to sustaining quality services by engaging in peer learning and sharing best practices across the provider network. We want to acknowledge and recognize the providers who are committed to these evidence-based practices (EBP’s) and fidelity to the model.
Below are the agencies participating in a Supported Employment or Supportive Housing review this year:
Supportive housing
- Destination Hope and Recovery (Lewis County)
- Anything Helps (King County)
- Ease Employment Services (Pierce County)
- Coastal CAP x 2 (Lewis & Pacific County)
- Sound Pathways
- Rural Resources (Spokane?)
- Community Minded Enterprises (Spokane/Franklin Counties)
Supported employment
- Yakima Neighborhood Health (Yakima County)
Adversity to triumph
Imagine a woman living with her small family in the woods near the Spokane River, where the challenges of survival were a daily reality. Despite the harsh circumstances, she pursued work opportunities through goodwill, earning just enough to create a secure environment for herself and her minor children. Every day, she committed to a transformational plan—a plan to detox, recover, and rebuild her life while actively seeking stable employment and safe, permanent housing.
Her story is one of unyielding determination. Afraid of losing her children to the uncertainties of the system, she, along with her dedicated support team from The Hope Club, worked tirelessly to prepare for every possibility, even planning for intervention by Child Protective Services. This proactive approach became a crucial part of her journey, ultimately helping her gain the courage and strength needed to overcome her past.
By engaging in rigorous interview practice sessions, she transformed her approach to job hunting. What was once a fight for survival, buried under layers of fear and despair, has evolved into a confident stride toward a brighter future. Her weekly average of three interviews turned into a breakthrough. Today, she stands proud, housed, employed, and with her children flourishing in school, never missing a day during this time.
This transformation is more than just a success story; it’s a testament to relentless perseverance, a shared experience of struggle and redemption that resonates on a deeply personal level for many of us. The mission to reclaim one’s life from the shadows of hardship is ongoing, but her journey reminds us that every step forward counts. May her courage and determination inspire us all to believe in the power of change and the strength we hold within ourselves to overcome even the most daunting obstacles life throws our way.
Submitted by The Hope Club, Spokane
The Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team is sending this bulletin on behalf of the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF).
The Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) has launched its updated mandatory reporter training with an emphasis on supporting families. Mandatory reporters are professionals and volunteers who work with children, youth, and families and are legally required to report child abuse and/or neglect.
Updated training topics
- Distinctions between poverty and neglect, and available resources that mandatory reporters can use to help families.
- Videos highlighting the impact of child abuse and neglect reports.
- Knowledge checks that allow mandatory reporters to practice complex, real-life scenarios in a no-risk environment.
For the past two years, DCYF staff from across the agency have collaborated with:
- Medical professionals
- Public education
- Court and law enforcement professionals
- Tribal partners
- Parent representatives
- Lived experts
- The Alliance for Professional Development, Training, and Caregiver Excellence
Other collaborators have helped to shape this eLearning and inform changes made to the DCYF website and publications that focus on recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect.
DCYF hopes this training supports mandatory reporters to connect children and families with valuable community resources and preventing intake calls for issues that could be better addressed by ongoing community supports. Contact DCYF with any questions regarding this training.
Webinar: Tuesday, June 10, 2025, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team invites you to our monthly Fidelity Cadre learning community call.
Please join us for our monthly fidelity cadre learning community call. These calls are intended to leverage the experience and expertise of our housing provider network to problem-solve, collaborate, and brainstorm on topics related to housing.
Topics frequently discussed
- Intensive discussions on the dimensions of the Permanent Supportive Housing model
- Work groups addressing the future of fidelity reviews and training, such as:
- Contract language
- Public disclosure of fidelity review scores
- Opportunities for partnerships
- Provider training needs
This group is recommended for anyone who has been trained as a reviewer or lead reviewer (or who is interested in becoming such), and for anyone who would like to learn more about fidelity in the scope of FCS.
The Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Rutgers School for Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions is sponsoring this training
Webinar: Wednesday, June 11, 2025, from noon to 12:30 p.m.
Do you have clients who are being told to go on a diet or lose weight by their medical provider? Do any of your clients have weight loss goals as part of their recovery plan? Do you want to learn how to support clients of all body sizes without focusing on weight loss?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, this webinar is for you!
Join us for an important webinar facilitated by Crystal Socha. This session will define weight stigma, discuss its harmful impact, and explore how to adopt a more inclusive approach to health.
We’ll focus on the negative effects of weight-based advice, learn strategies for promoting health without emphasizing weight loss, and discuss tools for creating a supportive, weight-neutral environment. Don’t miss out on practical tools to combat weight stigma and promote well-being for clients of all body sizes.
Objectives
- Define weight stigma
- Identify and understand the impact of weight stigma
- Learn practical strategies for supporting individuals
- Explore ways to challenge and address weight bias
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with the Corporation for Supportive Housing is hosting the Washington Supportive Housing Institute meeting
Webinar: Thursday, June 12, 2025, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
The goal of the institute series is to build capacity of teams to develop, operate and form strong partnerships with other organizations to deliver new, high-quality supportive housing developments. Through this hands-on learning series, teams learn about the fundamentals of developing supportive housing in a collaborative setting. This gives the opportunity to learn from and connect to other providers.
Teams are made up of property developers, service providers, community members with lived experience, and property management. The teams will also share about their organizations and their plans for creating supportive housing in your communities.
Please join us to celebrate their hard work and to hear more about their future plans. Learn more about Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH).
Join passcode: 807166
Presented by The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) in partnership with Rutgers Department Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions
Webinar: Thursday, June 12, 2025, at 9 a.m.
This training is based on a curriculum developed by Dr. Janice Oursler, a professor and director of the master’s program in Rehabilitation Counseling at the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling of Rutgers University. Dr. Oursler developed this curriculum using the Direct Skills Teaching approach (skill definition, benefits, key behaviors and conditions to use) from Boston University.
This specific session is assisting job seekers in responding to feedback. This session will provide knowledge, skills, and strategies for teaching individuals in career services how to respond constructively to feedback from supervisors. This training will help participants understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Key targeted behaviors include identifying feedback occasions, clarifying feedback information, providing feedback on feedback, and following up on feedback.
Objectives
- Define the skill of responding to feedback
- Explore the benefits and scenarios of when to use the skill
- Apply skills and strategies on how to teach the skill behaviors
Webinar: Wednesday, June 18, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) and the Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team invite you to join us in our monthly series!
In place of the monthly New Provider Orientations with HCA and Wellpoint, the FCS Team will be offering an FCS 101 presentation. This standing training will still be offered every third Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This is an open and supportive space to get a basic introduction to all things FCS Supportive Housing and Supported Employment, and is a great place for new and prospective providers and FCS staff to ask questions and meet the FCS team as well as our WellPoint partner team members
We enthusiastically encourage you to attend if:
- You are new to providing FCS Supported Employment or Supportive Housing services
- You have recently hired new Supportive Housing or Supported Employment specialists, or have staff that would like a refresher on FCS and fidelity to best practices
- You would like an opportunity to connect with HCA’s FCS Team to ask questions about service provision, program implementation, etc.
Join via Teams:
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 272 319 396 721
Passcode: VE96aR9u
Presented by The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) in partnership with Rutgers Department Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions
Webinar (part one): Monday, June 23, 2025, at 10 a.m.
Webinar (part two): Monday, June 30, 2025, at 10 a.m.
Are your participant surveys truly capturing what matters most in supported employment and housing programs? Organizations that actively participate in feedback are consistently linked to higher service, stronger engagement and improved outcomes. Effective program evaluation starts with asking the right questions and using the responses to drive meaningful program change.
This two-part interactive series introduces foundational survey design alongside principles from implantation science to ensure feedback is meaningfully integrated into practice. Part one focuses on designing surveys aligned with best practices to asses the satisfaction and experiences of clients. Part two explores how to interpret results, engage teams and embed data use into ongoing quality improvement.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team is partnering with Advocates for Human Potential to bring you a new supported employment June training webinar. This reoccurring series includes three virtual 90-minute technical assistance calls.
Webinar: Tuesday, June 24, 2025, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
This webinar, Navigating the Role of a Supervisor, will cover the essential skills and strategies required for effective supervision. A supervisor not only manages daily operations but also plays a critical role in shaping team dynamics, fostering a productive environment, and ensuring employee development. Transitioning from being an employee to a supervisor requires adjustments in mindset and leadership approach. Supervisors must develop various competencies such as leadership, communication, conflict resolution, and time management.
The presentation focuses on key responsibilities, including motivating teams, resolving conflicts, managing performance, and ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards. Supervisors are also encouraged to continuously improve their skills and leadership styles to meet the evolving needs of their teams.
Through practical advice, real-world examples, and interactive activities, the session aims to equip participants with the tools they need to be confident and effective leaders
Objectives
- Understand the role and key responsibilities of a supervisor
- Recognize challenges in transitioning from employee to supervisor
- Motivate and engage employees effectively s to employment, with real-world examples from the FCS program
Webinar: Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 9 a.m.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team invites you to join our team for our quarterly documentation training.
This quarterly training is encouraged for those who are new to providing supportive housing and supported employment services. Training is also recommended for anyone interested in improving personal or agency documentation standards. This training will cover fidelity reviews and how to prepare and ensure agency readiness.
Objectives
- Understand “The Golden Thread” as the consistent and cohesive narrative that links an individual's assessment, treatment plan, and progress notes
- Learn how to keep interactions billable and how to document them as such.
- Discuss how comprehensive documentation enhances participant outcomes.
- Delve into the following elements of Supported Employment/Supportive Housing:
- Career profiles
- Job search and job support plans
- Disclosure forms
- Eligibility assessments and housing assessments
- Participant logs
- Housing and employment plans
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling are presenting the June supported employment monthly topical webinar.
Webinar: Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 1 p.m.
Strong SE service conceptualization and documentation does more than meet funding requirements, it acknowledges the strengths, goals, and growth of the job seekers you support. This interactive sessions is designed for supported employment and behavioral health professionals who want to align their documentation with IPS fidelity and state funding expectations, without sacrificing person-centered, strength based lens.
In this session, you’ll learn how to write documentation that supports billing and while emphasizing personal strengths, wellness, and employment success. Together, we’ll explore practical strategies, real-world examples, and provide handouts that make strengths-based documentation manageable and impactful.
Objectives:
- Describe how to meet IPS documentation and funding requirements while maintaining model fidelity
- Learn how to document IPS activities in ways that support both recovery and reimbursement
- Practice writing strengths-based notes that capture job seekers effort, progress, and employment goals
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling are presenting the June supported employment monthly topical webinar.
Webinar: Monday, June 30, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
This interactive webinar will explore the basics of job development, such as creating effective marketing materials, introducing your employment services in a professional and businesslike manner, and contacting potential employers. Attendees will have the opportunity to apply job development techniques in real-world scenarios.
Objectives
- Define job development and networking
- Describe the importance of introducing your employment services in a businesslike and professional manner
- Identify the elements of an elevator speech to use when introducing your employment services
- Apply job development techniques in real-world scenarios
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