Transcript No Slide Title

“Promoting Placement Stability
through Caseworker/Child Visits”
Presented by
1
Learning Objectives
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Recognize the relationship between
caseworker/child visits and placement stability
and permanency.
List the laws and policies related to worker/child
visits.
Explain the impact of foster care placement on
attachment.
Explain the three elements of an empowering
approach to child welfare practice to achieve
placement stability and permanency.
Describe three interpersonal helping skills.
Explain three elements of assessment.
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Learning Objectives

Explain the difference between open and close-ended
questions.
 Describe how encouraging, paraphrasing, and
summarizing skills can promote effective helping
relationships.
 Define the three areas of assessment; safety, well being
and permanency for caseworker/child visits.
 Describe the four steps of a caseworker/child, youth and
foster family visit.
 Name how and where to document a visit.
 Demonstrate planning for a caseworker/child, youth and
foster family visit.
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MODULE ONE
Setting the Stage – Reviewing the Current
Federal and State Welfare Mandates
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Introductions
 Meet
people you do not know.
 Each participant should share one
strength they have when conducting
worker/child visits, and
 One challenge they face when they
conduct these visits.
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Major ASFA themes
The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA)
was designed to promote safety, well-being
and permanency.
ASFA also identified circumstances under
which reasonable efforts to reunify are not
required and shortened the timeframe for
initiating proceedings for the termination of
parental rights.
In addition, ASFA provided incentive payments
to states to encourage adoption of children
out of foster care. (U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, 2003).
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Child and Family Services
Improvement Act 2006
 States
must have standards for the
content and frequency of caseworker visits
for children in foster care.
 Minimum standards are:
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Monthly contact
Well-planned and focused on safety,
permanency and well-being
Majority of visits occur in the home where the
child resides
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Goals of ASFA and Child Welfare
Safety
Permanency
Well-Being
How
do you think worker/child
visits helps us reach our goals
and outcomes?
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Relationship of Caseworker Visits with
Children and Other Outcomes in First
Round of CFSR
A “strength” rating
for Item 19
(caseworker visits
with child) was
significantly
associated with
“substantially
achieved” ratings
for 5 of the 7
outcomes.
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Safety Perm Perm
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National Resource Center for
Family Centered Practice and
Permanency
Planning
Item
19 "Strength"
Well Well
Being Being
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3
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Item 19 "ANI"
Relationship between Caseworker Visits
with Children and Other Indicator Ratings
in First Round of CFSR
Significant
relationships were
found between
caseworker visits
with children
and . . .
Providing services to protect
children in the home and prevent
removal
Managing the risk of harm to
children
Establishing permanency goals
Achieving reunification,
guardianship and permanent
placement with relatives
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Relationship between Caseworker Visits
with Children and Other Indicator Ratings
in First Round of CFSR
Significant
relationships were
also found between
caseworker visits
with children
and . . .
Achieving goal of other planned
living arrangement
Placement with siblings
Preserving children’s
connections while in foster care
Maintaining the child’s
relationship with parents
Assessing needs and providing
services to children and families11
Relationship between Caseworker Visits
with Children and Other Indicator Ratings
in First Round of CFSR
Finally, significant
relationships were
also found between
caseworker visits
with children
and . . .
Involving children and parents
in case planning
Caseworker visits with parents
Meeting the educational
needs of children
Meeting the physical health
needs of children
Meeting the mental health
needs of children
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State’s CFSR data of 2007
Insert your agency’s data
Typical Frequency of Caseworker
Visits with In-Home Services
Cases
Child Foster Care
Cases
Visits with In-Home
Services Cases
(Number and Percent)
(Number and Percent)
(Number and Percent)
Visits occurred on at least a weekly basis
Visits occurred less than weekly, but at
least twice a month
Visits occurred less than twice a month,
but at least once a month
Visits occurred less frequently than once
a month
Visits never occurred
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Contact Standards for
Monitoring the Child in Care
Insert your agency’s standards
or policies
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The Circle of Attachment
Child feels
discomfort
Child expresses
discomfort
Child feels
comfortable
Parent
comforts child
(need is met)
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Attachment and Bonds
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Secure attachment: an exclusive attachment made between children
and their contingent, sensitive caregivers, who provide nurture,
comfort, buffering, shared exploration, and help. Parents represent a
secure base for exploration.
Examples of secure attachment from a child’s point of view are:
• My parents come back. They are reliable.
• I can depend on my parents and people whom they entrust to educate and
spend time with me.
• I want to please my parents most of the time.
• I am rewarded for being competent, for my curiosity, and for my positive
states.
• I can get help with psychologically overwhelming events and feelings.
• Parents teach me how to cope with problems and to solve them.
• Intimacy is enjoyable.
Bonds: Close relationships which tend to be formed with teachers,
friends, and others who have shared experiences and emotions.
(Gray, 2007)
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Ways to Encourage Attachment
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Responding to Arousal/Relaxation Cycle
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Initiating Positive Interaction
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Using child’s tantrum to encourage attachment
Responding to child when he is physically ill
Helping child express and cope with feelings
Share child’s excitement about her achievement
Making affectionate overtures; hugs, kisses, physical closeness
Reading and playing games with the child
Helping child with homework
Going to fun events together
Saying, “I love you”
Teaching the child about extended family and culture
Claiming Behaviors
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Encouraging the child to call parents “mom” and “dad”
Hanging pictures of child in the house
Including child in family rituals
Buying clothes
Involving in religious or rite of passage events
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My Name is Jennifer
 Meeting
a child’s attachment needs.
 Review worksheet with statements by
Jennifer.
 In your teams determine
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What does Jennifer’s statement indicate
she felt about her attachments?
What could be done to help her be more
securely attached?
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Module Two
An Empowering Approach to
Child Welfare Practice
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The Evolving Service Plan Agreement
Type of Agreement
Dialogue
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Relationship Agreement;
Conducting Strengths Based Assessments;
Agreement to form a working relationship and
define direction;
Agreement to explore the situation, assess
strengths/needs, and resources available.
Discovery
Agreement for Change – Develop Service
Plan;
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Agreement on service plan.
Development
Agreement to conclude the worker-client
relationship as plan has been achieved.
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Interpersonal Building Blocks of
Caseworker/Client Relationship
Genuineness:
Being real, being yourself;
verbal and non-verbal behaviors match; being
spontaneous and non-defensive.
Empathy:
Communicating understanding;
connecting with feelings; recognizing non-verbal
cues; discussing what is important to the client;
showing a desire to understand their feelings.
Respect:
Showing commitment; communicating
warmth and suspending critical judgment;
applauding the client’s resiliency.
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Working with Different Ages
Think about a child
who is of the age
as the picture on
your table
How can you
demonstrate
genuineness,
empathy and
respect in your
work with him/her.
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Elements of Assessment
Information Gathering:
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The element of assessment
considers
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underlying conditions
contributing factors
that influence an individual’s
strengths and needs
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Elements of Assessment
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Analysis:
Review of underlying
conditions and
contributing factors
These two elements influence an
individual’s strengths and
needs and impact upon the
strategy or intervention
chosen.
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Elements of Assessment
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Decision Making:
The strategy is
dependent upon
ascertaining what needs
are being met by the
present state of
functioning
the individual’s view and
feelings of her/his
issue or situation.
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Module Three
Developmental Approach to Assessing
Safety, Permanency and Well Being
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Developmental Milestones
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Infants
Toddlers
Pre-School
School-Age
Early Adolescence
Middle Adolescence
Late Adolescence
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Child Development - Infancy
Trust vs. Mistrust Stage
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Do not understand change
Attachment is critical
Communication limited
Interferes with development
Adults must cope for child
Separation is immediate and
permanent
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Child Development - Toddler
Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt
Stage
Regression and Fear
 They control the world
 Forms attachments to others
 Adults must cope for the child
 May see foster care as punishment
 Must be helped to learn new home
 Days = permanency
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Child Development - Preschooler
Identity and Power Stage
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Magical thinking
Does not understand cause
and effect
Forms attachments to adults
and other children
Needs help coping
Self blame – Acting Out Fears
Weeks = permanency
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Child Development – School Age
Industry versus
Inferiority Stage
A concrete world
 Months are permanent
 Self esteem tied to
family
 Foster child is “different”
 Compare parents
 Friends are important
 Perception may be
distorted
 Needs to know “rules”
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Child Development - Adolescent
Identity versus Role
Confusion Stage
Adult understanding
 Decision making
 Adults as role models
 Emotional and body changes
 Moral development
 Future, emancipation
 Ambivalence about family
 Help with conflicts
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Less “USEFUL” QUESTIONS
• Begin with “Why?”
implies blame; presumes insight
into problem
• Can be answered “yes” or “no” -because then it’s your turn again already
• End with a tag like “don’t you?” or “right?”
“You want to be sober, don’t you?”
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THE MOST
“USEFUL” QUESTIONS
• Use “WHEN…” rather than “IF…”
• Ask OPEN-ENDED Questions
YES or NO
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CONSIDER USING
OPEN-ENDED LEADS…
“Tell me more about…”
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Let’s focus on solutions:
Asking “HOW” questions.
Examples:
• “How can you tell? How do you know this?”
• “How did you do it before… ?”
• “How would that be for you/ your children…?”
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TRY ASKING
“W”
QUESTIONS
Begin with “Wh…”
What? Who? When? Where?
(but not Why?)
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Strategy: Coping Questions
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Ask questions in a way
that demonstrates
empathy and
compassion.
Acknowledge your
understanding of the
pain, fear or frustration
that the family member
may be experiencing.
It also helps point out that
they are, in fact, doing the
best job they can, given
the circumstances
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Strategy: Exception-Seeking
Questions
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Elicit information that
addresses how a problematic
situation might have been
different.
 These questions allow the
receiver to talk about their
successes (strengths).
 Exceptions are the building
blocks of success.
 They shrink the problem.
Exceptions focus on the
possibilities.
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Strategy: Scaling Questions
•
Assessment tool
•
Helps assess the issue in a
concrete way
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Leads to solutions -- planning the
next steps, one step at a time
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Strategy: The Miracle Question
•
Help them remember
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What would it look like, be like,
feel like?
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They need to see it
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Once they see the vision they
can go there
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Interview
 Watch
the demonstration
 Answer these questions
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What questions and strategies were used?
What are the strengths on this interviewer?
What did the interviewer do for each type of
agreement:
• Dialogue
• Discover
• Development
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Use Worksheet
Be prepared to provide feedback in your role as
a supervisor as to strengths and improvements.
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Interviewing Children
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Each table has one developmental age group
assigned to the group.
 Review the Interview Checklist for that age
group.
 Assume that Jennifer is the age that your group
is assigned.
 Given her age what questions or activities would
you do in the “Discovery” phase? Assessment:
Information gathering, analysis, decision
making. Include questions you would have for
her caregiver.
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Other Factors that Impact Children
 What
things must a worker consider
besides the child’s developmental age
when planning to conduct an interview
with the child?
 What makes this child unique?
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Age
Other?
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Children’s Reaction to Grief and
Loss
 Separation
is always traumatic
 Child’s reaction will vary according to her
current attachments
 Uncertainty hampers a child’s ability to
cope
 Children who are in trauma stop or regress
on their developmental tasks
 There are no set patterns of reactions
 Yearning is a dominate characteristic
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Shock and Denial
 Child
seems indifferent or in shell shock
 May not show emotions or appear to be
emotionally unattached
 May try to please the adults – honeymoon
period
 Is in denial – mom will come and get me
 Be careful not to misinterpret the child’s
initial response to placement
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Anger or Protest
 Loss
can no longer be denied
 First emotional response occurs
 Anger may be directionless or directed at
the person the child believes is
responsible
 Guilt and blame – child may blame himself
 May hurt self, others, property
 Oppositional behaviors
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Bargaining
 Trying
to regain control of their life
 Promises to be better if…
 Bargaining with person in power
 Eager to please
 Try to undue what the child believes
caused the abuse or placement
 Trying to prevent final loss
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Depression
 Expression
of despair and futility
 Fear, panic and hopelessness
 Touchy and out of sorts
 Listless, without energy
 Regression in behaviors and skills
 Emotional or physical symptoms
 Even young child think of suicide or try to
harm themselves
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Resolution
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Child believes the loss is final
Younger children may believe other family is
dead
Child tries to attach to caregiving family
Child may feel loyalty bonds
Child behaviors become normal
If child detaches from birth family and
reunification is still the plan Resolution can be a
problem
The younger the child the quicker this stage is
usually reached.
All time lines MUST be on the child’s
developmental clock.
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Jennifer
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Case plan for Jennifer – She is now living in a
foster home.
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Jennifer will attain passing grades in all school
subjects for the semester.
Jennifer will participate in agency independent living
program to improve her life skills e.g., money
management, interpersonal skills and daily living
skills.
Jennifer will continue to participate in family
counseling sessions to help her adjust to her new
home and address her personal emotional needs.
Jennifer will participate in play therapy to help her
handle her grief and loss issues.
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Exercise
Decide what is Jennifer’s cultural background.
 Determine what age you want Jennifer to be – at
an age she is able to be interviewed.
 Chose one of the case goal to be the focus of the
interview. Chose one that would be appropriate
for the age of your Jennifer.
 Develop your list of questions (Use checklist,
child development information, impact of grief
and loss, and interviewing strategies).
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Practice your Interview
 Using
the list of questions you developed
as a group you will practice interviewing
Jennifer/Jeff.
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Jennifer/Jeff – Act that age but do not overact
Caseworker – Use the questions your team
developed to talk to the child/youth about one
case goal.
Supervisor – Observe the interview
• Use the observation worksheet (page 30) to take
notes
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Interview Feedback
 Caseworker
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–
What did you do well
One thing you might improve
 Child/Youth
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One thing the worker did that helped you feel
safe or cared about
What did it feel like to be interviewed
 Supervisor
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Provide feedback as if you were a supervisor
Give a strengths based observation
Give one idea on how to improve
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Module Four
Planning for the Visit with the Child, Youth
and their Foster Family
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The Four Step Planning Process
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Step One:
Preparation
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Step Two:
Exploration
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Step Three:
Direction
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Step Four:
Wrapping Up
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Step One:
Preparation
 Schedule
visits with the child/youth and
their foster family in advance.
 Review the case, including the service
plan and documentation of the last visit.
 Review the child’s assessment/evaluation
 Identify your areas of concern/barriers to
progress.
 Prepare an agenda.
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Step Two:
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Exploration
Caseworker, child/youth, and caregiver focus
and discuss immediate needs and concerns.
Review the agenda to establish the purpose or
the meeting; make any changes or additions.
Confirm the time frame for the visit.
Caseworker reviews all progress and any
challenges since last visit.
Caseworker reviews the content of visit with the
focus on assessing safety, well being and
permanency.
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Step Three:
Direction
 Caseworker
uses a series of
developmentally appropriate
questions to assess child’s or
youth’s well being and safety.
 Use the service plan as a basis
for the case discussions.
Some of this
step of the visit
must be done in
private with
ONLY the
caseworker and
that child.
• Discuss the foster family's strengths
and needs related to the child.
• Identify supports/services needed to
help foster family to meet needs.
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Step Four:
Wrapping Up

Caseworker reviews the information discussed
with child/youth and caregiver.
 Caseworker summarizes the strengths and
challenges towards achieving the goals
addressed in the service plan agreement and
any new strategies discussed during the visit.
 A “to do list” of things to follow-up on is created.
 Caseworker makes specific arrangement for the
next visit.
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Jennifer
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What happened in the last visit (practice
interview earlier today) that must be followed up
on this visit?
Read the update on what has occurred with
Jennifer.
Complete a plan/agenda for what you will do on
your next visit with Jennifer.
Review the steps. Be sure to be ready for step of
the visit.
Remember to include all the different factors we
discussed.
List what questions or strategies you plan to use.
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Documenting the Visit
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Date:
Type of Contact:
 Where it occurred (if not in the least restrictive
setting explain):
 Who was there:
 Who conducted the visit:
 Did some of the interview occurred in private?
How? If not, why?:
 Summary of information – What happened
(purpose):
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Child’s Developmental Progress
Child’s Involvement in Case Planning
Safety, Well-being or Permanency Issues
Be very clear
in you
documentation
as to what part
of the visit
occurred in
private.
Any concerns or red flags that need follow up
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Closing
 Please
complete both the evaluation.
 Further resources in your binder
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Books
Websites
Interviewing tools
 Thank
you for your dedication to this work.
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NRCFCPPP Can Provide Assistance:
Training, by top consultants
Technical Assistance with collaboration from
other NRCs
Information Dissemination, print, web, Free
Information on our Website;
Teleconferences, Webcasts, Curriculums in
English and Spanish; Tools/Guidelines,
Powerpoints
www.nrcfcppp.org
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