New Child Welfare Service Array Enhancing Systems Collaboration

ICN September 11 & 12, Experiences Across the Country and from Within Iowa National Trend is to Share Child Protection with the Community –It cannot be one agencies job to keep children safe—it must be a community endeavor –Sampling of the States with Shared Roles: Kansas Florida California Massachusetts Illinois Wisconsin New York Missouri More trained “eyes” in the home ensuring safety of children Enhances ability for a wider net of professionals to understand how to assess safety and risk—to understand the difference, to understand how to effectively develop in home safety plans and to recognize when children have to be removed

ICN September 11 & 12, Experiences Across the Country and from Within Iowa There are effective methods to set up the transition that will positively impact the results –All must understand that there are predictable tensions during early stages of ANY contract Fear and loss Role Confusion Tension About Recommendations –Resist the temptation if things don’t go smoothly (and they will not!) to Create Myths About “Good Old Days” –Have logical, rapid response and locally driven problem resolution processes in place –Ensure that resource families and other key partners understand the process shift Courts Attorneys Casa Law Enforcement

ICN September 11 & 12, Experiences Across the Country and from Within Iowa Need to Intentionally Create an Environment of Learning –There will be contractual/practice issues to resolve –THIS IS A GIVEN! –Each problem, each local and statewide resolution and each learning has to be shared across the state –Statewide Standards and Local Solutions to Problems Can Co-exist Examples from R&R Contract

ICN September 11 & 12, The apparent successful bidders are: Boys & Girls Home Mid Iowa LSI Families First LSI Four Oaks Tanager Place Mid Iowa Family Resources CFI First Resources CFI Mid Iowa CFI

ICN September 11 & 12, New Service Array The new service array is divided into two separate service packages: Safety Plan Services Family Safety, Risk and Permanency Services These services begin on October 1, 2007.

ICN September 11 & 12, Characteristics of The New Service Array Aligned with the Department’s Model of Child Welfare Practice and CFSR Encourage greater flexibility and innovation Designed to build on family strengths Enhance caregiver’s protective capacities Connect families to community resources and informal support systems More family-focused Use of evidence-based practices in service delivery.

ICN September 11 & 12, Change in Case Definition Current Definition: 1 Case = Each child receiving services Definition effective October 1, 2007: 1 Case = 1 Family Constellation

ICN September 11 & 12, New Definitions Case: For Safety Plan Services, case means: the child or children on whom the Department has initiated a child protective or CINA assessment; and any whole, half, or step siblings of that child or children who reside in the same household; and the parents, stepparents, adoptive parents or caretakers of the alleged abuse victims. Case: For Family Safety, Risk, and Permanency Services, case means: the child, or children, who are victims of abuse and meet the Department’s criteria for opening ongoing services, or a child or children who are subject to a court order based on child in need of assistance proceedings; and any whole, half, or step siblings of these children who reside in the same household at the time of service referral or move into the household during the service delivery period, or are in placement under the care and supervision of the Department; and the parents, stepparents, adoptive parents, or caretakers, such as relatives or significant others of the parents, of the above children.

ICN September 11 & 12, Population to be Served Children who need to be safely maintained within their families Children who are in out- of-home placement and the goal is reunification with their family or placement with a relative Children for whom the goal is to achieve or maintain alternative permanent family connections, including placement in an adoptive or guardianship arrangement or independent living

ICN September 11 & 12, Criteria for Family Safety, Risk and Permanency Services

ICN September 11 & 12, Family Functioning Assessment

ICN September 11 & 12, Examples of Service Activities and Supports Family functional assessment Visitation planning and supervision of visitation between parents and children and between siblings Crisis intervention responses Family functioning interventions Family reunification services and activities Concurrent and permanency planning service activities Safety checks and supervision service activities Household management assistance and instruction Transportation assistance Activities, or provision of funding, to help children and their family secure necessary concrete supports Individualized case-specific services

NEW SERVICE ARRAY WORKER PROCESS

ICN September 11 & 12,

Safety Constructs: Moving From Understanding to Practice

ICN September 11 & 12, Refining our approach Safety assessment and planning are already core functions of the work CPWs, SWCMs, and community professionals do. Our goal is to become even better – to clarify and make more consistent our practices around safety

ICN September 11 & 12, Not just a CPW thing. All of us are responsible for assessing and planning for safety. Safety assessment and planning occur throughout the life of a family’s case This ongoing assessment will be reflected in our documentation throughout the life of a case.

ICN September 11 & 12, Impact of good safety assessment Linked to placement decisions – and placement rates. Linked to reunification decisions – and reunification rates. Can be a matter of life or death for a child

ICN September 11 & 12, Safety versus Risk We have to be clear… safety is an immediate and impending threat which requires our immediate attention risk are those issues that may be contributing factors or underlying conditions that are responsible for the safety concerns

ICN September 11 & 12, What is the difference? SAFETY REFERS TO PRESENT OR IMPENDING DANGER FROM MALTREATMENT RISK REFERS TO THE PROBABILITY OR LIKELIHOOD THAT A CHILD WILL SUFFER MALTREATMENT IN THE FUTURE LACK OF SAFETY SIGNALS A NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION IDENTIFICATION OF RISKS HELP DETERMINE THE FOCUS OF THE CHANGE PROCESS AND ISSUES THAT WILL IMPACT SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTION

ICN September 11 & 12, DEFINITION OF SAFE CHILDREN ARE CONSIDERED SAFE WHEN: There are no present or impending dangers or When existing dangers are controlled by the caretaker’s protective capacities

ICN September 11 & 12, DEFINITION OF UNSAFE CHILDREN ARE CONSIDERED TO BE UNSAFE WHEN: They are vulnerable to present or impending danger and Caretaker is unable to assure the child is protected or Lacks the caretaker/protective capacities to do so

Definition of Conditionally Safe

One or more signs of present/impending danger identified. This situation is not expected to place the child in impending danger of maltreatment because protective capacities or lack of child vulnerability offset the threat of imminent danger to the child. One or more signs of present/impending danger identified. Child’s vulnerability and/or protective capacities don’t offset the impending danger of maltreatment. Controlling safety interventions have been initiated and based on these safety interventions, the child will remain in the home at this time.

ICN September 11 & 12, THREE BASIC CONSTRUCTS OF SAFETY THREATS OF MALTREATMENT VULNERABILITY PROTECTIVE CAPACITIES

ICN September 11 & 12, THREATS OF MALTREATMENT Situation ( e.g. Unsafe home, criminal activity) Behavior (e.g. Impulsive actions, assaults) Emotion (e.g. Immobilizing depression) Motive (e.g. Intention to hurt the child) Perception (e.g. Viewing child as a devil) Capacity (e.g. Physical disability)

ICN September 11 & 12, DEFINITION OF VULNERABLITY The degree in which a child cannot on his own, avoid, negate or minimize/modify the impact of present or impending danger.

ICN September 11 & 12, DEFINITION OF PROTECTIVE CAPACITIES Family strengths or resources that reduce, control and/or prevent threats of maltreatment from arising as well as factors and deficiencies that have a negative impact on child safety.

ICN September 11 & 12, SAFETY ASSESSMENT A decision-making and documentation process that evaluates safety threats, present danger, child vulnerability, and family protective capacities to determine the safety response. An on-going process, rather than a one- time event. It will occur at critical junctures throughout the course of DHS involvement.

ICN September 11 & 12, TIMES TO ASSESS FOR SAFETY Formal Safety assessments will be completed: Initial visit with the family Completion of the protective and family assessment Prior to initiation of unsupervised visitation Prior to family reunification Prior to case closure

ICN September 11 & 12, SAFETY DECISIONS SAFE UNSAFE CONDITIONALLY SAFE

ICN September 11 & 12, SAFETY PLAN A specific, formal, concrete strategy for controlling threats of maltreatment/harm or supplementing protective capacities. Employed immediately when a family’s protective capacities are insufficient to manage immediate threats of maltreatment/harm. Is designed to manage the foreseeable danger in the least restrictive manner to allow CPS intervention to proceed.

ICN September 11 & 12, STRATEGIES FOR ASSURING SAFETY CONTROL SUPPLEMENT AND REDUCING VULNERABILITY

ICN September 11 & 12, DIFFERENCE IN: SAFETY PLANCASE PLAN Purpose is to control immediate threats of harm Purpose to change behaviors and/or conditions. Limited to foreseeable danger threats Can address a wide range of family needs. Implemented immediately upon identifying foreseeable dangers Put in place after through assessment

ICN September 11 & 12, DIFFERENCE IN: SAFETY PLANCASE PLAN Activities are concentrated and intensive Activities can be spread out over time Must have immediate effect Has long term effects achieved over time Providers role and responsibilities are exact and focused on the threats Provider’s role and responsibilities vary according to client need.

MOVING FROM SAFETY TO RISK GOING FROM THE CONCRETE TO THE FEATHER BED

ICN September 11 & 12, WHAT IS RISK? Underlying Conditions – Those factors that are internal within the family constellation. Contributing Factors – Those factors that are putting external pressure on the family constellation.

ICN September 11 & 12, Why are we concerned about risk? Impacts the types of interventions that are most likely to be successful. Provides direction for the family in achieving the identified outcomes. An unattended risk MAY escalate into a safety threat.

ICN September 11 & 12, Identifying Risk Factors Underlying Conditions Domestic Violence Substance Abuse Mental Illness Physical Illness Unrealistic expectations Uncontrolled Anger Impulsiveness Contributing Factors Neighborhood Poverty Limited access to resources due to –Language barriers –Cultural barriers –Rural demographics No social supports Lack of transportation

ICN September 11 & 12, The Path of Underlying Conditions and Contributing Factors

ICN September 11 & 12, The Family Plan Identifies the safety threat to be ameliorated Identifies the behaviors or conditions based on the risk factors that need to be changed, controlled or supplemented in order to ameliorate the safety threat Documents specific behaviors that the plan benchmarks for changes.

ICN September 11 & 12, Putting it all together Safety Risk Family Plan Underlying conditions and contributing factors

ICN September 11 & 12,

ICN September 11 & 12, Writing the Family Plan Understanding safety and risk provides the basis for developing the overall Family Plan goals. Family Plan goals are behaviorally specific based on the safety and risk factors.

No matter what your job function in CPS, there is nothing more important than understanding the differences between conditions in a family that create risk of maltreatment and conditions that create threats to child safety.

Communication Between DHS and Service Contractors

ICN September 11 & 12,

ICN September 11 & 12, DHS staff completes the electronic question form (SP, FSR&P Questions) DHS staff sends form to Service Area (SA) screener SA screener reviews the question and submits to Central Point at Central Point receives question and submits for response Approved response posted to website Safety Plan Services (SP) and Family Safety, Risk, and Permanency Services (FSR&P) Question/Response Process The responses to the questions will be posted to the website on Mondays and

ICN September 11 & 12, Non-DHS staff completes the electronic question form (SP, FSR&P Questions) Non-DHS staff sends form to Mindy Norwood at Mindy Norwood receives question and submits for response Approved response posted to website Safety Plan Services (SP) and Family Safety, Risk, and Permanency Services (FSR&P) Question/Response Process The responses to the questions will be posted to the website on Mondays and

Decision-Making Process for Current Ongoing Cases

ICN September 11 & 12, What’s Left to Get Ready for October 1, 2007 Review current cases to determine direction and family constellation; Update current cases in all systems; Learn the new service array expectations; Adapt to our new role in service delivery; Become familiar with new computer screens and payment processes

ICN September 11 & 12,

ICN September 11 & 12, FAMILY SAFETY, RISK AND PERMANENCY SERVICES Current Case Transfer Packet Contents For current DHS cases being referred to the Family Safety, Risk, Permanency contractor, the following items shall be included in the referral packet to the new contractor: 3055, including specific behavioral expectations Current Case Plan Summary of treatment services of relevant family members, including substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health. Do not release third- party reports and documents. Court Orders that best explain the court’s current expectations. Safety Plan, if there is a current Safety Plan distinct from the family’s case plan. RELL screen: Ensure the RELL screen is up to date & includes all family and household members.

ICN September 11 & 12, New Cases Transfer Packet Contents 3055 Authorizing Services CPW Assessment Family Functioning Assessment Safety Plan (if applicable) Case Manager Contact Information Family Team Meeting Facilitator Contact Information FAMILY SAFETY, RISK AND PERMANENCY SERVICES

“Changing the system means giving up the way things have always been done that are no longer working.” William Glasser