teaming & transition
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TEAMING & TRANSITION SUPERVISOR GUIDE TO SUPPORTING & COACHING CHILD WELFARE PRACTICE
CHILD & FAMILY TEAM (CFT) MEETINGS
Promote the use of CFT meetings to ensure the family is part of the process at crucial decision-making points Ensure participation of the family and safety network in CFT meetings in referrals and cases Attend CFT meetings to model, observe and coach social worker practice Encourage staff to facilitate CFTs on their own referrals or cases Coach workers on their ability to engage all CFT participants and be transparent about agency worries Ensure CFT meetings explore how to maintain the child’s/youth’s connections to their culture Ensure CFTs occur to identify permanency options and that the voice of the child/youth is considered when making placement decisions Ensure that a plan for childcare is in place for CFTs, and help workers utilize the network to assist when childcare barriers occur Understand how to conduct safety mapping and model this behavior Train and coach staff to feel confident conducting mappings with families in the field Review genograms and eco-maps with workers to help identify potential safety network members Ensure workers conduct active family finding throughout the life of the case
TEAMING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Model teaming for your staff Help social workers determine which partners to collaborate with to better understand and meet the child/youth’s needs and wishes Explore the need for referrals to the Interagency Placement Committee with social workers in supervision Have workers utilize multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) at appropriate points in case decision-making and help prepare workers to present Ensure staff actively partner with tribes on ICWA referrals/cases and ensure their participation in CFTs Help social workers determine when appointing a CASA would be beneficial to the case Build relationships with after-school programs to support kids to remain in their school of origin Provide feedback on how staff can improve working relationships with partners during supervision Provide supervision and guidance to non-CWS staff who are co-located, ensuring support for their needs
Support workers to collaborate with law enforcement on planned operations when removing children to minimize trauma to children/youth and families Help manage workload to allow law enforcement liaisons time to build relationships and provide training Allow staff opportunities to do ride-alongs and shadowing with law enforcement Encourage staff to brief with law enforcement prior to meeting with a mutual client whenever possible Ensure mutual case plan goals on shared cases with Probation and CalWORKs Encourage teaming, communication and partnership with probation officers on referrals and cases where youth are involved with both CWS and juvenile probation Discuss with social workers how they can support delinquent youth to meet terms of probation Work toward efforts to improve court processes to ensure that they are supportive of mutual goals Resolve or elevate court system concerns brought to your attention PRACTICE ELEMENTS: TEAMING Work in partnership with families, communities, tribes and other professionals and service providers Rely on the strength and support that a family’s community, cultural, tribal and other natural relationships can provide to help the family meet their underlying needs. Facilitate partnerships with formal and informal networks to help the family build an ongoing circle of support. Build teams by demonstrating respect, following through, and talking about and agreeing on team roles and team dynamics. Facilitate dialogue with families and their teams to ensure that we understand their point of view. Collaborate with youth, young adults, families, and their teams in assessment, decision-making, and planning. Ensure that every assessment and decision is the product of the work of both the social worker and the family, and in many cases inclusive of the collaborative work within the child and family team. Work with youth, young adults, families, and their teams to develop and adapt service plans to help youth, young adults, and families overcome barriers and find services and supports that meet their needs.
Put into practice and model teaming with intra-agency partners such as Mental Health and Public Health Provide opportunities for staff to connect and build teams through monthly unit meetings and at all-staff meetings, agency retreats or other events
TEAMING PRACTICE BEHAVIORS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS Work with the family to build a supportive team Facilitate the team process and engage the team in planning and decision-making with and in support of the child, youth, young adult, and family.
TEAMING WITH RESOURCE FAMILIES
Ensure workers embrace resource families’ role in the child’s/youth’s well-being and include them as part of the decision-making team Ensure workers provide resource families with clear expectations about their role, supportive services and financial responsibilities Advocate for resource family training that includes applicable skills caregivers can use with children/youth Ensure that childcare is available to support kinship and resource families Ensure staff have time to attend events with resource families Encourage workers to develop positive communication and relationships with the placement unit Coordinate with staff to contact placement unit as soon as potential removal or change of placement is identified
Work with the team to address the evolving needs of the child, youth, young adult, and family. Work collaboratively with community partners to create better ways for children, youth, young adults, and families to access services.
TRANSITION PRACTICE BEHAVIORS Work with the family to prepare for change in advance and provide tools for managing placement changes, social worker changes, and other significant transitions.
VISITATION & PLACEMENT TRANSITIONS
Continuously discuss with workers the quality of visits and if the family is at the least restrictive visitation level given the current circumstances Help workers create structure for timely transition to less restrictive visitation plans Continuously review and assess for least restrictive level of placement for children and youth
SAFETY ORGANIZED PRACTICE TEAMING & TRANSITION TOOLS/STRATEGIES
Case Plans with Formal & Informal Supports Child & Family Team (CFT) Meetings Circles of Support/Safety Networks Consultation & Information-Sharing Framework Cultural Humility Ecomaps Genograms Safety Mapping Scaling Questions Solution-Focused Questions The Three Questions: what’s working well, what are we worried about, what needs to happen next? Trauma-Informed Practice
Coach workers to cultivate positive working relationships between the birth family and resource family to support positive transitions for children with visits and placement Ensure concurrent planning options are being supported/ nurtured (e.g., visitation/contact with relatives who are the concurrent placement option) Discuss with workers how to ensure smooth transitions for children who are changing placements, including “reverse” visits with the prior resource family Support workers when removing children from resource families or changing placements to minimize trauma to children/youth, families and resource families Ensure workers communicate transitions in placement timely to the child’s team, including mental health providers and minor’s attorney
CASE TRANSFERS
Ensure the social worker is capturing family history at referral/case transfer in client notebooks, genograms, court reports, contacts and transfer summary Ensure warm hand-offs with the family and complete documentation when transferring referrals/cases, ideally utilizing CFTs with both social workers present for case transfer If a CFT with both workers cannot happen, ensure a transfer staffing occurs to pass on knowledge about the child/youth, family, natural supports and case history Help staff communicate changes of social worker in referrals/cases to children/youth, families, resource families, service providers and attorneys Share supervision notes with the next supervisor upon case transfer Respond to other supervisors to provide information after case transfer
DEVELOPED BY THE CALIFORNIA CHILD WELFARE CORE PRACTICE MODEL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CIRCLE & NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TRAINING ACADEMY | 08/28/2017
TEAMING & TRANSITION SUPERVISOR GUIDE TO SUPPORTING & COACHING CHILD WELFARE PRACTICE
CHILD & FAMILY TEAM (CFT) MEETINGS
Promote the use of CFT meetings to ensure the family is part of the process at crucial decision-making points Ensure participation of the family and safety network in CFT meetings in referrals and cases Attend CFT meetings to model, observe and coach social worker practice Encourage staff to facilitate CFTs on their own referrals or cases Coach workers on their ability to engage all CFT participants and be transparent about agency worries Ensure CFT meetings explore how to maintain the child’s/youth’s connections to their culture Ensure CFTs occur to identify permanency options and that the voice of the child/youth is considered when making placement decisions Ensure that a plan for childcare is in place for CFTs, and help workers utilize the network to assist when childcare barriers occur Understand how to conduct safety mapping and model this behavior Train and coach staff to feel confident conducting mappings with families in the field Review genograms and eco-maps with workers to help identify potential safety network members Ensure workers conduct active family finding throughout the life of the case
TEAMING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Model teaming for your staff Help social workers determine which partners to collaborate with to better understand and meet the child/youth’s needs and wishes Explore the need for referrals to the Interagency Placement Committee with social workers in supervision Have workers utilize multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) at appropriate points in case decision-making and help prepare workers to present Ensure staff actively partner with tribes on ICWA referrals/cases and ensure their participation in CFTs Help social workers determine when appointing a CASA would be beneficial to the case Build relationships with after-school programs to support kids to remain in their school of origin Provide feedback on how staff can improve working relationships with partners during supervision Provide supervision and guidance to non-CWS staff who are co-located, ensuring support for their needs
Support workers to collaborate with law enforcement on planned operations when removing children to minimize trauma to children/youth and families Help manage workload to allow law enforcement liaisons time to build relationships and provide training Allow staff opportunities to do ride-alongs and shadowing with law enforcement Encourage staff to brief with law enforcement prior to meeting with a mutual client whenever possible Ensure mutual case plan goals on shared cases with Probation and CalWORKs Encourage teaming, communication and partnership with probation officers on referrals and cases where youth are involved with both CWS and juvenile probation Discuss with social workers how they can support delinquent youth to meet terms of probation Work toward efforts to improve court processes to ensure that they are supportive of mutual goals Resolve or elevate court system concerns brought to your attention PRACTICE ELEMENTS: TEAMING Work in partnership with families, communities, tribes and other professionals and service providers Rely on the strength and support that a family’s community, cultural, tribal and other natural relationships can provide to help the family meet their underlying needs. Facilitate partnerships with formal and informal networks to help the family build an ongoing circle of support. Build teams by demonstrating respect, following through, and talking about and agreeing on team roles and team dynamics. Facilitate dialogue with families and their teams to ensure that we understand their point of view. Collaborate with youth, young adults, families, and their teams in assessment, decision-making, and planning. Ensure that every assessment and decision is the product of the work of both the social worker and the family, and in many cases inclusive of the collaborative work within the child and family team. Work with youth, young adults, families, and their teams to develop and adapt service plans to help youth, young adults, and families overcome barriers and find services and supports that meet their needs.
Put into practice and model teaming with intra-agency partners such as Mental Health and Public Health Provide opportunities for staff to connect and build teams through monthly unit meetings and at all-staff meetings, agency retreats or other events
TEAMING PRACTICE BEHAVIORS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS Work with the family to build a supportive team Facilitate the team process and engage the team in planning and decision-making with and in support of the child, youth, young adult, and family.
TEAMING WITH RESOURCE FAMILIES
Ensure workers embrace resource families’ role in the child’s/youth’s well-being and include them as part of the decision-making team Ensure workers provide resource families with clear expectations about their role, supportive services and financial responsibilities Advocate for resource family training that includes applicable skills caregivers can use with children/youth Ensure that childcare is available to support kinship and resource families Ensure staff have time to attend events with resource families Encourage workers to develop positive communication and relationships with the placement unit Coordinate with staff to contact placement unit as soon as potential removal or change of placement is identified
Work with the team to address the evolving needs of the child, youth, young adult, and family. Work collaboratively with community partners to create better ways for children, youth, young adults, and families to access services.
TRANSITION PRACTICE BEHAVIORS Work with the family to prepare for change in advance and provide tools for managing placement changes, social worker changes, and other significant transitions.
VISITATION & PLACEMENT TRANSITIONS
Continuously discuss with workers the quality of visits and if the family is at the least restrictive visitation level given the current circumstances Help workers create structure for timely transition to less restrictive visitation plans Continuously review and assess for least restrictive level of placement for children and youth
SAFETY ORGANIZED PRACTICE TEAMING & TRANSITION TOOLS/STRATEGIES
Case Plans with Formal & Informal Supports Child & Family Team (CFT) Meetings Circles of Support/Safety Networks Consultation & Information-Sharing Framework Cultural Humility Ecomaps Genograms Safety Mapping Scaling Questions Solution-Focused Questions The Three Questions: what’s working well, what are we worried about, what needs to happen next? Trauma-Informed Practice
Coach workers to cultivate positive working relationships between the birth family and resource family to support positive transitions for children with visits and placement Ensure concurrent planning options are being supported/ nurtured (e.g., visitation/contact with relatives who are the concurrent placement option) Discuss with workers how to ensure smooth transitions for children who are changing placements, including “reverse” visits with the prior resource family Support workers when removing children from resource families or changing placements to minimize trauma to children/youth, families and resource families Ensure workers communicate transitions in placement timely to the child’s team, including mental health providers and minor’s attorney
CASE TRANSFERS
Ensure the social worker is capturing family history at referral/case transfer in client notebooks, genograms, court reports, contacts and transfer summary Ensure warm hand-offs with the family and complete documentation when transferring referrals/cases, ideally utilizing CFTs with both social workers present for case transfer If a CFT with both workers cannot happen, ensure a transfer staffing occurs to pass on knowledge about the child/youth, family, natural supports and case history Help staff communicate changes of social worker in referrals/cases to children/youth, families, resource families, service providers and attorneys Share supervision notes with the next supervisor upon case transfer Respond to other supervisors to provide information after case transfer
DEVELOPED BY THE CALIFORNIA CHILD WELFARE CORE PRACTICE MODEL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CIRCLE & NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TRAINING ACADEMY | 08/28/2017
