Section I: Introductions and Workshop Overview

700: Charting the Course Towards Permanency for Children in Pennsylvania: An Administrator’s Overview

Section I: Introductions and Workshop Overview • Introductions • Agenda • Learning Objectives • Competencies • Parallel Process

Agenda for Four-Day Training • Day 1 • Introductions and Overview • Review of Module 1: Introduction to PA Child Welfare System • Review of Module 2: Identifying Child Abuse & Neglect • Review of Module 3: Using Interactional Helping Skills to Achieve Lasting Change

Agenda for Four-Day Training continued • Day 2 • Review of Module 4: In-Home Safety Assessment • Review of Module 5: Risk Assessment • Review of Module 6: Case Planning with Families • Review of Module 7: The Court Process • Day 3 • Review of Module 7: The Court Process • Review of Module 8: Assessing Safety in Out-of-Home Care • Review of Module 9: Out-of-Home Placement and Permanency

Agenda for Four-Day Training continued • Day 4 • Review of Module 9: Out-of-Home Placement and Permanency • Review of Module 10: Making Permanent Connections: Outcomes for Professional Development • Partnerships • Closing and Evaluation

Learning Objectives Participants will be able to: • Recognize the relevant federal, state, and local agency statutes, rules, policies, procedures and best practice standards related to case planning. • Recognize the steps of the casework process, from intake to case closure and the best practice standards associated with each step.

Learning Objectives (cont’d) • As administrators, recognize how use of best practice standards in child welfare practice can contribute to the use of strengths-based and solution-focused casework for the children and families in Pennsylvania.

Competencies The administrator: • 503-1: Knows the structure, function and operations of different types of work groups and knows how to determine which type of group is needed to best achieve the desired outcome. • 531-3: Knows and can apply the steps common to any planning process, including gathering and analyzing information, defining the problem(s) or opportunity(ies), determine goals and objectives, evaluating available resources, identifying action steps, managing implementation of the plan and evaluating success.

Competencies (cont’d) The administrator: • 533-7: Knows strategies to reduce organizational barriers to staff performance, including accessing needed resources, changing policies or procedures, modifying unrealistic job expectations and advocating with upper level management for changes in problematic organizational structures.

Parallel Process • The way in which the process on one level • (such as administrator-supervisor) • mirrors the way in which the process occurs on another level • (such as supervisor-worker and worker-family).

SECTION II: Review of Module 1: Introduction to Pennsylvania’s Child Welfare System • Introduction to Charting the Course • Introduction to Pennsylvania’s Child Welfare Practice: • Mission of Child Welfare • Pennsylvania’s Child Welfare Practice Model • Overview of Laws, Bulletins and other Legal Guidelines

The Mission of Child Welfare In keeping with the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) and the recommendations of the Child and Family Services Review, Pennsylvania encapsulates its mission for child welfare in the following: • To provide safety for children; • To assure permanency in a family setting; and • To assure the well-being of children.

Historical Outcomes of Good Intentions “I would give a hundred worldslike this”, wrote one child fromher new comfortable home, “ifI could see my mother”. • Orphan Trains from 1854 to 1929, carried up to 200,000 children away from their parents and families. • From 1870 to 1920’s over 100,000 Native American Children were forced by the U.S. Government into Christian Boarding Schools.

Historical Outcomes of Good Intentions (cont’d) • In the 1970’s, 20 to 25% of Native American children removed from their homes were placed in non-Native American homes. • In Minnesota, one of every four Native American children under age one was removed from home and adopted by a non-Native American couple.” • African American and Native American children represented 8% of the population, yet they represented “50% of the children in long-term foster care.” (2004) • African American children are more likely: • To come into contact with the system, • To be placed in out of home care, and • To have longer stays in out of home care than Caucasian children.

Comparison of Approaches 1. Diagnose the problem. 2. Gather all available information in order to classify the client. 3. The professional is the expert. 4. Identify the web of causality that is supporting the client problem. 5. The professional develops a service plan that the client is expected to follow in order to achieve the case goals. 6. The plan is expected to be implemented in a logical,

SECTION III: Review of Module 2: Identifying Child Abuse and Neglect • Casework Practice: Navigational Guide and the Six Domains • Overview of Screening Process • Child Abuse: • Non-Accidental Serious Physical Injury • Child Sexual Abuse • Imminent Risk • Non-Accidental Serious Mental Injury • Serious Physical Neglect • Student Abuse • General Protective Services

Information Gathering: Six Domains • What is the extent of the maltreatment? • What surrounding circumstances accompany the maltreatment? • How do the children function, including their condition? • How does the adult function in respect to daily life management and general adaptation including mental health and substance use? • What are the disciplinary approaches used by the parent? • What are the overall, typical pervasive parenting practices used by the parent?

Categories of Child Abuse • Recent Non-accidental Serious Physical Injury; • Non-accidental Serious Mental Injury or Sexual Abuse or Sexual Exploitation; • Recent Imminent Risk of Serious Physical Injury or Sexual Abuse or Sexual Exploitation; and • Serious Physical Neglect

General Protective Services • Services to prevent the potential for harm to a child. • Potential for harm: likely, if permitted to continue, to have a detrimental effect on the child’s health, development or functioning. • Services to ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of a child. • Services provided by each county for non-abuse cases.

SECTION IV: Review of Module 3: Using Interactional Helping Skills to Achieve Lasting Change • Introduction to the Interactional Helping Skills Model • Strength-Based, Solution-Focused Questions • Using Interactional Skills in Individual Interviews • Stages of Change

Interactional Helping Skills • Tuning into Self and Others • Clarifying Purpose, Function and Role • Dealing with Issues of Authority • Reaching for Feedback • Questioning • Reaching Inside of Silences • Communicating Information • Summarizing and Identifying Next Steps

Strengths-Based, Solution-Focused Questions Past Success Exception Scaling The Miracle Follow-Up Coping Indirect

SECTION V: Review of Module 4: In-Home Safety Assessment and Management Process • Safety-Risk Continuum • Six Assessment Domains • Interval Policy • Structured Case Note Guidelines • Present Danger vs. Impending Danger • Safety Threshold • PA Safety Threats • Protective Capacities • Safety Plans

In-Home Safety Assessment • Consider all children in the home • Identify safety threats and protective capacities • Perform a safety analysis • Determine if the child(ren) is/are safe, safe with a comprehensive safety plan or unsafe • Develop a safety plan, if necessary • Remove the children, if necessary, based on planning with family • Engagement is key to the process

SECTION VI: Review of Module 5: Risk Assessment • What Risk Assessment Can and Cannot Do • Pennsylvania Risk Assessment Form and Continuum • Understanding and Rating the Risk Factors • Completing and Documenting an Assessment of Risk • Case Transfer

Risk Assessment • Consider all the child, adult and environmental factors • Remember to engage the family surrounding information gathering • Delineate whether it is a future risk of harm or safety threat • Provide written rationale for moderate or high risk ratings

SECTION VII: Review of Module 6: Case Planning with Families • Regulations Related to Family Service Planning • ICWA Screening • Family Service Plan Definitions • Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) • Service Provider Selection and Referral Information • Family Service Plan Review Requirements

Family Service Plan Definitions • Goals • Represent overall desired outcome • Objectives • More specific than goals • Describe in measurable terms the change desired • Tasks • Step-by-step implementation plan: who, when, how

SECTION VIII: Review of Module 7: The Court Process • Child Welfare Practice and PA’s Judicial System • Hearing and Appeal Process • Legal Authority and Decision-making in Dependency Court • Court Participants • Courtroom Preparation

Child Welfare Practice and Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System

Child Welfare Practice and Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System (cont’d) For more information, go to: www.pacourts.us “For the Public” Pennsylvania Courts: A Video Introduction.

Child Welfare Practice Administrative Hearing and Appeal Process • SUPREME COURT • Appeals from Commonwealth and Superior Courts • COMMONWEALTH COURT • Appeals from Bureau of Hearings • DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE • Bureau of Hearings and Appeals – Appeals of: • Determination of Abuse • Decisions regarding service provision • DPW decisions to expunge records “”

Legal Authority and Decision-Making Process in Dependency Court • Legal authority or grounds for court intervention; • Outcome of the Safety Intervention Analysis; • Reasonable Efforts to prevent placement; and • Principles of Documentation.

Protective Custody • Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) • As provided by Juvenile Act; or • By physician examining/treating child: • if protective custody is immediately necessary to protect the child; • limited to 24 hours, after which a court order is needed; • must provide immediate oral notice to the parent/guardian and to CYS; and • must provide written notice to parent, guardian within 24 hours.

SECTION IX: Synopsis of Module 8: Assessing Safety in Out-of-Home Care • Defining Out-of-Home Care • Safety in Out-of-Home Care; five characteristics • Assessing Safety in Out-of-Home Care • Choosing an Appropriate Placement Setting • Children in Foster Care Act Requirements • Present Danger • Indicators of Safety in Out-of-Home Care • Intervals • Alert Process • Quality Visitation

Out-of-Home Care • 24-hour care and supervision of a child outside of the home from which the child was removed; ‘out-of-home’ care includes both informal and formal care arrangements.

Formal Care • Required in situations in which the County Children and Youth Agency has legal and physical custody of the child and places the child in an emergency caregiver’s home that has temporary approval from a State-licensed foster care agency, or in a resource home fully approved by a State-licensed foster care or adoption agency.

Informal Care • Situations in which a child who is not in County Children and Youth Agency custody goes to live with an alternate caregiver on a temporary basis when Safety Threats are present and the child is unable to continue residing with the caregiver(s) of origin.

Informal Care, continued • These arrangements include those • 1) made by parents/guardians prior to County Children and Youth Agency involvement or • 2) agreed upon jointly between the parents/guardians and the County Children and Youth Agency when the situation occurs during the course of County Children and Youth Agency involvement.

Safety in Out-of-Home Care • A family and home situation where there is an absence of perceived or actual threats, a refuge exists and is experienced, family members have perceptions and feelings of security and there is confidence in consistency.

Characteristics of Safety & Safe Environment • An absence of or control of threats of severe harm • Presence of caregiver Protective Capacities • A safe home is experienced as a refuge • Perceived and felt security • Confidence in consistency

Information Explored to Identify Characteristics of Safety & A Safe Environment • How the children are behaving in the home • How caregivers are performing • How the family is operating • The caregiver(s)’ capacity to sustain continued safety • How community connections sustain continued safety

Principles for Choosing an Appropriate Placement Setting • If non-custodial parent can provide a safe home, placement is not necessary. • Consider Kinship Care as a 1st option. • Include the family in the selection of the placement setting and in pre-placement visits.

Principles for Choosing an Appropriate Placement Setting, cont’d • Place the child(ren) in a home/facility where they can continue to attend the same school. • Carefully assess the child’s needs prior to choosing the placement. • Select the substitute caregiver based upon their capability to meet the child's special needs.

Placement Considerations in Pennsylvania Policy • Registry • Relatives/Kin • Least Restrictive • Education Considered

Present Danger in Out-of-Home Care • Out-of-home caregiver(s) or others in the home are acting violently or out of control. • Out-of-home caregiver(s) describes or acts toward the child in predominantly negative terms or has extremely unrealistic expectations. • The out-of-home caregiver(s) communicates or behaves in ways that suggest that they may fail to protect child(ren) from serious harm or threatened harm by other family members, other household members, or others having regular access to the child(ren).

Present Danger in Out-of-Home Care, cont. • The out-of-home caregiver(s)/family refuses access to the child, or there is reason to believe that the family is about to flee. • Out-of-home caregiver(s) is unwilling or unable to meet the child’s immediate needs for food, clothing, or shelter. • Out-of-home caregiver(s) is unwilling or unable to meet medical needs including their own, other placed children, or children to be placed. • Out-of-home caregiver(s) has not, will not, or is unable to provide supervision necessary to protect child from potentially serious harm.

Present Danger in Out-of-Home Care, cont. • Child is unusually fearful/anxious of home situation. • Out-of-home caregiver(s) has previously maltreated a child, and the severity of the maltreatment or the caregiver’s response to the previous incident(s) suggests that safety may be an immediate concern. • The physical living conditions are hazardous and immediately threatening. • The out-of-home caregiver(s)’ drug or alcohol use seriously affects his/her ability to supervise, protect, or care for the child.

Present Danger in Out-of-Home Care, cont. • Out-of-home caregiver(s)’ emotional instability or developmental delay affects ability to currently supervise, protect, or care for the child. • Domestic violence exists in the home and poses a risk of serious physical and/or emotional harm to the child(ren). • Child has exceptional needs or behavior which the out-of-home caregiver(s) cannot/will not meet or manage.

Present Danger in Out-of-Home Care, cont. • Child is seen by either out-of-home caregiver as responsible for the child’s caregiver(s) of origin’s problems, or for problems that the out-of-home caregiver(s) is experiencing or may experience. • One or both of the out-of-home caregiver(s) are sympathetic toward the child’s caregiver(s) of origin, justify the caregiver(s) of origin’s behavior, believe the caregiver(s) of origin rather than the CCYA, and/or are supportive of the child’s caregiver(s) of origin’s point of view. • One or both of the out-of-home caregiver(s) indicate the child deserved what happened in the child’s home.

Section I: Introductions and Workshop Overview