Practical Tools in Family Search and Engagement

1. Practical Tools in Family Search and Engagement Catholic Community Services of Western Washington Mary Stone-Smith Nolita Reynolds

2. CCSWW – Who are we? • Not for profit multi-service organization • Serves all Western WA counties & NW OR • Licensed in Mental Health • Child Placing Agency • COA accredited • LTC, AHA, FP, FC’s • Large organization struggling to minimize bureaucracy ($115 mil/year 3,000+ empl)

3. Family Preservation - HX • 1974 1st Homebuilders - CCS Tacoma, WA • 1978 MH and DDD Homebuilder contracts • 1989 Wraparound Implemented • 1995 Community Alliance for ITC • 2000 FAST and Crisis Stabilization Services • 2004 - 2010 Technical Asst. in 25+ states • 2004 – present – TA for National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice and Permanency Planning (multiple states)

4. Why Search for Family? • What do children/youth tell us? • Children disconnected are often lonely • What do residential providers tell us? • Youth age out without resources & supports • In times of crises and even natural disasters family resources provide stabilization • Family resources are the most culturally appropriate and available resources • Global practices • Sense of identity – critical • What does research tell us?

5. Aging Out of Foster Care • Foster care is supposed to be a temporary haven for children living in unsafe conditions. But about one-quarter of the 500,000 children in foster care in the U.S. end up in the system until they become adults. • Two-thirds are unable to function successfully on their own… Mark Courtney, University of Chicago • According to the Child Welfare League of America, 25% become homeless, 56% are unemployed, 27% of male children end up in jail. Less than 5% finish college. • http://www.pbs.org/wnet/agingout/index-hi.html

6. Casey Family ProgramsAndHarvard Medical School • Former Foster Children in Washington and Oregon Suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at Twice the Rate of U.S. War Veterans. • Each year 20,000 young people between the ages of 18 and 21 must leave the foster care system when they become legal adults and many are left without any support, family connections, or skills they need to succeed in life.

7. Kinship Care • More than 2.5 million children are raised by grandparents and other relatives because their parents are unable—for a variety of reasons—to care for them. • children in foster care are more likely to live with their siblings if they are placed with kin • Fewer children in kinship care report having changed schools than do children in non-relative foster care or those in group care

8. Why Family? • Children and the systems who care for them simply cannot afford the costs or consequences of being raised in out-of-home care when there was a fit and willing relative who could have loved and cared for them. • 50 percent of children placed in foster care have multiple placements (National Center for Policy Analysis, 2001)

9. What is “Family Search”? • Just the tip of the iceberg • Generally the easiest part! • Is it all about internet searching? • How does engagement fit in? • What about all the children who have no family (count your own)?

10. Values, Perceptions, Perspective • Strengths based vs. labels– (consider a story about a friend) • Family Centered – Anyone ? in your family • Non-judgmental • Unconditional • Normative – With “big” behaviors, we revert to ??? • Voice/Ownership (youth, family)

11. Myths and Mindsets • “This child has no family” • “Teenagers don’t want or need family” • “This child is not adoptable” • TX should be completed or the child should be stabilized before we search for or involve family in planning or visits • Placements are easier to access and are more stable than relatives

12. Myths and Mindsets • Belief that behavior is too challenging for a family • Love and affection in the development of children/youth underestimated (neuro research) • Middle Class Bias • We already do this • We already did this and it didn’t work • Historical Information; what is documented is “true”

13. Myths and Mindsets Belief that behavior is too challenging for a family

14. If the current placement is working we should not disrupt it by involving family members. Myths and Mindsets

15. Myths and Mindsets • Middle class bias • Size of the family • Appearance of the home • Awareness and application of social graces

16. What makes it work? • Team, Team, Team – Blended mission and perspective • Set and re-set the stage • Urgency – know what to do next? Do it today! No parking. • Engagement is key – ongoing, constant • Absolute belief – every child has healthy family members • Safety – what will it take? And is it different with little ones?

17. Does it work?FAST Results (2009)Consistent over 10 years • 405 children served this calendar year • Referred for reunification, hospital diversion, and/or due to crisis disruption • At completion of services; 75% lived at home 21% lived with relatives 4% remained in foster homes • 8 children/youth had brief psychiatric hosp stays • At exit, 90.7% enrolled in school

20. Orange County Youth had average of .58 family connections at Intake

21. In six months youth had an average of 6.8 established family connections

22. Where is the Family? • Most often there are relatives who want to and are able to care for their children. • The relatives live locally, in other states, even abroad. Some have remained connected. • Some children have been lost due to broken family connections, multiple placements, or multiple family moves. • Some family members will distance themselves from unhealthy situations.

23. If family is available, why have they not come forward? • Some families fear system involvement or feel powerless to advocate for their children. • Some family members just don’t know their child is in need or believe they have been adopted. • Some were unable to help previously but now circumstances have changed. • Often relatives cannot find their lost children.

24. Finding Family & Relatives • Information comes from a variety of sources: case files, social workers, former foster parents, the child and relatives. • Consider all information as possibly relevant without judgment. Avoid assumptions – some info may be very dated. • Inform key decision-makers as information comes forward. • Initially collect information in a way that minimizes expectations about reunification.

25. What are we asking of the family? (How to get started) • Share information about their family • Offer to help or make a connection • Meet together-Join the Child & Family Team • Support strategies and decision making • Share stories of strength about their family and help create a family identity • Develop meaningful connections

26. Strategic Considerations (the art of engagement) • When and how to discuss possible family connections with the child (address losses) • Discussing placement with relatives: when, how, and in what setting. • Successful family search and reunification activities are assertive. We work with a sense of URGENCY. • Foster family or residential staff support • Permanency & placement plans should have multiple contingencies (concurrent planning).

27. SETTING THE STAGE • Gather professionals, supports. Orient Team • Prepare youth for participation • Identify youth’s need for family connections (include fictive kin) • Negotiate Team mission & desired outcomes • Identify known family network (other siblings in care) Withhold judgment! • Discuss permissions and safety considerations • Discuss expectations. Responsibilities and time frames are agreed upon

28. DISCOVERY • Conversations with the youth and others if appropriate • Documentation of contacts and quality of relationships • Exploration of files and records (list ALL) • Due diligence, permissions and safety • Initial contacting gathering additional information • Searching, surfing and use of discovery tools

29. Searching….. • Start with horses, not zebras (411) • Tricks of the trade • Detective work • Electronic searching • We learn most by calling

30. Search Sites (See Guide) • Start with free searches • Accurint.com • Intelius.com • US Search.com • Prison Locator Services • Facebook, MySpace, etc.!

31. REVIEW OF DISCOVERY INFORMATION • Review discovery information with the key players Question/verify all “historical” info • Discuss and approve newly found family (participation-visits) • Discuss safety considerations and strategies • Due diligence (court and other permissions, HIPPA compliance) • Complete background checks (child welfare assistance) • Identify invite and support newly found family members to participate

32. ENGAGEMENT: CREATING CONNECTIONS Team plans the engagement of new family members Supports family connections, visits and activities (transportation, etc) Extends invitations based upon… The youth’s strengths: interests, talents, hobbies The youth’s needs: education, employment, medical, emotional, spiritual and cultural The need for connectedness and belonging The youth’s need for a place to live and a future

33. PREPARATION FOR SUCESSFUL VISITS & MEETINGS Safety planning and structuring meetings Prepare professionals for meetings (contingency planning) Prepare foster parents or residential staff for normal reactive behavior pre and post visit. Prepare youth and family members regarding expectations (reality vs. fantasy) Initial visits….. are brief, supported and occur in natural settings (fun) are opportunities to create memories (bring camera) After visit: discussion, planning, and debriefing.

34. INCREASING FAMILY VOICE AND DECISION MAKING Support and develop family connections Encourage greater family discussion of placement options and/or long term planning for youth Family helps develop multiple placement options recruits family resources to support each other develops circle of support (breaks and crisis respite, etc) is allowed time and opportunities to put plans into practice considers necessary professional and community resources

35. STAYING TOGETHER • Legal status is explored including reunification, adoption, guardianship, kinship foster care possibilities • Financial assistance and all available resources are utilized • The family members and other resources are organized to support one another with contingency plans • Formal resources are in place to support the youth and family • Follow up with the family as needed

36. DOCUMENTATION • Document family members contacted and engaged during this intervention • List of Team members and all individuals that participated in this intervention • Write-up of the outcomes • Capture cost of intervention (strategy), resources, time, flexible funds, etc • Other data points needed by the agency/system

37. Speed bumps and potholes • Hesitating – too many “what if’s” • Holding off for multiple permissions • Barricading with confidentiality • Assurance – “FF is the forever family” • Waiting for stabilization, therapy, etc. • Waiting until tomorrow…. • “but he’s stable right now” • We tried it (family) and it didn’t work

38. One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody. Mother Teresa

39. Finally…. The human body has two ends – one to create with and one to sit on. Sometimes people get their ends reversed. Roger von Oech Which end will you be using today?

40. Contact Information: Mary Stone-Smith Vice-President Nolita Reynolds Clinical Services Director Catholic Community Services of Western Washington maryss@ccsww.org nolitar@ccsww.org