SDM® Assessments in Practice

1. SDM® Assessments in Practice Reunification reassessment • Purpose and structure • Talking with clients about reunification • Importance of contact with parents • What progress looks like • Court reports and the reunification reassessment Supervising and the SDM reunification reassessment

2. Reunification Reassessment: Purpose • Routinely monitor critical case factors that affect permanency goal achievement; • Help structure the case review process; and 3. Expedite permanency for children in care.

3. Reunification Reassessment: Structure • Risk • Initial risk level • New substantiated incident • Case plan progress • Visitation plan evaluation • Supervised or not • Consistency in attending scheduled visits • Interaction with child during visits Remember to use definitions!

4. Reunification Reassessment: Structure • Safety • Identification of any new/current safety threats • Document resolution of safety threats that led to removal • Safety decision • Safe (no current safety threats) • Conditionally safe (current safety threats are controlled with interventions) • Unsafe

5. Reunification Reassessment: Structure • Permanency plan recommendation guidelines • Reunification to parent (removal or non-removal) • Maintain in care • Change permanency goal • Adoption • Long-term foster care • Care, custody, and control to relative

6. Permanency Goal Recommendation • Answer yes or no until reaching a permanency goal • If an override to the recommended goal is warranted, indicate the final goal recommendation and provide justification for the override. • Case documentation must support risk, visitation, safety, and final permanency goal recommendation.

7. Reunification Assessment Starts on DAY 1

8. Family Perception of the Reunification Decision

9. Talking About the Reunification Decision • Start as soon as possible • Lay out the components of the reunification decision • Risk • Visitation • Safety • Length of time in care

10. Talking About Risk at Reunification Improve chance of reunification Reduce chance of reunification

11. Talking About Visitation • Maintain connection • Stay involved • Opportunity to demonstrate change

12. Talking About Visits: Visitation Plan • How often • How long • Where • Other contact options (phone calls, email) • What worker is looking for • Connect to case plan goals • If supervised, what needs to happen for unsupervised Hess & Proch. (1988). Family visiting in out-of-home care: A guide to practice. CWLA; Rose Wendt.

13. Talking About Visits Improve chance of reunification Reduce chance of reunification

14. Talking About Safety Improve chance of reunification Reduce chance of reunification

15. Importance of Contact With Parents

16. Relationship Between Social Worker Visits and Improved Federal Reporting Outcomes CFSR Items 19 and 20: Caseworker visits with children and parents U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (2004). Findings from the Initial 2001–2004 Child and Family Services Reviews. Retrieved December 13, 2005, from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/results/index.htm

17. Other Significant Associations Between Visits and CFSR Indicators Caseworker visits with parents and children were also strongly associated with the following: Services to protect children at home Timely permanency goals Timely reunification Child’s visits with parents and siblings Relative placements U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (2004). Findings from the Initial 2001–2004 Child and Family Services Reviews. Retrieved December 13, 2005, from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/results/index.htm

18. Contact Content 1. Assess progress toward case plan objectives: • Participation in services • Demonstration of change 2. Assess change in needs (identification of new needs/needs reduction)

19. Assessing for Demonstration of Change • Ask client to describe any change • Look for evidence of observable change • Change is a process; recognize small steps • Recognize sustained improvement

20. Visits Between Parents and Children • Involvement is more than just showing up • Verbal and nonverbal engagement • Age-appropriate activities • When possible, include parents in school meetings, doctor appointments, and other parenting activities • Be creative with visit setting and activities

21. Negotiating Connections With SDM® Assessments Reassessment

22. Court Report • Progress toward case plan goals • Current risk • Visitation results • Status of initial safety threat • Current safety/safety plan

23. Using SDM® Assessments in Case Conferences

24. Types of Case Conferences • Informal • “Have you got a minute?” • In the hallway or on the phone • Formal • 1:1 case specific • 1:1 supervision • Internal group • Multidisciplinary group

25. Supervisory Leadership • Keep focus on central question. • If there are disagreements in final decision, review relevant SDM tool completion. • Which items have agreement? (move on) • Which items have disagreement? • Look at facts and definition • FOCUS discussion here! • If everyone agrees, STILL review tool completion!

26. Your name is on it! Approving Assessments

27. How extensively do you review?

28. How extensively do you spot check?

29. When You Spot a Problem • Meet with worker to discuss • Explain issue • Ask for worker’s perspective • Use SDM policy and/or definition • Change together, if needed • Use opportunity to build competence

30. Building Toward the SDM® Model’s Goal

31. For more information, please contact: Deirdre O’Connor, Senior Researcher Children’s Research Center doconnor@mw.nccd-crc.org