Effective Casework Practice (Foster Care)

1. Effective Casework Practice(Foster Care) • “Ongoing” assessment of child’s needs and interventions • “Ongoing” assessment and implementation of services/supports to assist caregivers • “Ongoing” process of engaging and assessing parents and significant family connections • “Ongoing” teamwork with all parties

2. Effective Casework Practice(Foster Care) • Identifying needs of the child • Physical health, including dental • Social and Emotional • Developmental level • Educational

3. Effective Casework Practice(Foster Care) • Purposeful visits with child and foster parent at least every 30 days • Thoughtful dialogue with school/child care • Collaboration with staff and others involved in providing services for the child and foster parent

4. Effective Casework Practice(Foster Care) Potential Team Members include: • Staff who relicense • Protective Investigators • Guardian ad Litem, Child Legal Services, Judge/General Master • Teacher/school professionals • Physician/Dentist • Psychologist/Psychiatrist • Adoption counselor when goal becomes adoption

5. Effective Casework Practice(Adoption) “Child Study” is created to summarize: • Interviews, observations, what’s been learned already • Evaluations and current professional recommendations • Family and medical history • Developmental and academic status

6. Effective Casework Practice(Adoptions) Adoption homestudy process includes: • Review and assess prior homestudies • Assess previously adopted children • Interviews and observations of child and foster parents • Update and assess references and background checks • Results of evaluations completed

7. Effective Casework Practice(Adoptions) Adoption homestudy process (cont.) • Based on Child Study • Current needs-how well addressed and understood • Potential needs-how well understood and committed to future needs • Educational needs • Actual and potential impact of abuse/neglect at future life stages

8. Effective Casework Practice(Adoption) • Document completed homestudy • Negotiate subsidy • Inform family of contact information for post adoption services, including adoptive parent support group meetings • Issue consents to adopt

9. Foster Care Licensing(Initial) • Goal of Foster Care Licensing • Ensure physical and emotional safety • Overall Well-Being • Understand Motive of Foster Parents • Determination of Ability to care for Children with Complex Needs

10. Foster Care Licensing(Initial) • Steps in Licensing Process • Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP) Training or Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education (PRIDE) • Prior to Completion of Training • Background screening • In Home Consultations

11. Foster Care Licensing(Initial) • Key Elements of Home Study • Household Composition • Needs of children in the home • Impact/Stressors • Financial Impact • Supports available to family • Discipline Techniques • Future children will be placed

12. Foster Care Licensing(Initial) Packet submitted for review and approval Process from 2005 – 2010 Process from 2010 - Present

13. Foster Care Licensing(Re-licensing) • Home Visit • Annual Screenings • Updated Inspections • Training Completed • Feedback from Children and Adults • Staffing on abuse reports or law enforcement involvement