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The Family Assessment Form

The Family Assessment Form. Agency/Program Name Date. Agenda. Welcome and Introductions FAF Overview Assessment Exercises Service Planning Exercises Training Evaluation. Introduction. Name What is most rewarding to you about your job?. Objectives. To understand purpose of the FAF

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The Family Assessment Form

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  1. The Family Assessment Form Agency/Program Name Date

  2. Agenda • Welcome and Introductions • FAF Overview • Assessment Exercises • Service Planning Exercises • Training Evaluation

  3. Introduction • Name • What is most rewarding to you about your job?

  4. Objectives • To understand purpose of the FAF • To become familiar with FAF structure • To practice using the FAF

  5. A Brief History • Developed between 1986-1990 at Children’s Bureau of Southern California, a non-profit agency providing child abuse treatment and prevention services. • Created by a team of staff: home visitors, supervisor, developmental psychologist, and research consultants. • Developed as a home based instrument for use in family support/family preservation services and used by programs across the country • Used in several program evaluation studies and a major controlled research study in Los Angeles County. • Distributed by Child Welfare League of America beginning in 1997. • Software developed between 2000-2004.

  6. Mini-Exercise • Divide into two groups. • Group One: Make a list of your greatest challenges in working with families and in home visiting. • Group Two: What kinds of information do you get from families to decide how you can help them?

  7. FAF Purpose • Thorough Family Assessments • Focused Goals and Service Plans • Consistent and Efficient Documentation • Staff Orientation and Training • Program Evaluation

  8. Thorough Family Assessment • Focus on family strengths • need structured way to emphasize strengths • Challenge of home visitation • multiple distractions and crises can interfere with understanding core issues • worker not in control of environment • family problems can be overwhelming • Importance of the Big Picture • need to understand family dynamics, short and long-term needs, stresses, etc. • good assessments take time; time well spent

  9. Focused Goals and Service Plans • Goals and service plans need to be family driven and linked to assessment • Cannot address everything; need to be thoughtfully selective in engaging family in goal setting • Service plan needs to be realistic and unique to the family situation • Assessment informs HOW you work with a family as well as what you work on • unique family strengths and characteristics

  10. Documentation • Consistency of documentation across workers, program sites, etc. • Short-hand method for home visitor • Easy to review by others (i.e. supervisor, back-up home visitor) • FAF takes a “snapshot” of the family • FAF takes the place of a written, narrative assessment

  11. Staff Orientation and Training • FAF helps clarify expectations and scope of work for new staff • Points to areas of individual or team training needs • Helps structure individual supervision and case presentations • FAF is a tool to teach assessment and service planning • FAF provides objective language for report writing

  12. Program Evaluation • Provides immediate feedback to worker and family on individual family change • Aggregate data can be used to report on program outcomes

  13. Philosophical Approach • Practice First • first and foremost a practice tool that has to work for the home visitor • not designed to structure family sessions, rather to document differently what is learned about the family • need a disciplined way to “see” strengths in families with complex problems

  14. Philosophical Approach • Ecological/Systems Theory • Problems are not within individuals rather in the “fit” between parts of the system • FAF addresses physical environment, social support, caregiver child interactions, caregiver functioning and child behavior • Intervention might be targeted at a “misfit” in the system • i.e., child’s school problem may be related to parent/teacher communication • Change in one part of the system will change another part • i.e., improved parenting skills will improve child development

  15. FAF Components • Case Log/Intake • Family Functioning Factors • Child Behavior Observation Checklist • Service Plan • Contacts • Closing Summary

  16. Case Log/Intake • Case Name/Contact Information • Case Number • Worker Assigned • Family Composition and Demographics • History of Child Welfare System Involvement • Assessment Dates

  17. Family Functioning Factors • Six Outcome Measures of Family Functioning - 39 items total • A. Living Conditions - 6 items • B. Financial Conditions - 5 items • C. Supports to Caregivers - 6 items • D. Caregiver/Child Interactions - 12 items • E. Developmental Stimulation - 4 items • F. Caregiver Interactions - 6 items

  18. Personal Characteristics/History • Two Adult Assessment Factors – optional items, not used as outcome measures because not expected to change or could get worse (i.e., learn more about someone’s history) • G. Caregiver History - 8 items • H. Personal Characteristics - 12 items

  19. Child Behavior Observation Checklist • Child Specific Categories - optional itemsnot used for outcome measurement • I. Acting Out Behaviors - 7 items • J. Inner Directed Behaviors - 9 items • K. School Behaviors - 4 items • L. Health and Development - 7 items • M. Temperament - 4 items

  20. Service Plan • Components • FAF items indicating strengths • FAF items of concern • Goals related to areas of concern • Tasks for addressing each goal • Frequency and duration of contact

  21. Contacts • Date of Contact • Who Involved • Goal Addressed • What Interventions • Referrals • Progress/Homework Notes

  22. Closing Summary • Result (i.e., completed, dropped, lost, child placed, etc.) • Outcome on Individual Family Goals • Outcome of Referrals • Summary Progress Notes • Case Statistics

  23. BREAK

  24. FAF Overview • Walk through FAF • Factors, items • Definitions • Scoring • Caregivers • Notes

  25. How Do I Use the FAF? • Meaning of Scores • FAF Scoring • FAF as Initial Assessment • FAF at Termination of Services

  26. Meaning of Scores • 1. Above average. Positive influences/traits that have a strengthening effect on the family and/or child. • 2. Generally Adequate. Minor problems within normal limits; not necessarily nonexistent, but do not create problems for caregivers or children. Treatment or intervention not necessary, but may be desired by caregivers to improve parenting. • 3. Problems of a moderate nature. Negative impact on the welfare of children or put the family at risk. Counseling, intervention, or parent education are indicated. • 4. Problems of a major nature. Significant negative influence on children or caregiver’s well-being. Intervention required. • 5. Situation is endangering to children’s health, safety, and well-being. May call for removal of child; intervention and monitoring required.

  27. FAF Scoring • Each item is scored on a 1-5 scale • option to score 1.5, 2.5, etc. • Each item has an operational definition, based on the overall meaning of scores, to guide scoring selection • it is VERY important to follow the definitions • definitions are examples of the kinds of things you might see, hear, etc.; use them as a guide • refer to overall meaning of scores to help with scoring decisions as needed

  28. FAF as Initial Assessment • FAF serves as only form of assessment documentation • rule of thumb is to complete within 3-4 visits (6-8hrs) including service plan • score items following each visit with a family based on observations and discussions • in preparation for subsequent visits, review FAF areas not yet assessed • do not change scores following this established “baseline” period

  29. FAF at Termination • Re-score FAF at termination of services prior to completing the closing summary • this should not require a special visit with the family as the worker already knows the family well • termination scoring should take about 1/2 hour

  30. Key Points for Using FAF • FAF is a framework for approaching assessment NOT a structured interview or questionnaire • FAF documents, in a different way, information you already know about families • Obtain FAF information by observing and asking

  31. Key Points for Using FAF • Use the operational definitions and overall meaning of scores to determine scores • this is key to maintaining inter-rater reliability • Brief narrative comments are essential • helps explain scores and uniqueness of each family • Tie family driven goals directly to assessed areas of strength and concern

  32. Exercise #1 – Section A • Divide into groups of two • Look at drawing • Make list of strengths and concerns observed • Complete FAF section A • Debrief

  33. Exercise #2 – Sections B, C, D&E • Mock Interview • Divide group into small groups of 5-8 • Each participant gets a Script and blank FAF • Participants take turns reading the two parts in the Script - worker and mother • Stop, discuss and rate the FAF as indicated on the Script • Debrief

  34. LUNCH

  35. Exercise #3 – Sections B&C • Role Play Sections B&C – Supports to Caregivers • Volunteer parent and home visitor • Review Sections B&C items as group • Begin role play • Rotate home visitor role as needed • Discuss FAF item scores as a group

  36. Goal Setting • What is a goal? • “the end toward which an effort is directed” - Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary • a future state of being • what the family situation will look like when you have finished your work together • what will be different? • What are some examples from own life?

  37. Goal Setting • What is an Objective? • Step taken by case manager or family to achieve a goal • A specific measurable action • What are some examples?

  38. Objective Setting Guidelines • Specific and Clear • Measurable and Observable • Accomplishments - state positively • To practice active listening skills vs. to reduce level of arguing • To increase positive reinforcement vs. to reduce corporal punishment • Realistic based on resources - yours and the family’s • Timeframe for achievement

  39. Objective Statements • Objective statement format • WHO will do WHAT, HOW by WHEN • Father will enroll in vocational education program at Austin Community College by Sept 15th.

  40. Sample Goals/Objectives • Concern: Cleanliness/orderliness inside home (dirty dishes, trash overflowing, soiled diapers on floor) • Goal: Parents will increase children’s health and safety • Objectives: • Case Manager will teach parents about connection between health and hygiene by showing XYZ videos at next visit • Parents will make sure the dishes are washed on a daily basis and that the trash to taken out each week • Parents will child proof the home for their small children by Sept 15th, using the home safety checklist provided by the Home Educator

  41. Sample Goals • Concern:Appropriateness of discipline (only use corporal punishment with shoes and belt) • Goal:Parents will teach their children how to behave using positive forms of discipline • Objectives: • Parents will attend 4 parenting workshops on child behavior management beginning Nov 1 and ending Dec 1, 2006 • Home Educator will coach and support parents in establishing child behavior rules and consequences by Dec 15, 2006

  42. Sample Goals • Concern: Bonding style to children (parent pushes baby away and believes he is crying intentionally to anger parent) • Goal: Mother will increase her positive attachment to her new baby • Objectives: • Home Educator will play the Happiest Baby on the Block video, demonstrate and practice calming techniques with Mother during next visit • Mother will identify all the things she likes that are special about her new baby by next home visit

  43. Mini-Exercise • Is it a goal or objective quiz

  44. Goal Setting • Who contributes to goal setting? • The family • Referral source • Case Manager using FAF assessment • Art is in blending these together into meaningful goals and tasks that the client is willing to work towards

  45. Exercise #4: Service Planning • Divide into groups of three • One parent • One home visitor • One observer • Based on Section A drawing exercise, role play working with this family to develop a goal or goals and objectives around home safety and cleanliness • Debrief as group

  46. Exercise #5: Service Planning • Divide into groups of five • Each group gets a sample completed FAF with ratings and comments • Assign each group a FAF section (i.e. group 1 gets sections A&B, group 2 gets C, group 3 gets D, etc.) • Each group identifies strengths in their section • Each group identifies concerns in their section • Each group develops at least one goal and objective for their section

  47. Final Comments • Questions and Answers • Next Steps • Participant satisfaction/feedback surveys

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