Partners make better Decisions

1. Partners make better Decisions Caregivers & Social Workers Working Together

2. Welcome & Introductions • Name • Role within child welfare • City of office or home • Number of children in your home or on your caseload • What do you hope to get out of today?

3. The Mission of DSHS “The Department of Social and Health Services is an integrated organization of high-performing programs working in partnership for statewide impact to help transform lives. The Department’s mission is to improve the safety and health of individuals, families and communities by providing leadership and establishing and participating in partnerships. Our core values are: • Excellence in service • Respect • Collaboration and partnership • Diversity • Accountability Together we will . . . improve safety and health . . . and increase educational success to support people . . . in reaching their potential. We recognize ours is a shared responsibility with dedicated family members, foster parents, community groups, religious organizations, private providers and other government agencies.”

4. What is a Team? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dboXbr7O3Eo

5. A Team? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI4zp7yeuMU

6. A team • Shares common purposes, goals and objectives • Has a body of knowledge and set of skills to meet the teams purposes, goals and objectives • Has members with individual expertise, knowledge and skills who have complementary roles on the team • Agrees upon plans and decisions to achieve the team’s goals and objectives • Works together to implement the team’s plan and decisions • Has established methods for preventing and resolving conflict including a team leader, captain or coach and recognizes other members as an advisory team • Assesses the achievement of their goas and objectives • Changes their goals and objectives, membership, plans & decisions and ways to solve problems as needed. • Recognizes the need for cultural competence in each individual.

7. Child Welfare Team Members • The Department • Social Worker • Care Giver • CASA • Birth Parent • Child

8. Team Members – The Department • The primary goal for Children's Administration staff is to work with families to identify their needs and develop a plan for services to support them and assure safety and well-being for their children. • These services are designed to reduce the risk of abuse, find safe alternatives to out-of-home placement, and assure safety and permanency for children in out-of-home care.

9. Team Member – Social Worker • Social Workers work diligently to protect and promote the mission, vision and goals of the agency as a whole, and to meet the needs of the clients to whom they have been assigned. • The primary goal of the Social Worker in CA is to provide the services necessary to support and/or rehabilitate birth parents so that they regain the ability to parent their own children.

10. Team Member – Caregiver • The primary goal of the caregiver is to provide children with the love, support and daily care necessary to accomplish the goal of protecting their health, safety and development. • They advocate for the child’s continued development; physically, emotionally, and educationally. • Caregivers must have a clear understanding of permanency planning, and work closely with the Department to reach the ultimate goal of reunification of the birth family.

11. Team Member – Birth Parents • The primary goal of the birth parent should be to fully participate in the supports and services being provided by the state’s Social Worker to assure complete rehabilitation (where necessary) and to work toward the goal of being reunited with their children. • If that is not possible, parents have the right to relinquish their legal custody so that a different permanent placement can be found for their child(ren).

12. Team Member – Children in Care • The primary goal of most children living in out-of-home care is to return home. • Unfortunately, many of these children believe that the responsibility for their current situations lies with them and so they blame themselves for the current situation of all family members.

13. Complementary Roles • Serena – • What do you think should be the short-term plan for Serena?... • Where should she live, visitation etc? • What do you think should be the long-term permanent plan for Serena? • What on-going concerns do you have?

14. Systemic Barriers – Court / Department • Court continuances • Lack of clarity in court orders • Change in assignment of worker

15. Systemic Barriers – Social Worker • Case load size • Amount of paperwork • Caseload emergencies • Caseload requirements • Regular f2f contact with parent, children & caregivers • Documenting those contacts

16. Systemic Barriers – Birth Parents • Feelings of grief and loss, anger, resentment fear. • Medical or mental illness • Addictions • Poverty • Lack of support

17. Systemic Barriers – Caregivers • Unexpected emotional attachment • Grief and loss • Unexpected behaviors &/or developmental needs • Changes to normal family life. • Lack of specific case knowledge

18. Systemic Barriers – Children in Care • Feelings of trauma, grief and loss, behavioral challenges • New families, new rules, new schools etc. • Lack of specific case knowledge • Lack of choices

19. Traits of Successful Team Membership • Mutual Respect • This includes respecting and affirming the individual knowledge and expertise of team members, and respecting the complementary roles of team members • Communication Skills • Respectful assertiveness: the right to share one’s beliefs and opinions without retribution • Conflict resolution skills that minimize holding grudges or a desire for “revenge” • Ability to control impulses and reactions (i.e., pause and think before speaking) • Cultural Competence • Awareness of one’s own cultural worldview • Accepting attitude towards cultural differences • Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews • Cross-cultural skills • An ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures. • Courtesy • Polite behavior that shows respect for other people • Behavior marked by polished manners or respect for others

20. Traits of Successful Team Membership • Good organizational skills • Social Worker must be organized in their maintaining of the case file and the pertinent facts; • Caregiver must be able to, in an organized manner, provide the necessary information with respect to the child’s routine, status, behaviors, desires, etc.. • Similar baseline knowledge • All parties need to start at the same point with the same (when appropriate) or similar information specific to a case. Such knowledge might include things like: • Court’s position • Children’s’ mental health challenges • Status of case • Department’s long term plan- short term plan • Child’s needs wants, etc. • Willingness to share • All information is shared as needed, and as is appropriate

21. Speed Interview • Social Workers – Was there anything you heard that changed your understanding or appreciation of the caregiver role? • Caregivers - Was there anything you heard that changed your understanding or appreciation of the social worker role?

22. Teaming PrinciplesStep One: Separating the people from the problem Different perceptions = Different interpretations • Must understand the viewpoints of the other team members • Understand that one’s “worst fear” probably won’t become the other’s actions • Don’t blame others • Offer “appealing proposals”

23. Teaming PrinciplesStep two: focusing on Interests, not positions “Your position is something that you have decided upon; your interests are what caused you to decide.” Fisher and Ury • Focus on interests: • Identify each person’s interest regarding the issue • “Why this and not that?” • Remember: • there are usually more than one interests at play • the most powerful interests are basic human needs • Discuss interests together • For others to take your interests into account, they must be explained clearly • Pay attention to others’ interests • When others feel like you are paying attention to their interests, they are more motivated to take your interests into account • Remain open to different proposals and positions • Focus discussion on solutions, not on past events

24. Teaming PrinciplesStep Three: Creating Options for Mutual Gain There are generally four obstacles to creative options: • Prematurely deciding on an option without considering alternatives • Narrowing options to find a single answer • Thinking that win/lose is the only option • Believing it is up to others to figure it out

25. Teaming PrinciplesStep Three: Creating Options for Mutual Gain • Separate the invention from the evaluation • Brainstorm! • “Wild” and “creative” and “never thought of before” are good • After brainstorming, then evaluate • Start with the most promising ideas • Refine and improve each proposal • Focus on shared interests • If interests differ, look for options that are compatible or complimentary • Reconciling different interests is “low cost and high benefit” • Threats are less effective • Appeal to both sides • Threats are less effective at motivating agreement than beneficial offers

26. Teaming PrinciplesStep four: insist that results are based on objective criteria • Look at the end result objectively, not subjectively • Have fair standards and agreement to those standards • Have a fair procedure for evaluating results

27. Teamwork… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfNc3GiwsOw

28. 7 characteristics of a good partnership • Both sides see the relationship as an opportunity to give • Both sides are willing to change • Both sides are willing to admit mistakes • Both sides are willing to listen first • Both sides support each other • Both sides are open to each other • Both sides have integrity

29. What I want you know… • Group into Role • Write down ANYTHING you wish the other group knew, or understood better, about their role. • Keep in mind these are only suggestions.

30. Attitudes, Behaviors, Barriers & Solutions

31. Something Nice to say • Take this opportunity to send an encouraging message to one of your team members.

32. Teamwork! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZZtOQVOPv8