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A. CPS IN-HOME INTENSIVE/HIGH SERVICES
B. INTENSIVE FAMILY PRESERVATION SERVICES
C. CPS IN-HOME MODERATE SERVICES.
E. QUARTERLY REASSESSMENTS OF THE IN-HOME FAMILY SERVICES AGREEMENT
CPS In-Home Services involves arranging for and providing services to help the family change the maltreating behavior. CPS In-Home Services social workers must achieve a balance in helping families by performing actual tasks for them when needed and by empowering them to perform the required tasks themselves. The CPS In-Home Services social worker is as active a participant in helping design and implements the services as the family. Once the services are agreed upon, they should be written into the Family Services Agreement. Regular contact with the family and significant others is critical in maintaining the child's safety and in knowing which services are most relevant. CPS In-Home Services provides the most intensive services and contacts to families with the greatest needs, while those with fewer needs receive less intensive services/contacts.
If the initial Risk Assessment documents the overall risk rating to be high or intensive and there are safety issues, the agency will provide CPS In-Home Intensive/High Services. These services are provided to children and their families, after there has been a substantiation of child abuse, neglect, dependency or a finding of services needed and the child is determined to be a reasonable candidate for foster care in the absence of preventive services. Services include activities such as:
For cases where the risk is rated as high or intensive, weekly face-to-face contact shall be maintained with the family. This is to ensure the safety of all children in the home. Given that families have various schedules this may require multiple visits to the home to ensure that every member of the family is seen. This visit should include a discussion of the identified risk related behaviors while assessing the current safety of the children. Using the structured decision making tools can be useful to facilitate this discussion.
At a minimum, the following requirements shall be in effect:
Documentation should include the identity of the person the social worker talked with, when the conversation took place, and what observations have been made of the family’s progress or barriers toward case goals.
This CFT meeting shall be an examination of the Family Services Agreement and the barriers that prevent successful completion (note that these barriers may not lie within the family’s control). Because Family Services Agreements are a family-driven process, it is critical for the agency to remember that they have a defined role in assisting families to achieve their plan. After evaluating the Family Services Agreement and the barriers to its successful completion in the CFT meeting, it may be determined that support from the agency may need to extend to calling a service provider with the family or driving them to their first appointment with that service provider or even attending the appointment with the family to assist them in successfully navigating the service provider’s system. Note: it is not necessary to wait 6 months if the risk factors associated with the case dictate that a CFT be held sooner.
The social worker and supervisor shall staff the case frequently enough to ensure the safety of all victim children. Issues to be discussed include but are not limited to, risk, safety, the family’s strengths and needs, and the family's progress.
1. Case Contact Reduction
Once the family has demonstrated a reduction of the behaviors that were identified during the assessment to create risk, the case contacts may be reduced. Once the assessment process accurately reflects reduction of risk, the overall risk factor may be documented as moderate, thereby removing the requirement of weekly contacts and stepping down the case to CPS In-Home Services moderate. It is important to note that the key here is accurate documentation of the family’s progress.
Case contacts with family members may not be reduced while the case remains open for CPS In-Home Intensive/High Services except for the following circumstances.
Contacts will remain as set forth above until the risk level in the home is reduced.
Note: The first underlying belief of family-centered practice is that the safety of the child is the first concern. No child should be interviewed in such a manner that compromises his or her safety. It is expected that a child will be interviewed in private if necessary to ensure his or her safety.
During the provision of CPS In-Home Services, there is nothing that prevents the social worker from interviewing the children alone. Social workers should use their professional judgment in deciding how children will be interviewed. In many cases, interviewing the family together can provide vital information about family dynamics and may trigger discussions that otherwise would not be held. However, attention should be paid to verbal and non-verbal cues from the child that might lead the social worker to feel that this child needs to be interviewed in a different setting also. This might be in another room on the same day or at school on another day. Each child should be interviewed in the way that will best provide safety and build rapport with the child. Building a bond of trust with the child can be especially important to them if foster care placement must occur.
At each quarterly Child and Family Team Meeting, the team is to convene to discuss what level of progress has been made since the last meeting.
If the team determines that the family is showing progress but the risk continues to stay intensive/high, another meeting is scheduled. When the team determines that no progress has occurred and risk remains high or intensive, and/or the case has been open for 90 days, the agency should explore the following options:
The philosophy behind assessing the above options is that the team is making every reasonable effort to address service needs that place children at risk of removal from their family homes. Additionally, the family is supported by the team and is empowered to achieve permanency for the child/ren.
It is imperative that the Risk Reassessment, the Family Assessment of Strengths and Needs, the Service Agreement are used as working documents in the team meetings.
Note: All Child and Family Team meetings conducted while the case has a High or Intensive risk rating will have a facilitator, except those that involve case closure.
Intensive Family Preservation Services (please refer to the IFPS Family Service Manual), where available, provides intensive, in-home crisis intervention services designed to help families with children at imminent risk of being removed from the home. These services are time limited (a maximum of six weeks) and are characterized by very small caseloads for workers, 24-hour availability of staff, and the provision of services primarily in the child's home. Evaluations of IFPS programs in North Carolina indicate that IFPS is very effective at helping children remain safely in their home.
IFPS should be considered as an option for all cases in which there is a risk rating of high or intensive risk. When IFPS is chosen as a service delivery option, the following guidelines are to be followed:
When there has been a substantiation of child abuse, neglect, dependency, or finding of services needed and the initial risk assessment rating is moderate, the children and their caretakers will be provided CPS In-Home Moderate Services.
These services are provided to children defined, as reasonable candidates for foster care and in the absence of preventive services would be in foster care. The purpose of CPS In-Home Moderate Services is to maintain the safety of the child while helping the parent to modify the harmful behavior that induces risk to the child. To accomplish this, the social worker must continually assess the safety and risk to the child and, should it become necessary, take action to prevent any further harm. Simultaneously, the social worker must actively support the parent's efforts to change and include them with all decision making throughout the life of the in-home services.
CPS In-Home Moderate Services include activities such as:
Case Contacts for CPS In-Home Moderate Services:
Note: The first underlying belief of family-centered practice is that the safety of the child is the first concern. No child should be interviewed in such a manner that compromises his or her safety. It is expected that a child will be interviewed in private if necessary to ensure his or her safety.
During the provision of CPS In-Home Services, there is nothing that prevents the social worker from interviewing the children alone. Social workers should use their professional judgment in deciding how children will be interviewed. In many cases, interviewing the family together can provide vital information about family dynamics and may trigger discussions that otherwise would not be held.
However, attention should be paid to verbal and non-verbal cues from the child that might lead the social worker to feel that this child needs to be interviewed in a different setting also. This might be in another room on the same day or at school on another day. Each child should be interviewed in the way that will best provide safety and build rapport with the child. Building a bond of trust with the child can be especially important to them if foster care placement must occur.
Family Support Services, or Non-Intensive Family Preservation Services (NIFPS Family Services Manual), are voluntary services and can be provided by the agency, within the agency outside of CPS, or in a community agency. They may be offered to families who have been assessed for safety and risk with a resulting risk level of low (and some moderate) and the agency can "walk away from” this family. Families for whom these services would not be considered appropriate are those who have identified safety related issues in their situation or who are current recipients of CPS In-Home Services or out of home placement ordered by the Juvenile Court.
One of the System of Care principles is involving community based services and supports to assist a family. Family Support Services (FSS) are community-based services to promote the well-being of children and families. They are designed to increase the family’s strengths and stability, to increase parents' confidence and competence in their parenting abilities, to afford children a stable and supportive family environment, and otherwise to enhance child development.
Family Support Services are a group of interrelated assessment, prevention, education or treatment services and activities designed to enhance parents’ abilities to become self-sufficient and care for their children. They are also intended to increase children’s school performance and behavior; self-esteem and leadership skills. Family and marital relationships, domestic violence, substance abuse, housing, poverty and finances, childcare, juvenile delinquency, mental health, and physical health and wellness are all areas of potential concentration for these services. By providing these services, rather than focusing on the details of a specific incident, social workers and families focus on the children and families’ strengths to address areas of need. Social workers then offer to help families meet needs identified during an assessment. However should concerns arise that would warrant a CPS assessment a new report shall be made.
Family Support Services are voluntary on the client’s behalf in that they may be:
The client has the right to refuse the services for any reason at any time. The agency cannot justify initiating involuntary services or court action based solely upon the client’s refusal of services.
FSS may be provided by the Child Welfare unit of the local agency or any other unit or team in the agency that may be more appropriate, such as Work First Family Services. The agency may provide the services directly or connect families with resources in their communities or through their informal support system such as mental health, family resource centers, domestic violence programs or faith based organizations, to name but a few. It is the responsibility of the local agency to organize itself in the manner to provide the best support possible for the client and to work collaboratively with community agencies to provide informal and community-based services. The services will be provided in coordinated effort with parents, children and community resources.
1. County Options
Potential referral sources for FSS include, but are not limited to families who have:
2. Case contacts by the DSS provided Family Support Services
Because the risk is low in this family, service provision will be considered fluid and loosely structured. This will allow for increased collaboration and “ownership” of the process on the client’s behalf.
Face to face, contact with an adult family member will be maintained on a monthly basis. Other family contacts should be utilized as effective and appropriate. When planning contacts the social worker must consider the requirement that case progress be assessed on a quarterly basis. The individual need and availability of the client, and others important to the case are also important factors to consider when planning case contacts.
Duties of the Social Worker and Child and Family Team with a Family Receiving Family Support Services
If the family accepts FSS, the agency will conduct a thorough intra-agency check to ascertain and identify service providers currently working with the family. If the family is receiving services, the agency will then decide the most appropriate case manager for completing the assessment. The agency may use the Risk Assessment and Family Assessment of Strengths and Needs to assist in planning with the family, which was a part of the CPS intervention.
The case manager will contact the family within 7 days and explain the available services and possible providers. This contact may be in any form deemed appropriate and expedient. Best practice methods would suggest that the initial contact is face-to-face but this may not be possible. The social worker should adequately document the contact (or attempts to do so), the discussion of requested service needs and agency services offered, and the client’s response. An appointment should be made to discuss further the family's need and agency services and to formulate a plan mutually to meet them. All services provided to the family should be reported on the DSS-5027 and the family should sign for these services.
For each family who receives FSS, a CFT will be recommended. This team could be as small as the appropriate family member(s) and the social worker, but additional members could include members of the family’s support network, the social work supervisor, community resource providers and other professionals involved with the family. The premise is that families should be at the center of the planning process.
Service implementation will include convening a CFT meeting for conducting a thorough assessment of service needs. The assessment tools completed during the provision of CPS Assessment or In-Home Services can be utilized. This will always be done in cooperation with and full knowledge of the family. The social worker will fully explain the family's rights to make service decisions, privacy and confidentiality, open communication with the agency and other service providers, and record retention and access. The meeting will also be utilized to have the client sign all necessary applications and release of information forms. This form will include information such as client’s rights, the necessity of a CPS Assessment should any risk to children be suspected, confidentiality, information sharing, and record availability.
An initial mutually agreed upon Family Services Agreement will be formulated at this time. The agency will document its activities on the family's behalf along with those of the client or others.
This will be signed and dated by all parties/agencies accepting service responsibility and the client. Service provision need not be performed by the agency if another provider is more appropriate or accessible. The agency must maintain its responsibility to either actually provide the services or facilitate their provision through another source.
On going assessment is perhaps the most critical aspect of supportive services to families in that it is the only method of accurately gauging the situation and molding services to match it. It is recognized that no family or client exists in a vacuum and that if one aspect of a particular situation is altered others are affected. On-going assessment allows all stakeholders to monitor the situation for progress, strengths, needs, and other possible areas of service implications.
The assessment can be documented on the Family Assessment of Strengths and Needs tool. It will be conducted as needed but no less often than one time per quarter. It will be done with the client and all applicable stakeholders and service providers. The Family Services Agreement should also be updated as necessary, but no less than once every quarter.
Family Service Agreements are only valuable if they are current and relevant. Time frames for reviews are the maximum period of time between reviews. If major changes occur that affect the objectives or activities, or that affect the risk to the child, a Child and Family Team Meeting should be scheduled and the plan updated as soon as possible.
Quarterly assessments of the Family Services Agreement are formal discussions with the parent and Child and Family Team about the progress that is being made. However, since every contact with the parent will involve a discussion of the progress on the Family Services Agreement, this formal assessment will bring few surprises. It is important nonetheless to document the successful steps and the items that remain to be accomplished. The social worker shall complete a Risk Reassessment as well as a Family Assessment of Strengths and Needs at the time of the Family Services Agreement review. These tools should assist in determining the family’s progress.
As the work with the family has progressed, changes to the Family Services Agreement will be necessary. It is important to reiterate with the parent the accomplishments that have been made. This is particularly important if other risk factors have surfaced. The social worker will also need to address next steps with the parent at the time of the quarterly review. Of particular importance will be discussions about how long the agency has been involved with the family, what changes have or have not been made and what next steps will be needed.
If the parent has had enough time to demonstrate commitment to the plan and the activities in it, the social worker may need to increase discussions of legal custody and alternative permanent plans in order to help nudge the parent along.
If there is a lack of progress or behavior change that mitigates risk after 3 months, there should be a facilitated Child and Family Team meeting to address the behavior change issues, set deadlines for change and to outline the court process.
If after 6 months there is not documented progress due to behavior change or lack of progress a Child and Family Team meeting should be facilitated that advises the family court action will be pursued by the filing of a petition.
If the parent has been intermittently successful or successful only on minor items and the social worker continues to have concerns for the child’s safety, then decisions regarding legal custody will need to be made immediately if they have not been made before the quarterly review.
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For questions or clarification on any of the policy contained in these manuals, please contact your local county office.
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