SAFETY ORGANIZED PRACTICE THE BASICS

A NEW CORE PRACTICE MODEL FOR CHILD WELFARE Old Practice: Adversarial, Deficit-based New Practice: Strength-based, family centered, collaborative Safety Organized Practice (SOP) is at the center of this new core practice

DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE DR is the method by which we make referral decisions Evaluate Out: No evidence of abuse or not enough evidence to investigate Path One: Referral to a Family Resource Center (FRC) * counts as an evaluate out Path Two: Joint visit with a FRC representative. Path Three: CPS Investigation

WHAT IS SAFETY-ORGANIZED PRACTICE? Structured Decision Making Signs of Safety Family/Child Team Meetings Motivational Interviewing Trauma-Informed Practice Partnership-Based Collaborative Practice Solution-Focused Interviewing Cultural Humility Appreciative Inquiry

THREE QUESTIONS THAT ORGANIZE THE INTERVIEW What are we worried about? What is working well? What needs to happen next?

"WHAT ARE WE WORRIED ABOUT?" Ask questions that reveal … CaregiverBehavior Impact on the child

COMPLICATING FACTORS Anything that complicates the work with the family that is not direct harm. Warning signs, red flags, issues that make the provision of protection more difficult but in and of themselves are not direct dangers. For Example: Mental illness, teenage parenting, poverty, low IQ, substance use

SAFETY NETWORKS

Goal of Safety Network: A group of people (family, friends, community people)committed to keeping a child(ren) safe.

BUILDING SAFETY NETWORKS: PRINCIPLES: CPS involvement in the family’s life is TEMPORARY. The network of PERMANENT support people implement the safety plan! Finding out who the family has already told about their CPS involvement & building on it is important to do right from the start of our work.

Family Safety Circles Tool People who don’t know anything at all People who know a little bit People who know everything CHIL D Building a Safety Network Who can help to keep the child safe? 1. Paternal Grandmother 1.Sister 2.Next door neighbor 3.Best friend 4.Aunt 5.Work friend

House of Good ThingsHouse of WorriesHouse of Wishes/Dreams INCLUDING THE CHILD’S VOICE

WHAT’S CHANGING? RED TEAMS FAMILY TEAMING FULL TIME FACILITATOR GROUP SUPERVISION SAFETY ORGANIZED PRACTICE

 Any mandated reporter who has knowledge of or observes a child, in his or her professional capacity or within the scope of his or her employment, whom he or she knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim or child abuse or neglect shall report such suspected incident of abuse or neglect to a designated agency immediately or as soon as practically possible by telephone and shall prepare and send a written report thereof within 36 hours of receiving the Information concerning the incident. (PC Section 11166(a).) MANDATED REPORTER RESPONSIBILITIES

Severe Physical Abuse Abuse or Death of another child in the home Freed for Adoption Cruelty WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE 300

Neglect (CSEC) ( b)2The Legislature finds and declares that a child who is sexually trafficked, as described in Section of the Penal Code, or who receives food or shelter in exchange for, or who is paid to perform, sexual acts described in Section or of the Penal Code, and whose parent or guardian failed to, or was unable to, protect the child, is within the description of this subdivision, and that this finding is declaratory of existing law. These children shall be known as commercially sexually exploited children. WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE 300

CONTINUUM OF CARE REFORM New Legislation: AB 403: Updates the assessment process so that the first out-of-home placement is the right one. Establishes core services and supports for foster youth, their families, and resource families; Strengthens training and qualifications for resource families providing care to foster youth and congregate care facility staff; To the extent that the children are provided needed services and support, transitions children from congregate care into home-based family care with resource families; Transforms group homes into a new category of congregate care facility defined as Short Term Residential Treatment Centers (STRTCs);

RESOURCE FAMILY APPROVALS RFA is a new family friendly and child-centered caregiver approval process that combines elements of the current foster parent licensing, relative approval and approvals for adoption and guardianship and replaces those processes. RFA: Is streamlined: It eliminates the duplication of existing processes. Unifies approval standards for all caregivers regardless of the child’s case plan. Includes a comprehensive psychosocial assessment, home environment check and training for all families, including relatives. Prepares families to better meet the needs of vulnerable children in the foster care system. Allows seamless transition to permanency