Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence CFWS In-Service

Competencies How to transfer assessment and case planning into your documentation and court reports How to assess progress How to use concurrent planning to get a child to permanency How to choose the most appropriate permanent plan using shared decisions making How to survive as a CFWS social worker through organization and time management

Table Exercises 1.Did you find a difference in practice between what was taught in RCT and your office? 2.How did you handle that? 3.What else surprised you about being about being a CFWS Social Worker?

What are possible legal permanent plans? Reunification Adoption Guardianship Third Party Custody

Reunification Is the preferred permanent plan if it can be achieved safely for the child The parents are making progress in achieving the individual level and family level objectives Safety threats are eliminated or can be managed or controlled in the family home Risk factors that contributed to the safety threats and were part of the cycle of events leading to the safety threat have been reduced Background checks have been completed on all adults living in the home and an assessment of any safety threats and risk factors has been made and reported to the court (Sirita’s Law)

Adoption Is typically the best alternative to reunification if the family’s cultural heritage accepts adoption as a way to form a family The department has made reasonable or active efforts to safely return the child to the parents. The parents have not made sufficient progress to parent the child safely

Guardianship and 3 rd Party Custody Return home and adoption are not considered to be in the child’s best interests or are not feasible to achieve The proposed guardian is able to meet the child’s needs, has made a commitment to parent the child, and has an approved home study Guardianship or third-party custody must be approved as a permanent plan by the regional administrator or designee

Long-Term Agreements Is a long-term agreement a permanent plan? Department and court remain involved and are responsible for major decisions All policies (monthly visits, court reviews, etc.) must be met

What is Concurrent Planning? Working toward a primary permanent plan (normally return home) while at the same time, implementing an alternative permanent plan.

This means… Providing services to families to address safety threats and the risk factors that contribute to them while: Ensuring that efforts have been made to engage families in all services needed to achieve ILOs and FLOs and that those efforts are documented Ensuring parents are identified and diligent efforts have been made to locate them Completing a comprehensive relative search Completing the Ethnic Identity form and ensuring efforts are made to determine if ICWA applies Providing frequent and regular parent-child-sibling visits Placing a child with a permanent family, especially if it does not appear likely the child can safely return home Ensuring we have a good assessment of the child

Time Frames Must refer to the AAGs to file a petition to terminate parental rights within 12 months (state requirement) unless compelling reasons exist not to do so. Compelling reasons include: o The department has not provided reasonable efforts to return the child to the legal parents o The parents are making significant progress and reunification is expected in three months o Adoption is not the appropriate permanency plan for the child o Other reasons may also be documented. You don’t have to wait! These are outside time frames.

Court Orders: Legal Requirements RCW (1) …At least ten working days before the disposition hearing, the department shall mail to the parent and his or her attorney a copy of the agency's social study and proposed service plan, which shall be in writing or in a form understandable to the parents or custodians. RCW (1) (d) That the services ordered under RCW have been expressly and understandably offered or provided and all necessary services, reasonably available, capable of correcting the parental deficiencies within the foreseeable future have been expressly and understandably offered or provided

Achieve an Understanding 1.Has consensus been reached with the family? 2.Are the parents motivated to change? 3.Has consideration been given to the cultural background of the family? How would you do this? 4.Do you have additional concerns that should be addressed in FLOs or ILOs for which consensus has not been reached? 5.Do the parents understand that permanency is expected within 12 months and the urgency for permanency for the children?

Service Compliance Jennifer and Steve Case Scenario Both parents complied with completing a chemical dependency evaluation Steve is enrolled and attending drug treatment five days a week Jennifer is on the wait list for an in-patient treatment bed where she hopes to have the children with her after 30 days Jennifer has not participated in a mental health screen at the mental health center but is now receiving anti-depressants from her primary care provider and reports she feels better (non- compliance) Both parents have agreed to participate in Promoting First Relationships and a provider has been approved but not yet begun.

Progress A movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage.

Dependency and Disposition RCW and RCW In the dispositional order, the court will make the following decisions: Placement (in home, relative, suitable other, licensed care) following the wishes of the parents and in the home of a relative (1 st ) or suitable person (2 nd ) unless there is good cause not to do so Placement in the same school if in the child’s best interests Permanent and alternate permanent plan Specific services directed at the issues which brought the child into care (and other safety threats identified) Sibling contact (if appropriate) and visits with parents

Required Elements for TPR 1.The child has been found to be dependent 2.The court entered a dispositional order 3.The child has been removed or will, at the time of the hearing, been removed from the custody of a parent for at least six months pursuant to a finding of dependency 4.Services ordered have been expressly and understandably offered or provided and all necessary services, reasonably available, capable of correcting the parental deficiencies within the foreseeable future have been offered or provided

Required Elements for TPR 5.There is little likelihood that conditions will be remedied so that the child can be returned to the parent in the near future. A parent's failure to substantially improve parental deficiencies within twelve months following entry of the dispositional order shall give rise to a rebuttable presumption that there is little likelihood that conditions will be remedied so that the child can be returned to the parent in the near future. 6.Continuation of the parent/child relationship diminishes the child’s prospects for early integration into a stable and permanent home.

Shared Planning Meetings FTDM whenever a child’s placement may change (in- home to out-of-home; between substitute caregivers; out-of-home to in-home) or if requested by a party to the case. Shared Planning Meeting within six months of placement and prior to every permanency planning hearing. Adoption Planning Review within 30 days of a TPR referral LICWAC if a child has been identified as an Indian child, or whose status as an Indian child is being investigated, until a Tribe becomes active in case planning or when requested by the Tribe.

Staying Organized To Do lists Use Outlook for time-sensitive tasks Set aside time everyday to do paperwork Schedule monthly activities toward the beginning of the month so you can re-schedule if something comes up Protected time

Time Management Schedule your most difficult activities when you are the most efficient Send service letters to parents When possible (i.e. phone calls) put information directly into FamLink Be proactive Support caregivers!