Engaging Clients from a Strength- Based, Solution-Focused Perspective The University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program

Learning Objectives: Identify the conditions for establishing effective engagement with clients; Connect the engagement process with the appropriate application of protective authority to establish the collaborative/protective partnership; Identify the elements of the solution-focused intervention model that distinguish it from the more typical problem-focused approach;

Learning Objectives (continued): Identify seven key solution-focused strategies; Identify the appropriate use of the following skills: identifying strengths in a problem situation, exploring past successes, finding and using exceptions to the problem, facilitating a positive vision of the future, scaling questions, encouraging commitment and developing action steps; and Identify opportunities to implement the solution-focused interviewing and intervention approach with clients.

Competencies: 301-3: The Child Welfare Professional is skilled in a variety of interviewing and casework techniques, and can conduct individual and family interviews : The Child Welfare Professional can implement problem-solving strategies, can apply these strategies to family’s problems and needs, and can teach family members to use problem-solving methods to resolve family problems.

Professional Practice Clear Mission Shared Values Practice Standards Relevant Knowledge/Skill Results-oriented Self-assessment Ongoing Improvement

Strengths What people have learned about themselves, others and their world Personal qualities, traits and virtues What people know about the world around them The talents people have Cultural and personal stories and lore Pride The community

Types of Strengths Mitigating Strengths: protect children from threats to safety Risk Reducing Strengths: reduce the likelihood of maltreatment in the future Well-being related Strengths: serve to enhance or support the family’s overall quality of life Neutral Strengths: positive qualities or conditions in the family that do not directly act to mitigate safety threats, reduce risk or enhance well-being

Engagement Engage: to obtain or contract for; to obtain and hold the attention of; to pledge or promise; to interlock or cause to mesh (The American Heritage Dictionary).

Engagement: Process & Outcome Engagement is both a process and an outcome. It requires the effective and balanced use of helping skills and protective authority It produces an ongoing worker/client relationship that results in the pursuit and accomplishment of agreed upon goals

Promoting Effective Engagement Tuning-into Self and Others Focused listening Clarification of role and purpose Respect Clear and accurate response to client questions Honesty Dependability Identification and support of client strengths Seeking to understand the client’s point of view Culturally sensitive practice Connecting agency goals with client goals Investment in client success Outcomes-oriented practice Regular feedback Confrontation Demand for work

Promoting Effective Engagement Tuning-into Self and Others Focused listening Clarification of role and purpose Respect Clear and accurate response to client questions Honesty Dependability Identification and support of client strengths Seeking to understand the client’s point of view Culturally sensitive practice Connecting agency goals with client goals Investment in client success Outcomes-oriented practice Regular feedback Confrontation Demand for work

Protective Authority Protective Authority is the application of helping and/or coercive strategies that result in client acceptance of intervention and effective client engagement leading to the child safety, reduction of risk of maltreatment, promotion of well-being and timely permanence. And /or

Protective Authority is a Continuum that Requires Balance and Flexibility Clarifying/ Helping Clarifying/ Helping Confronting/ Forced Choice Confronting/ Forced Choice Police/ Courts: Removal/ TPR Police/ Courts: Removal/ TPR LowModerateHigh Balance/Flexibility = Engagement & Protective Partnership

Avoiding Authority Extremes “Nice” Stance: submissive Concern: Conflict Client potential: Ambivalent Authority: Minimizes Goal for client: cooperation Style: inconsistent

Avoiding Authority Extremes “Tough” Stance: superior Concern: Loss of control Client potential: Pessimistic Authority: Heavy Goal for client: compliance Style: inflexible

Solution-Focused Core Principles If what you are doing doesn’t work, stop doing it and do something else. If what you are doing is working, do more of it.

7 Key Solution-focused Strategies 1. Identifying strengths in a problem situation. 2.Exploring past successes. 3.Finding & using exceptions to the problem. 4.Facilitating a positive vision of the future.

7 Key Solution-focused Strategies 5. Scaling questions. 6.Encouraging commitment. 7.Developing Action Steps

Solution-Building Questions 1. Tell me about the times when this problem is a little bit better? 2. How did you make this happen? What else? 3. What are you doing differently during those times when things are a little bit better? 4. What would your best friend (mother, child, etc) tell you when things are going a little bit better for you?

Problem Model vs. Solution Model The Problem-focused Model The practitioner is the expert. Practitioner must figure out the type of client problem and the related solution. The “Problem” is objectively real. The job of the professional is to know about various problems, have assessment procedures and techniques for intervention.

Problem Model vs. Solution Model The Solution-focused Model The client is the expert about his/her life. Practitioner must facilitate client solution building. Solutions emerge without connection to the specific related problem. The “problem” does not exist apart from the client as a whole person in context. The job of the professional is to understand the direction that the client wants to go and identify the supporting strengths.

Types of Useful Questions: Exceptions Exceptions are those occasions in clients’ lives when their problems could have occurred but did not – or at least were less severe. Exception questions focus on who, what, when and where (the conditions that helped the exception to occur) - NOT WHY; exceptions should be related to client goals.

Types of Useful Questions: Coping Coping questions are related in a way to exploring for exceptions. They attempt to help the client shift his/her focus away from the problem elements and toward what the client is doing to survive the painful or stressful circumstances.

Types of Useful Questions: Scaling Scaling questions invite the clients to put their observations, impressions, and predictions on a scale from 0 to 10, with “0” being no chance, and “10” being every chance. Questions need to be specific, citing specific times and circumstances.

Types of Useful Questions: Indirect or Relationship Indirect/Relationship questions invite the client to consider how others might feel or respond to some aspect of the client’s life, behavior or future changes. Indirect questions can be useful in asking the client to reflect on narrow or faulty perceptions without the worker directly challenging those perceptions or behaviors.

Types of Useful Questions: Miracle The “Miracle Question” is the opening piece of the process of developing well-formed goals. It gives clients permission to think about an unlimited range of possibilities for change. It begins to move the focus away from their current and past problems and toward a more satisfying life.

Posing the Miracle Question “Now, I want to ask you a strange question. Suppose that while you are sleeping tonight and the entire house is quiet, a miracle happens. The miracle is that the problem for which you sought out assistance is solved. However, because you are sleeping, you don’t know that the miracle has happened. So, when you wake up tomorrow morning, what will be different that will tell you that a miracle has happened and the problem is solved?” (adapted from de Shazer, 1988)

Follow-up Questions to the Miracle Question Through follow-up questions, the interviewer further extends and amplifies the impact of the miracle by a series of questions designed to guide the client in exploring the implications of the miracle in the client’s life. “What might others notice about you that would tell them that the miracle has happened, that things are different or better?” “Have there been times when you have seen pieces of this miracle happen?”

HIGH AUTHORITY, DIRECTIVE APPROACH Problem Wagon ASFA GOALS: Safety Permanence Well-being Timeliness

NON-COERSIVE ENGAGEMENT Strengths/Problem Wagon ASFA GOALS: Safety Permanence Well-being Timeliness

ENGAGEMENT + SOLUTION-FOCUSED Solution Wagon ASFA GOALS: Safety Permanence Well-being Timeliness

Creating Our Vision of a Positive Future “Now I want to ask you a strange question. Suppose that while you are sleeping tonight and the entire house is quiet, a miracle happens. The miracle is that you have and are able to perform at a high level the skills we covered in this training. And you are capable of managing the clients and situations you identified as challenging. However, because you are sleeping, you don’t know that the miracle has happened. So, when you wake up tomorrow morning, what will be different that will tell you that a miracle has happened?”

WHAT SBSFA CAN & CAN’T DO No model can give you more time to do your job. However, the SBSFA can help to focus your time and energy in the direction of behaviors and tasks that are sharply focused on the mission of child welfare, on unit performance and the most critical elements of your role. *BE CURIOUS *BE PATIENT *GROW YOUR COMPETENCIES *TRY OUT NEW KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS