1. Building Strong Teams: Strengthening Relationships Between CPS & Foster Parents
Erica Balderrama, MSW & Dr. Kathryn Schmidt, LMSW, PhD
The University of Texas at El Paso Department of Social Work
Child Welfare Training Collaborative (CWTC)

2. Texas Department of Family and Protective Services’ Transformation
Training Activity
Process and Activity
Adult Learning Theory
Shift from focus on investigation and correction of problems
New emphasis on engagement and partnering with families
Continued struggle to maintain foster placements

3. Planning Stages: Beginning
Collaborative topic development process to meet project goals through trainings
Title IV-E Steering Committee meets bi-annually:
El Paso, TX CPS Administrators & staff
UTEP’s CWTC Team
Foster parent representatives---expressed need to improve foster parents’ and CPS workers’ relationships

4. Planning Stages: Beginning: Committee
Steering Committee Meeting reviewed results of UTEP’s CWTC Project Analyst survey of 79 foster parents
Goal of the “CPS worker vs. Foster Parent” training was to provide an opportunity for both parties to better understand one another’s roles
Training format ideas were:
Panel Discussion
Dialogue with Q & A
Group Discussion
CONCERN: Open dialogue might become complaints and ‘bitch sessions’

5. Planning Stages: Middle
CWTC Project Analyst suggested developing an interactive training that would get both groups to “feel” what the other “feels”
UTEP uses simulation-based training which motivated the idea for an interactive training
Planning meetings included:
CWTC Co-PI’s & Project Analyst
Graduate Assistants (2-3)
UTEP Adjunct Professor with vast CPS experience
DFPS Administrators
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

6. Planning Stages: Middle: Format Overview
CPS staff & Foster parents would have separate interactive activity stations
Venue needed for separating groups and for child care space
(DFPS Faith-Based Coordinator linked to church)
Bring groups together for a “team building” activity & debriefing
Debriefing would include a team building game called “Zoom”

7. Create “stations” with activities that each group experiences in their respective roles
Some stations would be similar to both groups
Both groups created houses with a twist for each group
Stations for each side
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

8. CPS Staff Stations: #1 – Transporting
Goal: Frustration of transporting foster children to ALL of the required destinations and tending children’s needs along the way
Stuffed animals in strollers
Staff moves to different “sub-stations”
Doctor’s appointment – do 2 jumping jacks
Therapy – build a tower with blocks
School – march in place for 30 seconds
Visit – spin around 5 times and walk 5 steps
Take a selfie with group

9. CPS Staff Stations: #2 – Paperwork
Goal: See families’ paperwork, details, and information for reporting purposes
Each member had a list of events foster child experienced
Teams worked together to report the child’s activities day-by-day for all monthly activity
Same time---Pass a stuffed animal around
When animal dropped, mandatory break

10. CPS Staff Stations: #3 – Scheduling
Goal: Experience foster parents’
sacrifice of their personal lives to meet the youth’s needs and state requirements
Weekly calendar provided for group to complete in time given
List of required events
Events already included on the calendar CANNOT be moved or rescheduled
Not all events would fit

11. Your Turn Coordinators read directions for puzzles at your table
First team done receives a prize
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

12. CPS Staff Stations: #4 – Communication
Goal: Feel frustration of missing information about what can and cannot be shared with the family
Complete a puzzle that represents foster parents’ understanding of their foster child
Coordinator directs group
Time penalties for requesting help
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

13. CPS Staff Stations: #5 – Home Building
Goal: Focus on foster parents’ feelings during random home checks and licensing inspections
Group built home with supplies given
Decorated houses
Monitors required changes to houses

14. Foster Parent Stations: #1 - Court
Goal: Frustration of waiting for instructions & experiencing judge’s orders
Participants:
Went to court as caseworker
Judge gave them a mandated order regarding their assigned foster family
Shared judge’s orders with foster mother

15. Foster Parent Stations: #2 – Paperwork
Goal: Complete actual CPS REQUIRED documentation
Kept a balloon up as a team to show the need for support from other staff

16. Foster Parent Stations: #3 – Scheduling
Goal: Schedule ALL of the required events for staff members’ work and basic personal lives.
Participants:
Scheduled events for a week while dealing with already scheduled events that cannot be altered
Personal time
Visits with specified time, locations, and preferences
Court
Meetings
Crises

17. Foster Parents Stations: #4 – Chain of Command
Goal: Experience the multiple, somewhat trivial, obstacles that staff members have to overcome to get approval for foster children to do activities with their foster family
Participants:
Get approval from chain-of-command to allow foster family to take their foster child on a day-trip to Ruidoso, NM (out-of-state!)
Travel to “sub-stations” and do the required tasks:
Jumping jacks
Build a puzzle
March in place 30 seconds
Spin around 5 times and walk 5 steps
Take a selfie with your group
Emphasized Workers’ Efforts to Advocate for Families

18. Foster Parent Stations: #5 – Houses
Goal: See differences in homes with different resources and traits.
Foster home package had more decorations and optional pieces.
Biological parent package has a foundation that emphasizes ‘roots, strength, family ties’ in some way.
Teams could share resources between the homes---but rarely did
Participants:
Groups created 2 houses with the resources provided
One bag of resources will have more of a solid foundation
One bag will have more decorative resources

19. Team Building & Debriefing
After the interactive activities & lunch together, the groups debriefed their experiences
Shared feelings and increased empathy for others
Together, the groups participated in the team building game called “Zoom”
“Zoom”
Pairs of staff and foster parents had a single picture from within a story
Groups ordered pictures to complete the story
Supposed to ONLY talk without showing pictures
Teams ”CHEATED” by sharing pictures
Interpreted as “Want to share to improve care”

20. Evaluation Methodology
UTEP provided a state-mandated satisfaction survey to both groups
58 Total participants
30 CPS staff and 28 Foster parents
Survey only changed the wording to be specific to the group’s roles
UTEP also provided a pre and post-test evaluation to both groups
Social desirability on surveys
Open-ended responses---Growth in empathy (Sometimes we forget that foster parents don’t get to go home like we do.)

21. Content of Evaluation Instruments
Satisfaction survey (Likert-Scale responses: Excellent to Poor)
UTEP is contracted to provide trainings that will yield at least a 90% satisfaction rating
Satisfaction rating is determined by counting & combing all “Excellent” and “Good” responses
Evaluation is divided into 5 categories ranging from 1-6 questions per category
Course Material & Presentation
Facilitator(s)
Application of Content
Overall Satisfaction
Comments

22. Demographics of Participants
CPS Staff Members
Foster Parents
100% Female
93% English primary language
Time at CPS
44% over 5 years
33% more than 3 but less than 5 years
15% 1-3 years
7% less than 1 year
Number of families worked with while in CPS
59% more than 10
19% 6-10
15% 2-5
7% none
70% Female & 30% Male
48% Spanish primary & 52% English preferred
Years of experience as a foster parent
44% over 5 years
11% more than 3 but less than 5 years
7% 1-3 years
37% less than 1 year
Number of foster children in their home since becoming a foster parent
33% more than 10
33% 2-5
11% 1
22% none

23. Evaluation Findings: Course Materials & Presentation
Overall Satisfaction of Course Materials & Presentation = 96% satisfaction

24. Evaluation Findings: Facilitator(s)
Overall Satisfaction of Facilitator(s) = 97% satisfaction

25. Evaluation Findings: Application of Content
Overall Satisfaction of Application of Content = 93% satisfaction

26. Evaluation Findings: Overall Satisfaction
Overall Satisfaction of Training = 98% satisfaction

27. CPS Staff Comments
Great hands-on activities, great time frame, pleasant atmosphere! Great training should be required for all CPS staff & foster parents!
Foster parents believed that CPS workers make all the decisions and were able to do as they willed disregarding the foster parents concerns; it was interesting to view the different perspectives the foster parents have of the CPS worker
I still feel that there needs to be a relationship between all parties
Training provided insight, however I felt as foster parents were not understanding of CPS role
The events were well prepared and enjoyable. I learned a lot; I really had a good time. I learned a lot and have a new appreciation for foster-parents. I’m so grateful UTEP is doing this thanks!

28. Foster Parent Comments
I loved getting other point of view & learning about their jobs
This was by far one of my favorite trainings
Thank you so much for giving us an understanding. We really appreciate it
Maybe next time work with a caseworker
This was a very informative training session that allowed for taking in information on the CPS/Foster process from different perspectives and help get a better understanding of what goes into the CPS workload and how they should & shouldn’t be interacting with foster parents
Eye-opening experience; thank you for the opportunity

29. Questions?
Contact Information:
Erica Balderrama –
Dr. Kathryn Schmidt –