1. Centacare Broken Bay
SCARF : Case Management tool for Housing, Family & Youth Support Services

2. Case Management Tasks Intake Assessment Planning Direct Service
Coordination
Review
Closure

3. Values and Principles of SCARF
ecological
child centred
child development
Assessment and action in parallel
equal opportunity
evidence based
Some of the best practice examples brainstormed by participants are often reflected in the values and principles of SCARF.
Use Slide 7 SCARF Values and Principles to review the SCARF values and principles.
Note that values are statements of our beliefs
Principles are statements of fundamental rules
Details about the values and principles are provided in the SCARF Training Materials Workbook p2-3.
…..
strengths based
continuing process
Inter-agency approach 3 3

4. Using SCARF with families
Focus on the work, not the paper
Remember parents almost always want good things for their children - SCARF is a way of getting children the help they need.
Leave tools behind unless they are really needed.
Use ‘sign off’ opportunities as a reminder to make sure that work is on track
Recognise that families react to ‘paper’ in different ways - work out what they find helpful.
Use Slide 75: Using SCARF with families
Highlight the following points:
Use the SCARF Triangle where you need to remember Dimensions so you can leave tools behind unless they are really needed.
Use ‘sign off’ opportunities as a reminder to make sure that work is on track
Recognise that families react to ‘paper’ in different ways - work out what they find helpful.
Focus on the work, not the paper
SCARF encourages a clearer focus on outcomes and achievements, but effective work with families is dependent on developing a trusting respectful relationship with the family. SCARF should support this, not replace it.
Remember parents almost always want good things for their children - talk about SCARF as a way of getting children the help they need
Highlight the way SCARF can help the family, rather than emphasizing agency requirements about record keeping or accountability.
Tools aren’t intended to be used as checklists in interviews, but rather to guide the process. Ask participants what they currently do to guide interviews and keep notes. Practitioners may have a range of practices – some may take notes in interviews, some may take notes afterwards. Encourage them to look at the strengths of their current approach, and to work out how they will adapt that to SCARF. Discourage use of the tools as a ‘checklist’ with families.
The Planning Agreement and Review have opportunity for workers and families to sign. Many families appreciate these opportunities, and they provide a concrete way to respond to families as partners. If families don’t want to sign include a comment to show that the opportunity was provided.
Some families won’t find any paperwork helpful, and the role of the tools will be to document the work done by the family worker. Other families may find take a keen interest in the documents. Find the approach that works best for the individual family. 4 4

5. Benefits of SCARF Focuses on children’s needs
Involves parents in transparent process
Key issues identified
Flexible process
Concrete plans
Maintains continuity
Interagency approach 5 5

6. Additional Benefits of e-SCARF Which we would LOVE to know first hand….
e-SCARF allows the electronic completion, filing and storage of SCARF client files.
Consolidated reports can help to:
Lead to improvements in planning
Assist you to evaluate program outcomes
Help you to meet your reporting requirements
e-SCARF allows the electronic completion, filing and storage of SCARF client files and has the additional capacity to provide a range of consolidated client reports. Using reports in e-SCARF can:
Summarise family contact with your agency
Give you understanding of the profile of people you are assisting
Lead to improvements in planning
Assist you to evaluate and compare program outcomes
Give you a birds-eye view of team workloads
Help you to meet your reporting requirements
Help you to check the accuracy of information entered into e-SCARF For more information contact Barnardos 6 6

7. SCARF – Supporting Children and Responding to Families
SCARF was adapted from the United Kingdom (UK) Department of Health “Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families." (CIN Framework).
Centacare Broken Bay has been using SCARF for at least 4 years.

8. Programs Waitara Family Support Waitara Housing Support
Brookvale Family Support
Brookvale Housing Support
Naremburn Family Support
Naremburn Youth Support

9. Family Support Program
Family Services staff work in partnership with families of children 0-18yrs and help them to make a change.
The focus is on early intervention and preventing family breakdown where there is a risk to children.

10. Youth Support Program
Youth Services staff work in partnership with our youth support workers. The services accepts young people aged with low level behavioural difficulties.
The focus is on early intervention and preventing family breakdown where there is a risk of homelessness for the young person.

11. Housing Support Program
We offer short term accommodation to families
We aim to transition families into more stable, long term housing.
This is not crisis accommodation, however often the families are going through crisis when accepted into the housing programs.

12. SCARF Triangle

14. Case Study - Child S
5 yr old daughter (Domain A), loves to dress up in grown up clothes (A: identity) and swim in designer clothes in the ocean (A: Social Presentation); father appears very controlling (A: DV); Father jumps on chairs to profess his love (A: (mental) health & disability)
Both parents appear to have a good relationship with their daughter (B: Basic Care), allowed to walk around in high heals from 2yrs old (B: Ensuring Safety)
A very financially well off family (C: Housing), father has a previous adoptive family (C: Immediate Family) both parents work sporadically (C: education employment or community resources), Family involved in Scientology in a significant way (C: social networks)

15. The Good, Bad and the Ugly of the triangle
The Good: Great visually for staff and families to use; Very holistic; Gives good prompts
The Bad: Inexperienced workers don’t often know what to ask in relation to the fields; Can feel cumbersome covering all topics;
The Ugly: ??

17. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Flowchart
The Good: Logical; Easy to follow; Age specific; action plans very accessible to families; great new assessment agreement; new referral form; Action plans have a spare page for updates, which staff love; Ensures families don't get caught in the ‘service trap’; Great for managers to review progress/lack there off; Add-its for inexperienced staff; Reviews can be used effectively.
The Bad: Add-its for experienced staff; re-training staff to use the record of contact; not great for short pieces of work.
The Ugly: Paper version can make it cumbersome to find information; lots of repetitive writing (eg DOB’s); ‘creative’ use of the closure form; ; STILL not having e-SCARF as most staff would prefer computerised version.

18. What’s Your Story? Information Sheet
Slide 11 Distribute the What’s Your Story? Information Sheet, and identify the role of the publication in ensuring transparency.
This provides an opportunity for workers to introduce the idea of helping all family members to get as much as possible out of their contact with the agency.
- Workers also clarify the process of gaining client consent to obtain information from other agencies.
Ask participants ‘When would you usually discuss issues such as Mandatory Reporting and confidentiality?’
GN: The aim of the information sheet is to encourage transparency and respect and trust in the worker’s relationship with the family 18 18

19. Implementation of SCARF to CBB
Initial training for all families teams
Review sessions for all families teams
Engaged Bronwen Elliott to facilitate staff skill development for challenging programs or situations.
Staff needed a lot of guidance and support to change their practice as required by SCARF.

20. Centacare review of SCARf 2010
58 files were audited by senior management staff based on rigid criteria.
This audit highlighted that after 4 yrs, staff vary greatly in their use and knowledge of SCARF.
Highlighted that some parts could be utilised greater, e.g. referral record and action plans.

21. What we have learned from SCARF & audit
Great way to encourage good practice with families.
Leads to shorter intervention times.
Helps workers get focused very quickly on goals and outcomes.
Managers NEED training on how to effectively use/audit SCARF to ensure best practice.
Staff from statutory child protection backgrounds need support to adjust to not keeping case notes and doing a “snapshot assessment” as opposed to an ongoing assessment.
Value of the proposed buddying system for SCARF users
That the E-SCARF System is still being sought by staff.

22. Thanks for listening Maura Magee Family & Youth Services Coordinator
Brookvale Family Centre,