1. Structured Decision Making Child Welfare and the Law Spring 2006

2. Goal of Structured Decision Making “Better Protection of Children” Benefits –Improve assessments of CPS family situations to better ascertain the protection needs of children –Provides simple and objective tools for workers –Reliability and consistency –Research based –Allows for prioritization –Provide data for improvement of services

3. System Goals Reduce rate of subsequent abuse/neglect reports Reduce the severity of subsequent abuse/neglect reports Reduce the rate of foster care placement Reduce the length of stay in foster care

4. Components to Structured Decision Making Response Priority Safety Assessment Risk Assessment Family Needs and Strengths Assessment Case Planning and Management Case Reassessment Workforce Based Resource Allocation Role of Management Information System

5. Response Priority All maltreatment reports assigned for investigation At time is received Tells you how quickly to respond Levels 1,2 or 3

6. Safety Assessment (now) All maltreatment reports assigned for investigation that involve a family caregiver Process applied at first face to face meeting (prior to allowing child to remain in household) Removal and return of child to family ID factors that threaten immediate harm to child ID need for safety plan

7. Risk Assessment (future) All maltreatment reports assigned for investigation that involve a family caregiver Prior to assessment disposition (its used to decide disposition) Determine risk level of future maltreatment Close or Open case for ongoing service Guides contact standards

8. Family Assessment of Needs and Strengths All cases open for ongoing service Within 30 days of case assigned to ongoing workers Determine areas of family needs and strength that can be utilized in case planning

9. Alternative Response Assisting families to keep kids safe Meet specific criteria Option Statement/Agreement Voluntary

10. Risk/Needs Reassessment Risk (when children are in home) Needs (all ongoing cases) First review within 90 days of first treatment plan. Then quarterly afterward or anytime significant change occurs Measure progress, adjust service level, case closure

11. Reunification Assessment All CPS cases with at least one child in placement and goal of returning home First review within 90 days of first treatment plan, then quarterly. Prior to court hearings and whenever return home considered. Help decide eligibility to return home, or if new permanency plan needed

12. Assessing Diverse Families Child Welfare and the Law Spring 2006

13. Suspicion and Culture Culture and Poverty Under and Over reporting

14. False Positives Sleeping Arrangements Flexible boundaries (household compositions) Small size of children Appearance and hygiene Clothing Responses to authorities Lack of cooperation Unfamiliar disciplinary methods Unfamiliar medical interventions Unfamiliar practices Care of Newborns Linguistic Misunderstanding

15. False Negatives and the use of Culture as a Justification Failure to recognize a given practice as maltreatment because of cultural differences. Culture as a mask or smokescreen

16. Culture and Abuse Some families may have to abandon certain practices that were tolerated in their countries of origin Should be taken into consideration when assessing the family’s overall stability and most appropriate intervention.