1. Using the Casey Foster Home Assessment Tools (CFFA): The CFAI An Interactive Learning Module for End Users Click here to move to next slide. Press ESC to exit module.

2. How to Use This Learning Module Click on the navigation buttons to move through this learning module as follows: –Move forward to the next slide. –Move back to the previous slide. –Return to the Table of Contents & select new content. –Indicate an answer to a question. –Go to the CFFA web site Back Forward WEB

3. How to view the website during the training module: During the training module we suggest links to important information on the www.fosterfamilyassessments.org web site. If you want to go to the web site to view information, click on the button. When you are finished, minimize the web site to return to the training module. www.fosterfamilyassessments.org Back Forward

4. Table of Contents You can navigate to any part of the content by clicking the button next to a content area. Introduction to the Module Overview of the CFAI Completing the CFAI Understanding the CFAI Comparison Report

5. Handout for this module As you go through this module, you will use the following handout: Delaney Comparison Report. Click here to download your copy of the Delaney Comparison Report handout now.

6. Introduction This interactive learning module prepares you to use online versions of the Casey Foster Family Assessment (CFFA) tools for assessing foster and foster/ adoptive parent applicants. Contents Back Forward

7. After completing this self-study module you will know about….. Locating the CFAI on www. fosterfamilyassessments.org Explaining the subscales of the CFAI Accessing the web site and complete measures online Getting the CFAI Comparison Report Interpreting the contents of the Comparison Report Back Forward

8. Overview of the CFAI Contents Back Forward

9. The CFAI is specific to family structure and type You can use the tools with –One- and two-parent families, including same-sex two-parent families –Families with and without children –Kinship families Back Forward

10. There are two versions of the CFAI CFAI-A is the applicant’s self- assessment of his or her potential CFAI-W gives your perspective of the applicant’s potential Back Forward Together, the CFAI-A and the CFAI-W give the best vantage point for predicting how applicants will do as foster/adoptive parents and what types of help and support they will need.

11. CFAI Description Applicants and workers rate each item on a four-point response scale: 1)strongly disagree 2)disagree 3)strongly agree 4)agree The CFAI-A requires a 6th grade reading level A Spanish version will be available in 2006 You can download a PDF version of the CFAI-A to give to applicants Back Forward WEB

12. CFAI-A Has 6 Possible Subscales All applicants receive scores on the three core subscales –Foster Child Development –Challenging Children –Worker/Agency Challenges Back Forward Click here for descriptions of the core subscales

13. Descriptions of the core subscales Foster Child Development addresses ability to promote a child’s positive development and well-being while also minimizing inappropriate social behavior and emotional expression. Challenging Children assesses potential to care for children with specific challenging characteristics or behavior patterns. Worker/Agency Challenges addresses the applicant’s potential to work in partnership with you and agencies, even under difficult circumstances. Back Forward Click here to return to CFAI subscales

14. Applicants complete subgroup subscales based on demographics Married applicants –Co-Parenting subscale Applicant’s with children –Integrating Foster Children subscale Applicants who plan to care for a relative –Kinship Care subscale Back Forward

15. Descriptions of subgroup subscales Co-Parenting subscale assesses agreement partners regarding child-rearing issues and parenting, and the presence of supportive co-parenting behaviors. Integrating Foster Children subscale assesses perceptions of how children already in the family feel about having foster children join the family. Kinship Care subscale addresses ability to care for a child who is related. Back Forward

16. CFAI-W has 4 Subscales General Potential to Foster Subscale –One general subscale about your perspective of an applicant’s potential ability to provide care Subgroup subscales –Co-parenting –Integrating Foster Children –Kinship Care Back Forward

17. The CFAI-A and CFAI-W results are reported on the Comparison Report Key Features –Applicant’s responses to the CFAI-A –Your responses to the CFAI-W –CFAI-A summary of scores –CFAI-W summary of scores –Flagged items that identify strengths –Flagged items that identify risks Back Forward

18. CFAI Review Who completes the CFAI-W? A.The applicant B.The worker C.The collateral reference Back Forward

19. Yes! You answered B. The CFAI-W is completed by the worker. The applicant completes the CFAI-A. Having the perspective of the worker and the applicant involves the applicant in mutual assessment and provides two points of view about the applicant’s potential to foster. Go to the next question Back Forward

20. Nope. Try again. You answered A. The applicant completes the CFAI-A. Return to the question Back Forward

21. Nope. Try again. You answered C. The CFAI does not ask for information from references. Return to the question Back Forward

22. CFFA Review The CFAI-A applicant version has 6 subscales and the CFAI-W worker version has ___ subscales. A.4 B.5 C.6 Back Forward

23. Yes. You are correct! You answered A. The CFAI-A has 6 subscales and the CFAI-W has 4 subscales, one general subscale of fostering potential and 3 subgroup subscales. Go to the next section Back Forward

24. Nope. Try again. You answered B. Return to the question Back Forward

25. Nope. Try again. You answered C. Return to the question Back Forward

26. Completing the CFAI Contents Back Forward

27. Begin by going to the home page www.fosterfamilyassessments.org Click on Take Assessments Click on Take Assessment Front Page Back Forward

28. Take Assessments-Front Page The applicant completes the CFAI-A Then, you have 120 days to complete the CFAI-W in order to get a Comparison Report Back Forward

29. You and the applicant have to enter the following information to get a Comparison Report The case ID number for the applicant The applicant’s first name The applicant’s date of birth Your e-mail address Your agency’s name You and the applicant have to type in the same information exactly the same way (no extra spaces) –Download a Word document form of instructions for foster parents from the Quick Start for Agency Workers page Back Forward

30. To complete the CFAI Follow the instructions at the top of the page Answer all items. If an item does not completely apply to the foster parent’s situation, try to select the closest one that reflects the parent from the alternatives given At least 80% of items have to be completed to get a Comparison Report Notice two important features: –You cannot check two responses for the same item –The bar at the top indicates the percentage of the survey the worker Contents Back Forward

31. CFAI subscales Complete the subscales based on the applicant’s demographic characteristics Applicants will not see these special group subscale items if they answered “No” to the related demographic questions Back Forward

32. Aggregate demographics Aggregate demographics are essential to further test and develop the CFAI. The first time that you use the online CFAI, take a moment to complete this section. This information will be stored to match with future surveys. Your e-mail address matches the information to surveys. Back Forward

33. Aggregate demographics You need to re-enter the demographics if your status changes in any of those areas. For example, if it’s been over a year since you first began using the tool, you may need to complete this demographic section again to indicate that you’ve been working in your field for 3 years, instead of 2. Back Forward

34. Get a Comparison Report for your case record Click SUMBIT RESULTS In 10-15 seconds, a PDF file of the Comparison Report will appear SAVE the file to your desktop by clicking on the save icon at the top left corner of the page Contents Back Forward

35. Understanding the CFAI Comparison Report Contents Back Forward

36. Reading the Delaney Comparison Report – a handout As you go through the slides, you can also look at those same results with your copy of the Delaney Comparison Report. Click here to download your copy of the Delaney Comparison Report handout now if you have not done so.

37. The Comparison Report has results for the CFAI-A and the CFAI-W CFAI-A has 6 subscales CFAI-W has 4 subscales Higher percentile ranks mean greater potential to foster Back Forward

38. Applicants’ CFAI scores are reported as percentile ranks Back Forward

39. Percentile ranks compare applicant’s responses with responses of a reference group of experienced foster parents. Percentile Ranks Applicant’s CFAI Score Back Forward Percentile ranks tell the percentage of experienced foster parents in the reference group who have CFAI scores lower than the applicant’s score.

40. Reference Group of Experienced Foster Parents Percentile ranks range from 1-99 Applicant’s CFAI Score Back Forward 1 st Percentile (PR) 99 th Percentile (PR)

41. How percentile ranks determine potential Back Forward 75th PR 25th PR A PR score of 75 or above indicates: 75% of the reference group scored lower than the applicant. The applicant has a strength in this area. A PR score of 25 or below indicates: 25% of the reference group scored lower than the applicant. This identifies and area for growth as a foster parent. Applicant’s PR High Potential Low Potential Strength Area for Growth

42. Find Maria’s CFAI-A Summary on page 7 of the Delaney Comparison Report Back Forward High Potential Strength Maria’s CFAI-A percentile rank for foster child development is 76.5…..

43. Foster Child Development Back Forward 75th PR Maria’s PR score of 76.5 indicates a special strength in meeting the developmental needs of children in foster care. Maria’s PR 76.5 High Potential Strength Next, see how Maria assessed herself in other important areas of fostering potential.

44. Return to the CFAI-A Summary Back Forward

45. Maria’s CFAI-A percentile rank for other subscales fell below the 25th percentile Back Forward High Potential Strength

46. Challenging Children Back Forward Maria’s PR score of 14 indicates that she has concerns about her potential to care for children with specific challenging characteristics or behavior patterns. Maria’s PR 14 Maria identifies caring for children with challenging behaviors as an area for growth. 25th PR Low Potential Area for Growth

47. Return to Maria’s CFAI-A Summary Back Forward High Potential Strength Find Maria’s Score on the Coparenting Subscale.

48. Coparenting Back Forward Maria’s PR score of 8 indicates that only 8% of experienced foster parents scored lower than Maria on the Coparenting subscale. Maria’s PR 8 Experienced foster parents know the importance of working together as a couple. At times, fostering can stress even the strongest relationships. Maria and Richard may need additional support from their worker as they face unfamiliar parenting decisions. 25th PR Low Potential Area for Growth

49. Return to the CFAI-A Summary Back Forward Find Maria’s score on the Worker/Agency Challenges Subscale

50. Worker/Agency Challenges Back Forward Maria’s PR score of 22 indicates that Maria sees her relationship with her worker and the agency as an important influence on her fostering potential. Maria’s PR 22 Her worker can use Maria’s self-report to clarify roles and to build a strong collaborative relationship with Maria and Richard. 25th PR Low Potential Area for Growth

51. Your turn: Find Richard’s Percentile Ranks on the CFAI-A subscales Back Forward What is Richards potential on the integrating Foster Children subscale?

52. Integrating Foster Children Back Forward Richard’s PR score of 4 indicates that he has questions about how having a foster child living with the family may affect their son, Thomas. Richard’s PR 4 25th PR Low Potential Area for Growth He would benefit from more information about the effects of fostering on the family.

53. Your turn: Find Richard’s Percentile Ranks on the CFAI-A subscales Back Forward What other areas for growth did Richard identify?

54. Your turn: Answer Parenting children with challenging behaviors Coping with worker/agency challenges Coparenting Back Forward

55. Find the CFAI-W Summary on page 8 of the Delaney Comparison Report Back Forward The worker assessed Maria as having high general potential for fostering. She identified Richard’s concerns about how having foster children will affect their son, Thomas.

56. Next, compare the CFAI-W and CFAI-A Summaries Back Forward Worker’s view Applicant’s view

57. What additional areas of agreement do you see in the score summaries? Back Forward Worker’s view Applicant’s view

58. Find the Flagged Items on the Delaney Summary Report Back Forward

59. Flagged Items indicate risks and strengths Back Forward

60. Maria and Richard’s Strengths Maria and Richard identify that they have a strong relationship. They believe that their son, Thomas wants to have a foster sibling. Back Forward

61. Possible Risks Richard reports that he spanks his son, Thomas. Back Forward

62. Interpreting Results Maria has a special strength in her ability to promote a child’s development Both Maria and Richard expressed some concerns about their co-parenting. Fostering can be stressful and couples with scores in this range may have problems working together to care for a foster child Richard indicates that he might that he spanks his son. Foster parents need to have non-physical strategies for helping children improve their behaviors. Results from the CFAI suggest that the worker should talk with Richard and Maria further about how they work together and support each other as parents They may need additional training about non-physical discipline techniques, behavior management strategies, and the affects of fostering on the family Back Forward

63. This concludes Using the Casey Foster Family Assessments: the CFAI Thank you for your interest in learning about the CFFA! Other interactive self-tutorials on the CFFA: Introduction to the CFFA Completing the CHAP Measures Sharing Information about the CFFA with Caregivers Press “ESC” on you keyboard to exit the tutorial Click here to return to the beginning of this tutorial. To print a Certificate of Completion for this tutorial, click on the button then press “PrtSc” on your keyboard

64. Is presented to: For completing the online interactive training module (Trainee’s Name) (Date Completed) Using the Casey Foster Family Assessment Tools (CFFA): The CFAI