California Child Welfare Core Practice Model:Theoretical Framework, Values, and Principles

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Adapted from materials developed byAnita P. Barbee, MSSW, Ph.D.

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Goals of the Presentation

• To review the theories, values, and principles, and practice elements identified by the Practice Model Element Refinement Subcommittee

• To gather feedback prior to the March convening

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Summer Convening 2013We Learned:

Be clear on the theories, values, and principles you want to guide practice

Make sure those theories, values, and principles are fully fleshed out across casework practice, the entire organization, and the system

Understand the complexity of implementing a Practice Model and the role that fidelity checking can have in installing and maintaining desired practice

Be clear on the goals for your Practice Model and what you want to accomplish before you begin the rollout

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What Is a Practice Model?A practice model for casework management in child welfare should be theoretically and values based, as well as capable of being fully integrated into and supported by a child welfare system. The model should clearly articulate and operationalize specific casework skills and practices that child welfare workers must perform through all stages and aspects of child welfare casework in order to optimize the safety, permanency and well being of children who enter, move through and exit the child welfare system.

Child Welfare Casework Practice Model Definition(Barbee, Christensen, Antle, Wandersman & Cahn, 2011)

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Keys to Practice Model Success• A theoretical underpinning

related to orientation towards clients and origins of problems they face

• A theory of change focused on how to best assess and intervene to build on strengths and reduce problems

• A fully articulated set of actions and skills that can be observed for presence and strength

Wandersman (2009) 5

More Keys to Practice Model Success

• System supports• Evaluation results,

including data benchmarks to monitor the efficacy of the model

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Wandersman (2009)

Practice Models Help Us Understand Practice

Practice models delineate how to think about or conceptualize the practice with the population of focus:•The conceptualization of the problem (e.g., child maltreatment is embedded in the stage of a family’s life development)•The change theory that informs how that problem can be remediated (e.g., self efficacy theory)•The theory that guides the critical contribution and influence of the relationship alliance or partnership (e.g., solution focused theory)•The core practice values that underlie the approach to clients and the problem (e.g. family centered or strengths based).

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Linking with Existing Practice• Our goal is to develop a practice model that builds on the great

work already taking place by integrating key elements of existing initiatives and proven practices including CAPP and Katie A.

• Specifically, the model development included: A review of the Theoretical Frameworks of the Katie A.

Shared Core Practice Model and the California Partners for Permanency (CAPP) Core Practice Model as well as other key practices employed in counties in California.

Alignment of the key and common elements of those practices and practice models.

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Developing the modelHere’s a reminder of our process:• Summer 2013 Convening• Creation of a design committee as well as other sub-

committees focused on practice model development, communications, and outreach and engagement

• Consultation with experts• Establishing a theoretical framework• Refining the feedback from the summer convening through the

lens of our theoretical framework

Let’s take a look at these refined elements, starting with the theories

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What is a Theory?

• A theory or framework is an organized set of explanatory principles that are susceptible to hypothesis testing.

• Good theory leads to research to test the theory or debunk the theory and an evidence base to support the theory.

• Bad theory has either been disproven or is ideologically driven.

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Why do we need theories?

Our work involves preventing future abuse and neglect. In order to do this, we must try to understand:•What leads to the problem of child maltreatment?•What predictable processes are involved in child maltreatment?•How can our practice prevent the problem or process from starting or intervene once the problem has arisen?

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Problem, Process, Practice, PreventionTheories must help staff understand:•What causes the problem (child maltreatment), including the types of internal vs. external causal attributions staff will make about the causes of child maltreatment•What process is going on that is impacting the person and making the situation or problem worse, including past and ongoing oppression and trauma •How to engage in optimal practice including the proper orientation to take towards clients and the way to successfully intervene and provide effective treatment•How to create efficient and compassionate systems that effectively sustain ongoing treatment and prevent future problems.   

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Identifying Our Theories

October-December 20131.Dr. Barbee reviewed relevant micro level and practice theories and presented them to the Practice Model Element Refinement Subcommittee2.The subcommittee reviewed the theories and identified the theories that best reflect practice in California3.Dr. Barbee presented the identified theories to the Practice Model Design Team and to a statewide audience via webinar

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Four Subgroups of TheoriesThree types of micro theories:1.Orienting Theories- These help set the orientation towards clients and work with clients in the child welfare system. Any child welfare casework practice model must choose at least one theory from this cluster to set the tone for all interactions with clients. 2.Neuro-Developmental Theories- These focus on the developmental nature of children and families. These approaches help us understand how and why maltreatment happens and how and why interventions work. 3.Intervention Theories- These help set an understanding of the process leading to maltreatment and specify what needs to change in order for maltreatment to end and safety to be ensured. Plus a category for organization theories:4.Organizational Theories- These help us understand how our system will support and sustain the practice model

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Orienting Theories - These help set the orientation towards clients and work with clients in the child welfare system. Any child welfare casework practice model must choose at least one theory from this cluster to set the tone for all interactions with clients.

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Neuro-Developmental Theories - These focus on the developmental nature of children and families. These approaches help us understand how and why maltreatment happens and how and why interventions work.

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Intervention Theories - These help set an understanding of the process leading to maltreatment and specify what needs to change in order for maltreatment to end and safety to be ensured.

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Organizational Theories - These help us understand how our system will support and sustain the practice model

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Source: Quinn et al. (2003), p.13. Downloaded from http://blog.soton.ac.uk/comp6044/2012/11/26/management-models/

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Organizational Theories - These help us understand how our system will support and sustain the practice model

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Organizational Theories - These help us understand how our system will support and sustain the practice model

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Organizational Theories - These help us understand how our system will support and sustain the practice model

Values and Principles• The Practice Model Element Refinement

Subcommittee also developed a set of values and principles for the model

• These were approved by the subcommittee and presented to the Design Team

• The values and principles are • Based on the work completed at the summer

convening• Linked to the identified theories

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Values and Principles

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• Values and principles work together to reflect the theoretical framework and form the path from theory to practice. • Values are an expression of an ideal or optimal

state of being. • Principles provide a more detailed

operationalization of the value and give an idea of what the value would look like in practice

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Children and youth are safe, have a loving permanent family, and are supported to achieve their full developmental potential.

•We provide the supports necessary to keep children and youth safe from abuse and neglect. •We build permanency for all children and youth so that every child and youth has a lifelong, loving, permanent, legal family. •We work to help families function at their best and to assist children and youth to achieve their full developmental potential.

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We work in partnership with families, youth, foster parents, communities, tribes, and service providers.

•We value the family’s experiences and perceptions and build partnerships based on mutual respect and trust.•We work with families to facilitate their role as decision makers and safety planners for their children. •We partner with communities and tribes to promote the use of services that are community / tribe-based and employ formal and informal support systems.

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Children and youth maintain attachments with family members, friends, community, culture, and tribe.

•We work to keep families together and support ongoing relationships with siblings, extended family members and mentors. •Placement in out-of-home care happens only when all other options to ensure safety have been exhausted.•We work with families, communities and tribes to place children and youth with people they know and in their home community or tribe.

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We are transparent and open in our work with children, youth, families, tribes, communities and service providers.

•We value mutual honesty, transparency, and accountability in our work with children, youth, families, tribes, communities, and service providers. •We listen, communicate, and honestly share issues, concerns, and progress in our interactions and this is reflected in all reports.

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Our system and interactions are grounded in cultural humility.

•We engage in ongoing efforts to ensure our interactions indicate our cultural humility, our respect for the family’s culture, our interest in learning from the family about their culture, and our work to identify and address institutional and personal bias.

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We believe in the potential for change in families and in ourselves.

•We believe that families can grow and change to promote their own safety and well-being. •We engage in continuous quality improvement in an environment of learning and development in our agencies and among our workforce. •We listen and learn from children, families, partners, and each other and work together to support self-reflection, critical thinking, individual and organizational development, humility, and improvement.

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Effective services and supports are available to meet family needs.

•We work with families and communities to identify, advocate for, link, and support use of evidence-based, trauma-informed, individualized, needs-driven, strengths-based services and supports. •We consider research evidence; professional expertise; and family and community / tribe values, preferences, and circumstances as we work with families to make service plans. •Timely, culturally relevant, family-driven services are accessible and available.

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We have a healthy, competent, and professional workforce.

•We work to support the health, safety, and professional development of staff. •We believe in quality recruitment, staff development, training, and support.

Linking Theories, Values, and Principles

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More Information Available• Recorded Webinars• Resource Documents• PowerPoint Presentations

http://calswec.berkeley.edu/california-child-welfare-core-practice-model

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Questions?Answers!

Next StepsCWDA Regional Meeting PresentationsGoals of the Meetings:•Provide feedback on theoretical framework, values, principles and other components of the practice model

CWDA Children’s Committee Practice Model Workshop March 6 and 7, 2014 in Long BeachGoals of the Convening:•Achieve agreement on theoretical framework, values, principles and other components of the practice model•Achieve agreement on the level of standardization for the practice behaviors•Develop a plan for internal and external engagement of staff and stakeholders

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