Embedding Strengthening Families in Professional Development for Child

Welfare Staff

C E N T E R F O R T H E S T U D Y O F S O C I A L P O L I C Y

why is the Protective Factors Framework important to child

welfare? • Children zero to five are the fastest growing group entering the child welfare system.

• Stability for children is largely promoted through stability of the families who care for them.

• Optimal development of young children promotes lifelong improved outcomes and depends upon strong families.

• Using a common framework among partners increases support to families when they need it.

Three Result Areas

• Child welfare systems better meet the developmental needs of children 0-5, the fastest growing cohort of children coming into the system nationwide

• Child welfare systems support the development of protective factors among the families they serve (birth, foster, kinship, adoptive).

• Child welfare systems help build a framework for community-based prevention activities

“Draft Handbook for NJ Child Protective Service Workers Regarding

Strengthening Families: CSSP WebinarMarch 5, 2009”

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What are the Protective Factors?

1. Parental Resilience

2. Social Connections

3. Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development

4. Concrete Support in Times of Need

5. Social & Emotional Competence of Children

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Parental Resilience:

Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” when life becomes stressful. When parents feel stressed or frustrated, you have the opportunity to support and encourage parents.

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What might we do?

•Ask, “What do you need?” “How can we help you?”•Meet with your supervisor and support staff to discuss how you might best support this family.

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Social Connections:

Parents, like all of us, need to have a network of trusted friends and family. You, as a child welfare worker, can be a source of support for your children and families.

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What might we do?

•In order to help parents identify their informal support systems, ask who they would go to if they needed help or advice.•When appropriate, coordinate and facilitate a family-team meeting.

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Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development:

Parents will look to you to help them understand developmental levels of children or what they should or shouldn’t be doing as parents. This is a great opportunity to offer guidance!

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What might we do?

•In order to ensure that we all know what parents should or shouldn’t expect of their children, post a list – in the office – of the various stages of development for all age groups.•As a worker, give the parents you work with a handout explaining the stages of child development.•Help parents learn about their child – and especially take care to point out children’s achievements and positive traits.

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Concrete Support in Times of Need

No matter what life brings, every family occasionally needs help. Every day, you see parents who are in need of help and you are in a unique position to help those parents access the services they need.

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What might we do?

Ask families who they turn to for consistent support and how do those people help them meet their needs.•Help them connect to the people, supports and services they need.•Remember that our goal is to help families become more resilient and independent.

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Social & Emotional Development of Children

Supporting children’s social and emotional skills helps the communication between parents and their children and can reduce tensions within the family.

What might we do?

•When visiting with a child and the family, be sure to notice if there are any nurturing/supportive relationships in the home. If there are, it is important to note this strength to the parent/caregiver. If there are not, it is important to talk with the parent about how they might achieve or develop these kinds of relationships.

•Any time you visit with a child, it is important to talk with him or her about “feelings”. Children who learn the importance of feelings – theirs and others – learn the valuable trait of empathy.

Overarching Framework: 6 Protective Factors

DCFS is strengthening families and protecting children by

building:

1. Parental Resilience

2. Social Connections

3. Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development

4. Concrete Support in Times of Need

5. Social and Emotional Competence of Children

6. Healthy Parent-Child Relationships

IDCFS Protective Timeline

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Permanency

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Intensity of services

Service intensity within the “Protective Timeline”

In Community In care In

community

Lack of coordinationAmong child-serving

Departments

Failure to recognize strengths and

protective capacity

Symptoms misattributed

to other disorders

Lack of resources leaving problems

unaddressed

Separation from family, school, and

community

Unresolved or unaddressedcaregiver trauma

Child Trauma

Failing to recognize the impact of trauma makes the problem worse…

Trauma Informed Practice Initiative

Building Protective Factors Supports Quality Practice and Helps Children Heal …

Parental Resilience

Healthy Parent/Child RelationshipsKnowledge of Child Development

Social/Emotional Competence of Children

Social Connections

Concrete Support in Times of Need

Parental Resilience

Healthy Parent/Child Relationships

Knowledge of Child Development

Knowledge of Child Development

Knowledge of Child

Development

Concrete Support in Times of Need

Coordinated efforts among

child-servingdepartments

Strengths &protective

capacity recognized

Symptoms recognized &

diagnosedproperly

Identified resources to address problems

Child connected with family, school, and

community

Caregiver traumaaddressed & support

plan developed

Healthy Child / Healthy Family

Trauma Informed Learning Collaboratives• Regional groups established – mechanism to facilitate training of entire work

force (3600+, 130 Sessions, 35 Collaboratives + Affinity Groups)

• Target Audience: Caseworkers, Supervisors, and Administrators from DCP, Foster Care, SOC, Residential IA, CAYIT, APT, Foster Care Therapists, and Quality Assurance

• Phase I: Psychological First Aid (Fall)

• Phase II: Trauma 201 (Winter)

• Phase III: Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Assessment Tool (Spring)

• Phase IV: Strength-based Trauma-informed Service/Treatment Planning  (September, 2009)

– Protective Factors– Parent Leadership

Embedding Protective Factors Into Child Welfare Clinical Tools• Integrated Assessment Template

• Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment Tool (CANS)

• Trauma 201 Curriculum

• Parents Guide to Reunification

• Reunification Worksheet

• Foundation Training (To Come)

Head Start Collaborative Agreements• Enroll and sustain the participation of eligible children and families involved with

the child welfare system in Head Start programs

• Encourage and enhance collaboration between DCFS/POS agencies and Head Start Programs to improve service delivery to target families

• Head Start programs play a conscious and active role in preventing child abuse and neglect and ensuring the safety of children participating in programs

• Cross-Training: all DCFS and POS caseworkers and supervisors and all Head Start program staff have the information they need to fully collaborate with each other to benefit child-welfare involved children and their families.

Strengthening Families Illinois

• Love Is Not Enough Parent Cafes– Regional SFI Parent Leadership Team

• Presentations and Materials at DCFS Meetings, Conference, and Events

• Staff Internal / Cross-Division Workgroup (ELFS)

• 6 early childhood learning networks (one in each DCFS region) linking with child welfare at community level

• Collaboration with: – Family Advocacy Centers

– Teen Parent Services Network

– Foster Parent Advisory Council

– Youth Advisory Board

– Kids Hope United and other POS Agencies

What has really worked for you (successes or what has resonated with staff) and what hasn't (pitfalls to avoid)?

In which aspects of training are you focusing and is there a difference in approach (i.e. Basic Orientation, AC training, FCS, IIS, foster parent, clinical supervision, etc.)

Thoughts on StructureStand alone vs. embedding in current training?

At what point do you introduce SF/PF to child welfare staff, how, and why? 

Do you embed it at different training levels, (i.e. step it up), and if so how and when?

How do you engage supervisory/administrative support and buy in?

How do you continue to reinforce on an ongoing basis?

What do you find different about training child welfare staff on SF/PF versus training early childhood staff?

Have you created training curriculum and materials you are willing to share?