Module 2: Overview of Web viewTrainer Instructions and Script: ... A GAL is usually assigned to a child at the time of arraignment, ... weighing every word

Module 2: Overview of Licensing

Time: 9 hours

Module Purpose: The purpose of this module is to provide an overview of the purpose and goals of foster care licensing and the role of the licensing specialist. As this module serves as a foundation for the licensing course, we will cover many of these elements in greater detail in upcoming modules.

Demonstrated Skills:

1. Explain how the role of foster care licensing relates child welfare protection and Florida’s Safety Methodology.

2. Explain how law and statute guide the licensing process.

3. Explain how assessment is an ongoing and mutual process that is fully woven within the fabric of a licensing specialist’s job.

There are 3 units in this module.

Materials Needed:

Trainer’s Guide

Participant’s Guide (participants should bring their own)

Markers

Flip chart

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Agenda:

Unit 2.1: Overview of Licensing

A. Purpose and goal of foster care licensing.

B. What brings children into licensed care.

C. Types of licensed settings.

D. Family-centered practice.

E. Foster parents as partners.

F. The team.

Unit 2.2: Licensing Laws and Time Frames

A. Laws and statutes that protect children in licensed care.

B. Essential timeframes pertaining to the licensing process.

Unit 2.3: The Role and Skills of Assessment

A. Ongoing and mutual assessment.

B. Phases of assessment and the licensing process.

Trainer Instructions and Script:

Display Slide 2.01: Module 2 Overview of Licensing (PG: 1)

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Display Slide 2.0.2: Learning Objectives (PG: 1)

Say: Before we move into content, I want to share the learning objectives for Module 2:

1. Explain how the role of foster care licensing relates child welfare protection and Florida’s Safety Methodology.

2. Explain how law and statute guide the licensing process.

3. Explain how assessment is an ongoing and mutual process that is fully woven within the fabric of a licensing specialist’s job.

Display Slide 2.0.3: Agenda (PG: 1)

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Unit 2.1: Overview of Licensing

Time: 6 hours

Unit Overview: The purpose of Unit 1 is to provide an overview of how the role of foster care licensing relates child welfare protection and Florida’s Safety Methodology.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the purpose and goal of foster care licensing.

2. Describe the types of circumstances that would bring children into licensed care.

3. Describe different types of licensed settings and placement types.

4. Explain the role of foster care licensing as it relates to the family-centered practice.

5. Recognize the importance of establishing a relationship with foster parents as partners.

6. Explain the connections of the foster care licensing specialist with other members of the child welfare team.


Display Slide 2.1.4: Unit 2.1: Overview of Licensing (PG: 2)

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Say: The purpose of Unit 1 is to provide an overview of how the role of foster care licensing relates child welfare protection and Florida’s Safety Methodology.

Everything we do as a system revolves around the safety, well-being and permanency of children. We strive to provide high quality family-centered practice that allows for both children’s safety and allows them to be children. With that in mind, let me ask you a few questions that speak to our own views of family.

Ask: What does family mean to you?

Pause and let participants respond. Answers may vary.

Ask: What does family mean to the children you know?


Ask: What is your family’s normal? Provide your own example, such as, “My family’s normal is we all eat dinner together each night as a family.”


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Ask: If your child had to be cared for by a stranger, what would your want to know about that person?


Display slide 2.1.6: The Goal of Foster Care Licensing (PG: 3)

Say: The goal of foster home licensure is to ensure the physical and emotional safety and overall well-being of children that have been removed from their families and must be cared for by persons with whom they have relative or no familial connection.

The state has, in effect, become the child’s parent and is responsible for his/her well-being while the child is in the state’s care. While in most cases, abuse, abandonment or neglect may have occurred, children may still desire to remain in the care of their parents.

It is important to point out that, the impact of the trauma, including the trauma of removal, should be addressed while the child is in a licensed setting.

Ask: From what we learned during earlier training, can you tell me our seven professional practices?

Pause and let participants respond. Participants should identify the following:

Interaction-focused practices:o 1. Engaging the family.

o 2. Partnering with all involved.

Information-focused practices.o 3. Information-gathering.

o 4. Assessing and understanding information.

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Planning-focused practices:o 5. Planning for child safety.

o 6. Planning for family change.

Implementation-focused practices:o 7. Monitoring and adapting to case plans.

Display slide 2.1.7: Roles of the Licensing Specialist (PG: 3)

Say: If you look at our seven professional practices, it is easy to see how each of these practices fits within the roles of the licensing specialist. In order to do your job effectively, you will need to build the skills and knowledge to wear many hats. These include:

The Partner: The licensing specialist is responsible for partnering with many professionals, foster parents and the children in their care.

The Regulator: The licensing specialist must ensure that safety provisions are intact, policies are followed and critical goals are embraced by foster parents.

The Assessor: The licensing specialist is responsible for the initial licensing, on-going assessment and continued licensing of foster parents.

The Mentor: The licensing specialist must build relationship with foster parents. They must be teacher, coach, and advocate for foster parents. They must be able to identify concerns and determine the best course of action for foster parents so that they may grow and stretch themselves.

The Record Keeper: The licensing specialist is responsible for documenting all interactions, observations with foster parents and children. They must enter information in the official system or record keeping and be able to locate case information for themselves and for the foster parents.

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The Communicator: The licensing specialist is responsible for recruiting and retaining foster parents, maintaining customer service, managing conflicts, and advocating for foster parents and the children in their care. They are the bridge between the foster parents and the other partners in the system.

The Match-Maker: As a licensing specialist, you may do matching or work in conjunction with placement services. You must also develop a precise family profile and communicate that profile. It is also your job to remind foster parents to stay within their profile but work on expanding their profile by showing them their strengths and expanding their view of children they are willing to accept.

Activity#1: Building a Licensing Specialist

Purpose: To allow participants the opportunity to brainstorm characteristics, skills and knowledge and attitudes someone needs to successfully perform the roles of a licensing specialist

Use this activity as a bridge to help participants understand what they will be learning during this course and how it applies to their roles as a licensing specialist.

Materials:

Building a Licensing Specialist worksheet (PG: 4).

Flipchart paper.

Markers.

Trainer Instructions:

Divide participants into small groups.

Provide each group with one of the roles of a licensing specialist.

Ask participants to identify the characteristics, skills, knowledge and attitudes someone needs to successfully perform their assigned role. Provide examples. For example, to be an excellent assessor, a licensing specialist must be able to conduct in-depth interviews, be able to see below the surface, be persistent, etc.

Ask each group to present.

Debrief activity using answers below and discuss the commonalities and possible contradictions involved in each of these roles.

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Answers include, but are not limited to:The Partner Be able to work collaboratively with other professionals. Be able to work collaboratively with foster parents. Be able to work with children, youth and birth parents. Understand the common needs, mission and outcomes. Understand their own roles within the partnership. Able and willing to build off the skills, strengths and resources of

other partners. Respect and value the contributions, strengths and skills of other

partners. Effectively communicate and willing to keep the lines of

communication open.The Regulator Knows and applies the state and local policies regarding licensing

and relicensing homes. Completes and helps foster parents complete/meet all required

documentation, preparations, and inspections. Assists in investigation in case of institutional allegation against

foster home.The Assessor Understand the licensing requirements and process. Understand the role of the foster parent, the qualities needed for

successful fostering and the challenges foster parents face. Rapport building skills. Listening skills. Interviewing skills. Challenging skills. Cultural competence.The Mentor Skills in building and maintaining relationships and empathy with

foster parents. Skills in nurturing families. Skills in empowering families. Skills in identifying strengths and needs. Understanding where/how needs can be met.

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Understand child development. Understand trauma-sensitive care. Flexible. Patient.The Record Keeper Note-taking skills. Promptness. Thoroughness. Technology skills. Ability to meet deadlines. Understanding the legalities of documentation.The Communicator Listening skills. Customer service skills. Rapport building skills. Mediation skills. Verbal, non-verbal and contextual family engagement techniques. Conflict management skills. Understanding how to avoid triangulation. Establishing boundaries. Advocacy skills. Understanding the rules of confidentiality. Understanding that documentation is legal.The Match-Maker Completing an accurate family profile. Helping families stay within their profile. Communicating to the family their strengths so you can help them

expand their profile. Expanding a foster parent’s view of children, so you can help them

expand their profile.

Activity STOP

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Activity#2: My Strengths and Needs

Purpose: To allow participants to self-assess their strengths and needs based on each role they will be playing.

This activity can be used not only to allow participants the opportunity to look at their own strengths and needs, but can also be used as a bridge to begin discussing the important role of identifying and helping foster families identify their strengths and needs.

Materials:

My Strengths and Needs worksheet (PG: 5).


Instruct participants to work independently.

Ask participants to answer the following question on their worksheet: “Given each role that a licensing specialist plays, what are your personal strengths and needs?”

Debrief activity.

Activity STOP

Activity#3: You Work for Me

Purpose: To allow participants to begin the process of looking at their role from the perspective of other important partners.

This activity reinforces the fact that the role of the licensing specialist is an extremely important one and that many people need different things from the licensing specialist. All parties rely on the licensing specialist to recruit and maintain effective foster homes and match children properly in order to maintain placement stability.

Materials:

You Work for Me worksheet (PG: 6).

Breakthrough Series Collaborative: Recruitment and Retention of Resource Families, C: Voices of Constituents, pages 51-68. http://www.casey.org/resources/publications/pdf/BreakthroughSeries_RecruitmentRetention.pdf

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http://www.casey.org/resources/publications/pdf/BreakthroughSeries_RecruitmentRetention.pdf

http://www.casey.org/resources/publications/pdf/BreakthroughSeries_RecruitmentRetention.pdf

Trainer Instructions: Instruct participants to work in teams. Divide the teams into four

groups: The child, the foster parents, the birth family, the agency. Ask participants to read their section of Breakthrough Series

Collaborative: Recruitment and Retention of Resource Families, C: Voices of Constituents, pages 51-68. The agency does not have a section, so participants assigned to “agency” can use previous knowledge.

Ask participants to think of the licensing specialist’s roles from the voices of their assigned partner and answer the following questions:Child:

o “What it feels like to be removed from my home?”o “What I need from a foster home?”o “How can you involve me in case planning and decision

making?”Birth Parents:

o “What it feels like to have a child removed from my home?”

o “What I need from a foster home?”o “How can you involve me in case planning and decision

making?”Foster Parents:

o “What it feels like when a child comes to my home?”o “What do I need the licensing specialist to help me feel like

a partner and to do my job?”o “How can you involve me in case planning and decision

making?”Agency

o “What it means to have children in out-of-home care?”o “What do we need from foster homes?”o “How can you involve us (other professionals) in your case

planning and decision making?” Ask participants to present to the class taking on the persona of

their role. Debrief activity.

Activity STOP

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View the Voices of Youth: Supporting Adolescents in Foster Care video (http://www.aecf.org/KnowledgeCenter/Publications.aspx?pubguid=%7BA67DCD77-721C-4DB0-9C9E-4283184F5DA0%7D\)

Discuss video briefly and answer any questions. Focus on how a highly skilled licensing specialist could help change the stories of Foster Care kids of the future.

Display slide 2.1.8: How Children Come into Care (PG: 7)

Say: Examples of how children come into care and the need for foster parent recruitment and relative/non-relative caregiver licensing include:

Both parents are deceased.

A maltreatment has occurred.

Parent or caregiver (as the caregiver may not be the parent) is not equipped to care for child (no maltreatment).

Child may require a specific level of care for which the parent or caregiver is unable to provide. This is where types of care come into play such as medical or therapeutic placements.

Child is unsafe, due to danger threats and parents diminished caregiver protective capacities, and an in home safety plan cannot be established to ensure for the child's safety. Parent has diminished capacities and therefore an out of home safety plan is needed to ensure child safety.

Present danger safety plan due to emergent threats of danger to the child.

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http://www.aecf.org/KnowledgeCenter/Publications.aspx?pubguid=%7BA67DCD77-721C-4DB0-9C9E-4283184F5DA0%7D%5C

http://www.aecf.org/KnowledgeCenter/Publications.aspx?pubguid=%7BA67DCD77-721C-4DB0-9C9E-4283184F5DA0%7D%5C

Display slide 2.1.9: The Least Restrictive (PG: 7)

Say: The law requires that a child is placed in the “least restrictive” setting first which may require that relatives and non-relatives be explored prior to seeking a licensed placement.

Relatives or familiar non-relatives may be required to be licensed (i.e., ICPC requests, court recommendation, etc.).

Display slide 2.1.10: The Last Resort (PG: 8)

Say: As you have already explored the circumstances that bring children into care during Core training, you know that placement into foster care is the last resort because it is the most intrusive.

Ask: Why follow a least to most intrusive process? Wouldn’t we want to get a child away from his or her home as soon as possible if we suspect abuse or neglect?

Pause and let participants respond. Participants should identify reasons that include, but are not limited to:

The child has the strongest attachment to their family first and the family’s and community’s culture. We focus on least intrusive to minimize the trauma to children when they must be removed from their homes.

Reunification is usually the permanency goal unless “egregious abuse” occurs or if the family has an extensive DCF history.

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We must not always assume home removal is the first and best option. Removal from home is very traumatic and we must be certain to follow the least to most intrusive process.

Ask: What are the advantages and disadvantages of being removed from the home?

Pause and let participants respond. Participants should identify advantages and disadvantages that include, but are not limited to:

Advantages

Ensuring the child’s safety, permanency and well-being.

Give birth parents time to work on goals while the child is kept safe.

Disadvantages

Removal may result in more trauma for the child.

Ask: How does foster care licensing impact the child’s well-being?

Pause and let participants respond. Participants should identify ways that foster care licensing impacts a child’s well-being that includes, but are not limited to:

Training and licensing relative caregivers or familiar non-relatives.

Recruiting, training and assessing quality, caring foster parents.

Matching the child to the right foster parents.

Coaching and mentoring foster parents.

Identifying resources for foster parents.

Working with the whole team towards reunification and case plan tasks.

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Display slide 2.1.11: Types of Foster Care (PG: 8)

Say: Suitability assessments “drive” where a child should be placed based on their level of functioning (i.e., behaviors and needs) which may change the type of foster home (i.e., traditional or therapeutic).

The foster care licensed settings includes:

Family Foster Home: A private residence in which children who are unattended by a parent or legal guardian are provided 24-hour care in a family-like setting.

o Foster parents receive regular pre-service training (i.e., statutory requirement of 21 hours) and are considered as traditional foster homes.

o Placements may be up to five children per home to include the children of the foster parent.

o Children placed in this type of home generally have not exhibited behaviors that warrant a more restrictive placement and are considered “traditional placements.”

o A person who cares for a child of a friend for a period not to exceed 90 days, a relative who cares for a child and does not receive reimbursement for such care from the state or federal government, or an adoptive home which has been approved by the department or by a licensed child-placing agency for children placed for adoption is not considered a family foster home.

Child Caring Agency (Group Home): A private residence or facility in which children receive 24 hour care in a family-like setting where care may be provided by a house parent or shift care staff with support from service providers (i.e., mental health services, life coach, etc.).

o Children that are placed in group homes may have been placed in Family Foster Homes but have now exhibited

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needs that may require a higher level of care and supervision.

o Group Homes may also be licensed as therapeutic group homes which are licensed and monitored by the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA).

o Capacity may vary based on the type of group home as square footage is assessed, as well.

o Houseparent or shift care staff must also receive the same training as a foster parent.

The foster care placement types includes:

Traditional: Provides care that meets the needs of a child who may not be exhibiting behaviors that require additional supports outside of the immediate caregiver or foster parent.

Enhanced: A child that is placed in a traditional home that accepts a child that has more intensive needs that have not risen to the level of requiring therapeutic support but can benefit from additional supports being provided. In this case, the child has some special services within a family foster home.

Therapeutic: Provides more intensive support which more training for the foster parent with mental health service support from a local agency mental health provider.

o Such homes are called Specialized Therapeutic Foster homes for children with therapeutic needs.

o Therapeutic foster homes must complete additional therapeutic training based on needs of the child who can be categorized as Level One or Level Two placement.

o A Level One foster home requires that one parent remains home in order to meet the needs of the child.

o A Level Two foster home restricts the foster parent from working outside the home who is then compensated by Agency for HealthCare Administration (AHCA)

o Therapeutic placements are restricted to no more than two children per home.

Medical: Provides intensive, specialized medical care to children considered to be medically complex.

o Foster parents receive regular pre-service training (i.e., statutory requirement of 21 hours) and additional medical

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training from the Children’s Medical Services.

o Family Foster Homes that accept medical placements are initially licensed as traditional homes who then then licensed with Children’s Medical Services (CMS) after meeting all of their requirements.

Extended Foster Care: Youth that have “aged out” after the age of 18 who have elected to remain in a licensed setting. This setting can be a Family Foster Home or Group Home. This youth also continue to receive child welfare services who do not require them to undergo background screening while remaining in this licensed setting.

Money and funding sources are different for different types of foster care (i.e., AHCA and CMS) which may be higher than a standard board rate.

Activity#4: Meeting Foster Care Providers

Purpose: Participants will have the opportunity to hear about the various types of foster care programs and the opportunity to consider how the types of care apply to an eligible child(rens’) needs.

Invite providers from traditional, enhanced, therapeutic, and medical environments as guest speakers about local resources and their programs.

These should be very introductory – 15 min. – depending on how many speakers come. They should be followed up with Lunch n Learns for details as the participants will not be able to remember the details of the programs at this time.

OR have them come in at the end of training for a full “Provider Fair day”

Materials:

PG: Foster Care Providers worksheet (PG: 9).

Trainer Instructions: Instruct participants to listen to the speakers and to feel free to ask

questions. Ask participants to reflect on the speaker by answering the

questions on their worksheet. These questions include:o What do each of the programs provide in terms of services?

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o How does the team determine which service is right for each child?

o How does the team access these services for children?

o How do foster parents prepare for the different types of care?

o What is the licensing specialist’s role within each of these types of Foster Care?

Debrief activity with large group.

Activity STOP

Display slide 2.1.12: Foster Care Parent and Birth Family Collaboration (PG: 10)

Say: Since the birth family or family of origin drives the process, it is important to keep them in the forefront and involved in any decisions made in the child’s life. At the end of the day, the child is the birth family’s child. Facilitator should discuss how parental rights remain intact unless parental rights have been terminated. Therefore, the family of origin still should be considered when it comes to how their child maintains their culture, spiritual practices, hair care, etc.

Case management and services are geared toward the family as center of everything they do.

Foster parents are partners with the birth family or family of origin. Both families need to be part of big decisions or important events: court appointments, Individual Educational Plans (IEP) meetings, and doctor/ dentist appointments. Every opportunity should be used to involve the birth family.

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Reunification is the preferred ultimate outcome.

The birth family or family of origin is the center of everything because reunification is the permanency goal for most cases unless identified as not being in the best interest of the child. They are the experts of their life. The licensing specialist and foster parents receive information from them with regard to the child’s needs.

It is important that the licensing specialist respect and honor the birth family’s role and participation because ultimately, it is their life (lives). However, we will not compromise the child’s safety assessments “drive” where a child should be placed based on their level of functioning (i.e., behaviors and needs) which may change the type of foster home (i.e., traditional or therapeutic).

Ask: What does family-centered practice mean to you?

Pause and let participants respond. Participants should identify definitions that include, but are not limited to:

Collaboration between birth family and foster parents and birth family or family of origin (all removals are not from a birth family or parent) participation in foster care process is critical. The birth family is the center of everything. Point out how this view is a direct extension of family-centered practice.

Family-centered practice explains the importance of collaboration and participation between foster parents and the birth family or family of origin.

Display slide 2.1.13: Family-Centered Practice: Initial Licensing (PG: 10)

Say: When assessing an applicant for initial foster care licensing, according to administrative code, he/she must demonstrate the following characteristics:

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A willingness to work with the supervising agency and all applicable parties including biological parents to work toward permanence for the child as established in the child’s case plan.

An understanding and respect for the importance of preserving a child’s family connections and relationships.

Display slide 2.1.14: Family-Centered Practice: Foster Parent Roles (PG: X)

Say: Based on administrative code, some of the ways foster parents are required to adhere to family-centered practice include:

Providing for the special dietary needs of children and being sensitive to the parent’s input regarding special dietary needs.

Arranging opportunities for a child to participate in the faith of his or her choice or that is requested by the child’s family including coordinating appropriate arrangements for the child’s attendance at religious activities in partnership with the child’s case manager.

Ask: What are some other specific ways that the foster parent can meet the child’s needs that are family-centered that can occur during everyday activities?


Cultural sensitivity and learning about the culture of the child and family. If the child is of a different race, allow the child to have connection to his/her roots.

Clothing.

Hair care.

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Activity#5: This is My Child Too

Purpose: To stimulate participants’ prior knowledge learned in Core and to facilitate understanding and empathy both families (birth and foster care) must experience to work together in the best interests of the child.

Materials:

PG: This Is My Child Too worksheet (PG: 12).


Divide participants into pairs.

Ask participants to answer the following question on their worksheet:

o What do you think the attitudes, feelings and opinions might be of foster parents concerning their roles in family-centered practice?

o What do you think the attitudes, feelings and opinions might be of foster parents concerning their roles in family-centered practice?

o How do you think family-centered practice impact the child’s emotional development?

Debrief activity.

Activity STOP

Display slide 2.1.15: Foster Parents Are Partners (PG: 13)

Say: The Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) is one of Florida’s approaches to strengthening foster care. The core premise is that the primary goal of the child welfare system is to ensure that children have effective, loving parenting. The best way to achieve

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this goal is to enable the child's own parents to care for him or her. If that isn't possible, the system must ensure that the foster or relative family caring for the child provides the loving, committed, skilled care that the child needs, while working effectively with the system to reach the child's long term goals.

Given such an important role, isn’t it only logical that foster parents need to be treated as professional parents? To have the knowledge and skills to be effective in their role? To be selected and assessed based on their ability to perform their role? To be involved throughout the entire process including the dependency process, case planning, and judiciary meetings?

Ask: What does being a partner mean?


Respect for one another.

Consensus on decisions.

Team decision-making.

Unified team focus (on what is best for the child).

Work together to reach common goal.

Display slide 2.1.16: The Icebreaker Meeting (PG: 13)

Say: In order to provide for the child’s well-being and child's long term goals, probably the most important partnership in the system of care is that between the foster parent and the birth parent. But, where does it begin?

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As we will discover later in training, there is a continuum of collaboration between these partners and visitation/collaboration, when appropriate, is driven by the case plan.

Let’s turn our attention to the first moment that they meet.

View the Icebreaker Meetings: Connecting Birth and Foster Parents video (www.aecf.org/icebreakers).

Discuss video briefly and answer any questions.

Display slide 2.1.17: Co-Parenting (PG: 14)

Say: Co-parenting is a common term and that it is something we want foster parents to do. Examples include:

Any opportunity to include birth parents or caregivers in child’s life, e.g., share pictures and artwork created by child

Any training opportunity for foster parents to model, e.g., behavior techniques or demonstration of how to care for a medically fragile child.

Note that court orders may also guide information sharing with birth parents or caregivers based on reason for removal (i.e., stay away or no contact order).

Facilitator should also be prepared to discuss the benefits of co-parenting (i.e., reduce traumatic response to removal as child is not concerned about parent as the parent remains involved or informed.)

View Co-Parenting: An Introduction on Integration into a Family Centered Practice Model video (http://centervideo.forest.usf.edu/qpi/coparent/coparent.html) 30

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http://centervideo.forest.usf.edu/qpi/coparent/coparent.html

http://www.aecf.org/icebreakers

minutes)

Discuss video briefly and answer any questions.

Display slide 2.1.18: Community and Support Systems (PG: 14)

Say: Family-Centered Practice involves utilizing the family’s entire community and support systems in working toward change. Again, collaboration between birth family and community supports is critical reaching the child's long term goals.

These team members include:

Child protective investigator (CPI).

Dependency case manager (also provide adoption and independent living support services).

Legal partners including Child Legal Services and Guardian Ad Litem.

Community partners and service providers: mental health, educational supports such as tutoring or appointed educational liaisons speech therapy, occupational therapy, and targeted case managers.

Inform participants that several speakers representing the child welfare team will be speaking to them about their roles and responsibilities. Instruct participants to pay particular attention to their role in the case flow and how and when they work with licensing specialists. At the end of the invited speakers, there will be a small group activity pertaining to the speakers and licensing specialist roles.

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Display slide 2.1.19: Child Protective Investigator (PG: 15)

Say: The Child protective investigator (CPI) is the first responder on the team. It is their job to determine if a child is in immediate danger in their home environment and if they should be removed. The CPI will try to put any supports that they can into the home to help prevent having to remove a child from their home due to the fact that the removal of a child from their home can be a very traumatic experience. If removal is necessary, the CPI takes the child to a safe place, submits a Shelter Petition to the court and provides the evidence at a Shelter Hearing or Emergency Shelter Hearing within 24 hours. The CPI conducts a diligent search to find a placement at the home of a relative or close friend (pending background approval). If not, the CPI finds a foster home match. The CPI attends the Arraignment Hearing and Case Planning Conference. The CPI’s case must be closed within 60 days of removal.

The CPI also investigates institutional allegations which include allegations of abuse, abandonment and neglect against foster parents.

2.1.20: Partnering with the Child Protective Investigator (PG: 15)

Say: As a licensing specialist, you should prepare foster parents for potential allegations by understanding what to do if it happens and how to avoid it to the extent possible. We will discuss this in

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further detail in an upcoming training module.

Licensing specialists may partner with CPI who are investigating abuse in a foster home.

The licensing specialist’s role is to support the CPI. The CPI takes the lead when there is an abuse report. Going out together may ‘soften the blow’ since family has relationship with the licensing specialist.

The CPI may contact the licensing specialist for information on the home by asking:

o Who is in the home?

o How many children are in the home and their relationship in relation to the foster parent?

o What are the additional demographics?

o Are there frequent visitors or supports that may act in a caregiver role that do not reside in the home?

There are tools available which help the licensing specialist gather information for assessment purposes and to help the team improve. These tools, which we will cover during Module 3, include:

o Case Manager’s Review of the Foster Parent

o Investigator Review of Foster Parent

o Foster Parent Review of Investigator

o Youth Exit

The licensing specialist should participate in a staffing that determines the actions may be requested of the foster parent.

If licensing violations are found which do not pose an immediate threat to the health, safety or well-being of the child, the licensing specialist is responsible for writing a corrective action plan (CAP) to correct the deficiencies. This plan should be written with the foster parent and approved by the agency. Again, we will discuss this in further detail during Module 5.

Child protective investigator speaker will come to the class in Module 5 to talk about foster care referrals and talk about their role, what they do and how working with licensure affects their jobs.

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Ask: How does your role as licensing specialist impact a CPI’s role and vice-versa?


The licensing specialist provides important information about the foster family during the investigation.

The CPI provides important information about the child to help transition the child into the home.

The CPI investigates cases of institutional allegations and the licensing specialist supports that effort.

Display slide 2.1.21: The Case Plan (PG: 16)

Say: The case plan begins with removal and drives the system of care and the partnership that surrounds the child. Caregivers, the family and DCF, CBC and agency staff will participate in developing the plan for the child and family, and all members of the team will work together to implement this plan. This includes caregiver participation in all team meetings or court hearings related to the child’s care and future plans.

DCF, CBC and agency staff will support and facilitate caregiver participation through timely notification, an inclusive process and providing alternative methods for participation for caregivers who cannot be physically present.

Ask participants to review 39.601: Case plan tasks; services.

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Display slide 2.1.22: Dependency Case Manager (PG: 16)

Say: The dependency case manager provides and coordinates services in the child’s case. She maintains regular contact with the family and sees the child alone. The case manager provides the direct service to the foster child. The case manager’s primary role is to be the advocate for the child in court and the source for referrals should the child need therapeutic or other related services. The case manager attends all hearings and tells the court what kinds of services the child and family needs. The case manager prepares most of the reports for the court, including the Judicial Review Report.

Display slide 2.1.23: Adoption Case Management Services (PG: 17)

Say: The case plan must provide the most efficient path to quick reunification or permanent placement given the circumstances of the case and the child’s need for safe and proper care. If it has been determined that reunification is no longer possible, the permanency plan will be changed to adoption.

The Adoption and Safe Families Act requires that adoption activities begin when the permanency goal is changed to adoption or a termination of parental rights petition has been filed, whichever occurs first, and established new time lines and conditions for filing a termination of parental rights

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petition.

Adoption may be a concurrent goal.

The case manager is responsible for the adoption efforts on behalf of the child. These include:

Including in the case plan all adoption recruitment efforts conducted to find an adoptive family.

Facilitating “Preparation for Adoption Discusions” in order for the child to be more willing and able of developing a relationship with the new family.

Creation of the child study. Conducting child specific recruitment. Conducting adoptive home studies. Working to place siblings together whenever possible. Adoptive placement. Adoption assistance. Utilize Adoption Review Committee for difficult or complex

cases. Provide post-adoption services including education and

training, mental health assistance and supportive assistance.

Display slide 2.1.24: Independent Living Case Management Services (PG: 17)

Say: The goals of independent living transition services are to assist older children in foster care and young adults who were formerly in foster care to obtain life skills and education for independent living and employment, to have a quality of life appropriate for their age, and to assume personal responsibility for becoming self-sufficient adults.

These services are not an alternative to adoption.

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The case manager providing Independent Living services include:

Providing services for children in foster care:

o Pre-independent Living Services: Life skills training, educational field trips, and conferences. The specific services to be provided to a child shall be determined using a Preindependent Living Assessment.

o Life Skills Services: Independent living skills training, including training to develop banking and budgeting skills, interviewing skills, parenting skills, and time management or organizational skills, educational support, employment training, and counseling. Children receiving these services should also be provided with information related to social security insurance benefits and public assistance.

o Subsidized Independent Living Services: Living arrangements that allow the child to live independently of the daily care and supervision of an adult in a setting that is not required to be licensed)

Providing services for young adults formerly in foster care. http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/indliving/

myfuturemychoice/docs/fliers/Flowchart3.pdfo Post Educational Educational Supports (PESS):

Consists of being enrolled in college or a vocational program earning 9 credits or more. Youth that age out and select his option can receive $1256/month. For youth ages 18-23.

o My Future, My Choice: Youth that have aged out but are in high school or pursuing a GED, work 80 hours or in a job training program or in college. These youth may live with their foster parent, group home or in their own apartment and receive housing and educational assistance. Youth are ages 18-22 or 23 with a qualifying disability.

o No Longer in Foster Care: Youth who choose to leave foster care and not participate in Extended Foster Care can still receive temporary emergency services which consist of emergency assistance for rent, car repairs, mental health/substance abuse

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services and employment assistance. Youth are ages 18-21 and can apply to be in the option for My Future, My Choice.

Activity #6: Meeting Dependency Case Managers

Purpose: Participants will have the opportunity to synthesize the information presented by Dependency case managers who will give authentic account and testimony about how the role of a licensing specialist impacts and is impacted by their role.

Invite Dependency case managers as guest speakers to discuss their role, what they do, and how working with licensure affects their jobs.

Materials:

PG: Meeting Dependency Case Managers worksheet (PG: 18).


Instruct participants to listen to the speakers and to feel free to ask questions.

Ask participants to reflect on the speaker by answering the questions on their worksheet. These questions include:

o What type of information does each case manager want the Licensing specialist to look for?”

Correct Answer: We want to spot what’s missing and potential flags on ineligibility for licensure and re-licensure.

o How does the case manager go about seeking placement opportunities or placement settings in foster care, specifically therapeutic foster care?

Debrief activity with large group.

Activity STOP

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Display slide 2.1.25: Legal Partners (PG: 19)

Say: The licensing specialist also needs to work with and assess/collect information from the following legal partners:

Children’s Legal Services (CLS): The CLS attorney files the legal paperwork and is responsible for starting the case about the family and child in court. They present all the facts to the court and talk to the court about the best interests of the child.

Guardian ad Litem (GAL): A GAL is usually assigned to a child at the time of arraignment, if the court deems one necessary. The GAL works for the child’s best interest in court and is an additional resource for the foster parents, biological parents and the child. However, they do not provide any case management services or transportation.

o Some guardians are more involved than others in talking with the licensing specialist. For example, a Guardian ad Litem may report that parent is never home. Licensing specialist would talk with the family to assist in resolving the issue.

Display slide 2.1.26: Community Partners (PG: 19)

Say: The licensing specialist also needs to also needs to work with and assess/collect information from the following community members:

Healthcare Providers: Their role is to help determine the

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physical and mental health of a child and help improve or maintain that health.

Health Inspectors: Health inspections are completed at initial licensure and re-licensure. Homes must pass an inspection by the local Health department if a local agreement is intact with the licensing specialist’s agency to conduct a health inspection.

Teachers and Daycare Providers: Teachers are an important part of the team. Teachers can help with identifying behavior developmental problems as well as foster parent involvement. Teachers receive a request to provide input on bio children at initial licensure.

Pastors: Only if their information is provided by the prospective foster parents as a personal reference at the time of initial licensure.

Activity#7: Meeting Your Community Partners

Purpose: Participants will have the opportunity to synthesize the information presented by community members who will give authentic account and testimony about how the role of a licensing specialist impacts and is impacted by their role.

Invite health inspectors, school administration, daycare providers, pastors and Guardian Ad Litem as guest speakers to discuss their role, what they do and how working with Licensure affects their jobs. This is an optional for “anytime” during the training for any community speakers who would like to talk to the licensing staff to come in.

Materials:

PG: Community Partners worksheet (PG: 20).


Instruct participants to listen to the speakers and to feel free to ask questions.

Ask participants to reflect on the speaker by answering the questions on their worksheet. Debrief activity with large group.

Activity STOP

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Unit 2.2: Licensing Laws

Time: 1 hour

Unit Overview: The purpose of Unit 2 is to give an overview of the licensing laws designed to protect children in licensed care.


1. Explain how law and statute protect children in licensed care.

2. Identify licensing and foster care parent requirements in 65C-13, F.A.C.

3. Describe how 65C-13, F.A.C. maintains the integrity the licensing process.

4. Identify and explain the essential timeframes pertaining to the licensing process.


Display Slide 2.2.27: Unit 2.2: Licensing Laws (PG: 21)

Say: The purpose of Unit 2 is to give an overview of the licensing laws designed to protect children in licensed care.


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Ask: Why do we need administrative rules, which have the power of law, to guide the licensure process?

Pause and let participants respond.

Ask: How does it help the child in need?


Ask: What are the ways the rules can fail the child in need?


Display Slide 2.2.29: Law and Statute in Foster Care (PG: 22)

Say: The following laws and statutes that protect children:

409.75, F.S. Pertains to the state statutory language that governs the licensing of foster homes and child caring

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agencies.

65C-13, F.A.C. Pertains to initial licensure and re-licensure. Contains the licensing minimum requirements. Maintains the integrity of the licensing process.

Chapter 39. Pertains to governing law over all citizens and guides decision making.

Operating Procedures Manual provides a framework for child welfare practices. http://centerforchildwelfare.fmhi.usf.edu/HorizontalTab/DeptOperatingProcedures.shtml

The different ways the law helps protect children include:

Provides guidance behind certain background screen requirements, references.

Informs licensing specialist exactly what disqualifying criteria are.

When Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) come to audit, licensing specialist has to show all background checks and renewals of the background checks in timely manner.

Requires that local checks are to be done every year.

Verifies the integrity of foster care parent applicants by requiring assessment of information from collateral contacts.

Display slide 2.2.30: Requirements: Background Screening (PG: 22)

Say: The department must conduct background screenings on anyone who is applying for initial licensure or re-licensure. These screenings must include all adult household members.

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http://centerforchildwelfare.fmhi.usf.edu/HorizontalTab/DeptOperatingProcedures.shtml

http://centerforchildwelfare.fmhi.usf.edu/HorizontalTab/DeptOperatingProcedures.shtml

Background screenings must be requested for other individuals if there is reasonable belief that:

The person is a household member.

His or her presence in the family foster home adversely affects the health, safety and welfare of the children in the home.

The person has or potential exists for unsupervised contact with the children.

We will discuss these screenings in more detail during Module 4.

Display slide 2.2.31: Requirements: The Dwelling (PG: 23)

Say: It is the dwelling that is licensed and not the person. It is important to remember that foster parents may move from one dwelling to another to include from one county to another. If the family moves, the license does NOT follow. The following steps must be taken to license the new dwelling:

Provisional licenses can be provided until the new dwelling receives a satisfactory health inspection.

Other agencies may become involved. The previous agency must make a recommendation for continued licensure.

Display slide 2.2.32: Requirements: Licensing File (PG: 23)

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Say: A licensing file includes: A background check (on caregiver, all household members and

frequent visitors). The Unified Home Study template includes sections on

Motivation, Family Life, Physical Environment, Financial Capability, etc.

Supportive documents in relation to income and safety:o Health inspection.

o Pet vaccinations.

o Driver’s license.

o Auto insurance.

o Water safety training.

Verifying documents for income (i.e., paycheck stubs).

Display slide 2.2.33: Requirements: Licensing and Re-Licensing Timeframes (PG: 24)

Say: There is a timeframe within which the approval process (and packets to be completed) has to occur.

Reasons why:

Fingerprint records are applicable for five years unless there is a break in service of 90 days or more.

A break in service is when the applicant has temporarily discontinued the licensing process.

Health inspections are only acceptable one year from the time of a satisfactory result. As a result, health inspections may expire before licensure is complete there may be delays throughout the approval process.

Instruct participants to review 65C-13 F.A.C. for required licensing and relicensing timeframes.

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Unit 2.3: The Role and Skills of Assessment

Time: 2 Hours

Unit Overview: The purpose of Unit 3 is to explain how assessment is an ongoing and mutual process that is fully woven within the fabric of a licensing specialist’s job.


1. Define ongoing and mutual assessment.

2. Identify the phases of assessment and explain how these phases relate to the licensing process.


Display Slide 2.3.34: Unit 2.3: The Role and Skills of Assessment (PG: 25)

Say: The purpose of Unit 3 is to explain how assessment is an ongoing and mutual process that is fully woven within the fabric of a licensing specialist’s job.

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Display slide 2.3.35: Learning Objectives (PG: 25)

Display slide 2.3.36: Foster Family Assessment (PG: 26)

Say: As a licensing specialist, you have the important role of identifying caregivers who can manage the special challenges of fostering and placing children with the best-matched family. This great responsibility requires far more than a check-list; it requires insight, relationship-building, and hard work to identify and continue to build great foster parents.

You need to understand the importance of and develop skills in deepened assessment so that you may have a complete picture of a foster parent's strengths and needs that will enable them to successfully help a child reach the outcomes of safety, permanency and well-being.

Display slide 2.3.37: What is Assessment? (PG: 26)

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Say: Assessment is a mutual and ongoing process between agency and family. Assessment, from the agency perspective, is directly linked to outcomes for children.

We need to look at assessment from the point of view of a child and we need to look at assessment in terms of :

Why foster parents want to foster.

Why agencies need foster parents.

What children in care need.

Assessment is mutual because the agency and family must both know and learn about one another to see if the family fits the system: if the fostering role will work for the family (in their view) and if the agency believes that this family can meet the system specific needs we have.

Assessment is ongoing because of change. For example, a family may become more or less prepared to foster a broader range of behaviors based on trainings they have received and capacity of children over time.

Ask: In general, what does the agency need to know about the family?


Family motivation to foster.

Family capacity (emotional, physical, and financial) to care for children.

Ask: If you were to ask a child, what would he/she ask you to look at?


Inclusion.

Safety.

Normalcy.

Love.

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Ask: Let’s go a little deeper. What does a foster parent need to be willing to do?


Understanding and preparedness to meet the individual child needs and to manage the special needs and circumstances created by trauma.

Willingness and ability to persevere when fostering is tough.

Willingness and ability to challenge one’s own values and views.

Willingness and ability to embrace the child’s existing support system (extended family/co-parenting).

Willingness and ability to engage in shared parenting and family mentoring.

Willingness to work towards reunification and permanency for the child.

Willing to work as a professional partner in the larger team.

Ask: What does the foster parent need to know about the licensing specialist and the agency?


Your responsibilities.

Supports they will receive.

The impact they can have.

Types of children in the system of care.

That they are not going to be in this alone.

Resources available.

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Display slide 2.3.38: Phases of Assessment (PG: 27)

Say: Assessment includes tasks that licensing specialists must take to ensure that required foster parent training, home studies, inspections, and evaluations are conducted and applied to licensing determinations. Licensing specialists are expected to ensure potential foster parents actively and effectively participate in required training; determine the appropriateness of individuals to serve as foster parents; and verify the safety and suitability of the foster home/physical environment.

There are three main phases of licensing assessment which include:

Recruitment and Inquiry: This phase includes initial contact, pre-screening, initial packet, orientation and agency selection.

Initial licensing: This phase includes all activities after pre-licensing and up until an initial licensing is awarded or denied including pre-service training, written profiles, face-to-face interviews, prospective parent observations, references, and the Unified Home Study, Licensing Standards Checklist for 24-Hour Family Care.

Placement, Retention and Re-licensing: This ongoing phase includes all activities following the award of a licensing including placement, home visits, assessment of strengths and needs, ongoing support/training/mentoring, completing of re-licensing packet.

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Ask: Given all your roles and responsibilities and strict timelines, licensing specialists commonly experience the challenge of time management when some requirements are not met or there are additional steps to take for a requirement to be met. During which phases do you think these challenges might occur? What are some potential roadblocks to completing the licensure process in a timely manner?


Unanticipated data such as (e.g., disqualifying offenses or unknown disposition of a criminal case)

Difficulty submitting supportive documentation (e.g., proof of income)

Health inspection, water sample, radon test results that are pending

Pending documentation requested for criminal history

Ask: How do you think you can resolve common roadblocks?


Support foster parents.

Follow-up activities.

Manage files (storage, copies) properly and in an organized fashion. In order to adhere to records and retention policies.

Staffings.

Peer reviews.

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Display slide 2.3.39: Skills and Knowledge of Assessment (PG: 27)

Say: It is the responsibility of the licensing specialist to gather and interpret the results of assessments and communicate findings to appropriate parties to ensure qualified and competent individuals serve as foster parents to children in care.

Skills and knowledge to be able to perform these duties include:

Assessing and Inspecting:

o Capture through the completion of a home study.

o Conduct and document a thorough and complete home inspection.

Interviewing:

o Interviewing strategies.

o Individual and group interviews.

Interacting:

o Interpersonal communication skills.

o Engagement.

o Cultural competence.

o Verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

o Effective working relationships.

o Review assessment findings with individual subjects/families.

Interpreting:

o Initial assessment of an applicant’s suitability to serve as a foster parent.

o Formal and informal assessments to determine

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suitability to participate in foster parent training.

o Review and assess pre-screening application to serve as a foster/adoptive parent.

o Assess documentation and information to make an informed recommendation approving or denying an applicant’s licensure as a foster parent.

o Determine motivation of applicant to serve as a foster/adoptive parent.

o Recognize indicators of domestic violence; adult and adolescent substance abuse; and adult and adolescent mental health issues.

o Background screening results.

o Information and findings in written documents.

o Information gathered from personal observations collateral contacts and interviews with the foster parent, household members, employers and other that may provide critical information needed for assessment purposes.

Verifying:

o Information and observations gathered during pre-screening activities.

o Information and observations gathered during assessments.

Techniques to verify the validity and reliability of information and evidence.

Documenting:

o Unified Home Study.

o Prepare licensing documentation for appropriate signatures.

o Input all rule required information in SACWIS.

o Issue a license and maintain a copy.

Tools:

o Family profiles.

o Pre-screening assessment instruments/mandatory rule required forms.

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o Formal licensing assessment instruments and protocols.

o Unified Home Study template requirements:

Eligibility requirements.

Legally mandated disqualifying criteria.

Background screening requirements.

Pre-service training requirements.

Required training topics.

Home inspection criteria and standards.

Licensing process timelines and requirements.

Required elements in the Unified Home Study.

Required legal forms/paperwork, including residency, auto, custody, marriage, financial, etc.

Process to notify applicants of license award or denial.

Process to submit licensing packet for approval or denial.

Child Welfare General Knowledge:

o Characteristics of children in care.

o Statutory definitions of abuse, neglect and abandonment.

o Expectations of foster/adoptive parents as outlined in the Partnership Plan.

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Display slide 2.3.40: Interviewing Skills (PG: 28)

Say: You need to use a variety of interviewing techniques during the assessment process. You must develop culturally competent and effective non-verbal and observational skills.

Some interviewing methods include:

Closed-ended, Probing or Yes/No Questions: Allows licensing specialist to gather specific information from applicants/foster parents. Example, “What is your birth date?”

Open-ended Questions: Allows licensing specialist to gather specific information from applicants/foster parents. Example, “Tell me about your childhood.”

Supportive Responses/Active Listening: Builds trust between licensing specialist and applicants/foster parents; encourages applicants/foster parents to be honest in the interview. Example, “It sounds like you have thought of fostering for a long time.”

Clarification: Used to maintain focus and organization during interview; Assists licensing specialist in moving interview along and using limited time efficiently. Example, “You believe that you have a good marriage. What does good mean to you?”

Summarization/Redirection: Used to maintain focus and organization during interview; Assists licensing specialist in moving interview along and using limited time efficiently. Examples, “Now that you’ve talked about your childhood, tell me about your life as a married person?” (redirection); “You’ve told me three things that you consider your stengths: your parenting experience, high energy level and positive relationship with the school system” (summarization).

Giving Options, Advice or Suggestions: Allows licensing

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specialist to serve in a supportive role to applicants/foster parents. Example, “I can see that you have your heart set on fostering a newborn. Perhaps, you can begin to think about the possibility of older children.”

Confrontation: Necessary when licensing specialist feels that applicant /foster parent has been resistant or has not been completely honest in responses. “It feels like you are not giving me all the details about the overnight guests in your home.”

Ask: What does an active listener look like?


Looks and sounds interested.

Reflects intent to listen for meaning.

Understands the speaker’s point of view.

Clarifies the speaker’s thoughts and feelings.

Reflects understanding back to the communicator.

Shows genuine concern.

Uses “I Statements” NOT “You Statements”.

Knows when to remain silent.

Ask: What are the benefits of active listening?


Yields more information.

Improves understanding.

Facilitates cooperation.

Makes person feel understood.

Good fall-back position when dealing with tension/conflict.

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Ask: An active listener probe and clarifies meaning. How can we do this?


Using questions that take the speaker’s understanding a step deeper.

Bringing out the meaning or significance of the situation for the speaker.

Display slide 2.3.41: Interpersonal Skills (PG: 28)

Say: In order to effectively assess potential and current foster parents, you will need to use a variety of interpersonal skills including engagement, cultural competence, verbal/non-verbal behaviors, and establishing working relationships.

Display slide 2.3.42: Interpersonal Skills: Engagement (PG: 29)

Say: Engagement is the process of putting the family at ease, drawing its members more comfortably in the process, and building trust and rapport.

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Ask: What are some strategies you can employ to sucessfully engage potential foster parents?

Pause and let participants respond. Participants should identify the following: Respect the family’s culture. Determine how the applicants prefer to be addressed. Determine where the family feels most comfortable in holding

interviews. Ask open-ended questions that are general in nature to allow

the applicants an opportunity to express themselves. Display a non-judgmental attitude. Vary the intensity of the interview so that there is a balance

between more probing, personal questions and more superficial ones.

Seek opportunities to compliment the family about their children, home, activities, etc.

Acknowledge the family pets. Be sure to answer the family’s questions and address their

concerns during each contact.

Display slide 2.3.43: Interpersonal Skills: Cultural Competence (PG: 29)

Say: Racial differences do exist in communication. You must recognize how cultural differences may affect perception, communication and the ability to interact with people whose cultural background is different from your own. When you interact with a family from another culture, you will both bring to the interaction your culturally prescribed patterns of communication, etiquette and problem solving. Some cultures rely heavily on verbal communication, and others focus on non-verbal cues such as gestures, eye contact and facial expressions.

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For example, maintaining eye contact can be seen as a sign of respect, trust and attentiveness in some cultures and in other cultures may mean challenge, hostility and disrespect.

It is important that you do some research before you interview and interact with the family, so that you may have a deeper understanding of their culture.

Ask: What are some other examples of communication behaviors that can mean different things to different cultures?


Avoiding eye contact.

Handshake.

Formality in attire.

Social graces.

Forms of address (Mr./Mrs./ Ms.).

Display slide 2.3.44: Interpersonal Skills: Non-Verbal Communication (PG: 30)

Say: An estimated 60 to 65 percent of interpersonal communication is conveyed via nonverbal behaviors.

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Ask: How can we build rapport through non-verbal communication? Examples include eye contact, facial expressions, posture, gestures, distance, physical setting.


Eye contact: Meeting a person’s eyes without aggressively forcing eye contact.

Facial expressions: Pleasant expression, brow relaxed, sincerity.

Posture: Learning slightly Leaning slightly toward the other peson, sitting in a relaxed but attentive manner, facing the person, consideration of personal space.

Gestures: Demonstrating with hands to show sizes, nodding in recognition or agreement.

Distance: Move in relation to the movement initiated by the other person.

Arrange physical setting: tidy, organized, warm/soft, casual/cheerful, quiet, well lit, private.

Ask: What does non verbal language tell us? Examples include faltering eye contact, intense eye contact, rocking, stiff posture, elevated voice tone, prolonged and frequent periods of silence and figeting.


Meeting a Faltering eye contact: Boredom, fatigue, disengagement.

Intense eye contact: Fear, surprise, confrontation or anger.

Rocking: Fear, nervousness, preoccupation.

Stiff posture: Discomfort, nervousness.

Elevated voice tone: Confrontation/anger.

Prolonged and frequent periods of silence: Disinterest, loss of train of thought, inability to understand, fatigue.

Fidgeting: Discomfort, disinterest, nervousness, possible drug use.

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Display slide 2.3.45: Interpreting Information Skills (PG: 30)

Say: You will be asking a lot of questions, observing interactions, and collecting data, background checks documents, and profiles. Throughout, you will need to analyze this information for deeper meaning to assess motivation, skills, support systems, attitudes and so much more.

You must come to conlusions. Is this family right for fostering? Is this family right for this child? Does this family need help? Are there red flags?

You may find through the process that you have not gathered sufficient information and must conduct further interviews and observations.

It is important to note that your narratives in your home study interpretations of what you see and hear. You must carefully review your work, weighing every word. Remember always that words do matter and when writing your narrative with your conclusions, you need to make certain that you have not put the agency in the position of defending itself, you need to make sure you have not overlooked anything, you need to be able to explain and defend what you wrote.

We will spend a great deal of time developing these skills and your skills will grow with experience.

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Display slide 2.3.46: Verifying Skills (PG: 31)

Say: When you gather information during the assessement process, it is important that you check your facts. Sometimes there is a discrepency between the information provided and the information obtained during the verification process.

Techniques to verify the validity and reliability of information and evidence include:

Check with references.

Check with employers.

Ask follow-up questions.

Compare answers.

Conduct background checks.

Display slide 2.3.47: Documenting Skills (PG: 31)

Say: Documentation can be one of the most helpful yet one of the most limiting aspects of assessment. It is helpful because much time and thought has gone into developing forms and systems that allow for a thorough and systematic approach to assessment based on best practices and policy. It can be limiting, if we simply see these forms as checklists and do not reach a deeper level of assessment.

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Display slide 2.3.48: Purpose of Documentation (PG: 32)

Say: Documentation provides accountability for both the activities and the results of your work with a foster family. The purpose of documentation is to:

Guide the licensing process: Documentation provides an ongoing "picture" of the nature of your involvement with families, the progress of mutual assessment, support and development, and ensures regulatory requirements are met.

Provide accountability for the agency and the licensing specialist: Records should describe who is served, the kinds of services provided, the basis for all decisions, the degree to which policies and procedures are implemented, and other aspects of accountability and quality control. This legal record provides a statement about the quality of licensing specialists. work that may decrease personal liability should legal action be taken against the agency or a caseworker.

Provide accountability for the foster parents: The Licensing Documentation not only sets regulatory requirements for foster families to follow, it also helps them to fully participate in mutual assessment process.

Serve as a therapeutic tool for the caseworker and the foster parents: Case records and other assessment opportunities can demonstrate the way in which the licensing specialist and family collaborate to mutually assess and define support and development goals, and serve to evaluate the progress toward them.

Organize the licensing specialist’s thinking about the work. Structured presentation of factual information leads to more in-depth assessment, support and development planning. Poor recording and disorganized thinking go hand-in-hand and will likely lead to poor service delivery to clients.

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Display slide 2.3.49: Principles of Record Keeping (PG: 32)

Say: The foster parent’s records are a professional and legal document and tool. As such, they should be completed in a timely and professional manner, and confidentiality should be respected at all times. This means that appropriate controls should be in place to ensure the security of paper and automated files.

Quality record-keeping is an integral part of licensing specialist practice. When the case record is used as an opportunity to organize your thinking and to integrate an approach to measuring the results of licensing specialist and foster family work, it becomes an important part of the process rather than something

The licensing specialist should:

Retain and update records to assure accuracy, relevancy, timeliness, and completeness.

Clearly describe strengths and needs as well as plans for support and development. Development goals should be stated in specific behavioral terms. The goal statements should be measurable, achievable, understandable and verifiable.

Maintain only objective information that is relevant and necessary to the agency's purposes. Facts should be recorded and distinguished from opinions. When opinions are offered, their basis should be documented.

Record as much information as possible based on direct communication with clients

Inform foster parents about the agency's authority to gather information, the principal purpose for the use of the information that they provide, the nature and extent of the confidentiality of the information, and under what circumstances information in records may be shared with others.

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Ask: What are some of the challenges to maintaining documentation?


Too much documentation. Not enough time to finish all the documentation. Documentation gets in the way of doing the real work of child

welfare. Don't understand the system and technology.

Ask: What are some complaints we often hear about the resulting documentation?


Lack of information. Opinion not fact. Lack of clarity. Not completed. Not submitted in a timely fashion.

Ask: What are some strategies for overcoming these challenges and complaints?


Completedocumentation immediately. Use the documentation as a guide, but your professional

knowledge and skill to gain a deeper understanding for assessment purposes.

Conduct research on the family and child so your documentation can build upon information that has been gathered.

Ask: How can we use the documentation of others help with our work with foster parents?

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Reading the case plan and history gives us a better understanding of the whole picture.

Reading the documentation completed by the foster parents helps guide our support.

Say: During our next module we will cover, in greater depth, the important roles foster parents play, so that we may gain a deeper understanding of the qualities we seek in the people who are caring for children. We will also cover the behaviors and needs of children in care, so we can begin the process of matching children with the needs of children in mind.With that understanding, Modules 4 and 5 will then cover each aspect of assessment and the phases of licensing in more depth. Module 6 will address what happens if a foster parent may not be meeting their obligations and concerns surface that require investigation or referral.

Transition to Module 3

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Documents

Module 2: Overview of Web viewTrainer Instructions and Script: ... A GAL is usually assigned to a child at the time of arraignment, ... weighing every word