Practice Notes
Persistent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11299/170398
Practice Notes was developed in collaboration between CASCW affiliates and public child welfare practitioners. They were intended as a reference for practitioners, linking research with best practices. Issues were published between 1997 and 2010.
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Item Visitation (PN #01)(1997-12)In our exploration of the literature, we found that there is little controversy in research regarding the value of parental visitation in determining a child’s return to the home. There exists an assumption of “reasonable efforts” for parental visitation in most case plans. However, variations occur in how the plan is developed and presented, and whether visitation is encouraged. What follows is a collection of journal article summaries, highlighting concerns and questions on visitation planning and practice. We have also spotlighted a local pilot project.Item Reunification (PN #02)(1998-02)The passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, (P.L. 105-89), considered the most important child welfare reform legislation in almost twenty years, shifts attention to children’s safety as the paramount concern that must guide all child welfare services. Nevertheless, the goals of family reunification and family preservation are maintained. Of the options for permanency, family reunification for a child in out-of-home care continues to be a crucial objective. It is imperative that child welfare professionals understand the key elements that maximize chances for successful reunification.Item Kinship Foster Care (PN #03)(1998-04)Extensive placement with relatives has created a rapidly expanding segment of the child welfare system. When permanency plans are required, the state has indicated that relative care is a preferred option (MN Chapter 259.29). The advantages for children are many, including stability, permanency, and a lifelong tie to family networks. For this issue, we will look at the topic of relative foster care, also known as kinship care.Item Post-Adoption Services (PN #04)(1998-06)Post-adoption services now loom as a paramount issue in permanency planning. While studies recommend that post-adoption services be integrated into the adoption process, this practice in not uniformly implemented. Minnesota’s Department of Human Services now requires that all non-profit private agencies that hold contracts for delivering adoption services provide post-adoption activities for 18 months after finalization of an adoption. Federal funds (Title IV-B) have earmarked 20% for post-adoption services. How these resources will be made available for the crucial phase of assuring a permanent placement for a child is currently under discussion.Item Protecting Children in Families Involved in Domestic Violence (PN #06)(1999)Child welfare agencies are seeing a growing number of cases of children witnessing adult domestic violence, or maltreated children whose mothers are also the victim of domestic assault. Yet the problems of child maltreatment and violence against women have traditionally been viewed and treated as two distinct issues. Working together on behalf of the safety of all victims of family violence requires communication, cross-training, and ongoing coordination and integration of services. This issue provides practical guidelines for child welfare professionals based on a national curriculum (Ganley & Schechter, 1996) and it provides resources for professionals interested in learning more about national efforts to successfully respond to all victims of family violence.Item Practice Issues in Concurrent Planning (PN #05)(1999)Concurrent planning requires county social services to make reasonable efforts to reunify a child with the family, while simultaneously exploring alternative permanent options. Concurrent planning is a concept that provides a strong affirmation of the necessity to pay attention to the developmental needs of young children. Practitioners are required, with renewed emphasis and within strict timelines, to focus on the safety of the child as a paramount factor in assessing family capacity. This edition of Practice Notes is concerned with issues that deal with protecting the young child in the care of an emotionally disturbed parent.Item Protecting Children in Substance-Abusing Families (PN #07)(1999)Parental substance abuse is widely acknowledged as the primary risk factor associated with child abuse and neglect. Children from families with substance abuse conditions are more likely to remain in out-of-home placements for longer periods of time and have less chance of being reunified with their parents or being adopted. While the substance abuse treatment and child welfare systems frequently work with the same families, each system operates with different goals, legal mandates, and desired outcomes. This issue of Practice Notes will explore these issues and provide guidelines for assessing a child’s safety and well-being when parental substance abuse is occurring in the home.Item Siblings in Foster Care: Maintaining the Ties That Bind (PN #09)(2000)A large number of children who must be placed in foster care are members of sibling groups—estimated between 56% and 85%. National studies disclose that up to 75% of children are separated from at least one of their siblings when placed in foster care, underlining the importance of the issue. While the lifelong value of sibling relationships is acknowledged, the practice field struggles with pragmatic placement issues. This edition of “Practice Notes” identifies Minnesota’s policy, provides some insights from existing studies and suggests recommendations.Item Assuring the Well-Being School-Aged Children in Foster Care (PN #08)(2000)A growing body of research is demonstrating that a large portion of children in foster care suffers significant emotional and behavioral disturbances. Further, a high percentage of maltreated children experience difficulties associated with school-based problems. Given the clear indication that school-aged children may enter foster care with significant risks to their normative functioning in both psycho-social and educational experiences, how competently is the child welfare system responding to these risks?Item The Contribution of Ethnographic Interviewing to Culturally Competent Practice (PN #10)(2001)Culturally competent practice is generally recognized as indispensable for child welfare practitioners, yet skills and techniques are somewhat elusive. Cultures have differing views and standards for acceptable parenting practices. The stakes are high in assessing risk of harm to vulnerable children. How can the practitioner interpret, assess, and then address the problems of families whose lives and experiences are so different from their own? Ethnography provides a framework for delivering culturally competent services. This issue of Practice Notes provides an introduction to ethnographic interviewing.Item Mediation for Child Welfare (PN #11)(2002-01)The child protection system is a minefield of disputes. These are inevitable when the state intervenes in the intimate life of a family. We are thus drawn to mediation, a method which is centered in conflict resolution. According to Dr. Mark Umbreit, engaging the parent in an alliance with the child protection worker, rather than as an adversarial party, is the key to good social work practice, and mediation skills provide guidance. This edition of Practice Notes borrows elements from formal mediation models and intends to demonstrate how mediation skills might be incorporated in everyday practice.Item Family Group Decision Making: Incorporating Family Strengths, Concerns, and Resources in developing a Safety Plan (PN #12)(2002-09)Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) articulates a basic principle: the inherent strengths of families and their resources can be engaged to respond to the safety and well being of children. A striking aspect of FGDM is the enthusiasm of professionals as well as the reported high satisfaction of families engaged in this intervention. FGDM is far from a quick fix for vulnerable children in high risk families. But the efforts to mobilize an entire family to provide lasting and available resources across the lifespan of the child is forward looking and engenders a palpable sense of hope.Item Visitation: Through the Eyes of a Child (PN #13)(2003-01)An important message is worth repeating. Earlier Practice Notes dealt with general aspects of “Visitation.” We return to the topic, but with a special emphasis on two situations of separation and loss requiring specific attention: sibling separation and children with incarcerated mothers.Item The Exploratory Interview of a Maltreatment Report: The First Encounter in a Child Protection System (PN #14)(2003-07)This edition of Practice Notes is concerned with the interface between gathering evidence of maltreatment, and at the same time, assessing family strengths. This dual responsibility is familiar territory for child protection workers and their associates. This “multi-tasking” requires an artful synthesis of intuition, experience, and a solid knowledge base of social work principles. This edition of Practice Notes is directed chiefly to front-line child protection workers.Item The Fatherhood Factor in Permanency Planning (PN #15)(2004-03)This edition of Practice Notes is intended to reinforce the policy of providing permanency for children by strengthening the relationship between father and child (Minn. Stat. 260.181. Subd. 3). The identification and involvement of unmarried fathers who are not residing with their children has long been a challenge for social workers. However, considering the role of the father is an urgent matter for permanency decisions that must be made within a brief time span.Item Referral for Disabilities: A New Responsibility for Child Protection (PN #16)(2005-02)Two significant laws were recently passed that require referral and screening of very young children to detect the need for disability and mental health services. This edition of Practice Notes will concentrate on early identification of children with developmental delays and disabilities. While these are distinct categories of children at-risk (disabilities, mental health, special needs), there is also considerable overlap. How we respond to duplication of services, strategies and case plans is yet to be understood.Item Double Jeopardy: Youth Involved in Dual Systems of Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice & Mental Health Screening (PN #17)(2005-08)This edition of Practice Notes is directed to the population of youngsters who are dually involved in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice systems. The mental health screening legislation enacted by the Minnesota legislature during the 2003 session directed the two systems to pursue mental health screening. The purpose was clear: early identification of mental health problems, through a screening process, could be a crucial response to the growing concern for the mental health of children in high-risk situations. What follows is an early report on patterns of responses and persistent challenges in Minnesota.Item Trial Home Visits: Strengthening Reunification Practices (PN #18)(2006-03)The trial home visit is now a key strategy in assuring successful reunification. This edition of Practice Notes is intended to provide guidelines for strengthening practice in the volatile and crisis-ridden period of reunification, known as the “trial home visit.”Item Reinforcing the Importance of Attachment for Child Welfare Practice (PN #19)(2007-07)The relevance of attachment theory for the case planning and prevention tasks in Child Welfare underlines the importance of this edition of Practice Notes. This edition of “Practice Notes” intends to provide a pathway to grasping various dimensions of attachment: first, a bare-bones definition and then how this leads the practitioner to consider the impact of maltreatment and traumatic experiences; the role of foster parents; clues for referrals to a consultant; attachment considerations across cultures; and practice guidelines.Item Visiting Children in Foster Care: Messages from the Practice Field (PN #21)(2008)Recently, social workers’ visits with children in foster care have become a “hot topic.” Despite evidence showing a linkage between positive outcomes for children in foster care and visits from a social worker, the recent CFSR has disclosed uneven attention to visitation and a lack of standardization of practice among Minnesota counties. This edition of Practice Notes covers this topic; it was informed by the wisdom of experienced practitioners and an exploration of national initiatives.