Social Worker Value 3
Helping Children and Youth Achieve Their Full Potential and Develop Lifelong Relationships
Recognizing that the optimal place for children/youth is safely in their own homes
• Work with families to identify harm and/or danger statements and complicating factors in order to create safety goals and a case plan with the family
• Work with the family to identify and develop a safety network by facilitating the development of an eco-map
• Include the family and safety networks in all meetings where decisions are being made about safety
• Continually assess families to accurately refer families to services that support safety goals in the case plan
• Use Structured Decision Making (SDM) in real time to guide decision making
• Participate in ongoing training for SDM
• Engage families by utilizing a solution-focused approach and document (i.e., in court reports, case plan, Family Centered Meetings (FCMs), narratives, etc.)
• Continually consult with supervisor when recognizing a potential safety threat and when the family is meeting the safety goal
• Work with the family to identify and develop a safety network by facilitating the development of an eco-map
• Include the family and safety networks in all meetings where decisions are being made about safety
• Continually assess families to accurately refer families to services that support safety goals in the case plan
• Use Structured Decision Making (SDM) in real time to guide decision making
• Participate in ongoing training for SDM
• Engage families by utilizing a solution-focused approach and document (i.e., in court reports, case plan, Family Centered Meetings (FCMs), narratives, etc.)
• Continually consult with supervisor when recognizing a potential safety threat and when the family is meeting the safety goal
If children have to leave the home to maintain safety, we actively strive to preserve their connections to siblings, family, and familiar people; school and community of origin; and, culture, religious, and tribal affiliations
• Conduct immediate and ongoing family finding efforts while utilizing genograms and eco-maps with both the birth family and the child/youth
• Place children/youth in relative or NREFM homes when safe while considering school of origin, most familiar environment and cultural connections
• Consider school of origin for all placements
• Immediately establish consistent, planned, and purposeful visitation with parents and siblings in the most natural/normalized settings, elevate barriers to visitations, and continuously assess when it is safe to move to a lower level of visitation oversight
• Utilize resources/partners (e.g. educational liaisons, CASA, mentors) to preserve connections to the community
• Explore and encourage positive relationship building between kinship/resource families and birth families
• Place children/youth in relative or NREFM homes when safe while considering school of origin, most familiar environment and cultural connections
• Consider school of origin for all placements
• Immediately establish consistent, planned, and purposeful visitation with parents and siblings in the most natural/normalized settings, elevate barriers to visitations, and continuously assess when it is safe to move to a lower level of visitation oversight
• Utilize resources/partners (e.g. educational liaisons, CASA, mentors) to preserve connections to the community
• Explore and encourage positive relationship building between kinship/resource families and birth families
Identifying living situations that support children and their relationships should be done as quickly as possible
•Review available history to assess options for safety planning and placement prior to investigating/removal and placement changes
• Coordinate with supervisor to contact placement unit as soon as potential removal or change of placement is identified
• Hold a Team Decision Making (TDM) meeting immediately when a placement may be needed
• Conduct ongoing assessments of the child’s/youth’s placement for safety, permanency, and well-being
• Coordinate with supervisor to contact placement unit as soon as potential removal or change of placement is identified
• Hold a Team Decision Making (TDM) meeting immediately when a placement may be needed
• Conduct ongoing assessments of the child’s/youth’s placement for safety, permanency, and well-being
Holding a sense of urgency when seeking permanency for children
• Document in court reports specific behaviors of the parents that indicate which permanency plan is best for the child/youth
• Explain concurrent planning to parents, child/youth, caregivers, and extended family members throughout the life of the case and document in contact log/case narrative
• Ask questions regarding extended family members (hotline SW to SWs in permanency planning), and document any knowledge of relatives and significant relationships in the collateral notebook and court reports
• Convene FCMs to identify permanency options
• Participate in Interagency Placement Committee (IPC) and Permanency Round Tables (PRTs)
• Update the family history and family culture at case transfer in client notebooks, genograms, court reports, contacts and transfer summary
• Assess and document the impact of continuances with supervisors
• Discuss permanency options in consultation/at supervision throughout the life of the case
• Monitor case, reunification, and permanency timelines for each assigned case
• Explain concurrent planning to parents, child/youth, caregivers, and extended family members throughout the life of the case and document in contact log/case narrative
• Ask questions regarding extended family members (hotline SW to SWs in permanency planning), and document any knowledge of relatives and significant relationships in the collateral notebook and court reports
• Convene FCMs to identify permanency options
• Participate in Interagency Placement Committee (IPC) and Permanency Round Tables (PRTs)
• Update the family history and family culture at case transfer in client notebooks, genograms, court reports, contacts and transfer summary
• Assess and document the impact of continuances with supervisors
• Discuss permanency options in consultation/at supervision throughout the life of the case
• Monitor case, reunification, and permanency timelines for each assigned case
Continual focus on children’s well-being while they are in our care.
• Ensure proper mental health screening and assessment and ensure recommendations are followed
• Explore and support extra-curricular activities as supported by prudent parent standard
• Maintain connections between siblings and important people in the child’s/youth’s life through visitations
• Ensure use of child/youth’s voice through solution-focused questioning and relevant Safety Organized Practice tools
• Ensure caregiver is aware of a child/youth’s cultural, religious, educational, socio-emotional needs, etc., and encourage caregiver to share and discuss with the child/youth
• Counsel, assess, and monitor caregiver’s ability to meet child/youth’s developmental, emotional, social, educational needs, and ability to support child’s well-being, documenting specifics in court reports
• Advocate for child/youth’s educational stability and success
• Identify and consider unique/individual needs of children/youth (e.g., unique needs of Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE); children/youth with any special needs or disabilities; consider race, religion, etc.)
• Explore and support extra-curricular activities as supported by prudent parent standard
• Maintain connections between siblings and important people in the child’s/youth’s life through visitations
• Ensure use of child/youth’s voice through solution-focused questioning and relevant Safety Organized Practice tools
• Ensure caregiver is aware of a child/youth’s cultural, religious, educational, socio-emotional needs, etc., and encourage caregiver to share and discuss with the child/youth
• Counsel, assess, and monitor caregiver’s ability to meet child/youth’s developmental, emotional, social, educational needs, and ability to support child’s well-being, documenting specifics in court reports
• Advocate for child/youth’s educational stability and success
• Identify and consider unique/individual needs of children/youth (e.g., unique needs of Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE); children/youth with any special needs or disabilities; consider race, religion, etc.)
