Foster Care Service Planning & Structured Decision Making

1
Foster Care Service Planning Structured
Decision Making

• FOM 722-6

2
What is service planning?

• Process of
• developing
• implementing
• evaluating
• Efforts or Activities to achieve the permanency
  planning goal.

3
HistoryStructured Decision Making (SDM)

• Initially services workers had limited parameters
  to follow when doing their service planning.
• There were no structures or frameworks as a
  starting point.
• No basis for evaluating progress.
• How a family/child was assessed varied from
  worker to worker and across county.
• Therefore SDM Model was implemented.

4
What is Structured Decision Making ? (SDM)

• Consensus based process
• Increases consistency
• Validates decision making
• Targets interventions to those most at risk
• Provides structure in formulating case planning
  and activity
• Improves effectiveness of Foster Care
• Reduces length of time to attain Permanency Plan
  Goal

5
What forms will be used?

• Family Assessment and Reassessment of Needs and
  Strengths (DHS 145)
• Age Appropriate Child Assessment and Reassessment
  of Needs and Strengths (DHS 0432, DHS 0433, DHS
  0434, DHS 0435)
• Parent-Agency Treatment Plan Service Agreement
  (DHS 67)
• Initial Service Plan (DHS 65)
• Updated Service Plan (DHS 66)
• Family Reunification Assessment (DHS 147)
• Safety Assessment (DHS 149)
• Action Summary (DHS 69)
• Permanent Ward Service Plan (DHS 68)

6
Where do we get our information?

• TOGETHER with the family and with others, we
  gather information, assess and then develop the
  plan.
• Sources
• Family (including children)
• Previous child welfare history
• School records
• Psychological evaluations
• Other assessments (esp. Substance abuse)
• Other family members
• Eco-maps

7
Family Assessment of Needs/Strengths (FANS)

• Assess and evaluates the presenting needs and
  strengths of each household/caretaker with legal
  rights to child(ren).
• Used with every ISP and USP
• Identifies prioritized barriers and strengths.
• Establishes a Commonality
• Consistency
• Case planning reference tool
• Evaluation tool
• CFF 722-8A

8
Scoring the Family Assessment

• Any negative number need/barrier
• Any positive number or zero strength
• FC Worker must identify top 3 barriers to
  reunificationprimary barriers.
• FC Worker must identify top 3 strengths.
• Justify scores in ISP/USP address in PATP
• When 2 or more household members are assessed use
  highest score.
• USUnable to Score (ISP only, or with
  supervisory approval for USP)
• CFF 722-8A

9
Use the DEFINITIONS

• Part of every template
• Know the parameters
• Be objective
• Be consistent
• Not own standards

10
Child Assessment of Needs/Strength (CANS)

• Similar to the Family Assessment in foundation,
  purpose and functionality
• Has separate assessment based on age and
  developmental stage of child. DHS 0432, 0433,
  0434, 0435
• Each child must be scored individually
• Identify the top three needs strengths
• Justify scores in ISP/USP address in PATP
  Address those needs in PATP
• CFF 722-8B

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Initial Services Plan (ISP)

• Presents family history/information
• Describes Reasonable Efforts
• Identifies Permanency Planning Goal
• Defines services/activities to achieve
• Makes recommendations
• Completed- 30 calendar days after removal date
• FOM 722-8

12
Parent Agency Treatment Plan Services Agreement
(PATP)

• Involves all stakeholders
• Written with ISP and USP
• Negotiated with all parties
• Identifies goals/objectives/action steps/expected
  outcomes/timeframe needed to address needs and
  achieve the Permanency Planning Goal
• Used to assess parent progress toward barrier
  reduction
• FOM 722-8C

13
Updated Service Plan(USP)

• Completed within 120 days of childs initial
  placement and with every 90 days after that
• Same identifying information as ISP
• Includes an evaluation of progress of barrier
  reduction parenting time
• Must reassess (FANS/CANS) of the family and
  children for each USP
• CFF 722-9

14
Reunification Assessment

• Purpose is to structure critical case management
  decision for children in Foster Care.
• Evaluates barrier reduction parenting time.
• Incorporated into USP but
• Complete stand alone document (DHS-147) if return
  home recommended before next scheduled USP
• CFF 722-9A

15
Safety Assessment

• Completed following reunification assessment
  where parenting time and barrier reduction is at
  least partial.
• Helps assess if child
• Is in immediate danger
• Source of danger
• Protecting intervention to be maintained or
  initiated.

FOM 722-9B
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Permanent Ward Service Plan (PWSP)

• Completed to record progress and planning of all
  MCI wards and permanent court wards.
• To be developed and updated following same
  guidelines.
• CANS to be completed.
• Treatment Plan is incorporated in the
  document/template.
• FOM 722-9B

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REMEMBER

• Strength based
• Collaborative
• Teaming
• Concurrent planning
• Limited time-frames
• Small successes