Overview of the Child Welfare System International Center for Innovation in Domestic Violence...

Overview of the Child Welfare System

International Center for Innovation in Domestic Violence Practice (ICIDVP)

Questions to Frame Our Conversation

• What is the advocate’s role in supporting partnerships between child welfare and survivors related to the safety and well-being of children?

• What is an advocate’s role in partnering with child welfare on behalf of a domestic violence survivor?

• What is an advocate’s role in raising questions about child welfare’s concerns and responses to DV perpetrators?

• What child welfare interventions have been helpful for survivors?

• How can the Safe and Together model enhance your advocacy for child welfare involved survivors?

• What would you like to know about child welfare?

(c) 2014 David Mandel Associates LLC Do not reproduce or distribute without permission

Florida Child Welfare Processes:Investigation

• Investigations are commenced after a report of abuse/neglect is accepted by the hotline

• Investigators have different time frames in which they must contact the family

• Investigators must meet with all household members to assess the safety of the children.

• Investigators must assess for present danger and impending danger (Family Functioning Assessment)

• Removals may or may not happen• Caregivers have rights• Case outcome can include Verified, Not Substantiated, or

No Indicators


What does Information About Investigations Mean for

Advocates?• Advocates may assist survivors in knowing what to expect and

how long a CPI may be involved• Advocates can ensure they contact a CPI within the correct time

frame if they have questions or have information regarding a survivor’s strengths, safety planning, and concerns about the perpetrator’s behaviors

• Advocates can engage the CPI about the Six Domains of Information through the lens of the Safe and Together model

• Advocates can advocate for separate interviews and separate safety plans, as well as the importance of keeping safety planning confidential or redacted

• Advocates can play an important role in the Family Functioning Assessment, Present Danger Safety Plan and Impending Danger Safety Plan, including helping a CPI stay focus on the perpetrator pattern and accurately assess a survivor’s protective capacities

) 2013 David Mandel Associates LLC Do not reproduce or distribute without permission

Case Management

• Some cases will not need ongoing case management

• Some cases may have court involvement whether a child has been removed or not

• Case management or Community Based Care (CBC’s) are private agencies

• Case managers will use information from the Investigation and meeting with the family to create a case plan

• Case plans may include services and behavioral goals


What Does Information About Case Management Mean for

Advocates?• Advocates can work with case managers to ensure

survivors are not mandated into unnecessary services• Advocates can assist case managers in understanding

survivors’ strengths, including safety-planning and providing nurturance, routines, and stability

• Advocates can help keep the perpetrator “visible” in the case

• Advocates can help case managers understand the connection between the perpetrator’s behavior and the children’s treatment needs

• Advocates can advocate for separate case plans and keeping the survivor’s safety planning confidential

• Advocates can help Case Managers to understand the work that is being done at the agency with the survivor and the child to promote child safety


Survivors Have Rights• A survivor must be given information about her

rights at the start of an Investigation• A survivor has the right to an attorney for any

dependency court hearings and may have an attorney or advocate present during interviews

• Survivors can request separate hearings• A survivor has the right to refuse to work with

child welfare


Limits to Child Welfare Interventions

• Child welfare workers are limited by laws, regulations and policies, both federal and state

• Removals and findings are outlined by policy• Supervisors and managers have discretion to

make decisions, even if a CPI or Case Manager disagrees

• Judges have ultimate say


Safety Decision Making Methodology (SDMM)

• Very new; not all staff has been trained• Great aspects to approach consistent with

national and international trendso Family engagemento Least intrusiveo Focus on empowering families to change

• Systematize child welfare work• Enhance decision making around safety and risk


SDMM• Safety is immediate danger vs. Risk which is

continuous state of danger• Includes assessments and tools to help child

welfare more accurately assess and intervene• Compatible with Safe and Together Model. FCADV

is currently working with DCF to ensure the training and pre-service is more DV informed

• May provide some new challenges for advocates


Safe and Together™ Principles


1

2

3

Keeping child Safe and Together™ with non-offending parent

Safety Healing from trauma Stability and nurturance

Partnering with non-offending parent as default position

Efficient Effective Child-centered

Intervening with perpetrator to reduce risk and harm to child

Engagement Accountability Courts

Safe and Together™ Critical Components

Perpetrator’s pattern of coercive control

Actions taken by the

perpetrator to harm the child

Full spectrum of the non-offending

parent’s efforts to promote the safety and well

being of the child

Adverse impact of the

perpetrator’s behavior on the

child

Role of substance

abuse, mental health, culture

and other socio-economic

factors


Using Safe and Together as a Common Framework

• Many circuits in FL have had and continue to have and utilize the Safe and Together model

• Safe and Together Principles and Critical Components can serve as a common framework for case discussions and case consultation

• The Critical Components provide a template for asking child welfare about both assessment and case planning: Can a worker fully articulate and document the perpetrator’s pattern of coercive control and the actions taken to harm the children?


Articulating the perpetrator’s pattern is critical to seeing survivor’s

strengthsPerpetrator’s pattern

of coercive control and actions taken to harm the children

Interfere

with/sabotage

survivor’s

parenting

Survivor•Safety plans

•Parenting strengths•Supportive behaviors

Survivor’s strengths

Children•Healing experiences

•Needs met•stability•safety

Impa

ct c

hild

ren’

s

safe

ty a

nd w

ell

bein

g/cr

eate

cha

os

and

inst

abili

ty

Assessing Survivor’s Protective Capacities

• Parenting• Supporting the children’s day-to-day needs• Providing children with what they need after

being exposed to the perpetrator’s behaviorso Safety, both physical and emotionalo Stability and routineo The ability to talk about what has happened; including feelings about

the perpetrator

• Safety planning, including the children and in some cases, with the children


Confidentiality• Privileged communication between survivors and

advocates is paramount• How you communicate your role as an advocate

and the role of confidentiality to child welfare is important for the survivor and for establishing relationships

• Releases can be as limited or as broad as is most beneficial to the survivor, i.e sharing information about her strenghths


Practice Tips• Assess for strengths when working with survivors

and help her share them with child welfare• Find out where in the process the case is and help

a survivor to understand the process• Ask a survivor if she would like advocacy. An

advocate can be present at interviews, hearings and meetings

• Ensure that the child welfare worker is assessing/engaging/intervening with the perpetrator

• Assist child welfare in understanding the perpetrator’s behaviors and the survivor’s protective capacities(c) 2013 David Mandel Associates LLC Do not reproduce or distribute without permission

Overview of the Child Welfare System International Center for Innovation in Domestic Violence...

Documents

Transcript of Overview of the Child Welfare System International Center for Innovation in Domestic Violence...