Family Engagement Skills

Family Engagement Skills From the minute a referral comes in, family engagement never ends.

Missy Berglund Training Specialist Butler Institute for Families 303-871-3638 missy.berglund@du.edu Amber Garrison-Ahmed MSW AASW LCSW & Banjo FAR Intake Caseworker Arapahoe County 303-636-1822 agarrison-ahmed@co.arapahoe.co.us Laura Solomon Family Assessment Response Supervisor Jefferson County 303-271-4122 lsolomon@jeffco.us Martha Stanton Lead FAR Worker Garfield County 970-625-5282 ext. 3137 mstanton@garfield-county.com Sue Stantz Social Casework Manager Larimer County 970-489-6940 stanzxsr@co.larimer.co.us

Differential Response Child Protection System • Family Assessment Response (FAR) • No Disposition • Low to moderate risk • Interview family together • Usually initiated through announced home visit • Investigative Response (IR) • Disposition • Higher risk • Usually initiated through unannounced home visit • Interview children alone • Assessment of safety & risk • Intake function • Safety focused • Strength-based • Family-focused • Engagement • Timeframes for first contact • Linkage with services

Family Engagement is…. • Both a process and an outcome. It requires the effective and balanced use of helping skills and protective authority to produce an ongoing family/worker relationship that results in the pursuit and accomplishment of agreed upon goal

The First Contact Sets the tone for the rest of the assessment.

Initial Call to the Family • First contact is crucial • Sets the tone for the rest of the assessment • Transparency • Language use • Respectful • Meeting the family needs • Where and when

Family Engagement at the Front Door • Transparency • Appreciative inquiry • Making the famiy the expert

Using the Framework for Family Engagement

What is Framework? • The Framework is a tool used through out the life of our involvement with a family.

When do you use the Framework • Framework can be used from the initial meeting with the family and at key decision making points throughout our involvement with a family.

The Anderson Family Vignette Person Reporting (RP): Paternal Grandmother On Saturday May 5th, Molly Anderson (mother) took her 4 year old daughter Jesse to a family birthday party. Molly was later arrested and charged with DUI and child abuse. RP knows that Molly used to drink and had gone through a program about 1 year ago. RP said that her son, Shawn and Molly recently separated. RP said she is concerned that her grandson could have been injured because Molly crashed her car into a brick mail box. RP said she knows about the incident because Jesse’s father was called to pick her up when Molly was arrested. RP reports that Molly and Shawn are both good parents and would do whatever was needed to make sure she is safe.

Framework: Worries, Strengths and Next Steps

Framework Family Name: What’s going well: Questions & Complicating Factors: Participants: Purpose of today’s Meeting: Family Goals: Safety Concerns: Services: Agency Goals: Risk Statement Next Steps: Scaling Question 0-------------------------------------5-------------------------------------------10

Risk Statements • The Department is worried that (child’s name) could be (specific and detailed concern) when/if Mom/Dad continues to (specific and detailed behavior). Example: The Department is worried that Jesse could be physically harmed or killed by being in the car with her mother, Molly who was drinking and driving and was recently arrested for DUI and child abuse.

Scaling Questions • This can be used by the family and caseworker to help measure progress.

Next Steps The next steps that the family and DHS need to take to get closer to their goals. This is the who’s going to do what: • Caseworker will ……….. • Mom will ……………………. • Dad will ………… • Grandmother will………. • Child will ……………

Trails Framework

What have we learned from using the framework in practice? • Frameworks can be used from the front door to the back door • Family engagement • Supervision/Group Supervision • Key decision making points

Break

Family Meetings Bringing everyone together

Planning a Family Meeting • Family decides who attends • Allow the family to pick the location and time • Set time limit

Family Meeting • Benefits of a Family Meeting • -Allows family to be the expert on their needs and wants • -Puts them in the drivers seat of the family plan • -Gives all family members a voice • Considerations for a Family Meeting • Clear Objective • Cultural Differences • Domestic Violence • Family Alliances • Age of Children

Three houses Giving kids a voice

Three Houses • Signs of Safety Model • For use during family meeting or in a traditional investigation • Involve the child in what happens next • Child engagement tools • Creates good family conversations around feelings and needs • Gives children a voice to identify their needs and strengths • Children become a part of family planning • Tool for creating risk statements

Three Houses

Presenting information to parents and others when used individually • Often helps parents and supports see the situation differently • Asking child how they want the information shared, together, caseworker only or something different. • Giving child permission to correct worker

Safety Circles Building safety through family identified supports.

Safety Circles • Identifies Natural Supports • Family decides who is involved and to what extent.

Starting with the Family • Inner Circle • The Family • Second Circle • Anyone else who knows it all • Subsequent Circle • People who know a little bit • Last Circle • People with little to no knowledge

Safety Circles

Support Plans Safety practiced over time

Support Plan • Separate from a safety plan • Designed with the family and their supports for sustainability • Identifies family supports and resources to reduce risk and maintain child safety • Services don’t equal safety • Gives worker a starting point if the family is re-referred

Development of a Support Plan • At any point during the case • With the family • Prior to closure

Family Engagement Skills