Caseworker activities will be described according to critical decisions in the life of a case. These decision points are not intended to be exclusive. Rather the intent is to describe specific processes that are critical in the life of a case and which require particular attention on the part of the caseworker, supervisor and other staff. These include:
· When the Department takes protective custody
· 45 days after case opening
· The first 90 days after case opening
· The family meeting at 9 months after case opening
· The permanency staffing
· The permanency review hearing in court
· Aftercare planning and termination of services.
The above list contains discrete points in time or events in which significant decisions are made. In the life of a case there are ongoing reviews as well at which major discussions and decisions take place. These include supervisory conferences, family meetings and administrative case reviews. These ongoing reviews are critical in moving a case toward permanency.
The section will include guidelines for determining an appropriate planned achievement date for achieving reunification. Although the goal of reunification within 12 months has been selected, reunification may occur sooner than twelve months; the planned achievement date governs when reunification can safely and realistically occur. It must be emphasized that reunification may occur at any time when the family, caseworker, supervisor, the court and others involved in a case decide that safety can be assured and the family has made reasonable, documented progress in services. Studies show that if reunification has not occurred within 6 months of temporary custody, the likelihood of reunification significantly decreases (Chapin Hall).
When protective custody is taken, the Department assumes legal responsibility for the child. A series of actions must be completed by the child protection services worker (CPSW), including placing the child in a licensed foster home (relative or non-relative). The child protection services worker is the first point of contact with the family. The worker immediately begins assessing risk and safety using the CERAP (CFS 1441) and Risk Assessment Protocol. These form the basis for further, in-depth assessment by the permanency worker. Moreover, the CPSW will note when a case meets the criteria for expedited termination and notify the permanency supervisor immediately so that a permanency staffing can be scheduled. Whether or not to allow protective custody to lapse is a critical decision that may be made at this time. Should protective custody be allowed to lapse, the Department will no longer have legal responsibility for the child and the case may be serviced as an intact family case.
The transitional visit with the CPSW, the permanency worker and the family takes place at the Shelter Care hearing. The permanency worker meets with the family and maintains intensive contact during the first 45 days after case opening. During this time, the worker completes the integrated assessment of the child and family, assesses the appropriateness of the placement, ensures that parent-child visitation is taking place, develops a Child and Family Team, sets the date for the initial family meeting, writes a service plan with the family and implements services.
By 90 days after case opening, the caseworker completes the risk assessment and continues to develop the assessment with new information learned during the first quarter, continues to assessment the child's placement and prepares for the second family meeting. By this time, the caseworker, supervisor and Child and Family Team should have a general sense of the prognosis for reunification by observing whether the parent is actively engaged in services, visiting consistently, improving parenting skills and actively addressing the conditions that led to the removal of the child. If reunification appears unlikely, the decision to place and actually move the child into a permanency home must be made.
No later than the 9th month after case opening, the caseworker will assess whether the initial permanency goal will be achieved within the stated timeframes or will be continued because the parents are making progress but need more time. If neither of these options is viable, the alternative goal (or plan) will be implemented. This decision is made with input from the Child and Family Team at a family meeting based on the parent's progress (or lack of progress) in the service plan, the child's need for stability and permanency and an assessment to determine if risk and safety factors may still be present. This decision forms the foundation for further casework activities that may focus on reunification or another permanency option. In addition, the decisions and recommendations made by the Child and Family Team at this meeting will be incorporated in the report made by the caseworker at the permanency hearing. Again, keep in mind that reunification may occur prior to the 9th month as long as the child's safety can be assured and the court approves prior to return home. The worker need not wait until the 9th month to move toward reunification.
If the team determines that the parents have not made reasonable progress toward reunification, a permanency staffing (previously known as the "legal screening") will be held in the 10th or 11th month after case opening. The purpose of this staffing, which will include the permanency worker, supervisor and legal staff, is to review the caseworker's assessments, the evaluated service plans and the needs of the child in order to set an alternative permanency goal which is in the child's best interests.
The court sets the permanency goal at the permanency hearing which occurs in the 12th month after case opening. Casework activity will then be centered around the achievement of this goal.
Aftercare planning begins as soon as the child is placed. When the decision to return home has been made and approved by the court, a specific aftercare plan must be developed. Specific tasks are required to prepare for reunification as well as to ensure safety and continuity of care after the child returns home. After the family is reunified, stabilized and no longer in need of DCFS involvement, services may terminate. Tasks and requirements specific to termination of services and case closure will be described.
Supervisory conferences on a regular basis (weekly for the first 30 days of placement, at least monthly thereafter) are an important forum for discussing case-related issues, parent's progress or lack of progress in the service plan, caseworker's reasonable efforts in working with the family and foster parent/relative caregiver, the family's potential for reunification, any risk or safety issues which may still be present, and well-being of the child. Assessing the family's potential for reunification includes an assessment of parental ambivalence. Supervisory conferences are also used to make critical decisions about a case.
The quarterly review is another integral forum that moves a case toward permanency. The quarterly review takes place in a family meeting in which the entire Child and Family Team participates. Parents' progress or lack of progress, reasonable efforts on the part of the Department and barriers to service participation are discussed. If necessary, revisions to the service plan are made. The quarterly review presents a snapshot of how the case is progressing toward permanency and what further steps need to be taken.
Ongoing family meetings are critical in assessing risk and safety issues, reasonable progress, reasonable efforts and the likelihood of reunification. In addition, issues such as increasing or decreasing visitation, addressing new safety or risk issues, evaluation of the service plan and development of a new plan and other case-related issues may be discussed. At the first family meeting, the service plan will be finalized with input from the family. Parents must be advised of the consequences of failing to make reasonable progress in their service plan (full disclosure) and a concurrent (alternative) plan will also be developed at this time with the family. Family meetings are ongoing (at least quarterly; more often depending on case circumstances) until the child is reunified or another permanency option is chosen. In addition, the caseworker must convene a family meeting, including all collaborating agencies, four to six weeks prior to a child's target return home date. The team must address the child's developmental, educational, and medical needs.
The current service plan is formally evaluated and reviewed at the ACR held at 6 months and 12 months from case opening. ACR's will occur every 6 months until permanency is achieved. ACR's are another forum to discuss permanency and share all pertinent case-related information with the family.
Reunification is a process on a fluid, dynamic continuum. Each family moves along this continuum at its own pace based on their strengths and needs as well as the supports and services provided. Although some families will require a full twelve months or more before reunification can be achieved (if it is achieved at all), good practice dictates that caseworkers continually assess the potential for reunification and move toward achievement of that goal whenever risk levels are acceptable and no safety concerns exist. This assessment should minimally occur at every supervisory conference, quarterly review and family meeting.
The following section describes the above-listed critical decision pathways in more detail.