Supervisory conferences must occur on a weekly basis during the first 30 days after case opening. The content of supervisory conferences during the first 30 days should include the following topics:
· Child safety: Current risk/safety factors; appropriateness of the worker's assessment of safety; effectiveness of the safety plan.
· Progress and quality of assessment process: Whether timely progress is being made; are correct areas being explored; is sufficient depth of analysis being attained.
· Nature and quality of relationship with the family: Level of engagement and partnership; possible strategies to enhance the relationship.
· Clinical issues and intervention techniques: Meaning of family dynamics and functioning for child safety and family progress; intervention strategies to deal with difficult assessment or treatment issues;
· Development of the Child and Family Team. Identification of potential members.
· Worker self-awareness and safety issues: Identification of problematic personal issues for the worker related to this case; identification of potential safety issues for the worker; effective strategies for dealing with these issues.
· Appropriate level of service: Based on risk/safety levels and the nature and dynamics of family functioning, what level of service is appropriate for this family. Identify and determine the status of concurrent plans.
Thereafter the frequency of supervision will be determined by the supervisor based on the skill of the worker and the dynamics of the case, but not less than monthly. Current case status should be discussed at least monthly so that the supervisor is updated regularly on case progress. Overall progress should be formally reviewed quarterly. Supervisory conferences must be documented in the case record.
The following topics must be discussed at every monthly supervisory conference:
· safety and risk factors still present and whether services are addressing these issues
· whether the service plan goals and objectives are still appropriate
· parents' progress in their service plan
· barriers to services and how they will be addressed
· child's well-being and how these needs will be addressed
· family dynamics and clinical issues that need to be addressed or which are resulting in safety or risk issues
· updates to the integrated assessment
· family's potential for reunification
· whether parent-child and sibling visitation is occurring according to the visitation plan
· whether family meetings are occurring and the content of the discussion
· parental ambivalence
· critical decisions
· transference and counter-transference issues
In addition to the above, supervisors must discuss issues regarding training professional development with caseworkers.
Critical case-related decisions are made in consultation with the supervisor pursuant to Rule and Procedure 305.30. Although all Department decisions affecting children and families are important, the Department identifies the following decisions as the most critical ones affecting children and families:
· Deciding whether to remove children from the home of their parents or relative caregiver or whether services can prevent placement away from the parents or relative caregiver;
· Deciding whether to return children to the home of their parents or relative caregiver from a placement away from their parents or relative caregiver;
· Deciding whether to decrease the frequency or the duration of parent and/or sibling visits with the child and whether the visits should be supervised;
· Deciding whether to change children's placements;
· Deciding whether parental rights should be terminated and an alternate permanent home sought;
· Deciding if children are prepared for partial or total independence;
· Deciding whether children shall be placed apart from siblings who are also placed in substitute care; or
· Deciding whether to petition the court to terminate Department custody or guardianship of the child.
· Deciding whether subsidized guardianship is an appropriate alternative for the child.
When making a critical decision, any opinions or recommendations from professionals or agencies outside the Department shall be carefully weighed. A critical decision needs to be documented either in a casenote or on a Critical Decision form in the case record. Critical decisions also need court approval when the issue relates to issues addressed in previous court orders. Written documentation of critical decisions must be sent to parents.