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Family-Focused Practice
Family Assessment
Assessment: Identifying Strengths and Needs* | Developing Case Plans | Monitoring Case Plans | Determine Appropriate Services and Supports
Current reviews of assessment tools and practice being utilized in prevention and intervention programs is underway. Assessment is the key to appropriate support and intervention. A group of California practitioners made the following recommendations regarding assessment.
The nature of assessment content and process varies, both in concept and application. In practice, key concerns include time constraints, workload, ease of application, perceived utility and adaptability to different groups who use the assessment. Thus, there are multiple criteria to fulfill for developing a method that is comprehensive yet time sensitive to administer.
Assessment: Identifying Strengths and Needs* top
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Content
What information is acquired?
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Process
How is information gathered?
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Comprehensive
Information about all domains important to development and functioning across all household and family members
Strength-based
Knowing the child and family's "stories," their accomplishments, attributes, skills, goals, values and gifts, how they care for others and who supports them
Identification of needs
Specification of unmet needs across a matrix of specific life domains (basic needs)
Include transition content for all adolescents, not just older adolescents
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Family involvement
Information from the child and family is sought, valued and incorporated
Early
Occurring prior to a detention hearing
Culturally competent
Bilingual, multicultural staff and training, hiring personnel prepared to talk with and appreciate cultural and ethnic qualities among all children and family in care, who understand differences in power and oppression and is prepared to share decision making
Training
An instructional activity to promote competencies
Collocation
When personnel from two or more agencies are located in the same facility and work in a coordinated manner in the service of mutual children and families
Cross agency information
Deliberate process of seeking out, gaining and incorporating information from one or more agencies
Screening in
Gathering information that is inherently beneficial to the child and family to reduce risk and promote stability independent of other eligibility and custody decisions
Parent partners
A consumer peer who supports, assists, guides and engages the family to be active and effective participants in assessment
Interagency team meeting
A meeting of two or more representatives of stakeholder agencies to share information about mutual children and families
Family conference
A meeting in which multiple family members and stakeholder agencies (as selected by the family) gather together in the home or other natural environment to present pertinent information
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Developing Case Plans top
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Content
What form does the case plan take?
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Process
How is the case plan developed?
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Use family friendly strength-based case plan documents
Individualize case plans to the unique strengths and needs of each family
Consider the feasibility of case plans with respect to current family obligations and risks (i.e., prioritize the need domains)
Incorporate nationwide supports and connections
Consider a variety of placement alternatives and identify (describe) optimal placements
Specify objectives with attention to timelines and milestones
Identify long-term goals, such as reducing the level of care and/or obtaining family reunification
Specify short-term objectives or goals that can be measured so that all parties know if and when, and to what degree, they have been achieved
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Develop case plans with full participation of the family
Ensure that families have primary influence on the case plan within the parameters of health and safety
Utilize paperwork workarounds to make the process more compatible with the family-friendly goals of the new assessment procedures
Develop and use family-friendly, strength-based case plan documents (e.g., use the family's words)
Employ negotiation and consensus on task-sharing and make sure that all members have clear responsibilities
Develop a feedback process to maintain the integrity of decisions
Communicate with out-of-home providers (foster care or residential) regarding objectives
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Monitoring Case Plans top
Content
What is monitored?
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Process
How are case plans monitored?
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Be vigilant for over- and under-placement (i.e., placements not utilizing strengths or meeting needs)
Evaluate fidelity to commitments
Evaluate achievements in the context of family functioning and identified domain goals
Employ objective evaluation of whether the family is making progress toward reunification
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Employ periodic family meetings
Employ interagency staffing (which may include family partners)
Conduct whole-team visits to placement sites every month
Add event-driven reappraisals
Amend case plans with family endorsement
Provide honest feedback to families about their successes and failures in progressing toward reunification
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Determine Appropriate Services and Supports top
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Content
What services are chosen?
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Process
How are services chosen?
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Services should be individualized. (Fit services to the child and family, not vice versa)
Services should reflect the voice, choice and preferences of the family
Services should target objectives or goals that can be measured so that all parties know if and when, and to what degree, the services are beneficial
When necessary, create services
Services should be community-based, accessible, accommodating and meet the child's and family's needs
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Always ask if strengths are being used and if needs are being met.
Work as a team to customize services to fit the family's needs
Monitor satisfaction of families throughout the process
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* With thanks to the best practices work group
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