Voices of Families at Team MeetingsPresentation
May 18, 2015
• Victor Medrano, CalWorks, FCS Linkages• Carol Sentell-Bassett, Child Welfare Supervisor• Danielle Bernardo, Child Welfare
San Francisco CalWORKs and Child Welfare Family Team meetings
We work in partnership with families, communities, tribes, and other professionals and service providers working with the family.
3 Different Ways we team in San Francisco
Team decision making meetings: to involve birth families and community members along with resource families, service providers and HSA staff, in all placement decisions, to ensure a network of support for the children and the adults who care for them.
Family Team Meeting: always involves family members and is primarily utilized for ongoing case planning, decision making and case progression. Team members include mother and/or father, youth or child ( age appropriate), the case carrying social worker, caregivers, and other appropriate agency or community service providers.
Linkages Family Team Meeting: Open cases with families involved in both FCS and CalWORKs program are considered “Linkages” cases. The Linkages Family Team and Case Coordination Meeting is the initial process in which FCS and CalWORKs coordinate and streamline the Court or non-Court case plan, or the FR AB 429 Case Plan, together with the Welfare-to Work/ CalWORKs case plan. Other partner agency or community based organization case plans may be included as well.
What is Linkages Family Team Meeting for Child Welfare and CalWORks Staff in San Francisco
The Linkages Case Coordination meeting brings together a team of expert support with the family, for the family. Through the meeting process, the family’s case plans( FCS, CalWORKs and others) are coordinated and streamlined so that the family’s success is enhanced in meeting the goals and timelines of many different case plans.
The Building Blocks of SF Linkages Teaming Practice
Why Linkages?• Family Centered,
team driven• Strength based• Need driven• Solution Focused• Community Based
The Application of the Core Principles through Linkages meetings as seen by CalWORKs and FCS staff
• Getting everyone on the same page• To provide financial support to families in the
Reunification process• To avoid duplication of services coming from
both programs• Bringing team of professionals who are subject
matter experts as an extension of the family’s support network.
• Families have can voice directly their concerns and active role in the decision making process to address their self-sufficiency and child safety issues.
• Allows greater operational efficiency by coordinating services more effectively and allocating tasks to all meeting participants
• Internal cross-communication increases access to existing material resources for families involved with Child Welfare and CalWORKs.
The Application of the Core Principles through Linkages meetings as seen by CalWORKs and FCS staff
• Address and reduce conflicting program requirements.• Clarify to the family roles and responsibilities of each
staff member and who is accountable for each action item.
• Providing a safety net and continuous services to families after Child Welfare closes the case
• Allows to conduct diligent efforts to ensure that basic material needs are met via the Income Support Programs, Child Welfare Services and or community support.
• Linkages Family Team Meetings, from a Safety Organized Practice perspective ,functions as a tool to address complicating factors such as homelessness, food, cash aid and medical care. The Child Welfare staff does not have direct access or control over those systems or resources therefore, the Linkages meetings help the Child Welfare Worker remove the barriers that prevent the family from addressing the safety concerns.
•FAMILY PLAN SUMMARY AND NEXT STEPS
Family’s Challenges/Concerns
Parenting Support
Child Behavior
Substance Abuse
Welfare to Work Sanction
Mental Health
Disability
Domestic Violence
Other:
Child Care
Other: PSW Responsibilities
Family/Parent Responsibilities (Include type of activity, location, etc.) CalWORKs Staff Responsibilities
Set up or make referral to: Attend & comply with all recommended services: Set up or make referral to:
Due Date
Due Date
Due Date
Visitation with child(ren)
Parenting Support @
Client was informed that she can apply for GA after client exhausts AB 429 grant
4/14/15
Contact @ home with caregiver
Substance Abuse @ assessment at HPP
Pending
Exempt until:
Meeting with:
Mental Health @ individual therapy
pending
Exemption type:
To discuss:
Child Behavior @
Client informed about what to do regarding medical and food stamps
4/14/15
Child Care @
Set up CalWORKs/FR Services: cash and fast pass depending on progress as reported by PSW
5/1/15
Next Court date:
Other: supervised visitations – once a week
pending
Client was informed about 12 months limitations of AB 429
4/14/15
Absent parent involvement
Family therapy- in the future pending
Income verification and EBT card 4/14/15
Other
Child care
Other: PSW to send monthly
x Client informed about need
Referral to CalWORKs contracted services:
Check in emails to ES and LC
To make good progress in FR
Parenting support @
Stating whether client is engaged
Plan in month following review
Substance abuse @
Service or not.
Meeting.
Mental Health @
Domestic violence @
•Community-Based Organization Responsibilities:
CBO Name CBO Representative Plan/Next steps: Due Date
•Parent/Guardian Signature PSW Signature CalWORKs Staff Signature
•2 •Form 1163 Linkages Coordinated Family Plan 3/12