DISCUSSION:

A workgroup provided review of the appropriateness of using the STEP, Systematic Teaching and Evaluation Process, and Positive Time Chart (CS-11) for providing behavior modification instruction and support to foster youth identified as requiring Elevated Needs Level A services and their resource parents. The workgroup participants included resource parents, members of the Missouri State Foster Care and Adoption Board, contracted Elevated Needs Level A Trainers, Children’s Division staff and representatives of three contracted agencies who provide resource development and foster care case management services.

Elevated Needs Level A Behavior Management Tool

The research and review of the form supports the CS-11 form used with Parenting Skills training curriculum is based on outdated behavior science compared to current science regarding trauma, and brain development. The training is not meeting the unique needs of our foster youth population.

The recommendation of the workgroup is to discontinue requiring resource parents who are parenting foster youth identified as needing Elevated Needs Level A services to complete the CS-11 and the companion form, CS-12.

There are many tools available to work with a youth in learning to manage his/her emotions and behaviors. The resource parent may inquire of the foster youth’s therapist or school personnel a recommendation of a tool which might work best for the specific foster youth’s treatment needs. There will no longer be specifically referenced required tools to use for elevated needs treatment in policy.

Elevated Needs Training Curriculum

The Children’s Division no longer recommends using the Parenting Skills training curriculum introduced in 1992 for the 18 hours of Level A training requirements. The curriculum does not address brain development as related to behavior and emotions nor does it address trauma issues.

The training topics required to be covered in the 18 hours of Elevated Needs Level A training curriculum have been revised.

The lists of approved Elevated Needs Level A and Level B training curricula that a licensed resource provider may complete to receive training credit for Elevated Needs Level A or Level B training requirements is posted on the Resource Development program page on the Children’s Division Intranet and on the Foster Parenting Information page on the Internet.

Training Codes

The codes in FACES to use for entering training credit for completion of elevated needs training are located in the in-service training category.

Level A - V206

Level B - V892, V893, V894, V895, V896

The training hours completed for Level A and Level B count toward pre-service and in- service training. Enhancements made to the FACES pre-service training screen now include training codes for elevated needs training in the pre-service service category.

Level A - V009 Level B - V010

The work around instructions for putting elevated needs training as “other pre-service” training have been removed from the FACES Instructions for Resource Licensing and Resource Approval and the training instructions in the document revised to include the new pre-service codes.

Incentive Payment Elimination

There will no longer be an incentive payment for completing a form. Beginning April 1, 2016, there will no longer be a payment code of CENT in FACES. The licensed resource providers approved to provide Elevated Needs Level A services who received the incentive payment during the past year will receive a letter informing them of the policy change. The identified resource development worker for the resource home will receive a copy of the letter.

Workers should have conversations with these resource providers identifying needed services for the Elevated Needs Level A foster youth placed in their homes.