The first meeting for the purpose of beginning the Family Assessment is scheduled between the third and fourth training sessions. Additional meetings needed to assess the family should be held between the fifth and sixth sessions and again after the ninth Family Resource Development training session.

The Family Assessment is completed utilizing the following tools:

1. Genogram;
2. Ecomap;
3. Loss History Worksheet;
4. Pathways Through the Grieving Process; and
5. History and Current Functioning of Prospective Family.

These tools will not be retained in the family’s case file. They are tools to utilize in completing the Assessment.

It is at the final at-home consultation that the family and the Children’s Service Worker conclude their mutual assessment leading to a decision. The family must decide if they wish to foster or adopt. The worker must decide if this family has the skills, willingness, and resources to foster or adopt available children. The preceding tasks have allowed the worker and families to accumulate assessment information that must now be organized and assimilated into a clear and defensible decision. The worker must complete all of the following steps either before or during the final at-home consultation visit.

The Children’s Service Worker must be sure that all required data has been collected before scheduling the final at-home consultation, including the following:

1. Application;
2. References;
3. Health/Psychological Reports;
4. Fingerprinting report;
5. CA/N check of every state each household member age 17 and older has resided during the past five (5) years;
6. Documentation of CaseNet review;
7. Sexual Offender Registry by address;
8. Family Care Safety Registry report;
9. Documentation that family has attended all training sessions;
10. Trainer’s observations of the family; and
11. Foster Family Profile, CD-56.

The Family Assessment is a composite of information collected through the collection of required data and interviewing the family members. Basically, the strengths and needs of the family are organized according to the five competency categories.

• Protecting and nurturing;
• Meeting developmental needs and addressing developmental delays;
• Supporting relationships between children and their birth families;
• Connecting children to safe, nurturing relationships intended to last a lifetime; and
• Working as a member of a professional team.

Each statement made in the Family Assessment must be stated in behavioral terms and referenced. In other words, the Children’s Service Worker must list where, when, or in what document he/she read, observed, or been told about the strength or need.

To prepare for writing the Family Assessment the Children’s Service Worker should review the following:

1. Required forms listed above;
2. Ecomap and genogram;
3. Family Resource Development Connections (assignments completed between training sessions);
4. Family Assessment Worksheet; and
5. References.

Having reviewed the pertinent documents listed above the Children’s Service Worker can now make a final decision to:

1. Invite the family to select-in to the foster care or adoption program;
2. Invite the family to select-in with a plan, i.e., correction of physical/tangible deficiency, i.e., smoke detector, furniture, etc.;
3. Counsel the family out of providing family foster care or adoptive care.

The family can decide to select-out and not participate as foster parents or adoptive parents.

Prepare Family Assessment.

More information regarding the Family Assessment is located in Section 6 Chapter 3, Resource Family Assessment and Licensing Process.

Discuss recommendations with supervisor. A supervisor must approve the final decision and recommendation. The Children’s Service Worker should meet with the supervisor to share any borderline decisions and all decisions to counsel a family out of the program.

Make phone call and send confirming letter to set up consultation.

Begin at-home consultation by establishing an agenda. The agenda will vary with each family, but should generally include:

1. Discussion of the family’s final decision regarding participation in the foster care or adoption program;
2. Discussion of the Division’s final decision;
3. Negotiation of a mutual decision;
4. Review of the Family Assessment Summary;
5. Introduction of the Professional Family Development Plan, CD-100, for families invited to select-in the family foster care program (see 2.5.1 for more information on the Professional Family Development Plan);
6. Explanation of the next steps if the family disagrees with the Division’s decision to counsel the family out of the program.
7. Plan for the meeting to complete the Professional Family Development Plan, CD-100.Initiate a collaborative process for discussing the Family Assessment.

The Family Assessment is used as a tool to facilitate a process in which a mutual decision, not a compromise, is reached. The Children’s Service Worker presents the Assessment in order to work for agreement on areas in which the family is competent and areas that need support.

The Children’s Service Worker relates all comments, positive and negative, to the strengths and needs identified with each of the five competencies.

To create a collaborative environment the Children’s Service Worker should use interviewing and relationship techniques like:

1. Making clear statements about strengths and needs documented in materials generated by the mutual assessment process or observed through previous meetings;
2. Avoiding biased or inflammatory words, for example, “your answer was wrong” or “your discipline style is bad”;
3. Reminding applicants of previous conversations where strengths and concerns were shared so that this final at-home consultation brings no surprises;
4. Encouraging families to share their feelings and the results of their family discussion by using open ended questions and non-verbal displays of interest in what is being said;
5. Communicating respect for the family, regardless of the decision made, by hearing their feelings and recognizing their interest and commitment; and
6. Allowing an appropriate amount of anger from families disappointed with the final decision by not taking it personally or reacting unprofessionally.

Present the Final Agency Decision; and present placement recommendation to the families who have been invited to select-in.

The Children’s Service Worker and family should discuss the number, the age range, and the kinds of children they could most safely and successfully parent and the supports the Division would need to provide. This discussion should be based on the family’s strengths in the five competencies and supports they need from the Division.

Begin the process for assessing learning needs and building a professional family development plan with the family invited to select-in;

Schedule the consultation meeting to complete the family development plan and conclude consultation with next steps for foster families and adoptive families who have been selected-in.

At the end of the Mutual Assessment process (training and family assessment) the family and Children’s Service Worker will decide whether to select-in or select-out the foster parent or adoptive parent applicant.

When the Children’s Service Worker and family decide to select-in to the program, the worker should complete the following tasks:

1. Notify family in person and in writing that they have been selected in; and
2. Complete Vendor Licensure/Approval and Renewal screen in FACES.

When the Children’s Service Worker and/or family decide to select-out, the worker should complete the following tasks:

1. Recommend license denial using Resource Home Adverse Action Report, CS-20, through supervisory lines to the Regional Director;
2. Include a summary of the licensing rules on which the decision is based;
3. When an adverse action is CA/N related, submit a copy of the form CA/N 4;
4. Submit a copy of the Family Assessment to Regional Director; and
5. If the decision to deny a license is supported by the Regional Director, notify the applicant in person and with the Notification of Resource Home Adverse Action, CS-20a, sent via registered mail.

Chapter Memoranda History: (prior to 01-31-07)

CD04-79

Memoranda History:

CD07-15, CD07-48, CD07-54, CD08-55, CD09-88, CD-105, CD09-110, CD12-84, CD12-85, CD14-09, CD15-75, CD16-65