The Social Worker's Roles and Responsibilities in Providing

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• The Social Worker's Roles and Responsibilities in
  Providing
• Quality Visits
• North Dakota DHS
• Presented by
• Rose Wentz
• rose_at_wentztraining.com
• 206 579-8615

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• What are some ways that workers can develop a
  relationship with a child?
• How does that change as a child gets older?
• How is that different than developing a
  relationship with adults?

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Interpersonal Building Blocks of
Caseworker/Client Relationship

• Genuineness Being real, being yourself verbal
  and non-verbal behaviors match being
  spontaneous and non-defensive.
• Empathy Communicating understanding connecting
  with feelings recognizing non-verbal cues
  discussing what is important to the client
  showing a desire to understand their feelings.
• Respect Showing commitment communicating warmth
  and suspending critical judgment applauding the
  clients resiliency.

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• Fundamentally the key to successful professional
  relationships is about asking questions and
  really listening to the clients answers.

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Strategy Coping Questions

• Ask questions in a way that demonstrates empathy
  and compassion.
• Acknowledge your understanding of the pain, fear
  or frustration that the family member may be
  experiencing.
• It also helps point out that they are, in fact,
  doing the best job they can, given the
  circumstances

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Strategy Exception-Seeking Questions

• Elicit information that addresses how a
  problematic situation might have been different.
• These questions allow the receiver to talk about
  their successes (strengths).
• Exceptions are the building blocks of success.
• They shrink the problem. Exceptions focus on the
  possibilities.

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Strategy Scaling Questions

• Assessment tool
• Helps assess the issue in a concrete way
• Leads to solutions -- planning the next steps,
  one step at a time

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Strategy The Miracle Question

• Help them remember
• What would it look like, be like, feel like?
• They need to see it
• Once they see the vision they can go there

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Interview

• Watch the demonstration
• Answer these questions
• What questions and strategies were used?
• How did that help the worker establish a
  relationship with this child?
• What other questions or strategies would you
  recommend for this interview?

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Other Factors that Impact Children

• What things must a worker consider besides the
  childs developmental age when planning to
  conduct an interview with the child?

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Exercise

• Think of a special child in your life or in
  someones life who you are close to.
• Write the name of the child on a piece of paper.

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Reaction to Grief and Loss

• Separation is always traumatic
• Children and adults reactions will vary according
  to their current attachments
• Uncertainty hampers peoples ability to cope
• Children who are in trauma stop or regress on
  their developmental tasks
• Yearning is a dominate characteristic

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The Cycle of Conducting Purposeful and Meaningful
Caseworker/Child VisitsThe Four Step Process
Preparation
Engagement/ The Visit
Next Steps
Assessment Commitments
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Step One Preparation

• Schedule visit. (worker can do unannounced
  visits.)
• Review case information.
• Identify issues related to safety, permanency and
  well-being.
• Prepare an agenda prepare questions.
• Inform the child and caregiver about the agenda.
• Prepare yourself.

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Step Two Engagement/The Visit

• Warm-up
• Establishing the purpose of the visit
• Making the connection with the child
• Alone time
• Gathering the information

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Step Two Gathering the information

• Worker uses a series of developmentally
  appropriate questions to assess how the family
  will provide for the childs or youths well
  being and safety.
• Use the case plan as a basis for the case
  discussions.
• Discuss the family's strengths and needs
• Identify supports/services needed to help family
  to meet needs.

Some of this step of the visit must be done in
private with ONLY the worker and that child.
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Step ThreeAssessment and Commitments

• Initial assessing of information gathered during
  visit.
• Making commitments and plans with the child.
• Develop a to do list for everyone
• Sharing information with the caregiver.
• Plan the next visit

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Step Four Next Steps

• Consulting with supervisors and other experts and
  assessing information gathered.
• Documenting the visit.
• Implementing case plan decision/services.
• Beginning the preparation step for the next visit.

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Supervisors Role

• Support Best Practices
• It is a parallel process
• Model practice in your supervisory role
• Address barriers and challenges
• Look for solutions
• Supervisor tool

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Visiting caretakersbirth, foster, group, kin
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First!!

• They are living with children who have
  experienced trauma
• That is the rule not the exception
• You got to talk about it!!!!!!

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2nd It is hard and stressful

• What can they expect?

Talk about it!! Help them expect it
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Ounce of prevention

• Help them understand what to expect
• You are going to feel rage
• It is not personal
• Normalize the feelings they have
• it is not about you
• They are fragile
• Talk about trauma and loss all the time
• Help them understand how the child sees the
  world

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A moment of joy
Every day
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Asking the Right Question
The NRCFCPPP has developed questions
for Children Birth Parents Caregivers School
Age sample in your handouts
Access all of the lists at http//www.hunter.cuny
.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/caseworker-visi
ting.html
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Building an Agenda

• Read the case study
• Determine the priority
• Select or develop questions for a
• Visit with the child
• Visit with the foster parent/residential worker
• Visit with the parents (especially fathers)

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Documenting the Visit

• Date
• Type of Contact
• Where it occurred (if not in the least
  restrictive setting explain)
• Alone time with child (what occurred)
• Who was there
• Who conducted the visit
• Did some of the interview occurred in private?
  How? If not, why?

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Key Information

• Purpose of visit - priorities
• What happened regarding
• Childs Developmental Progress
• Childs Involvement in Case Planning
• Safety, Well-being or Permanency Issues
• Highlight any concerns or red flags that need
  follow up

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LaToya

• Lets hear from a youth about the positive impact
  workers have when they do this practice right.

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Closing

• Further resources
• NRCFCPPP website www.nrcfcppp.org
• Childrens Information Gateway
  www.childwelfare.gov
• Thank you for your dedication to this work.