Kelly McCauley, LMSW

1
Intensive Reunification Program of Kansas
Childrens Service League

• Kelly McCauley, LMSW
• Marianne Berry, PhD, ACSW

2
Intensive Reunification Program Tenets

• Time matters (Berry, 2002).
• Children in foster care are at risk of losing
  their connection to their biological family, and
  this risk increases over time (Proch Howard,
  1986).
• Parent visitation is necessary (Haight, Kagle
  Black, 2003).
• Clients must have actual control over resources
  as well as an internalized perception of control
  (Fein Staff, 1991).
• Concrete help is most predictive of reunification
  (Berry, 2002).

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Intensive Reunification Program Tenets (continued)

• Experiential parent training increases safety
  (Berry, 2002).
• Re-abuse rates upon reunification decrease with
  the amount of time service providers have spent
  in the biological familys home during service
  provision (Berry, 2002).
• Biological families are capable and willing
  (Wilmot, 2001).
• Working with parents in groups is effective
  (Pine, Warsh Maluccio, 1993).

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Intensive Reunification Program Central Tenet

• To provide multiple opportunities for parents and
  their children to spend time together.

5
Family Criteria

• Cases were new referrals
• Children and parents located within 1 hour travel
  time from church.
• Primary case plan goal must be reunification
• If attending while under the influence of
  chemicals, parents were asked to leave.
• Participation was voluntary

6
The Intensive Reunification Program requires
intensive time and skills of foster care staff

• Modeling positive behaviors
• Providing opportunities to practice newly
  acquired skills
• Imparting community resource information and
• Providing frequent opportunities for participant
  self-evaluation.

7
Structure of the Meetings

• 36 Weeks
• Twice weekly meetings for 2 hours each
• 144 Total hours for parents and children together
  in this group setting.

8
Group Meetings

• 1st Half Hour - Group Meal
• GOAL Parents learn, from each other and staff,
  the importance of balanced nutrition, proper meal
  preparation, tips with meal planning and grocery
  budgeting.
• 2nd Half Hour - Fun Activity between parents
  and their children
• GOAL To provide an opportunity for sharing,
  communication and fun.

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Group Meetings (continued)

• 2nd Hour Educational and Peer Support Groups
  for both Parents and Children.
• GOAL To promote empowerment, knowledge and
  community awareness.

10
Meeting Content

• Parent participants choose relative educational
  topics.
• Reunification is supported.
• Love Logic and the Incredible Years
  curricula are included in the training.
• Information is reinforced.
• Community supports are incorporated.

11
Staffing of Meetings

• Parent Groups
• Clinical Social Workers
• Family Support Workers

• Childrens Groups
• Case Management Social Workers
• Volunteers

12
Weekly Visitation

• Weekly 90 minute visits in the birth home between
  the child and the biological parents.
• Support before, during and after visits to
  maximize their intended effectiveness.

13
Family Time Together

• 198 Hours in 9 Months, or 22 Hours per Month

14
Goal Setting and Mutual Tracking of Progress

• Self Evaluations and Group Leader Feedback by
  participants
• Group Log Notes
• Monthly Goal and Case Plan Review
• Goal attainment ratings
• PowerPoint technology as visual aide
• Visitation Logs

15
Program Staffing

• Social workers carry 10 intensive reunification
  cases at a time.
• Majority of services are at a centralized
  location in a group participation format.
• Additional staff support
• In-house clinical social worker
• One contracted clinical social worker
• Family support workers
• Volunteers

16
Cost Efficiencies

• Intensive model, but requires fewer staff and few
  staff hours due to group format in centralized
  location.
• Caseloads are half the size of normal
  reintegration units, but contact hours are
  increased by 7 times.
• Utilizes interns as co-facilitators,
  collaboration of civic and faith-based groups
  through donations.

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Staff Values

• The family is the preferred child-rearing unit.
• Family reunification is a process, with a
  continuum of outcomes and goals.
• Diversity in people, family styles and
  child-rearing methods strengthens all of us.
• Families deserve respect and are our partners in
  the change process.
• Self-awareness regarding personal experiences of
  separation and loss is important to healthy
  practice.
• Competence is improved when it is measured and
  acknowledged.

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Staff Skill Sets

• The ability to engage clients and to develop
  trusting, collaborative relationships with
  parents and their children, built on mutual
  respect.
• The ability to model, advise and mobilize client
  energy toward goal attainment.
• The ability to assess for readiness of family
  reunification.

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Staff Skill Sets (continued)

• The ability to assist parents and their children
  with identifying and developing clear,
  measurable, effective goals.
• The ability to keep clear, accurate, thorough
  documentation.
• The ability to maintain and then terminate
  services effectively.
• The ability to facilitate group learning
  processes.

20
Evaluation of Pilot
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Method

• Pilot families (n12) and comparison families
  (n16), all with children in care.
• Groups were comparable in family sizes,
  demographics, reunification risk factors.
• Measures
• Risk factors to reunification
• Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory (Bavolek)
• Strengths and Stressors (Berry)
• Post hoc interviews and focus groups

22
Reunification Process

• There were 15 families enrolled in the 9-month
  pilot program in the first year (3 self-selected
  out due to the group element).
• Average level of contact in pilot group was 10
  contacts per month.
• Families attended an average of 50 group meetings
  and had an average of 34 home visits.
• Average level of contact in comparison group was
  3 contacts per month.
• Families had an average length of service of 19
  months, and an average of of 53 home visits in
  those 19 months.

23
Reunification Outcomes

• Seven families completed the 36-week program in
  the first year.
• In those families who completed the pilot
  program, 58 were reunified. No children returned
  to care in subsequent 6 months.
• Comparison group (n16) had 29 reunification
  rate in same time period, and among those
  reunified, 50 were removed again, within four
  months of return home, on average.

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Specific Outcomes

• Greater success with neglect than with abuse, but
  time to reunification was longer for neglect.
• Avg. time to reunification was 6.5 months.
• Time to reunification for abuse 5.5 months
• Time to reunification for neglect 7 months
• Greatest gains were in the areas of
• parental acceptance of child,
• parental expectations of child, and
• the condition of the physical environment of the
  home.

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Qualitative Findings

• Parents appreciated
• That group leaders were warm, honest, caring
• Not feeling judged, by workers or peers
• That group discussions were relevant/timely
• The fellowship of peers, and learning respect for
  different ways of thinking/being/living, and the
  need to stick together through hard times
• Access to the program supervisor (also a group
  leader) without an appointment.

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Parents Said

• They
• Matured
• Learned to actively parent
• Learned to respect others
• Learned to be less controlling
• Learned to be less self-centered.
• Group time and home time were equally important,
  for different reasons.

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Caseworkers Said

• Biggest benefit was increased time with children
  and families.
• Faster route to trust
• Increased cooperation
• Faster progress on case goals.
• Big changes in social skills of both parents and
  children.
• Important leader skills ability to engage,
  handle intense feelings in group, suspend
  judgment, have a variety of expertise areas.

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Critical to Success

• Transportation is critical. Twice per week.
• Unstructured time with children, parents.
• Very important that everyone understands the
  reason for the childs removal.
• Ability of the group leader to bend with the
  pressing issues of the group, as well as folding
  in important lessons or topics.
• Group leaders must be able to withstand large
  amounts of anger from parents respond with
  patience, flexibility, respect.

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Intensive Reunification Program

• Presented by
• Kelly McCauley, MSW and
• Marianne Berry, PhD,ACSW

Special thanks to The staff and families of the
Intensive Reunification Program Colleen Hamilton
for data entry and management Tracie Lansing
for assistance with program evaluation and the
First Methodist Church of Topeka.