Case Planning
Ongoing Safety Management/ Assessing Needs
100

How often should the case plan be reassessed and a case plan staffing be held?

At least every 6 months AND at key decision points in the life of a case (change in permanency goal is considered or there is a significant change in case circumstances).

100

True of False: Policy requires DCS to have monthly contact with all the children in the home, even if they have been assessed as safe, when a sibling is in out-of-home care or a case is open for services.

TRUE - When the permanency goal for the child in OOH care is Family Reunification, we need to conduct monthly contact with any children remaining in the home, even when these children are assessed as safe.

Additionally, when a case is open for case management, whether in-home or out-of-home, the Department should maintain continued contact with the children and parents/ caregivers for all open cases.  

200

True or False: If no other team members were invited, a meeting between only the parents and the DCS Specialist to review the case plan meets the "Department definition" of a case plan staffing?

FALSE: For purposes of PICR reviews, in order for a "case plan staffing" to be considered one, at least most of the required people need to have been informed of and invited to the staffing.

200

How often does policy indicate a Parent Locate needs to be completed when a parent's whereabouts are unknown?

No less than every 6 months and prior to key decision points in the life of a case (i.e. change in permanency goal, case plan staffing, PPH/ Disposition Hearings /Permanency Hearings etc.).

300

Name at least 4 different team members policy indicates should be invited to a case plan staffing.

  • parents, guardians and/or custodians (see Case Plan Staffing Invitation for Parents, CSO-2860);

  • child, if age 12 years or older (see Notice of Rights for Children and Youth in Foster Care, CSO-1141);

  • extended family members identified as an active or potential resource/support;

  • out-of-home caregiver;

  • licensing worker if the out-of-home caregiver is a licensed foster family;

  • service providers working with the family;

  • tribal social service representative;

  • tribal legal representative;

  • Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA);

  • child's and/or parent, guardian and/or custodian’s Regional Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) case manager;

  • child's attorney and/or guardian ad-litem;

  • parent, guardian and/or custodian's attorney and/or guardian ad-litem; and

  • Assistant Attorney General assigned to the case.

300

Name two topics you can discuss with a parent to assess their needs and CPCs/protective factors?  

- Services - are they meeting their needs, do they need to be changed, what they are learning from services, how they are applying what they learned (not just service participation)

- Progress with goals 

- Barriers to achieving behavioral changes

- safety threats and their understanding for DCS involvement 

400

Describe what behavioral goals are.

Behavioral goals are the desired, final behavior the agency would like the parent to display, not the steps or services for reaching the behavioral goal.

400

Name 3 ways you might gather information about the continuation of the safety threats for a family? 

In-depth conversation with the parents

Observing the home

Observing parenting time

Speak with the out-of-home caregiver

Reviewing records - public records, service provider reports, SVO reports

Collaterals - relatives, probation officer, service providers

Name Checks

Conversations with the child

500

At what age should children be included in the case planning process?

Typically school aged children 6 and older should be included in the case planning process in an age appropriate way.  Actively involve a child in the case planning process by discussing their services with them, visitation, placement, the case plan goal, their parents progress in services etc.


500

How often should CFTs be held for children, at minimum?

At least quarterly.  If there's a delay in scheduling due to an issue on the behavioral health end, make efforts to advocate for the child and document your efforts.