PROMISING PRACTICES: USING
SAFETY FOCUSED FRAMEWORK
IN SUPERVISION
PAULA DAVIS MPA BCJ
&
AMY WOOD BS MSW

• Located in Columbus, OH
• Population: 1.1 million
• 13 cities, 12 villages, 17 townships
• Ethnically and Culturally Diverse
• Sustained influx in Hispanic/Latino, Somali, and
Asian families
• Socio-economic status vary throughout county/cities
• Resource-rich environment

Mission: Through collaboration with families and their communities, we advocate for the safety, permanency and well-being of each child we serve in a manner that honors family and culture.

*We are Child Welfare Professionals
*We Value Every Child
*We Honor Families
*We Value Partnerships

PROTECTING CHILDREN BY
STRENGTHENING FAMILIES

Separate Agency from Department of Job and Family Services and
Child Support
Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

• Screening Department
• Assessment/Investigation Department (14 units)
• 3 Regional Offices (approx 30 units)
• 2 Managed Care Entities—provide on-going case management services
• Foster Care / Adoption Departments
• Performance Improvement Department
• Data Management / Support Staff (Contracts,
FC/Adopt Prep, Fiscal)

ASSESSMENT/INVESTIGATIONS
DEPARTMENT
• Receive approximately 30,000 calls/year call to the hotline each year
• Approximately 13, 000 reports year are “screened-in” for assessment/investigation
--determined by State mandated “screening guidelines”
• Case Assignment—Units
0-3 “Baby” Units (primary victim is under 3-years-old or younger)
Sex Abuse Units
Out-of-Home Care / Institutional Unit
Alternative Response Units
Investigative Units (7)
• Investigations & Assessments
Investigations completed within 30 days, with 15 extensions (if needed)
AR Assessments completed within 45 days
Tools: Comprehensive Assessment Planning Model-Interim Solution
(CAPMIS)
--Safety Assessment
--Family Assessment
--On-going A/I Assessment (open case investigations)

ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE UNITS /
CASES
• Three Units in A/I Department (15 caseworkers)
• Two Units in Regional Office (8 caseworkers)
• AR Units are co-located in same building in order to facilitate “warm hand off” at time of case transfer
• Cases were initially selected from 9 zip codes primarily in
Northeast portion of county
--Diverse Population
--Large volume of referrals
--High representation of children in paid placement
--Resource rich environment (ie. 4 well-established
Settlement Houses)

• Pilot = controlled experiment, involved randomization
• Pathway Assignment Tool—determined eligibility criteria for
AR (and randomization)
Excludes: Allegations of sexual abuse
Allegations of egregious harm (abuse or neglect)
Report involves suspicious child fatality or homicide
Requires out-of-home care or institutional investigation
Requires third-party investigation
• Discretionary: ie. history of frequent and/or similar reports with the agency; placement needed; parents’ previous lack of cooperation; parents’ unwillingness to achieve child safety; zip codes; staffing considerations, etc.

Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) indicates reports of child abuse and/or neglect shall be initiated within:
--1 hour for emergency reports: attempt face to face contact with alleged child victim (ACV) /child subject of the report (CSR)
--24 hours for non-emergency reports: attempt contact with principal of the report or a collateral source who has knowledge of family and child’s safety
Methods (AR cases)
--Face to face contact with parent, child or collateral source
--attempt a telephone contact with parent or collateral source (preferred method)
--send a letter to parent, guardian or custodian acknowledging a report was received and inviting the family to engage in assessment.
Decision regarding method is at discretion of worker/supervisor dependent upon concerns indicated in intake report .

Creation of Report
Pathway Decision
Initiation
Safety Assessment (SA)
Family Service Plans (can occur anytime after completion of SA)
Family Assessment (FA)
Close, Close and Refer to Services, Transfer to Ongoing Services
Family Service Plan (Development or Revision)
90 Day Case Review
Semi-Annual Review (SAR)
Case Closure Summary
*Linkages to community resources can occur at anywhere in the above-mentioned workflow

COMMUNITY
RESOURCES/SERVICES
Keywords: Family-driven Service
Planning
Family and caseworker collaborate on identifying and accessing community resources needed to achieve child safety, permanency and/or wellbeing.

• HARD SERVICES (FOOD,
CLOTHING, CAR SEATS, BEDS,
APPLIANCES, PAYING
RENT/DEPOSIT/UTILITIES
• CAR REPAIR
• LINKAGE WITH WELFARE
OFFICE
• MEDICAL DENTAL SERVICES
• RESPITE
• DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
SERVICES
• DISABILITY SERVICES
• EXTERMINATION SERVICES
• JOB/VOCATION TRAINING
• PARENT EDUCATION
• SUBSTANCE ABUSE
TREATMENT
• IN-HOME SUPPPORT SERVICES
• HOUSING
• EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
• CHILD CARE
• MENTAL HEALTH
ASSESSMENTS/LINKAGES TO
COUNSELING
• SUPPORT GROUPS
• EMPLOYMENT NEEDS
• LEGAL SERVICES

Community partnerships are crucial to the success of ensuring family’s receive services that address their specific needs.
Imperative that community partners model the tenets of family-driven service planning.
*partner with families to identify service needs
*recognize families are the experts of their own experiences and are not to be identified by “an incident.”
*engagement is key to children’s safety and families’ well-being

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS:
“Spreading the Word”
• Invited community partners to “Alternative Response
Overview” presentations
• Included Alternative Response as a part of Mandated
Reporter trainings
• Traveled to schools, prosecutor’s office, hospitals, mental health providers, etc.
• Highlighted Alternative Response in the media
• Participated in informal speaking engagements— churches, friends, etc.
• Invited community partners to unit meetings in order to encourage peer relationships between agency staff and community partners

• Service Delivery Committee—identifies needed services
• Change in Request for Proposal (RFP) process
• On-going liaison meeting with support services
• Attendance to linkage meetings
• Invite community partners to family case conferences, reviews, etc.

Franklin County is the only county
(at this time) that transfers cases from an intake service team to an on-going service team
Family’s involvement at time of transfer is “voluntary.”

Reasons for transfer to Ongoing
Services
• Family’s request
• “High” or “Intensive” Level of Risk and continued involvement is needed to further ensure children’s safety, permanency and/or well-being
• Active safety threat; current safety plan
• Child/ren in paid placement as a result of 30-day agreement (voluntary custody agreement)

Collaboration begins during case consultations.
At times, intake service team will contact on-going service team and schedule a time to partner with one another for a visit at family’s home.
“Warm Hand Off”

FAMILY DRIVEN SERVICE
PLANNING
• SERVICE PLAN DEVELOPED AT TRANSFER
MEETING WHEN POSSIBILE
• FAMILY DRIVES PROCESS
• CASES ARE REVIEWED EVERY 90 DAYS IN
THE FAMILY HOME
• EXPECTATION THAT FAMILY IS ALSO
INVOLVED IN CLOSURE DECISION

• IN DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF COMMUNITY
RESOURCES
• ABLE TO PROVIDE EXTRA ASSISTANCE
TO THE FAMILIES

NEW CASE CONSULTATION
TOOL

WHAT DECISION WOULD YOU
MAKE?