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APPENDIX B.
COURT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS - PARTICIPANT COMMENTS/FREQUENCIES
1. How would you rate the child welfare agency
staff in terms of their understanding of ASFA requirements? Please rate
the understanding on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being 'poor' and 5 being
'comprehensive'.
| POOR |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
COMPREHENSIVE |
N=4
| Rating |
Frequency |
Percent |
| 2.00 |
1
|
25.0
|
| 3.00 |
1
|
25.0
|
| 4.00 |
2
|
50.0
|
Average of the Rating: 3.25
Why did you give them that rating?
N=5
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Good understanding of some elements, but
not others |
3
|
60.0
|
| Understanding is at a high level; had lots of training
|
1
|
20.0
|
| Lack of resources: staff, funds, etc. |
1
|
20.0
|
2. Based on the court's experience to date, what
skills do you think child welfare supervisors and workers need to have
to implement ASFA?
A. Supervisors?
N=13
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Ability to develop relationship with court
where information is shared |
3
|
23.1
|
| Ability to explain law and requirements to staff |
2
|
15.4
|
| Knowledge of the law and requirements |
2
|
15.4
|
| Monitor staff to assure time lines are met |
2
|
15.4
|
| Ability to set up hearings and court dates |
1
|
7.7
|
| Knowledge of gathering information about families for
court use |
1
|
7.7
|
| How to testify in court regarding permanency and safety
planning |
1
|
7.7
|
| Ability to identify resources |
1
|
7.7
|
B. Workers?
N=9
3. As part of your state's ASFA implementation,
have the court and the child welfare agency undertaken or changed any
day to day joint activities? Yes or No. If yes, please describe.
N=4
| Responses |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Yes |
4
|
100.00
|
| No |
0
|
0.0
|
N=11
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Work groups formed to deal with ASFA implementation |
2
|
18.2
|
| Mandatory court order forms being amended jointly between
courts and agency |
2
|
18.2
|
| Work groups set up to work with case processing issues |
2
|
18.2
|
| Meetings held to work on court case load |
1
|
9.1
|
| Model court cases being held |
1
|
9.1
|
| Agency attorneys working with Court Improvement Project
an ASFA requirements |
1
|
9.1
|
| Developing checklists for judges and social workers
to discuss next steps |
1
|
9.1
|
| Review hearings and TPR trials |
1
|
9.1
|
A. Has communication changed? Yes or No. If yes, please describe
N=4
| Responses |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Yes |
4
|
100.00
|
| No |
0
|
0.0
|
N=6
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Increased communication between court and
agency staff |
4
|
66.7
|
| Communication is difficult |
1
|
16.7
|
| Distribution of material among court and agency staff
( written and electronic) |
1
|
16.7
|
B. Are you getting the information you need regarding cases from
the agency? Yes or No. If no, please describe.
N=4
| Responses |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Yes |
4
|
100.00
|
| No |
0
|
0.0
|
N=5
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| More information shared between court and
agency since ASFA and the Federal Reviews |
1
|
20.0
|
| Increased written reports and more social workers are
appearing in court to testify |
1
|
20.0
|
| Trouble in some jurisdictions, getting information is
difficult |
1
|
20.0
|
| Problems getting information in a timely manner |
1
|
20.0
|
| The Court and Child Welfare data systems now exchange
information |
1
|
20.0
|
4. How do you handle training on ASFA for court
personnel?
A. Please describe the training.
N=14
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Joint training session on the requirements
of ASFA |
2
|
14.3
|
| Conference attended by judges, agency staff and masters,
included ASFA topics |
2
|
14.3
|
| Discussions with director of the Courts who sent written
information to all judges |
1
|
7.1
|
| Distribute a bi-monthly Judges packet which discusses
ASFA issues, provides opinions on how to interpret statutory provisions
and lists special training opportunities |
1
|
7.1
|
| Training on the Title IV-E reviews |
1
|
7.1
|
| Training on the new court information management system(MAGIC),
included some ASFA topics |
1
|
7.1
|
| 3-Day Dependency Court Improvement Project summit |
1
|
7.1
|
| Presentations on ASFA |
1
|
7.1
|
| Quarterly bulletin distributed to more than 900 locations,
focuses on one specific topic, often an ASFA topic |
1
|
7.1
|
| Meetings between judges and agency about ASFA |
1
|
7.1
|
| Seminars about the roles of judges in child abuse and
neglect cases |
1
|
7.1
|
| Checklist being developed for use by judges and the
agency staff to determine next steps |
1
|
7.1
|
B. Who does the training?
N=8
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| The Court Improvement Project personnel |
3
|
37.5
|
| Court Staff |
2
|
25.0
|
| Consultants |
1
|
12.5
|
| National Conferences |
1
|
12.5
|
| Attorneys |
1
|
12.5
|
C. Is the training just on ASFA or is it incorporated into other training
that you provide?
N=4
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Incorporated into other training |
3
|
75.0
|
| ASFA training is separate from other training |
1
|
25.0
|
D. Have you done any training with or for the child welfare agency?
Yes or No. If yes, please describe.
N=4
| Responses |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Yes |
2
|
50.0
|
| No |
2
|
50.0
|
N=4
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Joint training attended by Court and agency
staff |
2
|
50.0
|
| Difficult to train jointly both courts and
agency staff need to know different things regarding ASFA |
1
|
25.0
|
| Agency staff invited to one day of Judicial
training at a conference |
1
|
25.0
|
E. Have you done any training with or for the agency attorneys? Yes
or No. If yes, please describe.
N=4
| Responses |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Yes |
2
|
50.0
|
| No |
2
|
50.0
|
N=4
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Joint training among judges, mediators,
parent's attorneys, clerks of courts, guardians and child welfare
personnel, including staff attorneys |
2
|
50.0
|
| Agency invited to one day of Judicial training
at a conference |
1
|
25.0
|
| District Attorney or the Corporation Counsel
handle training of the agency Model Courts Projects trained private
attorneys |
1
|
25.0
|
5. What has worked best for you in terms of working
with the child welfare agency as it implements the ASFA requirements?
N=9
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Increased communication |
3
|
42.9
|
| Having sub-committees that deal with interagency
issues |
1
|
14.3
|
| Director of Court Improvement Projects involvement
in planning discussions |
1
|
14.3
|
| Agency's active involvement in the Court
Improvement Project |
1 |
14.3 |
| Good working relationship among court and
agency staff |
1 |
14.3 |
6. What do you view as barriers to your work
with the agency as it implements the requirements of ASFA?
N=6
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Lack of resources; staff, funds, time, etc. |
2
|
33.3
|
| Federal and state law not clear on what
a permanency hearing is |
1
|
16.7
|
| Timelines for TPR are too short, unable
to make informed decisions in every case |
1
|
16.7
|
| Lack of understanding of the key stakeholders
responsibilities and how they are structured |
1
|
16.7
|
| Lack of understanding of the law |
1
|
16.7
|
7. Is there anything else that you want to tell
us regarding the best way to implement the requirements of ASFA?
N=6
| Comments |
Frequency |
Percent |
| Need individualized and local training in
courts and agencies |
1
|
16.7
|
| Court orders must specify reasonable efforts
were taken for the child and family |
1
|
16.7
|
| Need more resources: staff, funds, etc. |
1
|
16.7
|
| ASFA requirements don't reflect knowledge
of the courts and the way judges need to deal with cases. |
1
|
16.7
|
| Information about ASFA would have had greater
creditability if it had first come from the top court officers or
by legal organizations recognized in the field |
1
|
16.7
|
| ASFA is a well written, comprehensive and
complex piece of legislation that we continue to learn how to use
its requirements positively for children and families |
1
|
16.7
|
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