ASFA TRAINING PROJECT PHONE POLL OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES

Nebraska

1. How would you rate your agency's staff in terms of their understanding of ASFA requirements? We are particularly interested in the level of understanding of managers, supervisors and workers. Please rate their understanding on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being 'poor' and 5 being 'comprehensive'.

a. Managers:

b. Supervisors:

c. Workers:

2. Based on your agency's experience to date, what skills do you think managers, supervisors and workers need to have to implement ASFA?

a. Managers?

• Strategic planning
• Problem solving with limited resources
• Using data
• Developing outcome measures and using them
  

b. Supervisors?

• Effectively using data
• Developing outcome measures
• Arranging time to spend helping workers
  

c. Workers?

• Dealing with concurrent planning
• Team building; working as a team
• Developing plans, writing objectives
• Writing plans with families
  

3. As part of your ASFA implementation has your agency undertaken any activities in the following areas:

• Agency structure? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  
• Internal communication? No Yes
  If yes, please describe
  
• Performance appraisals? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  
• Job descriptions? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  
• Staff recruitment? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  

4. How do you handle staff training on ASFA?

a. Please describe the training.

• Initial video conferences to present concepts and requirements
• Specific training sessions on concurrent planning , family group conferencing and other topics
• Select staff attended training given by federal group
• Various other training sessions
  

b. Who does the training?

Consultant Chris Robinson, program staff, legal staff, training unit staff.

c. Is the training just on ASFA or is it incorporated into other training that you provide?

New worker training now incorporates training on ASFA. Trainers for new workers are on the staff of the University of Nebraska, Center on Children and the Law.

d. Have you done any training with or for the courts? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

• Court personnel have been involved in state wide conferences and some other conferences
• Court personnel attended video training conference for agency staff
• Working on training for judges
• Court improvement conference was attended by agency people
  

5. How well does your information system support the work of managers, supervisors and workers in implementing ASFA? Please rate the support provided by your system on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being 'poor' and 5 being 'outstanding'

a. Why did you give your system that rating?

Nebraska has a SACWIS system in place. People are getting used to using reports. Still dealing with issue of getting workers to use the system and to make sure data is accurate. One method that has worked is to circulate data and ask workers to correct, if necessary, and return.

b. If a rating of 1 or 2 is given, probe as to the status of the SACWIS system.

At this time, only the Central Registry and Placement Tracking pieces of the SACWIS system are up.

6. What has worked best for you in terms of supporting staff as they implement the ASFA requirements?

Provision of funding to get adoptive and home studies done
Progress in effective use of computer system
Have consultants available to help staff with questions
Additional funding so county attorney could increase staff

7. What do you view as barriers to your agency's support for staff as they implement the requirements of ASFA?

• Huge caseloads
• Lack of legal staff within the agency
• Lack of resources, especially foster parents
• Some agency personnel and court staff don't understand underlying concepts of SFA and what the requirements mean to their job
  

8. (For County based systems only.) To what extent does the fact that your state is county-based impact your ASFA implementation?

State supervised system

9. Is there anything else that you want to tell us regarding the best way to support staff as they implement the requirements of ASFA?

No

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