ASFA TRAINING PROJECT
PHONE POLL OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES
2003

Pennsylvania

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:

Comments: Our child welfare system is state supervised, county administered so it is difficult for us to drill down that far.

b. Supervisors:

Comments: Our child welfare system is state supervised, county administered so it is difficult for us to drill down that far.

c. Workers:

Comments: Our child welfare system is state supervised, county administered so it is difficult for us to drill down that far.

2. Following are some of the skills that managers, supervisors and workers need to have to implement ASFA. Please rate each of these on a scale of 1-5 with one being 'do not need it' and 5 being 'extremely important.'

a. Managers:

Case work skills:

Collaborative skills

Understanding requirements of ASFA

Understanding how to implement ASFA requirements

Using data effectively

Other, please specify and rate:

b. Supervisors:

Case work skills:

Communication skills:

Collaborative skills:

Understanding how to implement ASFA requirements

Using data effectively

Other, please specify and rate:

c. Workers:

Case work skills:

Collaborative skills

Communication skills:

Understanding how to implement ASFA requirements

Using data effectively

Other, please specify and rate:

3. In the past year, since our earlier survey, as part of your ASFA implementation has the agency undertaken any activities in the following areas:

Agency structure? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
Comment: Not statewide but the counties may have.

Internal communication? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
Comment: Not statewide but the counties may have.

Performance appraisals? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
Comment: Not statewide but the counties may have.

Job descriptions? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
Comment: Not statewide but the counties may have.

Staff recruitment? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

Case Review? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
We have a state wide recruitment and retention committee in partnership with the counties that has looked at items such as salary and job descriptions. Recently the committee has started holding quarterly student receptions in conjunction with the regional administrators meetings so that students have a chance to meet and interact with the administrators and learn about child welfare. We also have a program called Excellence in Leadership to support folks in getting their master’s degree either full or part time by paying salary and the education costs in return for a 2 year commitment to work for the agency. We are starting a version of that program on the undergraduate level.

Foster/Adoptive parent recruitment? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
Much of this work goes on locally, however we have a statewide adoption network that has developed an information campaign to recruit adoptive parents and has planned a similar effort for foster parents.

4. In the past year, since our earlier survey, has there been any ASFA training for child welfare agency personnel? No Yes
If yes, go to question 4a. If no, go to question 4e.

a. What topics were covered in that ASFA training?

b. Which of the following did you use for the ASFA training?

Statewide training
In service training
Pre-service training
Forums on ASFA topics
Conferences on ASFA topics
Regularly scheduled meetings
Managers train people
Interactive video on ASFA topics
Teleconferences on ASFA topics
Training by federal agencies
Information is circulated about ASFA

c. Who did the training?

Agency/training unit staff
Outside consultants
State university
Court staff
Central office staff
Regional staff

d. Was the training just on ASFA or was it incorporated into other training that you provide?

Incorporated
Incorporated into new worker training
Not incorporated

e. In the past year, since our earlier survey, have you done any of the following ASFA training with or for the courts? No Yes
If yes, continue with this question; if no go to question 4g.

Joint training sessions
Agency and court staff have worked together on local level
Court Improvement Project events attended by agency people
ASFA workgroups of agency and court staff
Agency staff have trained court people
Agency published a newsletter for court staff
Other

f. What topics were covered in that ASFA training for the courts?

g. Have you done ASFA training with or for any of the following:

Schools
Health care providers
Mental health providers
Tribes
Other, please specify

h. What topics were covered in the ASFA training?

5. Thinking about future training for your agency and community partners (not just on ASFA), what do you think is the number one training need of:

a. Agency managers:

Our training system is great. It has been knowledge based and now we are adding a focus on transfer of learning so that is what the managers and supervisors are learning.

b. Agency supervisors:

Our training system is great. It has been knowledge based and now we are adding a focus on transfer of learning so that is what the managers and supervisors are learning.

c. Agency workers:

How to make the connection between the value of their work and the CFSR.

d. Foster parents:

We have a good training program for foster parents in place.

e. Schools:

We have two types of mandated reporter training for schools already in place; one is for all school personnel and one is for nurses.

f. Health care providers:

We involved health and mental health providers in our self- assessment and on-site review for the CFSR and we need to continue to educate providers on the nuances and uniqueness of the child welfare system.

g. Mental health providers:

We involved health and mental health providers in our self- assessment and on-site review for the CFSR and we need to continue to educate providers on the nuances and uniqueness of the child welfare system

h. Tribes:

We have no recognized tribes in PA.

i. Courts:

From our CFSR we learned that we need to develop some ‘Beyond the Bench’ sessions to focus on topics such as the impact on children of delayed decision making and barriers to termination.

j. Is there any other group you think has a training need? Please specify.

6. 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?

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

We have no statewide information system. We started to develop one but ran into some trouble with technical requirements so we stopped until we could get clearer on our requirements and phasing.

7. Please rate the importance of the following in terms of supporting staff as they implement the ASFA requirements, with 1 being 'not important' and 5 being 'crucial.'

Training

Increased communication

Resources to support staff

Collaborative efforts with stakeholders

Seeing ASFA as good casework practice

Management support

Revising policy to support ASFA

Monitoring implementation

Other, please specify and rate:

8. Do you see any of the following as barriers to your agency's support for staff as they implement the requirements of ASFA (check if 'yes')?

Lack of resources
Difficult relationship with courts
     Comment: Depends on the county and the work load of the local court.
Staff turnover
Limitations or lack of computer system
Lack of understanding/knowledge about ASFA
Heavy workload
Lack of support
Difficulty meeting ASFA requirements
Large number of cases
Differences in interpretation
Lack of services
Lack of time
Lack of training
Problems caused by a county-based system
Other, please specify:

9. (For County based systems only.) Do any of the following impact your ASFA implementation (check if 'yes')?

Must be responsive to local needs
     Comment: Relating to courts
Lack of uniform practice standards
     Comment: We have uniform practice standards however some
     counties do things well and other poorly.
Communication can be difficult
Approach is fragmented
Limited state control
Limited resources
Other

10. At which point in the Child and Family Service Review process is your agency?

a.

Planning
Statewide assessment underway
Review complete
     Comment: Negotiating our PIP
Working to complete the activities described in the PIP

b. Are there any significant lessons you learned from the CFSR? If so, please describe.

To get a positive impact on outcomes, you must pay attention to:

• Involving the family in case planning
• The case review system and
• Caseworker visits

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

Make sure that your group is inclusive and includes representation from the public and private sectors, direct staff and cross systems.

Do you mind if we call you again if we need additional information?

No
Yes

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