ASFA TRAINING PROJECT
PHONE POLL OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES

Tennessee

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:

Regional administrators - 4.5
Team Coordinators - 3.5

b. Supervisors:

Comments:
Supervisors - 1.5
Haven't had a good training for supervisors. Most are new (18 months or less in position).

c. Workers:

Comments: New staff is getting a lot of information on ASFA.

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?

Understand law in relation to permanency, movement of children.
Good sense of accountability for people they supervise.
Familiar with resources available in private agencies.

b. Supervisors?

Have to review cases on a regular bases.
Maintain good relationship with court.
Help new staff with support and constructive criticism.
Understand the federal and state laws

c. Workers?

Need an understanding of the law.
Communication skills
Work well with the courts.
Creative about resources
Maintain successful relationships with parents, foster parents, adoptive parents.
Need to know when to speak up and ask for what they need.

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.
• Have added a Policy Planning and Research Division charged with handling new data requirements.
  
  

• We have had an extensive review and evaluation with CWLA on foster care, adoptions and Child Protective services with introduction of a massive 3-year implementation plan. (We are now in the 2nd year.) ASFA compliance was a key part of this plan.

• Performance Outcomes have been established to measure items such as length of stay, numbers of adoption placements and finalizations.
  

  
  
• Internal communication? No Yes
  If yes, please describe
• Started an e-mail newsletter. It includes information about ASFA, but also includes information on other topics as well.
  
  
• Add frequent update on recommendations with seven workgroups assigned to program initiatives. Reviewing those with CWLA to see what is working and what is not.
  
  
• An on-going in-service provider plan is being developed. We have done inservice training on ASFA and carry it out on an as needed basis for any new initiatives.
  
  
• In addition, our permanency plan has been revised and training will be done state-wide in the spring.
  
  
• Performance appraisals? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  Have set up public/private partnership to recruit new homes. Have set up outcome based contracts for providers Do a lot of monitoring based on data collected regularly.
• Job descriptions? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  Now are based on job performance plans.
  
• Staff recruitment? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  

4. How do you handle staff training on ASFA?

a. Please describe the training.

• Emphasis on Training - foster care, recruitment, kinship care. Adoption - state-wide conference, frequent regional meetings with legal staff and front-line staff constantly reviewing cases and their status.
• Did specialized training with managers and supervisors, general council and attorneys on ASFA
• An on-going in-service provider plan is being developed. We have done inservice training on ASFA and carry it out on an as needed basis for any new initiatives.
• In addition, our permanency plan has been revised and training will be done state-wide in the spring.
  

b. Who does the training?

University of Tennessee does a majority of our training by contract. DCS staff help write and review curriculum. Training has taken place on ASFA alone and also incorporated with other training, particularly with our new 8 week preservice.

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

• There is an 8-week pre-service training for new hires. ASFA material is incorporated into that training.
• Training has taken place on ASFA alone and also incorporated with other training, particularly with our new 8 week preservice
  

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

The court did its own training on ASFA. There is some joint training for judges, but not for others in the court system.

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?

The SACWIS system in the state is up and running. It has been functional for over a year and is giving staff the material they need.

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

Other offices are using the SACWIS system. Would rate the SACWIS system as 4.0; it is working well and the staff are satisfied with it.

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

Held a series of meeting with central office staff and caseworkers, supervisors. Groups were small so there was opportunity for interaction and to talk about individual cases. The meetings helped empower staff to handle changes.

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

• Lack of available resources - foster and adoptive homes
• Lack of adequate numbers of treatment resources to meet specific needs, such as sex offender and dual diagnosis treatment.
• Lack of knowledge about ASFA by court personnel
• Lack of training for supervisors
• Getting legislators and Governor's office to understand ASFA law
  

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

The state is regionally administered. We have 12 regional offices. Has been no problem with the regions and ASFA.

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?

Make sure that supervisors receive training.

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