ASFA TRAINING PROJECT
PHONE POLL OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES
2003

Texas

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: Managers are responsible for monitoring, implementing and disseminating information regarding changes to policy and legislation to other staff within the agency. Therefore, they have a more comprehensive understanding of ASFA and other policies.

b. Supervisors:

Comments: Traditionally, supervisors are primarily interested in changes to policy and legislation that has an immediate impact to direct service delivery in addition to remaining abreast of all other personnel and case related information. As a result, supervisor’s level of understanding is not as comprehensive as managerial level staff.

c. Workers:

Comments: Workers understanding of ASFA typically mirrors that of their supervisor.

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.
PRS state office created the Quality Assurance (QA) division. The Quality Assurance division provides the statewide function of evaluating casework practice, documentation compliance, and overall effectiveness of Child Protective Services in achieving outcomes in the areas of Safety, Permanency, and Well Being. This division is responsible for the development and continuous improvement of valid, effective tools for the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of CPS programs. Quality Assurance division staff review, analyze, and evaluate current casework practice and determine where further analysis may be required.

Internal communication? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
Policy clarification in the form of Protective Services Information (PSI) and Protective Services Action (PSA) memorandums are sent to field staff on a regular basis. This in addition to training is conducted to maintain field staff up to date on important policy and legislative changes that impact the daily service delivery.

Performance appraisals? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

Job descriptions? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

Staff recruitment? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

Case Review? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
The Quality Assurance division through structured case readings, outcome-related data analysis, information gathered from Parent Collaboration Groups (PCG), survey data, and periodic regional reviews analyze and evaluate current casework practice.

Foster/Adoptive parent recruitment? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
PRS recently updated the statewide Recruitment Plan to include Faith Based recruitment. Similarly, the regions have to develop their own recruitment plan to meet the goals of the region and the statewide recruitment plan. PRS is also participating in the Recruiting and Retaining Resource Families initiative funded through the Casey Family Programs. This is an initiative that involves twenty-two state and tribal organizations working to improve service delivery to children and families.

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.

Comment: Since November 2000, PRS has been conducting staff training on ASFA.

a. What topics were covered in that ASFA training?

• Outcome measures
• Systemic factors
• Casework activities that meet the outcome measures
• Process for the CFSRs
• Compliance/noncompliance for CFSRs
• AFCARS data elements
• NCANDS data elements
• Federal foster care maintenance payments and related casework actions/documentation
• Major provisions of MEPA-IEP

PRS has also incorporated ASFA requirements into the CPS Basic Skills Development 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?

• ASFA as it relates to Texas permanency statute
• Required judicial findings
• ASFA as it relates to judicial proceedings
• Judicial Orders

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

Schools
Health care providers
Mental health providers
Tribes
Other, please specify
     Private Child Placing Agencies

h. What topics were covered in the ASFA training?

• Judicial Requirements
• Court Orders
• Child Plans of Service

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:

How to effectively use data in management decisions and Leadership Training.

b. Agency supervisors:

Mentoring Training and Leadership Training

c. Agency workers:

Time management, Safety, How to use data effectively, Assessing Risk, Making permanency decisions early in the process

d. Foster parents:

Behavior interventions, Substance Abuse, Helping special-needs children

e. Schools:

Loss and Attachment issues, Behavior issues of abused/neglected children, Involving foster parents in the child’s education

f. Health care providers:

g. Mental health providers:

h. Tribes:

Juridical Requirements, Accessing Title IV-E funding, Court Order Language, Child Service Plans

i. Courts:

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?

The Child and Adult Protective Services System (CAPS) is designed to give case workers electronic reminders for when certain tasks are due. Some of these tasks are specific to the requirements of ASFA ensuring agency compliance with the Act. Also, data martz are utilized to easily produce ad-hoc reports that can be run on a monthly basis or as needed.

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

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
     Comment: typically in rural areas
Difficult relationship with courts
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
     Comment: typically in rural areas
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
Lack of uniform practice standards
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
Working to complete the activities described in the PIP

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

Stakeholder interviews give depth to the data available in documentation and strength to the self-assessment. It is an extremely expensive, time-consuming process to prepare for. The state receives no additional resources for this, so the cost directly impacts other services. Larger states, such as ours, have a difficult time preparing and affording the required preparation.

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?

Case planning and caseworker contact appear to be key to positive outcomes in implementing requirements of both ASFA and CFSR.

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

No
Yes

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