ASFA TRAINING PROJECT
PHONE POLL OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES
2003

Virginia

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:

b. Supervisors:

Comments: In general, Supervisors are well-trained and knowledgeable. Turnover and the complexity of issues facing supervisors account for less than a perfect rating.

c. Workers:

Comments: Most child welfare staff who remain in their job for longer periods of time are very knowledgeable. The lower rating is due to high levels of turnover that effect continuity of application of ASFA-related practices.

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:

Management Skills

b. Supervisors:

Case work skills:

Communication skills:

Collaborative skills:

Understanding how to implement ASFA requirements

Using data effectively

Other, please specify and rate:

Management skills

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.
The foster care and adoption unit have combined into a “Permanency Unit” where activities and commitments of the two programs are tied together and shared. We have used National Resource Center Training to help us begin evaluating the concept of what it means to be a permanency unit in actual practice as opposed to just name.

We have created a Quality Assurance Unit within the Division of Family Services to coordinate understanding of and compliance with ASFA.

We have developed cross-functional teams to ensure that all units who impact safety, well-being and permanency for children are working together on shared issues.

Internal communication? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
The cross-functional teams include improved processes for communication about child welfare issues by nature of the fact they involve individuals from all agency units serving children and families.

The SACWIS program has developed and made available to state and local child welfare managerial staff a utilities program through which child welfare data can be accessed and used to monitor case trends as they apply to ASFA requirements.

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.
(I am not sure if you mean changes in the case review process in Virginia – meaning service planning and court processes – or changes in reviewing cases for QA type reasons. Please call should you wish to obtain data in this area)

Foster/Adoptive parent recruitment? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
We are working with the Virginia Foster Parent Association to alter their focus and activities to become a lead in the recruitment of homes.

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?

• Reasonable efforts and safety requirements for FC/Adopt placements
• Criminal records checks
• Documentation of efforts for adoption
• Legal hearings requirements
• Safe and Stable Families

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?

Reasonable efforts; Legal hearings requirements; permanency goals and hierarchies in goals

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:

Use of data to monitor and enhance child welfare services and compliance with ASFA

b. Agency supervisors:

Use of data to monitor and enhance child welfare services and compliance with ASFA

c. Agency workers:

Integration of ASFA requirements with “best interests of the child” case planning. Child’s sense of time - SACWIS system

d. Foster parents:

Child’s sense of time, Child’s needs to maintain contact with family; child’s need for permanency

e. Schools:

Barriers to stability of placements due to systemic conflicts with child welfare

f. Health care providers:

Access for services to children in foster care, Impact of children’s trauma on health care

g. Mental health providers:

Child’s sense of time and relevance to timely progress by parents and move to permanency

h. Tribes:

Collaboration with state child welfare agencies on provision of services to children

i. Courts:

Continued training on reasonable efforts and necessary language in court orders; child’s sense of time related to court processes.

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?

Screens have been added and modified to effectuate easier data entry and provide reports that give child welfare staff valuable information for case monitoring. Reports now available are very valuable in case monitoring and tracking.

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
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
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
     Lack of clear understanding of state vs local roles and authority

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.

• Need for greater collaboration with local departments
• Identification of areas of policy and practice requiring revision and training
• Need for greater collaboration with private partners
• Need to identify communication systems to better monitor best practices occurring in parts of the state and make this knowledge available to state as a whole
• SACWIS system is very valuable and needs greater use at local level (using reports, etc.).
• Lack of staff resources to implement truly “best practices” is the number one barrier to consistently high quality case management. Lack of resources leads to turnover; taking shortcuts to get the minimum requirements done, etc.

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?

Prioritizing how states can best address the staff resource/turnover issue is integral to any further improvement.

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

No
Yes

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