Case Planning and Family-Centered Casework is the second of four parts of the competency-based curriculum for new caseworkers. This module addresses the knowledge and skills required for caseworkers to provide services related to family preservation and protection of abused, neglected, and sexually abused children. This module stresses the importance of proper case planning to assure timely, high quality services to families, and presents casework as the preferred intervention method to promote family preservation, preservation for children, and positive change.

New caseworkers and new supervisors.

Computer Based Training; Trails Child Welfare 2-Day Navigation or Trails Child Welfare 1-Day Navigation (more information on these trainings can be found at www.cocwtraining.com); New Caseworker Core I.

• Know the philosophy, values, and characteristics of family-centered child welfare and understand how effective in-home family services can prevent the removal of children from their homes.
• Know how social work values and principles apply to child welfare practice, including respecting the family’s dignity, individuality, culture, and right to self-determination.
• Know the proper roles and responsibilities of other community agencies in the child protective service process, and know how to collaborate with these agencies and practitioners to develop case plans and provide services that assure a safe and permanent family environment for children.
• Know some strategies to engage family members into constructive and collaborative casework relationships that engage and empower families, and that promote joint case assessment, planning, and service provision.
• Understand the dynamics of resistance and know casework strategies to defuse family members' hostility and anger.
• Know how to integrate casework methods with authority, when necessary, to simultaneously engage and empower families and assure protection of the children.
• Know the state's legal definitions of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, and dependency.
• Accurately identify physical, emotional, and behavioral indicators of sexual abuse in child victims and their families.
• Be able to identify individual, family, developmental, situational, and environmental factors that contribute to sexual abuse.
• Be able to identify parent, child, family, developmental, situational, and environmental factors that contribute to physical abuse and neglect, and be able to evaluate these factors.
• Be able to apply knowledge of indicators and family dynamics in case examples.
• Be able to understand the power and influence of the media in cultural stereotypes and the impact of these on child welfare assessment.
• Be able to define safety and risk.
• Be able to effectively complete the Safety and Risk Instruments.
• Be able to identify the factors that must be evaluated when assessing the level of risk for an abused or neglected child in the family, and family strengths and safety factors that can mitigate and reduce risk in the investigation and initial assessment.
• Know the responsibilities of the child protection agency and caseworker, including investigating reports of maltreatment, providing in-home services, temporary out-of-home care placements, and permanent homes for children.
• Know the philosophy, values, and characteristics of family-centered child welfare, and understand how effective in-home family services can prevent the removal of children from their homes.