NCJ Number
94260
Date Published
1980
Length
103 pages
Annotation
Designed primarily for child protection service (CPS) workers, this manual addresses all aspects of ongoing service provision to abused and neglected children and their parents, covering assessment, direct services, monitoring, evaluating progress, foster care, juvenile courts, and termination.
Abstract
An overview of the ongoing service component of child protection addresses role specialization to enhance service delivery and workers' qualifications. The manual then explains how to conduct a thorough assessment and develop a measurable service plan with families. Specific service options for both parents and children are described. The section on direct services considers CPS workers as therapeutic agents and developing relationships with parents, children, and adolescents to facilitate the intervention process. Issues that CPS workers face when attempting to orchestrate or monitor services needed to protect the child and improve family functioning are examined. Areas reviewed include use of both family and community resources, coordination of services, and using volunteer and paid paraprofessionals. The manual discusses how to assess a family's progress, with attention to case recording, case staffing and supervision, and multidisciplinary consultation teams. Other guidelines concern the use of foster care within the permanency planning framework, juvenile court involvement in CPS cases, termination of services, and followup. Sample forms, exhibits, and 10 references are supplied.