Welcome Welcome

Welcome

• Welcome

• and

• Introductions

Day 1

• Day 1

• Defining and Understanding Engagement

• Strategies and Tools to engage families in addressing unmet needs

• Exploring Resistant and Self Care

• More children die from abuse in 1st year of life?

• Half of child abuse victims are under 7

• 85% of fatalities are under 6

• Children exposed to Domestic Violence are 15 times more likely to be abused than the national average

• Battered women are 2 times more likely to abuse their children than comparison groups

• High correlation between Domestic Violence and Child Abuse

• U.S. ranks 3rd among 27 industrialized countries in child maltreatment deaths

• (Gentry, 2004; UNICEF, 2003, Children’s Bureau, 2003, Osofsky, 2003, Edleson, 1999,

• Margolin & Gordis, 2000, McCloskey, 1995)

Research Demonstrates: a direct correlation between family engagement and child safety and re-occurrence of maltreatment

• Research Demonstrates: a direct correlation between family engagement and child safety and re-occurrence of maltreatment

• Engagement is key to conducting comprehensive assessments, enhancing decision making and making individualized plans that fit for families

• “Approach matters” when helping children and families

• “The Social Worker matters” related to client success

• (Lambert and Barley, 2002)

“Small things such as the way that workers introduce themselves, the way that workers describe the allegation and the tone of voice impact the willingness of the family to allow us in the front door, and into their lives.”

• “Small things such as the way that workers introduce themselves, the way that workers describe the allegation and the tone of voice impact the willingness of the family to allow us in the front door, and into their lives.”

• Lorrie Lutz, “Operationalizing the DCFS Practice Model…”

Small Group Activity:

• Small Group Activity:

• Introduce self and share one of your best moments when you effectively engaged a child, youth, parent foster parent, service provider, etc.
• For those who have worked with transitional age youth, how did your engagement support the development of self-sufficiency skills,

Social Work strategies required to identify unmet needs:

• Social Work strategies required to identify unmet needs:

• Leads to Improved Teaming

• Leads to Improved Assessment

• Leads to Improved Planning

• Leads to Improved Outcomes

• DCFS strives to “Help children & families make meaningful and long lasting changes.”

• The Core Belief that…

• “ALL FAMILIES HAVE STRENGTHS

• &

• THE POWER TO CHANGE!”

• LARGE GROUP ACTIVITY: IDENTIFYING THE CHALLENGES TO ENGAGEMENT

• Triple Threat: Poverty, Single Parent Status and Stress

• Concrete Obstacles: Time, Transportation, Child Care, Competing Priorities

• Stigma/Attitudes about mental health

• Previous negative experience with child welfare services

• Limited awareness of child development and impact of stressors

Children: Defiance

• Children: Defiance

• Frequent Runaways

• Multiple Placements

• Anger/Hostility

• Withdrawn/Uncommunicative

• Parents: Denial (excuses)

• Anger (Blaming/ Threats)

• Unmotivated

• Distrustful/Dishonest

• Avoidance (Lack of Action)

• False Compliance

• How does thinking about needs help me work better with children and families?

Small Group Activity: Review Smith Family Vignette

• Small Group Activity: Review Smith Family Vignette

• Identify the behaviors/concerns re: Christine and Denise

• Identify Denise’s hunches about what is happening with Christine

• Identify your (CSW’s) hunches re: what is driving Denise and Christine’s behavior

• Identity your (CSW’s) hunches about Denise and Christine’s self-identified underlying needs (Hint: Do not identify services)

• How would you engage Denise and Christine regarding their needs?

Appreciating the needs of the parent’s child and finding common ground about their worries

• Appreciating the needs of the parent’s child and finding common ground about their worries

• Requires engaging the parent through the NEEDS of the child

• Requires focusing on needs throughout the life of the case (assessment and planning are ongoing)

BREAK

• BREAK

• TIME!

• Bureaucracy

• Case Load/Work Load

• Competing Priorities

• Limited Resources

• Court

• Service Providers

• Foster Care

• Training

• Let’s Discuss:

• What are some of your needs related to better engaging clients?

Support

• Support

• Time

• Safety/Respect

• Accountability

• Core Values

• Professional Development

• Coaching and Mentoring

• Other_______

• Small Group Activity:

• Write down differences and/or similarities we have with our

• clients’ feelings and/or experiences?

• Discuss: How does this awareness of differences/similarities

• contribute to effectively working with clients?

• Discuss: How does the way we manage our own experiences or

• feelings impact the quality of the work we do with our families?

Core Conditions:

• Core Conditions:

• Respect

• Empathy

• Genuine

• Competency

• Rapport is the Building Block to Engagement

• Engagement requires Rapport

• Rapport does not equate to Engagement

Rapport involves reducing the level of threat and gaining the trust of clients because there is helpful intent.

• Rapport involves reducing the level of threat and gaining the trust of clients because there is helpful intent.

• Perceiving the worker as understanding and genuinely interested in their well being.

• (adapted from Hepworth & Rooney, Rooney, et al., 2008)

Effective working relationships with shared tasks and goals

• Effective working relationships with shared tasks and goals

• Mutual accountability

• Active listening that supports family empowerment

• Honest, open dialogue about concerns and success

• Flexibility in response

• Ability to solicit feedback from children & families

Rapport

• Rapport

• Empathy

• Kind/Respectful

• Mutual understanding

• Comfort

• Trust

Large Group Exercise

• Large Group Exercise

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Rapport

• Rapport

• Engagement

Seek to avoid, to the extent possible, actions that

• Seek to avoid, to the extent possible, actions that

• minimize/undermine parents’ power

• It is important to remember that invoking authority is easier and requires less skill than engaging families
• People are more disclosing, open, and cooperative if they don’t feel threatened and judged
• Lorrie Lutz

Examine own comfort with use of “protective authority”

• Examine own comfort with use of “protective authority”

• Develop practice skills to become an “accountable ally” with the children and families on my case load

• Small Group Discussion:

• How have you observed yourself or others using either too little or too much authority?
• How do you feel about using authority when working with children and families?
• What skills would you like to enhance in order to become an effective “accountable ally”?
• How would you assess yourself: too uncomfortable with using authority or too authoritative and directive?

• Behaviors are important but may unintentionally distract us from a person’s real need

• Needs are not services but are what “drives the behavior”

• Addressing needs is key to sustaining meaningful change

• Connecting needs to behaviors can strengthen a family’s willingness to work together with DCFS and partners

• Needs reflect the unique experience of the child within the context of their culture

Exploring

• Exploring

• Focusing

• Guiding

• - Paul Vincent

Attentive and Interested

• Attentive and Interested

• (Physically and Psychologically)

• Recognizing Strengths and Needs

• Encouraging Expressions of Feelings

• (Ventilation, Validation, Conciliatory Gestures)

• Normalization and Objectivity

• Reflection (Convey Understanding)

Questions (Open, Closed, Indirect)

• Questions (Open, Closed, Indirect)

• Summarization (concise review)

• Clarification (together, define words used)

• Concreteness (no DCFS/social work jargon)

• Reframing (look for positives)

• Solution-Focused

Formulating options with family input

• Formulating options with family input

• Partialization

• Information/Suggestions

• Strengths and Needs based feedback

• Positive feedback: what is working well

• Constructive feedback: what can be working better,

Demonstration & Large Group Activity

• Demonstration & Large Group Activity

• Small Group Activity and Practice

• Large Group Activity: Feedback Regarding Role Plays

How did the utilization of keys

• How did the utilization of keys

• Invite discussion and disclosure

• Identify and mobilize strengths

• Discuss hunches around needs

• Focus on solutions

• Offer hope

• …strengthen the working relationship?

• (When helpful intent sometimes collides with a lack of trust)

• Let’s Discuss:

• Resistant Behaviors/Situations you observe

• If you have worked with youth who need to develop

• self-sufficiency skills, does resistance arise

• in a different way?

• “RESISTANCE IS A PREDICTABLE AND NATURAL EMOTIONAL REACTION TO FEELING FORCED TO CHANGE OR WHEN FACING DIFFICULT ISSUES.”

• “RESISTANCE OCCURS AS A RESPONSE TO FEELING VULNERABLE, OUT-OF-CONTROL AND THREATENED BY CHANGE.”

• Adapted from Vincent 2008

Resistance Reflects Needs

• Resistance Reflects Needs

• Let’s Discuss:

• What “Needs” may be underlying the resistance?

• What Practice Skills are required to address those needs?

Resistance is important information; not to be judged

• Resistance is important information; not to be judged

• Prepare for resistance; it’s part of the change process

• Actively listen, validate feeling and reflect what is happening

• Remain respectful

• Focus on the needs of the child as a place to join together

• Focus on solutions or desired results

• Reflect when we do react and remain available to help

• WHEN I “REACT”…

• IT’S TIME TO REFLECT

In Small Groups:

• In Small Groups:

• Write down some “reactions” that I observe in myself or others that may be nonproductive?

• What might be going on with me when I “react” in non- productive ways?

• How do “reactions” sometimes get in the way of forming effective working relationships with children and families?

• What is one strategy that I will try and apply to my work to help move clients from “resistant to ready?”

• Let’s Brainstorm!

Let’s look at how we take care of ourselves

• Let’s look at how we take care of ourselves

• Making 5, 15, and 60 minute self-care lists

Stretch at your desk

• Stretch at your desk

• Listen to your favorite song

• Eat some chocolate

• Breathe deeply and imagine yourself on a beach in Hawaii

• Call a friend

Do a little online shopping

• Do a little online shopping

• Take a walk

• Eat some more chocolate

• Get a fresh cup of coffee

• Watch something funny on YouTube

Go to the gym

• Go to the gym

• Take a nap

• Get a massage

• Read your favorite book or magazine

• Eat all the chocolate you can find

• Self Care!

• Review Self Care hand-out and enjoy your evening!