California Child Welfare Core Practice Model:
Theoretical Framework, Values, and Principles
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Access Code 6439067
Adapted from materials developed by
Anita P. Barbee, MSSW, Ph.D.
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Goals of the Presentation
• To review the theories,
values, and principles, and
practice elements
identified by the Practice
Model Element
Refinement Subcommittee
• To gather feedback prior
to the March convening
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Summer Convening 2013
We Learned:
 Be clear on the theories, values, and principles you want to
guide practice
 Make sure those theories, values, and principles are fully
fleshed out across casework practice, the entire organization,
and the system
 Understand the complexity of implementing a Practice Model
and the role that fidelity checking can have in installing and
maintaining desired practice
 Be clear on the goals for your Practice Model and what you
want to accomplish before you begin the rollout
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What Is a Practice Model?
A practice model for casework management in child welfare
should be theoretically and values based, as well as capable of
being fully integrated into and supported by a child welfare
system. The model should clearly articulate and operationalize
specific casework skills and practices that child welfare workers
must perform through all stages and aspects of child welfare
casework in order to optimize the safety, permanency and well
being of children who enter, move through and exit the child
welfare system.
Child Welfare Casework Practice Model Definition
(Barbee, Christensen, Antle, Wandersman & Cahn, 2011)
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Keys to Practice Model Success
•
•
•
A theoretical underpinning
related to orientation towards
clients and origins of problems
they face
A theory of change focused on
how to best assess and
intervene to build on
strengths and reduce
problems
A fully articulated set of
actions and skills that can be
observed for presence and
strength
Wandersman (2009)
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More Keys to Practice Model Success
• System supports
• Evaluation results,
including data
benchmarks to
monitor the efficacy
of the model
Wandersman (2009)
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Practice Models Help Us Understand Practice
Practice models delineate how to think about or conceptualize the
practice with the population of focus:
• The conceptualization of the problem (e.g., child maltreatment
is embedded in the stage of a family’s life development)
• The change theory that informs how that problem can be
remediated (e.g., self efficacy theory)
• The theory that guides the critical contribution and influence of
the relationship alliance or partnership (e.g., solution focused
theory)
• The core practice values that underlie the approach to clients
and the problem (e.g. family centered or strengths based).
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Linking with Existing Practice
• Our goal is to develop a practice model that builds on the great
work already taking place by integrating key elements of
existing initiatives and proven practices including CAPP and
Katie A.
• Specifically, the model development included:
 A review of the Theoretical Frameworks of the Katie A.
Shared Core Practice Model and the California Partners for
Permanency (CAPP) Core Practice Model as well as other key
practices employed in counties in California.
 Alignment of the key and common elements of those
practices and practice models.
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Developing the model
Here’s a reminder of our process:
• Summer 2013 Convening
• Creation of a design committee as well as other subcommittees focused on practice model development,
communications, and outreach and engagement
• Consultation with experts
• Establishing a theoretical framework
• Refining the feedback from the summer convening through the
lens of our theoretical framework
Let’s take a look at these refined elements, starting with the
theories
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What is a Theory?
• A theory or framework is an organized set of
explanatory principles that are susceptible
to hypothesis testing.
• Good theory leads to research to test the
theory or debunk the theory and an
evidence base to support the theory.
• Bad theory has either been disproven or is
ideologically driven.
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Why do we need theories?
Our work involves preventing future abuse
and neglect. In order to do this, we must try
to understand:
• What leads to the problem of child
maltreatment?
• What predictable processes are involved in
child maltreatment?
• How can our practice prevent the problem
or process from starting or intervene once
the problem has arisen?
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Problem, Process, Practice, Prevention
Theories must help staff understand:
1. What causes the problem (child maltreatment), including the
types of internal vs. external causal attributions staff will
make about the causes of child maltreatment
2. What process is going on that is impacting the person and
making the situation or problem worse, including past and
ongoing oppression and trauma
3. How to engage in optimal practice including the proper
orientation to take towards clients and the way to successfully
intervene and provide effective treatment
4. How to create efficient and compassionate systems that
effectively sustain ongoing treatment and prevent future
problems.
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Identifying Our Theories
October-December 2013
1. Dr. Barbee reviewed relevant micro level and
practice theories and presented them to the Practice
Model Element Refinement Subcommittee
2. The subcommittee reviewed the theories and
identified the theories that best reflect practice in
California
3. Dr. Barbee presented the identified theories to the
Practice Model Design Team and to a statewide
audience via webinar
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Four Subgroups of Theories
Three types of micro theories:
1. Orienting Theories- These help set the orientation towards clients and
work with clients in the child welfare system. Any child welfare
casework practice model must choose at least one theory from this
cluster to set the tone for all interactions with clients.
2. Neuro-Developmental Theories- These focus on the developmental
nature of children and families. These approaches help us understand
how and why maltreatment happens and how and why interventions
work.
3. Intervention Theories- These help set an understanding of the process
leading to maltreatment and specify what needs to change in order
for maltreatment to end and safety to be ensured.
Plus a category for organization theories:
4. Organizational Theories- These help us understand how our system
will support and sustain the practice model
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Orienting Theories - These help set the orientation towards clients and work with
clients in the child welfare system. Any child welfare casework practice model must
choose at least one theory from this cluster to set the tone for all interactions with
clients.
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Neuro-Developmental Theories - These focus on the developmental nature of
children and families. These approaches help us understand how and why
maltreatment happens and how and why interventions work.
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Intervention Theories - These help set an understanding of the process
leading to maltreatment and specify what needs to change in order for
maltreatment to end and safety to be ensured.
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Organizational Theories - These help us understand how our system will support and
sustain the practice model
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Source: Quinn et al. (2003), p.13.
Downloaded from http://blog.soton.ac.uk/comp6044/2012/11/26/management-models/
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Organizational Theories - These help us understand how our system will support and
sustain the practice model
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Organizational Theories - These help us understand how our system will support and
sustain the practice model
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Organizational Theories - These help us understand how our system will support and
sustain the practice model
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Values and Principles
• The Practice Model Element Refinement
Subcommittee also developed a set of values
and principles for the model
• These were approved by the subcommittee
and presented to the Design Team
• The values and principles are
• Based on the work completed at the summer
convening
• Linked to the identified theories
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Values and Principles
• Values and principles work together to reflect
the theoretical framework and form the path
from theory to practice.
• Values are an expression of an ideal or optimal
state of being.
• Principles provide a more detailed
operationalization of the value and give an
idea of what the value would look like in
practice
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Children and youth are safe, have a loving
permanent family, and are supported to achieve
their full developmental potential.
• We provide the supports necessary to keep children
and youth safe from abuse and neglect.
• We build permanency for all children and youth so
that every child and youth has a lifelong, loving,
permanent, legal family.
• We work to help families function at their best and
to assist children and youth to achieve their full
developmental potential.
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We work in partnership with families, youth,
foster parents, communities, tribes, and service
providers.
• We value the family’s experiences and perceptions
and build partnerships based on mutual respect and
trust.
• We work with families to facilitate their role as
decision makers and safety planners for their children.
• We partner with communities and tribes to promote
the use of services that are community / tribe-based
and employ formal and informal support systems.
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Children and youth maintain attachments with
family members, friends, community, culture, and
tribe.
• We work to keep families together and support ongoing
relationships with siblings, extended family members
and mentors.
• Placement in out-of-home care happens only when all
other options to ensure safety have been exhausted.
• We work with families, communities and tribes to place
children and youth with people they know and in their
home community or tribe.
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We are transparent and open in our work with
children, youth, families, tribes, communities and
service providers.
• We value mutual honesty, transparency, and
accountability in our work with children, youth,
families, tribes, communities, and service providers.
• We listen, communicate, and honestly share issues,
concerns, and progress in our interactions and this is
reflected in all reports.
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Our system and interactions are grounded in
cultural humility.
• We engage in ongoing efforts to ensure our interactions
indicate our cultural humility, our respect for the
family’s culture, our interest in learning from the family
about their culture, and our work to identify and
address institutional and personal bias.
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We believe in the potential for change in families
and in ourselves.
• We believe that families can grow and change to
promote their own safety and well-being.
• We engage in continuous quality improvement in an
environment of learning and development in our
agencies and among our workforce.
• We listen and learn from children, families, partners,
and each other and work together to support selfreflection, critical thinking, individual and
organizational development, humility, and
improvement.
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Effective services and supports are available to
meet family needs.
• We work with families and communities to identify,
advocate for, link, and support use of evidence-based,
trauma-informed, individualized, needs-driven,
strengths-based services and supports.
• We consider research evidence; professional expertise;
and family and community / tribe values, preferences,
and circumstances as we work with families to make
service plans.
• Timely, culturally relevant, family-driven services are
accessible and available.
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We have a healthy, competent, and professional
workforce.
• We work to support the health, safety, and professional
development of staff.
• We believe in quality recruitment, staff development,
training, and support.
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Linking Theories, Values, and Principles
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More Information Available
• Recorded Webinars
• Resource Documents
• PowerPoint Presentations
http://calswec.berkeley.edu/california-child-welfare-core-practice-model
Answers!
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Next Steps
CWDA Regional Meeting Presentations
Goals of the Meetings:
• Provide feedback on theoretical framework, values, principles
and other components of the practice model
CWDA Children’s Committee Practice Model Workshop
March 6 and 7, 2014 in Long Beach
Goals of the Convening:
• Achieve agreement on theoretical framework, values, principles
and other components of the practice model
• Achieve agreement on the level of standardization for the
practice behaviors
• Develop a plan for internal and external engagement of staff
and stakeholders
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