Partners Make Better Decisions:
Caregivers and Social Workers Working Together
Time: 4 hours
Developmental Competencies
Caregiver Competencies
CCW202-01: Understands the caregivers’ role on the child welfare team as a collaborator on
the case plan and as an advocate for the child and family.
CCW202-02: Understands the value of effective communication and engagement with the
child welfare team.
CCW202-02: Understands how a caregiver’s feelings about the permanent plan for the child
to go home can have a negative effect toward reaching the goal.
CSELF281-02: Understand and cope with feelings around conflict and the dilemmas around
case plans so as not to interfere with the permanency plan for a child.
CSELF283-04: Develops skills necessary to be emotionally intelligent and articulate.
Social Worker Competencies
SW112-01: Understands the importance of working with families to maintain relative or fictive
kin connections and/or secure placement options for children and understands the
physiological and emotional connections provided by relative caregivers
SW112-02: Ability to identify the mandate, principles and premises that guide the
development of relative care as a part of the continuum of child welfare practice and
permanency planning for caregivers
SW113-01: Ability to plan and implement placements that reduce stress, minimize trauma,
promote placement stability and permanence for children
SW119-01: Understands the benefits and the possible challenges of open adoption
arrangements and promote open adoptions when appropriate
SW119-03: Understands the predictable phases (placement, honeymoon period, prefinalization, and post-finalization) in adjusting to adoption and the worker’s role in supporting
the child and family in each stage
SW212-01: Understands how relative care requires role alignment within the existing family
network and (specific practice strategies needed to support whose) a successful plan for the
child
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SW212-02: Understands the issues of intergenerational trauma, grief, and loss to promote
understanding and support engagement of birth parents, children, youth and their relatives
Talking about Competencies
Participants will learn how to identify the challenges of collaboration. This training
provides Social Workers and Foster Parents/Relative Caregivers an opportunity to view
teamwork from each other’s perspectives while encouraging reflection regarding the
features and values of effective teaming. Training participants will: learn how to identify
barriers to effective teaming; explore solutions to these barriers, and develop tailored
approaches and practices that facilitate teamwork.
Materials and Preparation
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Name tags
Sign in sheets
Flip chart and markers
Tape
Hand-out packets
Speed Interview Questions: Printed on heavy paper
Envelopes
Evaluations
Certificates
Session Flow
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
Agenda
Housekeeping & Welcome
The Mission of DSHS
What is a Team?
Goals of Team Members
Complimentary Roles
Break
Speed Interviews
Teaming Principles
What I Want To Tell You . . .
Closing
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Time
:45
:05
:05
:10
1:00
:15
:45
:15
:30
:10
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Classroom Training
A. Housekeeping & Welcome (45 minutes)
Housekeeping:
• Sign in sheets
• Training credit
• Structure of training
• Restrooms
• Breaks
Participants introduce themselves
• Name and role within the Child Welfare system, and city of office or home, number
of children in your home or on your caseload
Trainers introduce themselves and explain how/why you are qualified to facilitate this
class. Offer some personal history (personal examples of partnering both good and bad)
Trainer’s Note: Some of the synonyms of partnership are: collaboration, cooperation,
association, alliance and relationship. While all of these words are common and
frequently used when discussing partnering/teaming, we think it important to focus on
and fully understand the importance of relationships.
The importance of Forming Relationships
• We have to get to know our partners, the goals, mission and motivations of each
member of our team, find a common interest (if possible, in addition to the care for
the child)
o Try to find some common ground from which you can build a relationship
• It is believed by many that the root of much success is tied to relationships
o It’s not what you know, it’s who you know… And how well do you know
them?
Now let’s get to know all of you
• Trainer Facilitates and asks the questions, break down resistances if can.
o NOTE – DRAW ATTENTION TO:
 THE WHY YOU CHOSE THIS work
 WHEN was the last time this job made you cry?
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
What are you most proud of in your work with children?
Once we get to know our team member, the information we have gather can be utilized to
build the relationship, and then once we build the relationship, we have to focus on
communication and that is so much more than standing up and speaking.
HANDOUT – Ways to Promote Effective Communication
• Trainer walk through the handout to discuss successful tactics and to get at the
WHY
• Common Pitfalls in Early Relationship Building with Caregivers and Social Service
Specialists
o One of the challenges between Social Workers and Foster Parents that
comes up, perhaps even frequently, is that Social Workers feel that their
formal education is most vital to determining the well-being of a child(ren)
 The Social Worker may be valuing years of education and degrees
 The Social Worker may not really understand what motivates the
Caregiver and may have a misconception that a caregiver is just in it
for the money
o Caregivers sometimes are 10-30 years older and have different life
experiences – such as raising children – and they may perceive that in that
respect they have the more practical and meaningful education.
 The caregiver may be valuing life experience, specifically the lack of
experience raising children when assessing the “credibility” of the
social worker
o If we are having negative thoughts about our team members, maybe even
often, then how easy will it be for us to recognize the value and strength of
that same team member and then how does that impact the outcome?
 Does it help or Does it hurt?
o Respectfully to both groups, we are not putting down Social Workers or
Caregivers
 We don’t want to discount the value of education
 We don’t want to discount the value of life experience and raising
children
 We want to respect the value of both and recognize that children will
do better when we have both at the table.
 We hope that you leave this training recognizing that same level of
respect, and the necessity for same.
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•
Job vs Lifestyle
o Social Work is a job, and Caregiving is a Life Style. So both parties are not
going to relate in the same way and both sides made a different choice
right? They are two different things. The Social worker made the choice to
go to school and grad school and to provide this amazing service to the
public at large, while the Caregiver made the choice to open up their home
and life to kids in care and try to meet their needs24/7.
 One example of how these are practically two different choices: the
Social Worker who is doing their job gets to leave at the end of the
day and go home to their lives/families. They realistically get a break
from the work of serving 20+ kids on their caseload.
• We are not saying they go home and forget about the kids,
but they get to go home and have some level of distance and
space from the work, from the kids.
 On the other hand, the Caregiver lifestyle of caregiving continues 24
hours a day, seven days a week, without any distance and private
space from the children that they have chosen to care for.
• Does this mean that Caregivers may have higher expectations
for social workers and that those expectations may be
unrealistic?
• The Caregiver likely has 1-3 kids in their care 24/7 and may
have the perception they have a “deeper” care for the child
than the social worker who serves 20+ kids.
o We all need to keep in mind that these are just
DIFFERENT services to the children, and we need
both.
o There are many different parts of the child’s life that
need service and Caregivers and Social Workers meet
those needs often in different ways that are equally
important
o Trainer – bring it back to our question – WHY DID YOU CHOSE THIS JOB OR
LIFESTYLE?
 We stress the importance of relationship building, communication,
and recognizing the value of each of our roles
 Nobody went to grad school or went through the licensing process so
that they could be miserable and be a part of ineffective, miserable
teams
 I believe everyone chose what they did to help children and our help
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our shared community
 So let’s choose to be a part of effective teams, and that may mean
more grace and mercy and understanding, that may mean
recognizing the value in another role that is very different than your
own, but that shares a common goal.
o When the team starts to break down and become adversarial or ineffective,
we need to bring it back to WHY we each chose our role in this, and that is
to help children. The child needs the grownups on their team to do their
jobs and support each other so that the child can have the best outcomes
possible.
Instructor: Does anyone have any questions about the formation of relationships or the
importance of relationships? Does anyone have anything to add here?
Let me give you a couple of examples of how we might get in our own way, and then we will
move into the next section.
Read the following two questions aloud and ask participants to think about their
responses.
1. If you knew of a woman who had 8 children, three of whom were deaf, two of
whomwere blind, and one of whom was mentally retarded, would you think she
should have another child?
a. That next child was Beethoven.
2. Imagine that it’s time to elect a new world leader, and your vote counts. There are
three leading candidates from which to choose:
a. Candidate A associates with crooked politicians and consults with
astrologists.
He’s had two mistresses. He chain smokes and drinks eight to ten martinis
per day.
b. Candidate B is a decorated war hero. He’s a vegetarian, doesn’t smoke,
but drinks an occasional beer. He hasn’t had any extramarital affairs.
c. Candidate C was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium
while in college and drinks a quart of whisky every evening.
How many of you would choose Candidate A?
Candidate A = Franklin Roosevelt
How many of you would choose Candidate B?
Candidate B = Adolf Hitler
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How many of you would choose Candidate C?
Candidate C = Winston Churchill
Explain that these are examples of why we shouldn’t pre-judge, and why not having all of
the information needed can lead to very bad mistakes!
Part of this teaming training is to get us all to move beyond our judgments of other team
members, and to help us understand that while a little bit of knowledge can be misleading,
the more information we have, the better decisions we can make.
All parties in a partnership MUST be honest. If there is information that cannot be shared, let
the other party know that and let them know why. This will go a very long way toward
cooperation.
B. The Mission of DSHS (5 minutes)
HANDOUT: DSHS MISSION STATEMENT
Refer participants to the HANDOUT: DSHS Mission Statement. Read the Mission
Statement aloud, and ask participants to follow along and highlight any words relevant to
collaboration and teaming in the statement:
“The Department of Social and Health Services is an integrated organization of
high- performing programs working in partnership for statewide impact to help
transform lives.
The Department’s mission is to improve the safety and health of individuals,
families and communities by providing leadership and establishing and
participating in partnerships.
Our core values are:
• Excellence in service
• Respect
• Collaboration and partnership
• Diversity
•
Accountability
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Together we will . . . improve safety and health . . . and increase educational success
to support people . . . in reaching their potential.
We recognize ours is a shared responsibility with dedicated family members,
foster parents, community groups, religious organizations, private providers and
other government agencies.” http://www.dshs.wa.gov/agoutus/
Ask participants to identify the words related to collaboration and teaming that they heard
in the mission statement. Listen for:
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Partnership
Community
Collaboration
Diversity
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Together
Shared responsibility
Point out that the very mission of DSHS involves teaming with others. The training today
willfocus on this mission of collaborative partnership and teamwork, and look at why it
sometimes seems so hard to accomplish.
Trainers Note: There are two options for this section. If you have a co-trainer, Option A
may be preferable. If you are training by yourself, you may choose option B, or show the
videos from Option A and ask the group for their opinions of the “teaming” in each.
C. What is a Team? (5 minutes)
Teaming – Option A (2 trainers)
Trainer 1 suggests For the Birds video as an example of A Team.
• Shows “For the Birds” video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dboXbr7O3Eo
Trainer 2 indicates with skepticism that this is probably not the best example of teamwork.
• Lead a large group brainstorm by asking the participants: What makes a group of
people a “team”? Flip chart the responses.
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Trainer 1 suggests another video
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Shows Madagascar video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI4zp7yeuMU
Trainer 2 remains skeptical about this video, and proceeds with the list of the common
elements of a Team
HANDOUT: A Team…
Refer participants to the HANDOUT: A Team . . .
A Team . . .
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Shares common purposes, goals, and objectives
Trainer 1 interjects and refers to Madagascar video again to and asks the group… “Clearly this
TEAM shares a common purpose, goal and objective”.
Trainer 2 exasperated, continues
•
•
Has a body of knowledge, and set of skills to meet the team’s purposes, goals and
objectives
Has members with individual expertise, knowledge and skills, who have
complementary roles on the team
Trainer 1: “Obviously each member of this team had individual expertise, knowledge and
skills!”
Trainer 2: Heavy sigh
• Agrees upon plans and decisions to achieve the team’s goals and objectives
• Works together to implement the team’s plans and decisions
Trainer 1: “…and they are able to work together to implement their plans…”
Trainer 2: …”alright I’ll give you that one”
• Has established methods for preventing and resolving conflicts, including a team
leader, captain or coach, and recognizes other members as an advisory team
• Assesses the achievement of their goals and objectives
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Trainer 1: again interrupting “There’s no doubt that there’s a team leader here right?”
Trainer 2: acquiesces
• Changes their goals and objectives, membership, plans and decisions, and ways to
solve problems as needed
• Recognizes the need for cultural competence in each individual
Trainer 2: “I suppose you have something to add to this”
Trainer 1: “…needless to say this team is adaptable and can change their goals and problem
solves as needed…and committed to a job well done!”
Trainer 2: Turns to the class – “What do you think, should we agree that this video is an
example of good team work… or if not good, at least team work?”
Teaming - OPTION B (1 trainer)
Lead a large group brainstorm by asking the participants: What makes a group of people a
“team”? Flip chart the responses.
HANDOUT: A Team…
Refer participants to the HANDOUT: A Team . . .
A Team . . .
• Shares common purposes, goals, and objectives
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Has a body of knowledge, and set of skills to meet the team’s purposes, goals
and objectives
Has members with individual expertise, knowledge and skills, who
have complementary roles on the team
Agrees upon plans and decisions to achieve the team’s goals and objectives
Works together to implement the team’s plans and decisions
Has established methods for preventing and resolving conflicts, including a
team leader, captain or coach, and recognizes other members as an advisory
team
Assesses the achievement of their goals and objectives
Changes their goals and objectives, membership, plans and decisions, and
ways to solve problems as needed
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•
Recognizes the need for cultural competence in each individual
D. Goals of Child Welfare Team Members (10 minutes)
One of the requisites for a team, “Has members with individual expertise, knowledge and
skills, who have complementary roles on the team”, is often one of the barriers to
successful teamwork.
• It may be difficult to get all of the “experts” to agree on:
o what the final goal for the team should be,
o the best way to reach that goal
o timelines for reaching the goal
Optional Large Group Activity – Roles and Job Descriptions
Provide each group a role and ask them to come up with a job description for each of the
following roles:
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The Department
Social Worker
Care Giver
CASA
Birth Parent
Child
HANDOUT: Goals of Child Welfare Team Members
Refer participants to the HANDOUT: Goals of Child Welfare Team Members, and lead a
discussion about the primary goals of various CA team members.
The Department:
The primary goal for Children's Administration staff in 46 field offices is to work
withfamilies to identify their needs and develop a plan for services to support
them and assure safety and well-being for their children. These services are
designed to reduce the risk of abuse, find safe alternatives to out-of-home
placement, and assure safetyand permanency for children in out-of-home care.
Children’s Administration staff work collaboratively with Tribes and a variety of local
organizations, agencies and governmental entities to determine unmet client needs
and plan for efficient service delivery. CA also relies on the voluntary services of
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caregivers to provide temporary care for children in placement.
Social Workers:
Social Workers work diligently to protect and promote the mission, vision and goals
ofthe agency as a whole, and to meet the needs of the clients to whom they have
been assigned. The primary goal of the Social Worker in CA is to provide the
services necessary to support and/or rehabilitate birth parents so that they regain
the ability to parent their own children.
Caregivers
The primary goal of the caregiver is to provide children with the love, support and
daily care necessary to enhance their health, safety and development. They
advocate for the child’s continued development; physically, emotionally, and
educationally. Caregiversmust have a clear understanding of permanency planning,
and work closely with the Department to reach the ultimate goal of reunification of
the birth family.
Birth Parents
The primary goal of the birth parent should be to fully participate in the supports
and services being provided by the state’s Social Worker to assure complete
rehabilitation (where necessary) and to work toward the goal of being reunited
with their children. If that is not possible, parents have the right to relinquish their
legal custody so that a different permanent placement can be found for their
child(ren).
Children in Care
The most challenging position in the system is held by the children in care. The
emotional and physical stress placed upon the children for whom the system was
designed to help can be overwhelming. The primary goal of most children living in
out- of-home care is to return home. Unfortunately, many of these children believe
that the responsibility for their current situations lies with them and so they blame
themselves for the current situation of all family members.
The primary focus and goal for all members of the team must be to ensure that the best
interests of the children are determined, while vigorously protecting the legal rights of the
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birth parents.
Ask participants: If everyone has the same focus and goal (“the best interest of the child”),
why is collaborative teamwork sometimes so hard to accomplish?
•
Listen for:
o The “best interest of the child” is perceived differently by different
team members
o Emotions become involved
o Not all agree on how to reach the goal
o Not all agree on how quickly to reach the goal
Even with these potential disagreements or difficulties, it is still imperative that all team
members work together.
HANDOUT: How to Build a Teamwork Culture
Refer participants to the HANDOUT: How to Build a Teamwork C u l t u r e :
• In her writing “How to Build a Teamwork Culture”, Susan M. Heathfield,
writes: “Fostering teamwork is creating a work culture that values
collaboration.
In a teamwork environment, people understand and believe that thinking,
planning, decisions and actions are better when done cooperatively. People
recognize, and even assimilate, the belief that ‘none of us is as good as all of
us.”
E. Complimentary Roles of Team Members (1 hour)
Large Group Activity: Serena
Divide the group into 5 small groups. Assign each group a role, and the corresponding
HANDOUT: Mom, Foster Parent, Teacher, Mom’s Therapist, and Social Worker. Ask them
to read their scenario and answer the questions at the bottom. Encourage them to read
only their scenario.
Ask each group to report just their answers to the large group.
• Acknowledge the areas of disagreement.
•
Ask why there might be disagreement.
o Each sees the situation through their own lens of experience and
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emotion.
For example:
 Serena’s teacher is primarily focused on her education and sees
what is best for Serena through that lens.
 Mom’s counselor is primarily focused on mom’s recovery and
sees what is best for the family through that lens.
 Foster parents are primarily focused on their family, and
view Serena’s situation through that lens.
o Not all team members have the same information or insight into
the situation.
Trainer reads the following synopsis of Serena aloud, so that all people receive the same
information.
• Serena is 9 years old and has been in foster care for the past 6 months. After several
o years of sporadic drug use, her mom had a near-fatal overdose. Serena came
home from school one day and found her mom unconscious on the couch.
She used hermom’s cell phone to call 911 and saved her mother’s life. Serena
has disclosed that sometimes her mom forgot to feed her. Also, there were
some nights when hermom left her alone all night and she put herself to bed
and got herself to school in the morning.
•
Although Serena was born in the US and speaks English fluently, her motheremigrated
from Vietnam, leaving behind a traumatic life, and English is her secondlanguage. This
has made it difficult to find employment, and has left her feeling very isolated. She has
tried hard to hide the poverty they live in, and has devised some clever money-saving
skills, such as doing the laundry in the bathtub instead of at aLaundromat. She is very
ashamed that the Child Welfare System has taken Serena away from her.
o Serena’s dad is unknown.
o Serena’s mom is currently in a residential treatment facility which encourages
family visits. Serena visits her twice a week, after school. Their visits are very
positive.
o They often cook traditional Vietnamese foods, such as banh chung (sticky rice
cakes) and banh dua ca ra men (coconut flan with caramel) together. They
have a veryclose and loving relationship.
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o Serena’s mother is doing well in treatment. The treatment facility has the option
for Serena to live with her mom, during the last 90 days of treatment.
o Serena has been living with the same foster parents, since she came into care 6
months ago. Although they have noticed some peculiar behaviors, they have
fallen in love with Serena, and they are interested in adopting her.
o Serena is currently in 3rd grade, but has been struggling in school since
entering foster care.
As a large group, discuss if anyone’s opinion on the plan for Serena has changed now that
they have heard a more complete story.
e Tr er
lp pa i ipan s find h sub l i in h s
io su h as
1. Mom’s ingenuity in dealing with poverty, and how this explains Serena’s
unusual b
io of ashin h und
in h ub du in h ba h his
b o
a “strength” rather than just a “weird behavior”
2. The way that different people have assessed Mom’s language ability based
on her o fo
ih h
and hei ela ionship o h
a. Foster Parent: mom speaks “limited English”
b. Th apis
o is “able to communicate very well”
c. So ial o
o is “understandable”
3. Mom’s history of trauma may have contributed to her drug use
a. Ma in p o
s in h ap is a
ood si n
With the large group, try to reach consensus on a plan.
• Acknowledge the difficulty in this. Point out that all team members want what is
in Serena’s best interest, but that may mean very different things to different
people.
• Acknowledge the systematically built-in conflicts of interest that may occur:
o Caregivers would like to adopt Serena . . . can they be objective
and impartial?
o Social Worker is working with deadlines, a large caseload, and agency
policiesand procedures, and this is one of the “easy” cases. Can the
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Social Workerdevote the time to this case that other team members
believe is necessary?
o Mom loves Serena with all of her heart, and misses her immensely. Can
she put Serena’s “best interest” before her own desires?
o Teacher is thinking primarily of Serena’s academic achievements and
may not acknowledge the depth of loss that Serena is feeling.
o Serena’s mom’s counselor is primarily focused on mom’s recovery; will
she objectively look at what is best for Serena, instead of what is best
forSerena’s mom?
Ask group to list what the barriers for each identified group are to teaming and collaboration.
You can assign the same roles as before or switch roles for the groups.
HANDOUT: Systemic Barriers to Teaming and Collaboration
Refer participants to the HANDOUT: Systemic Barriers to Teaming and Collaboration,
and discuss:
•
Court: Due to the basic workings of the Washington state court system, there is the
potential for very many court continuances which are many times out of the control
of the Department and the Social Worker. Additionally, there may be a lack of
clarity incourt orders. Social Workers feel this frustration very often in their
dealings with thecourt, and Caregivers must understand that the court is the
ultimate decision maker for all cases within the Juvenile Court System.
•
Department: The Department is a state agency which employs thousands of people
and offers opportunities for the employees to change positions and or promote into a
different position or category. Due to the volume of employees, the volume of work
and the stress factors related to the work, there is often a change in the assignment
to a particular case. It therefore becomes necessary for a Caregiver to begin anew
with thelatest assigned Social Worker, and the assigned Social Worker to begin a
newrelationship with the Caregiver.
•
Social Worker: The Social Workers have large caseloads, each demanding a
significantamount of paperwork, court appearances, direct client contact and
counseling, regular contact with Caregivers and children and ongoing educational
requirements.
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•
Birth Parents: Birth parents may begin this process feeling anger, resentment, and/or
despair. They may be dealing with medical illness, mental illness, addictions, poverty,
lack of education, lack of support, etc. It may be difficult for a birth parent to look
beyond their own needs – many of which may be basic human needs – to the needs
of a team.
•
Caregivers: People become Caregivers for a wide array of differing reasons.
Whatever those reasons may be, the Caregiver may have to deal with unexpected
emotional attachments, unexpected behaviors and/or developmental delays, and
changes to their normal home and family life. This is sometimes combined with a
lack of specific case knowledge and information, and a feeling of isolation from the
team.
•
Children in Care: These children present with trauma, grief and loss issues, and a
large variety of behavioral challenges. They are faced with new families, new rules
and limitations, new schools, new friends, new diets, etc. The children endure the
greatest change in their everyday lives and living circumstances. They are deprived
of choices and must endure and live with the physiological brain changes that
occur due to the many traumas to which they are exposed.
Acknowledge that the system itself may make collaborative teamwork difficult.
Ask the large group, which team member is responsible for maintaining Serena’s cultural
connections?
•
Stress that all team members are responsible for this, including the caregiver.
o As a temporary caregiver, foster parents must prepare the child for
reunification with his/her family and culture, not for living with the
caregiver permanently. Maintaining a child’s cultural ties helps ease the
transition both into, and out of, foster care.
o Social Worker may be asked to help the foster family find the
appropriatecommunity resources to help the caregivers maintain
Serena’s cultural ties.
Summarize:
• All members of the team are important members of the team and may
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•
have valuable information that nobody else has.
It is critical for all team members to share their knowledge and feelings with
other team members
HANDOUT: Traits of Successful Team Members
Refer participants to the HANDOUT: Traits of Successful Team Members and
discuss.
1. Mutual Respect
o This includes respecting and affirming the individual knowledge and
expertise of team members, and respecting the complementary roles of
team members
2. Communication Skills
o Respectful assertiveness: the right to share one’s beliefs and opinions
without retribution
o Conflict resolution skills that minimize holding grudges or a desire for
“revenge”
o Ability to control impulses and reactions (i.e., pause and think before
speaking)
3. Cultural Competence
o Awareness of one’s own cultural worldview
o An accepting attitude towards cultural differences
o Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews
o Cross-cultural skills
 An ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact
with people across cultures.
4. Courtesy
o Polite behavior that shows respect for other people
o Behavior marked by polished manners or respect for others
5. Good organizational skills
o Social Worker must be organized in their maintaining of the case file and
the pertinent facts
o Caregiver must be able to, in an organized manner, provide the
necessary information with respect to the child’s routine, status,
behaviors, desires, etc.
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6. Similar baseline knowledge
o All parties need to start at the same point with the same (when
appropriate) orsimilar information specific to a case. Such knowledge might
include things like:
 Court’s position
 Children’s’ mental health challenges
 Status of case
 Department’s short –term, and long-term plans
 Child’s needs wants, etc.
7. Willingness to share
o All information is shared as needed, and as is appropriate
Lead a large group discussion about types of information that cannot be shared by the
SocialWorker with the Caregiver. This may include:
•
•
Information that would violate the privacy of the birth parents or other family
members
o Drug test results, or requirements
o Mental health evaluations
o Parents’ own abuse or trauma history
A specific reunification plan early in the case
Explain that after a short break, participants will get to know each other, and the roles of
eachother, a little better.
BREAK (15 mins)
During the break, Trainers ready the room for the next activity by:
• Arranging a circle or rectangle in the room with tables and/or chairs; make sure
that there are pairs of chairs facing each other around the circle or rectangle
• Lay one sheet of “Speed Interview” questions at each pair of chairs, starting
with number 1 and continuing sequentially.
G. Speed Interviews (45 mins)
Introduce the next interactive activity as a way to learn more about the other participants in the
room, and the role they play in the Child Welfare system.
Divide the class into two equal sized groups.
• As nearly as possible, have foster parents in one group, and staff in the other
group.
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•
•
If there are more staff than foster parents, or vice versa, then have the extras join
the group with less so that the groups are of equal size.
If there are an odd number of participants, have one person pair up.
Have the “staff” group count off, beginning at one and assigning consecutive numbers per
person.
Have the “caregiver” group count off, beginning at the letter A and continuing in
alphabetical order until all have been assigned a letter.
Explain to participants that they will be given questions to discuss with their partners. They
willhave 3 – 4 minutes to discuss these questions before they are asked to move on.
Ask all participants to take a seat where there is a sheet of paper that corresponds to their
assigned number or letter.
• Explain that they are to discuss that question with their partner.
•
After 3 – 4 minutes, explain that it is time to move on.
Ask the Social Worker group to all move up one number. For example, 1 will move to 2, 2
will move to 3, etc. The last number in the sequence will move to the number 1 spot.
Ask all caregivers to move sequentially in the alphabet. For example, A will move to B, B
will move to C, etc. The last letter will move to A.
Ultimately, one group will move in a clockwise direction and the other group will move
counter- clockwise.
When a complete circuit has been made, debrief the exercise with the participants:
•
•
Ask the Social Workers to report back on anything that they heard that changed
their understanding or appreciation of the Caregiver role.
Ask the Caregivers to report back on anything that they heard that changed
their understanding or appreciation of the Social Worker role.
Thank participants for their honesty and sincerity during this exercise.
H. Teaming Principles (15 minutes)
Introduce the 4-step model of Principled Negotiations, by Fisher and Ury. Refer participants
tothe hand-out, Principled Negotiations, and suggest that they take notes during the following
discussion.
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Step 1: Separating the people from the problem
o Different perceptions different interpretations
o Must understand the viewpoints of other team members
o Understand that one’s “worst fear” probably won’t become the other’s
actions
o Don’t blame others
o Offer “appealing proposals”
o Emotionally-based
o Negotiation is a frustrating process
o When threatened, fear and anger take over
 The perceived threat does not have to be physical
 Acknowledge emotions and understand their source
 Don’t dismiss your own, or others’, feelings as unreasonable
 Allow and accept expression of emotions (no outbursts)
 Symbolic gestures can help diffuse a situation
o Communication
o Consider whether you are:
 Speaking, or grandstanding?
 Listening or planning your response?
o Active or Reflective Listening helps to clarify and summarize
o Understanding doesn’t always mean agreeing
o Avoid blaming and attacking
Step Two: Focusing on Interests, not Positions
“Your position is something that you have decided upon; your interests are what caused you
to decide.” Fisher and Ury
o Focus on interests:
o Identify each person’s interest regarding the issue
o “Why this and not that?”
o Remember:
 there are usually more than one interests at play
 the most powerful interests are basic human needs
o Discuss interests together
o For others to take your interests into account, they must be explained
clearly
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o Pay attention to others’ interests
o When others feel like you are paying attention to their interests, they are
more motivated to take your interests into account
o Remain open to different proposals and positions
o Focus discussion on solutions, not on past events
Step 3: Creating Options for Mutual Gain
o There are generally four obstacles to creative options:
1. Prematurely deciding on an option without considering alternatives
2. Narrowing options to find a single answer
3. Thinking that win/lose is the only option
4. Believing it is up to others to figure it out
o Conversely, there are four strategies for creative options:
1. Separate the invention from the evaluation
 Brainstorm!
 “Wild” and “creative” and “never thought of before” are good
2. After brainstorming, then evaluate
 Start with the most promising ideas
 Refine and improve each proposal
3. Focus on shared interests
 If interests differ, look for options that are compatible or
complimentary
 Reconciling different interests is “low cost and high benefit”
4. Appeal to both sides
 Threats are less effective at motivating agreement than beneficial offers
Step Four: Insist that Results are Based on Objective
Criteria
o Look at the end result objectively, not subjectively
o Have fair standards and agreement to those standards
o Have a fair procedure for evaluating results
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I. What I Want You To Know (30 minutes)
HANDOUT: Seven Characteristics of a Good Partnership
Refer participants to the HANDOUT: Seven Characteristics of a Good Partnership
1. Both sides see the relationship as an opportunity to give
2. Both sides are willing to change
3. Both sides are willing to admit mistakes
4. Both sides are willing to listen first
5. Both sides support each other
6. Both sides are open to each other
7. Both sides have integrity
Explain that participants will now engage in an activity that gives them an opportunity to
practice some of these characteristics, especially the characteristics of:
•
•
•
Willing to listen
Willing to support
Open to each other
Separate the participants into two groups: Social Workers and Caregivers. (These groups
do not need to be of equal size).
o
o
o
o
HANDOUT: What I Want You To Know…
Give each group a piece of flip chart paper
Ask them to put the heading, “What I Want You to Know . . .” at the top of the
paper.
Refer them to HANDOUT: What I Want You To Know . . ., and explain that they
can use these questions to lead their small group discussion.
Explain that each group is to write down anything on their paper that they wish the
other group knew, or understood better, about their role. (For example, Social
Workers will write what they wish Caregivers knew or understood better about the
role of Social
Workers, and Caregivers will write what they wish Social Workers knew or
understood better about the role and life of Caregivers.)
o Remind them that the hand-out is only suggestions; it is not necessary to use all, or
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Trainer’s Note: Allow m nin ful and insi h ful dis ussion o ensu du in
of his
is do no allo bla in fin -poin in o pa onizin .
h
aind
even
any, of those ideas to generate discussion.
Ask the Caregivers to share their list with the Social Workers.
• Ask Social Workers to identify any thoughts, ideas, concepts that they learned
from listening to the Caregivers
• Ask the Social Workers to thank the Caregivers for their honesty and sincerity, and
the job that they do.
Ask the Social Workers to share their list with the Caregivers.
• Ask Caregivers to identify any thoughts, ideas, concepts that they learned from
listening to the Social Workers
• Ask the Caregivers to thank the Social Workers for their honesty and sincerity, and
the job that they do.
Thank everyone for participating.
In the large group, lead a discussion around personal examples of a good partnership
experience:
•
•
•
What made the experience good?
What stands out most about the experience?
What can be done to replicate the experience?
•
What resources/skills were involved in making this a good experience?
J. Closing (10 minutes)
Explain that one of the goals of this training is for participants to recognize the value of
otherteam members and partners. Recognition and praise can be important steps in
developing and nurturing relationships.
Refer participants to the hand-out, Something Nice to Say.
• Ask participants to find a message on this sheet, or to create one of their own, that
they would like to send to a member of the team.
• Refer participants to the last page of the hand-out packet, which is blank.
Encourage them to write the message on this sheet.
• Distribute envelopes. Ask them to put the message in the envelope and seal it, with
the recipient’s name on the envelope. Encourage them to take the envelope with
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them to their office, or home, and mail the message to the Team Member that they
would like to honor.
Remind participants of the ultimate goal of Child Welfare: the successful reunification of
children with families, or finding another permanent home for a child.
• Refer participants to the hand-out, The Ultimate Goals for the Collaborative
Child Welfare Team. Read aloud.
Distribute evaluations.
Distribute Certificates.
Thank all attendees for participating.
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Partners Make Better Decisions:
Caregivers and Social Workers Working Together
HANDOUTS
June 2015
Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Speed Interview
1 J
Why did you get into social work,
foster parenting or caregiving?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Speed Interview
2 I
What is your favorite part of your job or role?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Speed Interview
3 H
Is there a particular child or situation that has stuck with you?
Why?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Speed Interview
4 G
What is the hardest part of your job or role?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Speed Interview
5 F
If you could change one thing in the system,
what would it be?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Speed Interview
6 E
What has been your biggest success
in your work with children and/or families?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Speed Interview
7 D
How long do you see yourself in this job or role?
What else would you like to do?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Speed Interview
8 C
When is the last time you had a really good belly laugh?
What caused it?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Speed Interview
9 B
When is the last time your job or role made you cry,
or want to cry?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Speed Interview
10 A
What are you most proud of
in your work with children and families?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Partners Make Better Decisions:
Caregivers and Social Workers Working Together
Hand-out Packet
June 2015
Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence
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Partners Make Better Decisions
DSHS Mission Statement:
The Department of Social and Health Services is an integrated organization
of high-performing programs working in partnership for statewide impact
to help transform lives.
The Department’s mission is to improve the safety and health of
individuals, families and communities by providing leadership and
establishing and participating in partnerships.
Our core values are:
• Excellence in service
• Respect
• Collaboration and partnership
• Diversity
• Accountability
Together we will . . . improve safety and health . . . and increase
educational success to support people . . . in reaching their potential.
We recognize ours is a shared responsibility with dedicated family
members, foster parents, community groups, religious organizations,
private providers and other government agencies.
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/aboutus/
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A Team . . .
Partners Make Better Decisions
•
Shares common purposes, goals, and objectives
•
Has a body of knowledge, and set of skills to meet the team’s purposes,
goals and objectives
•
Has members with individual expertise, knowledge and skills, who have
complementary roles on the team
•
Agrees upon plans and decisions to achieve the team’s goals and
objectives
•
Works together to implement the team’s plans and decisions
•
Has established methods for preventing and resolving conflicts,
including a team leader, captain or coach, and recognizes other
members as an advisory team
•
Assesses the achievement of their goals and objectives
•
Changes their goals and objectives, membership, plans and decisions,
and ways to solve problems as needed
•
Recognizes the need for cultural competence in each individual
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Goals of Child Welfare Team Members
The Department:
The primary goal for Children's Administration staff in 46 field offices is to work with families to identify
their needs and develop a plan for services to support them and assure safety and well -being for their
children. These services are designed to reduce the risk of abuse, find safe alternatives to out-of-home
placement, and assure safety and permanency for children in out-of-home care.
Children’s Administration staff work collaboratively with Tribes and a variety of local organizations,
agencies and governmental entities to determine unmet client needs and plan for efficient service
delivery. CA also relies on the voluntary services of caregivers to provide temporary care for children in
placement.
Social Workers:
Social Workers work diligently to protect and promote the mission, vision and goals of the agency as a
whole, and to meet the needs of the clients to whom they have been assigned. The primary goal of the
Social Worker in CA is to provide the services necessary to support and/or rehabilitate birth parents so
that they regain the ability to parent their own children.
Caregivers:
The primary goal of the caregiver is to provide children with the love, support and daily care necessary
to enhance their health, safety and development. They advocate for the child’s continued
development; physically, emotionally, and educationally. Caregivers must have a clear understanding of
permanency planning, and work closely with the Department to reach the ultimate goal of reunification
of the birth family.
Birth Parents:
The primary goal of the birth parent should be to fully participate in the supports and services being
provided by the state’s Social Worker to assure complete rehabilitation (where necessary) and to work
toward the goal of being reunited with their children. If that is not possible, parents have the right to
relinquish their legal custody so that a different permanent placement can be found for their child(ren).
Children in Care:
The most challenging position in the system is held by the children in care. The emotional and physical
stress placed upon the children for whom the system was designed to help can be overwhelming. The
primary goal of most children living in out-of-home care is to return home. Unfortunately, many of
these children believe that the responsibility for their current situations lies with them and so they
blame themselves for the current situation of all family members.
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How to Build a Teamwork Culture:
“Fostering teamwork is creating a work culture that values collaboration.
In a teamwork environment, people understand and believe that thinking,
planning, decisions and actions are better when done cooperatively.
People recognize, and even assimilate, the belief that ‘none of us is
as good as all of us.’”
Susan M. Heathfield
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Mom
You are Serena’s mom. You were born and raised in Vietnam, but immigrated to the US as a young
adult, hoping to leave a very difficult life behind. Your English is minimal, which has led to difficulty
finding employment at times and a sense of isolation. Your daughter, Serena, was born in the US. She is
9 years old and has been in foster care for the past 6 months. Losing your child to the foster care system
is extremely shameful to you and in your culture and you have not disclosed what has happened to
anyone. After several years of sporadic and increasing drug use, you had a near-fatal overdose. Serena
came home from school one day and found you unconscious on the couch. She used your cell phone to
call 911. When law enforcement interviewed her she said she was scared that you would die. She said
she loved you, and you were a good mom, but she also said that sometimes you forgot to make dinner
and she would eat dry cereal. She said this was the first time that this had ever happened, but there
were two nights recently when you came home really late. She said she pretended that you were there,
and she put herself to bed and got up in the morning and went to school. She said that she couldn’t call
anybody because you had taken your cell phone with you.
Serena’s dad was never in the picture, and you don’t know where he is now.
You are currently in a residential treatment facility which encourages family visits. You love it when
Serena comes to visit – you plan activities to do while she is visiting, and you always brush her hair and
braid it. You are allowed to use the common kitchen, and sometimes you make bahn chung (sticky rice
cakes) or banh dua ca ra men (coconut flan with caramel) together. She currently visits twice a week,
but your counselor says that with the progress that you are making, she may be able to live with you, at
the facility, while you complete your last 3 months.
Serena is currently in 3rd grade, but is struggling in school. She has difficulty focusing, and has behaviors
that are disruptive to the other students. When the teacher tries to talk to her about her family
situation, and how much she misses you, Serena bursts into tears, and refuses to talk about it. You
think that when she moves to the Treatment Center to be with you, and attends the school down the
street, that she will do much better. You will help her with her homework, and the school has special
counselors to work with kids whose parents are in treatment.
There is Court Hearing coming up where important decisions will be made.
What do you think should be the short-term plan for Serena (i.e., Where should she live?
What sort of visitation should she have with you?):
What do you think should be the long-term permanent plan for Serena?
What on-going concerns do you have?
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Foster Parent
You are Serena’s foster parents. Serena is 9 years old and has lived with you for the past 6 months.
This is the first time that Serena has ever been in foster care, but DCFS has been involved with the
family for years. Serena’s mother is Vietnamese and speaks limited English; her father cannot be
found. Serena’s mother is a drug addict. After several years of sporadic drug use, her mother had a
near-fatal overdose. Serena came home from school one day and found her mom unconscious on the
couch. She called 911. When law enforcement interviewed her she said she was scared that her mom
would die and that she would have no one. She said she needed her mom, even though she could take
care of herself. She said that sometimes her mom forgot to feed her, and she would eat dry cereal.
When there was no more cereal, if she was really hungry, she would sometimes eat the dry cat food
from the neighbor’s cat dish on the porch. You also learned that there were two nights recently when
Serena was left home alone all night; she had to feed herself, put herself to bed, and get up in the
morning and go to school.
Serena’s mom is currently in a residential treatment facility which encourages family visits. Serena
visits her there twice a week, afterschool. The visits are very hard on Serena. When she comes home,
she is angry and aggressive. She says she doesn’t have to listen to you because you are not her real
mom. She often refuses to eat dinner, saying she isn’t hungry, and has trouble settling down for bed.
You try to talk to her about the visits with her mom, but she cries, and won’t say anything.
Serena is currently in 3rd grade, but is struggling in school. She has difficulty focusing, and has
behaviors that are disruptive to the other students. According to the teacher, her behaviors are
especially bad on days she visits her mom. She is falling behind in school because of the twice -weekly
disruption to her schedule. Most of the time, Serena is happy to be a part of your family. She gets
along well with your other kids and enjoys family activities. Aside from her responses to visits, she has
no difficult behaviors. However, a behavior that you find odd is that when bathing, she washes her
underwear in the tub and hangs it over the edge to dry for the next day. You believe your family
would be a stable long-term option for her. In fact, you would like to adopt her.
There is Court Hearing coming up where important decisions will be made.
What do you think should be the short-term plan for Serena (i.e., Where should she live?
What sort of visitation should she have with her mother?):
What do you think should be the long-term permanent plan for Serena?
What on-going concerns do you have?
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Teacher
You are Serena’s teacher. Serena is 9 years old and in the 3rd grade. She moved to your school 6 months
ago, when she entered foster care. She is smaller than most 9-year-olds, and can be introverted to the
point of being in “her own little world”. You don’t have a lot of information on her family, but you think
that Serena found her mom unconscious on the couch one day after school with a near-fatal overdose.
Serena called 911 and saved her mom’s life. You have not heard anything about Serena’s dad.
Serena’s mom is currently in a residential treatment facility which encourages family visits. Serena
visits her there twice a week, afterschool. Visit days are very hard on Serena. She has difficulty
focusing, and sometimes lashes out at you or other students. She seems agitated and anxious throughout
the day. It is very hard for her to complete in-class assignments on these days. She is falling behind in
school because of these twice-weekly disruptions in her life. You try to talk to her about the visits with
her mom, but she cries, and won’t say anything.
You have met with Serena’s foster parents. They are very nice and willing to work with Serena at
home to help her keep up with school. In addition, you and the foster parents are working on a
behavioral plan to use at both home and school. You are pleased that Serena now has a loving and
stable family after what seems to have been a chaotic and unstable life.
There is Court Hearing coming up where important decisions will be made.
What do you think should be the short-term plan for Serena (i.e., Where should she live?
What sort of visitation should she have with her mother?):
What do you think should be the long-term permanent plan for Serena?
What on-going concerns do you have?
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Mom’s Therapist
You are Serena’s mom’s therapist. Serena is 9 years old and has been in foster care for the past 6
months. After several years of sporadic and increasing drug use, her mom had a near-fatal overdose.
Serena came home from school one day and found her mom unconscious on the couch. She called
911 and saved her mom’s life. When law enforcement interviewed Serena she said she was scared
that her mom would die. The relationship between Serena and her mom is very strong; they love
each other very much, and love spending time together. Serena’s mother immigrated to the US from
Vietnam after suffering from serious traumatic events there. Although English is her second language
and she is embarrassed by her accent, she is able to communicate very well.. She has no family in the
area, and is somewhat socially isolated. Serena’s dad was never in the picture.
Serena’s mom is currently in a residential treatment facility which encourages family visits. Mom loves
it when Serena comes to visit – she plans fun activities to do during the visits, and she is very nurturing,
brushing Serena’s hair, cooking traditional Vietnamese foods with her, etc. The visits are currently twice
a week.
Serena’s mom is doing very well in therapy. She has acknowledged the hurt and pain that her drug use
has caused both herself and Serena and has processed some of her earlier trauma. She is well on the
road to recovery and is determined to have Serena returned to her custody. You are pleased with her
progress and are making arrangements for Serena to move into the facility with her mom while mom
completes her last 90 days. You believe that this will be the first step toward a successful
reunification.
When you have seen Serena with her mom, she was a delightful 9-year-old girl.
There is Court Hearing coming up where important decisions will be made.
What do you think should be the short-term plan for Serena (i.e., Where should she live?
What sort of visitation should she have with her mom?):
What do you think should be the long-term permanent plan for Serena?
What on-going concerns do you have?
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Social Worker
You are Serena’s Social Worker. Serena is 9 years old and has been in foster care for the past 6
months. After several years of sporadic drug use, her mom had a near-fatal overdose. Serena came
home from school one day and found her mom unconscious on the couch. She used her mom’s cell
phone to call 911. When you interviewed Serena she said she was scared that her mom would die. She
said that that sometimes her mom forgot to feed her and she would eat dry cereal. She said that when
there was no more cereal, if she was really hungry, she would eat the dry cat food from the neighbor’s
cat dish that was on the porch. She said there were two nights recently when her mom left her alone
all night.
Serena’s dad was never in the picture, and you don’t know where he is now.
Serena’s mom immigrated to the US from Vietnam several years ago. Although English is her second
language, she is understandable. Serena’s mom is currently in a residential treatment facility which
encourages family visits. Serena visits her twice a week, afterschool. Serena and her mom have a
very close relationship. Serena worries about her mom constantly; you sometimes wonder if Serena
were the one who was taking care of mom at home, instead of the other way around. When you have
observed visits between mom and Serena, both are happy and engaged. Mom does a good job of
planning activities for them, and is also very nurturing. Serena hates to see the visits end. You are
considering the possibility that Serena could live at the Treatment facility with her mom, during the
last 90 days of treatment. This would, however, mean changing schools again, and may put Serena back
into the role of taking care of her mother.
Serena has been living with the same foster parents, since she came into care 6 months ago. They are
experienced caregivers and have helped Serena to settle into their family. She is well cared for, and
loved, by the foster parents and the other kids in the home. She has no unusual behavior problems.
These foster parents want to adopt Serena. They have been great advocates for her and are a
pleasure to work with.
Serena is currently in 3rd grade, but is struggling in school. She has difficulty focusing, and has
behaviors that are disruptive to the other students. Teacher reports that she is definitely less focused
in school on visit days; you are sure that this is because she is excited to see her mom.
There is Court Hearing coming up where important decisions will be made. You are also aware that of
the federal timelines that require you to keep moving the case toward a permanent outcome.
What do you think should be the short-term plan for Serena (i.e., Where should she live?
What sort of visitation should she have with her mom?):
What do you think should be the long-term permanent plan for Serena?
What on-going concerns do you have?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Systemic Barriers to Teaming and Collaboration:
Court: Due to the basic workings of the Washington state court system, there is the potential
for very many court continuances which are many times out of the control of the department
and the social worker. Additionally, there may be a lack of clarity in court orders. Social workers
feel this frustration very often in their dealings with the court, and the caregiver needs to realize
that the court is the ultimate decision maker for all cases supervised by the department.
Department: The Department is a state agency which employs thousands of people and offers
opportunities for the employees to change positions and or promote into a different position or
category. Due to the volume of employees, the volume of work and the stress factors related to
the work, there is often a change in the assignments to a particular case. It therefore becomes
necessary for a caregiver to begin anew with the latest assigned worker, and the assigned
worker to begin new relationships with the caregivers.
Social Worker: The social workers have large caseloads, each demanding a significant amount
of paperwork, court appearances, direct client contact and counseling, regular contact with
caregivers and children and ongoing educational requirements.
Birth Parents: Birth parents may begin this process feeling anger, resentment, and/or despair.
The may be dealing with medical illness, mental illness, addictions, poverty, lack of education,
lack of support, etc.
Caregivers: People become caregivers for a large array of differing reasons. Whatever those
reasons may be the caregiver may have to deal with unexpected emotional attachments,
unexpected behaviors and/or developmental delays, changes to their normal home and family
life, combined with a lack of specific case knowledge and information.
Children in Care: These children present with trauma, grief and loss issues, and a large variety
of behavioral challenges. They are faced with new families, new rules and limitations, new
schools, new friends, new diets, etc. The children endure the greatest change in their everyday
lives and living circumstances. They are deprived of choices and must endure and live with the
physiological brain changes that occur due to the many traumas to which they are exposed.
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Traits of Successful Team Members
1. Mutual Respect
o This includes respecting and affirming the individual knowledge and expertise of
team members, and respecting the complementary roles of team members
2. Communication Skills
o Respectful assertiveness: the right to share one’s beliefs and opinions without
retribution
o Conflict resolution skills that minimize holding grudges or a desire for “revenge”
o Ability to control impulses and reactions (i.e., pause and think before speaking)
3. Cultural Competence
o Awareness of one’s own cultural worldview
o An accepting attitude towards cultural differences
o Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews
o Cross-cultural skills
 An ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with
people across cultures.
4. Courtesy
o Polite behavior that shows respect for other people
o Behavior marked by polished manners or respect for others
5. Good organizational skills
o Social worker must be organized in their maintaining of the case file and the
pertinent facts
o Caregiver must be able to, in an organized manner, provide the necessary
information with respect to the child’s routine, status, behaviors, desires, etc.
6. Similar baseline knowledge
o All parties need to start at the same point with the same (when appropriate) or
similar information specific to a case. Such knowledge might include things like:
 Court’s position
 Children’s’ mental health challenges
 Status of case
 Department’s short-term, and long term plan
 Child’s needs wants, etc.
7. Willingness to share
o All information is shared as needed, and as is appropriate
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Principled Negotiations
1. Separating the people from the problem
2. Focusing on interests, not on positions
3. Creating options for mutual gain
4. Insisting that results are based on objective criteria
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Seven Characteristics of a Good Partnership
1. Both sides see the relationship as an opportunity to give
2. Both sides are willing to change
3. Both sides are willing to admit mistakes
4. Both sides are willing to listen first
5. Both sides support each other
6. Both sides are open to each other
7. Both sides have integrity
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Partners Make Better Decisions
What I Want You to Know . . .
Write down on flip chart paper anything that you wish the other group knew, or
understood better, about your job/role. You might use the following questions to
guide your discussion:
How would you describe your job/role?
How do you think the other group sees your job/role?
What is most misunderstood about your job/role?
What is the most common misperception about your job/role?
How do you see yourself in relation to the team?
How should a Social Worker involve the Caregiver as part of the team?
How should a Caregiver include the Social Worker as part of the team?
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Partners Make Better Decisions
Something Nice to Say
Below are words we sometimes say, but can never hear too much. Please think about the
people with whom you work . . . Is there someone that deserves a nice word? Or two?
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•
•
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•
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Take a moment to express your gratitude or admiration to someone by writing a quick
note to them. You may use the blank page at the end of this hand-out packet.
Be sure to address it to someone by name.
Be specific about why you wanted to acknowledge her or him.
Sign your name IF YOU WANT TO.
Place the note in the envelope and address it.
Mail it!
YOU WERE GREAT!
THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
I APPRECIATE YOU!
GOOD JOB!
I’D LIKE TO HELP YOU OUT.
You were so helpful!
I REALLY LIKE THE WAY YOU THINK!
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Partners Make Better Decisions
The Ultimate Goals for the Collaborative Child Welfare Team
Caregiver
Social Worker
Caregiver feels proud and contented
when a child is successfully reunited
with family, or placed in a permanent
home, because they have assisted in a
successful outcome for the child.
Social Worker takes pride when their
professional goal has been met with the
successful reunification of the birth
family or another successful permanent
plan for the child.
Caregiver has been successful in
developing and maintaining a working
professional relationship with the Social
Worker.
Social Worker has been successful in
developing and maintaining a working
professional relationship with the
caregiver
Caregivers understand that they will
not be able to provide for the safety,
nurturing and protection of children in
the system without the collaboration of
the Social Worker.
Social Workers understand that they
cannot perform their duties as a Social
Worker without the collaboration of
willing and caring Caregivers.
Social Workers further understand the
necessity of total and full disclosure to
Caregivers further understand the
primary goal of the department and the the Caregiver with regards to the
history of the child, the present
Social Worker is to reunify families
circumstances of the child, and the
when at all possible and that with
ultimate goal for the child.
children in care there is never a
guarantee of adoption by the Caregiver
until the Court has made its final order.
Caregiver and the Social Worker have successfully developed a relationship that
they can maintain and re-create to protect the safety, permanence and wellbeing of many other children.
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