Josephine branch early assessment

Major Goals:

• Provide services for families in crisis with children at immediate risk of placement or children in foster care to safely reduce or prevent the children's placement or stay in foster care.
• Within 14 days of case opening provide assessment services early and intensive services to birth and foster families which address the needs and strengths of the children and families.

Project Synopsis:

• Early Intensive Family Services are administered by a contracted provider to prevent foster care or in some cases to affect early safe return home of children. Before this project was implemented in September of 1998 the provider could offer services to less than half of the families in need of the services. This project has allowed families to enroll in and receive services within days of the case opening rather than several months after case opening as occurred in the past. This delay was thought to result in longer stays in foster care then would occur if families began services at the front end of a case.

• Early Intervention Services assist referred families in discovering solutions to the challenges and dilemmas which bring them into contact with the Department. The provider supplies both written and verbal communication regarding services including the names of participants and the agreed upon solutions to address family concerns. The provider furnishes written monthly reports. One provider offers services to families with children 11 years or older while the second provider offers services to families with children 10 years and younger. Both providers maintain a monthly family contact log to reflect family contact hours.
• Face to face contact is made by the contracted service provider within 48 hours of referral by CAF. Early Intensive services provide crisis services that take into account the specific needs and strength of the family and the parent's problems with drug and alcohol abuse, domestic, violence, sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect. The providers build upon the strengths of the families and utilize the extended family network, foster families and key community resources to assist the family in addressing the child's needs and safety issues.
• Services may include parenting education, child development training, advocacy, family, individual and marriage counseling, communication and negotiation skills, and developing linkages with natural helping networks and community resources.