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Part I: Identifying Information

In this section, we are interested in obtaining identifying information about you and the children and families you work with.

1. What best describes your current position? (Check one)

q CPS Intake q Family Support Caseworker
q CPS Investigator q Adoption Caseworker
q General Foster Care Caseworker q Independent Living Caseworker
q Therapeutic Foster Care Caseworker q Foster/Adoptive Home Recruitment and/or Trainer
q Group Home Caseworker q Program Supervisor/Administrator
q Family Preservation Caseworker q Other:

 

2. What best describes your work setting? (Check one)

q Public agency q Public/private partnership
q Private not-for-profit organization q Other:
q Private for-profit organization

 

3. How long have you been working in the child welfare field?

q 1 year or less q 11-20 years
q 1-5 years q Over 20 years
q 6-10 years

 

4. How long have you been working with children who experience emotional/behavioral problems and their families?

q 1 year or less q 11-20 years
q 1-5 years q Over 20 years
q 6-10 years

 

5. Based either on your knowledge of the children or a clinical diagnosis, what percent of the children in your caseload have emotional/behavioral problems?

q 0-10 percent q 51-70 percent
q 11-30 percent q Over 70 percent
q 31-50 percent

 

6. If you work primarily with children in a specific age range, what is that range?

q 0-3 years q 13-18 years
q 4-5 years q Over 18 years
q 6-12 years q Not applicable

7. In what state do you primarily work?

 

8. What best describes the geographic setting in which you work?

q large city q suburban
q small city q rural

 

9. Are there any special characteristics of children with whom you primarily work (e.g., children suffering sexual abuse; children with developmental disabilities, teen mothers; youth with aggressive behaviors etc.)?

 

Part II. Information Needs In Working With Children, Families, and Other Professionals

In this section, we are interested in finding out what kinds of information would help you be more effective in working with children experiencing emotional/behavioral disturbance and their families.

10. Ensuring Safety of Children and Adolescents

Do you need more information about the criteria or process for making decisions that ensure the safety of children?

q Yes
q No
q Uncertain

 

Do you need more information about the criteria or process for making decisions that ensure the safety of children with emotional/behavioral disturbances?

q Yes
q No
q Uncertain

 

11. Assessment of Children and Adolescents

About what types of assessment processes would you like more information?

(If you have several areas of information need, place a "1" by the most important area, a "2" by the second-most important area, and so on.)

___ Identifying children and families prior to report of abuse or neglect
___ Determining when to respond to a CPS complaint
___ Conducting CPS investigations
___ Determining whether a report is the result of mental health needs rather than protection needs
___ Assessment of child’s emotional health
___ Conducting strength-based assessments
___ Ongoing assessment and evaluation
___ Other:
___ Other:
___ Other:

 

12. Direct Child Welfare Services

About what types of interventions would you like more information?

(If you have several areas of information need, place a "1" by the most important area, a "2" by the second-most important area, and so on.)

___ Developing individualized service plans
___ Case management
___ Individualized wrap-around process
___ Coordinating interventions across environments (e.g., home and school)
___ Behavior management at school and in the community
___ Behavior management at home or out-of-home placement
___ Prevention of emotional and behavioral problems
___ Prevention of delinquency
___ Drug/alcohol treatment
___ Medications
___ Other:
___ Other:

 

13. Emotional/Behavioral Problems Experienced by Children and Adolescents

About which problems would additional information help you work more effectively?

(If you have several areas of information need, place a "1" by the most important area, a "2" by the second-most important area, and so on.)

___ Attachment and separation issues ___ Attention problems/impulse control
___ Conduct disorders ___ Aggressive/oppositional behaviors
___ Learning disorders ___ Pervasive developmental disorders/Autism
___ Communication disorders ___ Developmental disabilities
___ Psychotic disorders ___ Alcohol/drug abuse
___ Anxiety disorders ___ Sexual offenses
___ Mood disorders ___ Chronic Physical Illness
___ Eating disorders ___ Other:
___ Sleep disorders ___ Other:

 

14. Working with Families

About what types of practices would you like more information?

(If you have several areas of information need, place a "1" by the most important area, a "2" by the second-most important area, and so on.)

___ Involving families actively in service planning
___ Developing individualized family plans
___ Permanency planning
___ Determining when to modify a permanency plan
___ Concurrent permanency planning (reunification and other permanency options)
___ Helping families care for a child with emotional/behavioral problems
___ Family preservation and intensive family preservation
___ Family support services and respite care
___ Pre/post adoption counseling
___ Connecting families to other service providers/ programs
___ Coordinating interventions across environments (e.g., home and school)
___ Establishing effective communication channels with biological/foster/adoptive family, kinship provider, etc.
___ Identification and treatment of domestic violence
___ Support groups for parents
___ Group problem-solving
___ Mediation
___ Adult Learning
___ Working with culturally/linguistically diverse families
___ Other:

 

15. Working with Judges and Courts

About what types of practices would you like more information?

(If you have several areas of information need, place a "1" by the most important area, a "2" by the second-most important area, and so on.)

___ Working with judges ___ Preparing children and families for court
___ Working with the court system ___ Other:
___ Making presentations in court ___ Other:

 

16. Maximizing Community Resources

Information about what types of practices would help you maximize community resources?

(If you have several areas of information need, place a "1" by the most important area, a "2" by the second-most important area, and so on.)

___ Obtaining and using community resources
___ Developing individualized family plans coordinated across environments
___ Preparing children and families for court
___ Other:
___ Other:

 

17. System of Care

Do you need general information about what a system of care is and how child welfare is incorporated in a system of care?

q Yes
q No
q Uncertain

18. Principles of a System of Care

There are several principles associated with providing a service array for children with emotional/behavioral disabilities and their families. About what kinds of system of care principles and family-based practices would you like more information?

(If you have several areas of information need, place a "1" by the most important area, a "2" by the second-most important area, and so on.)

___ Creating a community-based service array ___ Coordinating with other child-serving agencies
___ Providing "child-centered, family-focused" services ___ Connecting families to community resources
___ Conducting individualized, strength-based assessments ___ Early identification and intervention for children at risk of emotional/behavioral problems
___ Creating individuals treatment plans ___ Delivering culturally-competent services
___ Involving families in driving/developing the system of care ___ Other:
___ Involving families in service planning for their children ___ Other:
___ Providing adequate case management services ___ Other:
___ Establishing effective provider-family communication

 

19. Financing Issues

About what financing issues would you like more information?

(If you have several areas of information need, place a "1" by the most important area, a "2" by the second-most important area, and so on.)

___ Pooling funds from several sources ("blended funding") ___ Impact of welfare reform on children and families
___ Operating in a managed care environment ___ Impact of health care reform/managed care
___ Accessing Medicaid ___ Legal requirements for reimbursement of services
___ Title IV-E and IV-B funding flexibility ___ Other:
___ Other public sector funding (e.g., education, juvenile justice, mental health, etc.) ___ Other:

 

20. Of the major categories listed in the current section, which are most important for you to have more information about?

(Please place a "1" by the most important area, a "2" by the second-most important area, and so on.)

___ Ensuring safety of children and adolescents ___ Maximizing community resources
___ Assessment of children and adolescents ___ Principles of a system of care
___ Direct child welfare services ___ Financing issues
___ Emotional/behavioral problems of children and adolescents ___ Other:
___ Working with families ___ Other:
___ Working with judges and courts

 

Part III. Acquiring Information

We are interested in how, or from whom, you receive information about working with children with emotional and behavioral problems and their families.

21. Where you currently get information

In order to receive more information about the areas listed in Part II, what sources do you currently use?

(If you have several sources you might utilize, place a "1" by the most likely source, a "2" by the second-most likely source, and so on.)

___ Professional/academic library ___ Consultation with a supervisor
___ Community library ___ Inservice trainings
___ Professional conference/workshop ___ Public health office
___ Resource center ___ Community mental health center
___ Resource materials (monographs, manuals, etc.) ___ Local schools
___ Professional journals ___ Advocacy or support groups
___ On-line services (Internet/bulletin boards) ___ Parent networks
___ Consultation w/a professional within your discipline ___ Other:
___ Consultation w/an individual within your discipline ___ Other:

 

22. Accessing other professionals

From what types of professionals do you get information about working with children and families?

(Use a scale of 0-2 to rate how often you access each professional: 0 = never, 1 = sometimes, 2 = often.)

___ Child welfare co-worker ___ University Professor
___ Child welfare supervisor/administrator ___ Public health nurse
___ Mental health clinician/counselor/therapist ___ Developmental pediatrician
___ Behavioral consultant/specialist ___ Other physician
___ Psychiatrist ___ Speech/language specialist
___ School counselor/psychologist ___ Occupational/physical therapist
___ School administrator/teacher ___ Parent advocate/liaison
___ Probation officer/juvenile justice official ___ Other:

 

23. Is there someone at your agency/organization or in your local/state jurisdiction whose job it is to give you assistance in obtaining information on services for children with emotional/behavioral problems?

q Yes
q No
q Don’t Know

If yes, what is that person’s title or position?

 

24. Preferred ways of getting information

If you were to receive information about serving children and families from a national resource center, what would be your preferred way(s) to receive that information?

(Please place a "1" by the most preferred way, a "2" by the second-most preferred way, and so on.)

___ World Wide Web ___ Catalogues of available resource materials
___ Internet: E-mail, ListServ, Bulletin board ___ Fact sheets/newsletters
___ Postal service (hard copies) ___ Conferences or workshops
___ 800 number ___ Journal articles/monographs
___ Videotapes ___ Conference calls
___ Faxes ___ Other:

 

25. Do you have access to the Internet?

q Yes
q No
q Don’t Know

If yes, where?

q Home
q Work
q Other:

 

26. Do you have an e-mail address?

q Yes
q No
q Don’t Know

 

Part IV. Further Insights and Correspondence Information

 

27. What do you believe to be the largest barriers to improving services for children and families?

 

28. What strategies have helped you most to provide effective services to children and families?

 

29. What more can you tell us about receiving information on providing services to children and families and/or collaborating with other service providers?

 

30. Please describe how the new welfare law is impacting the families you work with (e.g., are they finding jobs and providing a better home environment for their children; are children coming into foster care because their parents are no longer receiving AFDC; etc)?

 

31. Other comments?

 

32. Would it be permissible for us to contact you in the future if we have further questions?

q Yes q No

 

33. Would you like to be maintained on a mailing list to receive updated information?

q Yes q No

Preferred Address (if you responded "Yes" to either of the above):

Name

Address

Telephone and/or FAX

e-mail

 

Please return the completed survey to:

Joan Dodge
National Technical Assistance Center on Children’s Mental Health
Georgetown University Child Development Center
3307 M Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20007-3935
Phone: 202-687-5000/FAX: 202-687-1954

 

Thank you for your time. Your responses will assist us in our efforts to provide information about best practices to service providers nationwide.

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© 2001 The CECP is part of the American Institutes for Research (AIR), and is funded under a cooperative agreement with the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education (ED), with supplemental funding from the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).