October 2008
M
RS!
INFORMATION IN SUPPORT OF NORTH CAROLINA’S MULTIPLE RESPONSE SYSTEM
MRS Meetings
Meetings will be held
from 10 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
East
October 16
Halifax County
November 13
Onslow County
Central
October 29
Cabarrus County
November 19
Randolph County
West
October 14
Buncombe County
November meeting: TBA
For details about meeting
locations and directions,
contact Holly McNeill
828/757-5672
holly.mcn[email protected]
or consult the MRS
Calendar on Google at
http://www.google.com/
calendar/embed?src=
multipleresponsesystem
@gmail.com
continued next page
In a 2006 study, Kirk and
Griffith identified Child
Planning Conferences as
the most important
component of Family
Court for child welfare
cases.
In this Issue: Tool for Figuring Out Court Dates 2 NC’s Child
Welfare System Focuses on the Courts
3 Bringing About
Change in Your Judicial District
3 A Sincere and Heartfelt
Thanks
4 Reach Your Dreams 4 MRS Institute Photos 5
Working with the Courts: Child Planning Conferences
In the child welfare system in North Carolina we have spent a lot of time
lately talking about the importance of Child and
Family Team Meetings, or CFTs. There’s good reason
for this, of course. Studies in the United States and
elsewhere have found that holding family meetings
is a key strategy for promoting active concurrent
planning, stabilizing foster care placements, recruiting
and retaining kinship foster and adoptive homes, and
achieving a host of other positive results.
Clearly, CFTs are a useful tool in our efforts to ensure the safety, well-
being, and permanence of children.
Yet there are other types of meetings outside the child welfare system
that have a huge impact on child welfare-involved children and their families.
One of the most important of these is the CPC, or Child Planning Conference,
which comes to us from North Carolina’s court system.
Child Planning Conferences
Child Planning Conferences—sometimes called Day One Conferences—are a
recommended best practice being applied in some court districts in North
Carolina. Although there is some variation, most judicial districts that hold
CPCs use similar rules. The description of the CPC we provide here is based on
the Juvenile Court Rules used in judicial District 1, which serves Camden,
Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans Counties.
In court districts that use Child Planning Conferences, a CPC is scheduled
whenever a juvenile is taken into DSS custody and a petition is filed with the
court alleging child abuse, neglect, or dependency. CPCs are typically
scheduled by the Juvenile Court Case Manager and occur
after the child
enters DSS custody and
before the seven day Nonsecure Custody hearing.
CPCs seldom last longer than an hour.
The purpose a CPC is to expedite the process of establishing stability for
the child by bringing all the interested parties and community resources
together in a timely fashion to begin the planning process for the child’s
well-being. A CPC is a permanency-focused meeting.
Training Dates
Shared Parenting
October 1-2
Greensboro
Contact: Elaine Highsmith
336/954-1747
(fax) 336/954-1750
November 17-18
Kinston
Contact: Betty Williford
252/520-2413
(fax) 252/520-2417
Vol. 4, No. 1 • October 2008
MRS! is published quarterly
by the NC Division of Social
Services and the Jordan
Institute for Families at the
University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill School of
Social Work. This issue was
created by R. Patrick
Betancourt, Holly McNeill,
and John McMahon.
Comments?
Contact Patrick Betancourt,
Family Support and Child
Welfare Services, NC Divi-
sion of Social Services, 2408
Mail Service Center, 325 N.
Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC
27699-2408, Courier: 56-
20-25, 919/334-1104;
patrick.betancourt@ncmail.net
Online
www.ncdhhs.gov/dss/mrs
2
Child Planning Conferences continued from page 1
According to Melanie Jordan, the Juvenile Court Case Manager in District
1, CPCs bring everyone—including schools, DSS, mental health, parents,
guardians ad litem, and the courts—to the table in a relaxed, respectful,
nonadversarial environment.
The Juvenile Court Case Manager facilitator
usually begins by giving all parties an opportunity
to present information and to ask brief questions
of each other. Typically the DSS social worker
presents the grounds for taking custody of the
children, but there is no formal presentation of
evidence. When all parties have been heard, the
Juvenile Court Case Manager determines whether
there is agreement among the parties as to whether the juvenile needs to
remain in nonsecure custody.
If there is agreement that the child needs to remain in DSS custody, the
rest of the meeting is spent determining whether placement can be found
with family or friends, what services need to be initiated immediately to
expedite resolution of the problems that led to the child’s removal from the
home, and to establish a visitation schedule appropriate to the developmental
needs of the child and the circumstances of the family. Paternity may also be
addressed.
Many times, the things decided in CPCs are what families and other parties
choose for themselves. This can feel much better to families than having
things mandated by the court. After most CPCs the parties involved usually
agree that it is not necessary to hold an official Nonsecure Custody hearing;
these cases go straight to ajudication.
Want to Learn More?
If you’d like to learn more about Child Planning Conferences, read the Rules
for Juvenile Court in District 1. They can be found online at <http://
www.nccourts.org/Courts/CRS/Policies/LocalRules/Documents/1128.pdf>
Tool for Figuring Out Court Dates
There’s a new tool that’s being used in some judicial districts that some child
welfare social workers and supervisors find very helpful. It is a simple Microsoft
Excel file that calculates dates in the court process for a child, once you
enter in the date a Petition is filed.
Ann Holley, child welfare supervisor at Gates County DSS, who first received
a copy of this tool from Melanie Jordan, Juvenile Court Case Manager in
Judicial District 1, says it is a huge help. “It’s peace of mind,” Holley says.
You can download a copy of this tool by going to <http://
www.practicenotes.org/TrackingForm.xls>.
“The whole idea behind
this program is to get
permanence in children’s
lives within one year.
That’s our goal.”
— Melanie Jordan,
District 1 Juvenile
Court Case Manager
Training Dates
CPS Assessments in
Child Welfare Services
October 14-17
Charlotte
Register online through
ncswLearn.org
October 21-24
Fayetteville
Contact: Amy Campbell
910/677-0460
(fax) 910/677-0468
November 18-21
Charlotte
Register online through
ncswLearn.org
December 9-12
Charlotte
Contact: Bonnie English
704/395-2110
(fax) 704/395-2101
Introduction to
Substance Abuse for
Child Welfare Services
October 14-15
Greensboro
Register online through
ncswLearn.org
November 12-13
Kinston
Register online through
ncswLearn.org
3
NC’s Child Welfare System Focuses on the Courts
The court system has great influence on the child welfare system’s ability to
achieve the outcomes it seeks. This fact was underscored during North Carolina’s
most recent the federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR), which took
place in March 2007. During this review evaluators expressed concern with the
slowness with which termination of parental rights (TPR)—an essential precon-
dition of adoption—is achieved in our state. The main barriers to timely TPR
cited by reviewers were court scheduling difficulties, a lengthy TPR appeals
process, and the reluctance of some agency attorneys, caseworkers, and judges
to seek TPR, particularly for older children. In response to the CFSR, North
Carolina has dedicated a portion of its federal Program Improvement Plan (PIP)
to court involvement. Under the PIP, we have three court-related goals:
1. To implement strategies to increase responsiveness to child safety issues
by judges, attorneys, and other professionals.
2. To implement strategies to achieve permanency which address court delays
at all stages of the court process.
3. To implement strategies that encourage efficiency, consistency, and child
well-being for Juvenile Courts throughout NC’s 42 judicial districts.
In pursuit of these goals North Carolina is engaging in a variety of strategies.
Efforts are underway to cross-train judges, attorneys, court personnel, and
child welfare staff to educate everyone about best practices for increasing
child safety, well-being, and permanence. Collaboration and communication
are increasing between the Administrative Office of the Courts and the NC
Division of Social Services, the agencies that oversee the court and child welfare
systems at the state level.
Also, a new chapter of child welfare policy related to the courts is in the
works. Look for an announcement about this soon.
Bringing about Change in Your Judicial District
When it comes to improving relationships with the courts, traditionally child
welfare professionals have often felt somewhat stymied. Communication with
the judicial system—let alone change—has felt out of their control.
For front line supervisors and child welfare staff, to some extent that is still
the case. Their best means of directly communicating with judges and the
judicial system is practicing good social work and being prepared and professional
when they appear in court. That said, the courtroom is not an appropriate
forum for advocating for change or interagency dialogue.
With DSS directors the story is different. Because they and Chief District
Court Judges are peers—each leads an essential institution of the local
community—they can initiate interagency dialogue and/or advocate for change.
If there are issues you feel need to be addressed or innovative practices you
would like to see introduced in your judicial district, speak to your director.
Sometimes change needs to come from the top.
4
Training Dates
Coaching in the
Kitchen: Guiding
Parents through
Teachable Moments
To register contact:
Donna Walters-Pearson
828/433-7187
(fax) 828/430-8762
November 4-6
Raleigh
Supervisors
Strengthening Staff
Performance:
Managing Transfer of
Learning in the Work
Place
To register contact:
Donna Walters-Pearson
828/433-7187
(fax) 828/430-8762
Asheville Class
November 12-13
December 10-11
Understanding and
Interventing in Child
Neglect
To register contact:
Judy Prophet
704/545-9512
(fax) 704/573-4802
October 16-17
Kinston
Adult Mental Health
Issues Which Impact
Families Served by
Child Welfare
November 6-7
Greensboro
Register online through
ncswLearn.org
A Sincere and Heartfelt Thanks
by Holly McNeill
I would like to offer up a special thanks to everyone who
attended the 2008 MRS Learning Institute in Greensboro this
past August. Once again, this event was a huge success. The
Planning Committee would like to extend some special thank-yous to people
who made it such a special and exciting event.
First, to our learned and dynamic presenters: thank-you for engaging
participants and providing a wide range of activities and information that will
serve the families and children of North Carolina. This year’s presenters included
professional trainers, county and private agency staff, as well as family members
and youth. What a wealth of experience!
Next, to the administration of the North Carolina Division of Social Services,
a huge thanks for your support. In particular we’d like to give a special thanks
to a special lady, Ms. Jo Ann Lamm. Jo Ann has been an inspiration and a leader
for MRS since the beginning. Her participation in the Institute has been a
highlight for staff and participants. As Jo Ann looks forward to her well-earned
retirement this November, we offer our profound thanks for all that she has
done to develop and support the Multiple Response System.
The Institute would not be possible without the help of our Advisory
Committee, as well as Division and county staff members who volunteer to work
behind the scenes. Because of them, participants reported a positive experience
during the entire event, from the registration desk through the closing session.
These are the folks who put the goodies in the bags and provide a seemingly
endless supply of smiles. Our hats are off to you!
Of course, last, but certainly not least: our participants. Where would we be
without your energy and commitment to learning, growing, and providing services
to help the families, youth, and children of North Carolina achieve the best
possible outcomes? Thanks to all!
For those of you who couldn’t attend this event and for those of you who
were there and want to relive the glory, on the next page we have included some
photos of former NC foster child and professional speaker, Jimmy Wayne, who
performed at the Institute, as well as a number of other familiar faces. Enjoy!
Reach Your Dreams
A goal is a dream with a deadline. To reach your dreams, set goals you can reach.
•
Discover your drDiscover your dr
Discover your drDiscover your dr
Discover your dr
eameam
eameam
eam. Imagine that you only have one year to live and that you’re
protected from failure. Anything you try you will achieve.
•
Set goalsSet goals
Set goalsSet goals
Set goals. Goals bridge the span between your present and future—your dream.
•
AA
AA
A
void drvoid dr
void drvoid dr
void dr
eam killerseam killers
eam killerseam killers
eam killers. Negativity and fear jeopardize dreams. To succeed, you must try.
•
Make a commitmentMake a commitment
Make a commitmentMake a commitment
Make a commitment. Know there will be obstacles along the way.
•
Make a changeMake a change
Make a changeMake a change
Make a change. Face uncertainty and take action on your dreams.
Source: It only takes a minute to change your life (1997) by W. Jolley, St. Martin’s Press, cited in People at Work.
Jimmy Wayne and participants
Patrick Betancourt, MRS Coordinator; Charisse Johnson, Chief of Family Support and Child Welfare Services;
Teresa Turner, Staff Development Team Leader; Sherry Bradsher, NCDSS Director; Jackie Sheppard, Assistant
Secretary, NC Dept. of Health and Human Services
NCDSS Deputy Director Jo Ann Lamm
Closing keynote speaker
Jeanne Robertson
Jimmy Wayne and participants
