ASFA TRAINING PROJECT
PHONE POLL OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES
2003

Colorado

1. How would you rate your agency's staff in terms of their understanding of ASFA requirements? We are particularly interested in the level of understanding of managers, supervisors and workers. Please rate their understanding on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being 'poor' and 5 being 'comprehensive'.

Comment: CO is a state supervised, county administered state. The following answers are from the County perspective.

a. Managers:

Comments: We’ve had little turnover with our County Managers; we brought them ASFA information over the years and have reinforced .

b. Supervisors:

Comments: We’ve had some turnover at the supervisory level but not as much as at the worker level.

c. Workers:

Comments: That rating is an average. We've had higher turnover on the worker level so some workers know ASFA well while others would ask what ASFA is all about.

2. Following are some of the skills that managers, supervisors and workers need to have to implement ASFA. Please rate each of these on a scale of 1-5 with one being 'do not need it' and 5 being 'extremely important.'

a. Managers:

Case work skills:

Collaborative skills

Understanding requirements of ASFA

Understanding how to implement ASFA requirements

Using data effectively

Other, please specify and rate:

Use of SACWIS

b. Supervisors:

Case work skills:

Communication skills:

Collaborative skills:

Understanding how to implement ASFA requirements

Using data effectively

Other, please specify and rate:

Use of SACWIS

c. Workers:

Case work skills:

Collaborative skills

Communication skills:

Understanding how to implement ASFA requirements

Using data effectively

Other, please specify and rate:

Use of SACWIS

3. In the past year, since our earlier survey, as part of your ASFA implementation has the agency undertaken any activities in the following areas:

Agency structure? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
At the County level.

Internal communication? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

Comment: Communication is on-going and frequent.

Performance appraisals? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
Some counties have ASFA outcomes in their performance plans.

Job descriptions? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

Staff recruitment? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

Comment: Given our staff cutbacks, we haven't done much staff recruitment but we're starting to see the counties include ASFA knowledge on internal postings.

Case Review? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

Foster/Adoptive parent recruitment? No Yes
If yes, please describe.
Both at the state and county levels. We have a statewide recruiter to work with and support the counties’ recruitment efforts.

4. In the past year, since our earlier survey, has there been any ASFA training for child welfare agency personnel? No Yes
If yes, go to question 4a. If no, go to question 4e.

a. What topics were covered in that ASFA training?

Permanency hearing, judicial timeframes, concurrent planning and reasonable efforts.

b. Which of the following did you use for the ASFA training?

Statewide training
In service training
     Comment: County
Pre-service training
     Comment: County
Forums on ASFA topics
Conferences on ASFA topics
Regularly scheduled meetings
Managers train people
Interactive video on ASFA topics
Teleconferences on ASFA topics
Training by federal agencies
Information is circulated about ASFA

c. Who did the training?

Agency/training unit staff
     Comment: Contract trainers
Outside consultants
State university
Court staff
Central office staff
Regional staff

d. Was the training just on ASFA or was it incorporated into other training that you provide?

Incorporated
     Comment: into on going training for managers and supervisors
Incorporated into new worker training
Not incorporated

e. In the past year, since our earlier survey, have you done any of the following ASFA training with or for the courts? No Yes
If yes, continue with this question; if no go to question 4g.

Joint training sessions
Agency and court staff have worked together on local level
Court Improvement Project events attended by agency people
ASFA workgroups of agency and court staff
Agency staff have trained court people
Agency published a newsletter for court staff
Other

f. What topics were covered in that ASFA training for the courts?

MEPA, Timelines. We also do a cross systems training with the courts. This involves a 3-4 month planning effort and the use of data from both the CW and court systems to paint a balanced picture of court/agency practice.

g. Have you done ASFA training with or for any of the following:

Schools
Health care providers
Mental health providers
     Comment: invited to the CW conference
Tribes
Other, please specify

h. What topics were covered in the ASFA training?

5. Thinking about future training for your agency and community partners (not just on ASFA), what do you think is the number one training need of:

a. Agency managers:

b. Agency supervisors:

Understanding data

c. Agency workers:

Utilizing data

d. Foster parents:

Best interest of the child, reunification and confidentiality

e. Schools:

An increased understanding that the child’s well-being is influenced by how the foster parents partner or not with social services

f. Health care providers:

How and why to create a healthcare passport

g. Mental health providers:

Attachment, grief and loss and adoption competent knowledge as well as foster parent competent knowledge.

h. Tribes:

i. Courts:

Asking questions that acknowledge the role of social services and holds it accountable. For judges, child development training.

j. Is there any other group you think has a training need? Please specify.

6. How well does your information system support the work of managers, supervisors and workers in implementing ASFA? Please rate the support provided by your system on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being 'poor' and 5 being 'outstanding'.

a. Why did you give your system that rating?

As additional management reports continue to roll out, our SACWIS (TRAILS) will become more and more useful. The data is in there; we’re just now figuring out how to get it out in a meaningful way.

b. If a rating of 1 or 2 is given, probe as to the status of the SACWIS system.

7. Please rate the importance of the following in terms of supporting staff as they implement the ASFA requirements, with 1 being 'not important' and 5 being 'crucial.'

Training

Increased communication

Resources to support staff

Collaborative efforts with stakeholders

Seeing ASFA as good casework practice

Management support

Revising policy to support ASFA

Monitoring implementation

Other, please specify and rate:

Funding

8. Do you see any of the following as barriers to your agency's support for staff as they implement the requirements of ASFA (check if 'yes')?

Lack of resources
     Comment: Particularly in rural areas.
Difficult relationship with courts
Staff turnover
Limitations or lack of computer system
Lack of understanding/knowledge about ASFA
Heavy workload
Lack of support
Difficulty meeting ASFA requirements
Large number of cases
Differences in interpretation
Lack of services
     Comment: especially culturally appropriate services.
Lack of time
Lack of training
Problems caused by a county-based system
Other, please specify:

9. (For County based systems only.) Do any of the following impact your ASFA implementation (check if 'yes')?

Must be responsive to local needs
Lack of uniform practice standards
Communication can be difficult
Approach is fragmented
Limited state control
Limited resources
Other

10. At which point in the Child and Family Service Review process is your agency?

a.

Planning
Statewide assessment underway
Review complete
     Comment: working on the PIP
Working to complete the activities described in the PIP

b. Are there any significant lessons you learned from the CFSR? If so, please describe.

The accuracy of data in your SACWIS and the investment of stakeholders in service delivery are so important.

11. Is there anything else that you want to tell us regarding the best way to support staff as they implement the requirements of ASFA and the CFSR?

Do you mind if we call you again if we need additional information?

No
Yes

Back to Top