ASFA TRAINING PROJECT PHONE POLL OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES

Maine

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'.

a. Managers:

b. Supervisors:

Comments: Know ASFA requirements better because they work with them more; more hands on experience

c. Workers:

Comments: Workers are more dependent on instruction

2. Based on your agency's experience to date, what skills do you think managers, supervisors and workers need to have to implement ASFA?

a. Managers?

• Good organizational skills
• Ability to track things
• Good social work skills
• Grasp of how to engage families differently; ability to focus on what kids needs are
• Legal knowledge regarding negotiating
• Be able to sell the idea to staff that ASFA requirements are good for families as well as being federal requirements

b. Supervisors?

Same as managers

c. Workers?

Same as managers and supervisors only more emphasis on implementation skills. Workers need to really understand the requirements and buy into implementing them.

3. As part of your ASFA implementation has your agency undertaken any activities in the following areas:

• Agency structure? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  • Have shifted some positions/redistributed staff so there is more emphasis on adoption
  • Deputy director given additional responsibility for oversight of districts; help them focus on ASFA
  • Were able to hire 8 new staff members with funding from federal funds
    
• Internal communication? No Yes
  If yes, please describe
  • Increased communication.
  • More emphasis on reading reports to see how kids are moving through the system
    
• Performance appraisals? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  The districts have changed the language in performance appraisals to reflect ASFA requirements. These changes have not been incorporated centrally yet. Each district decided what they wanted to do.
  
• Job descriptions? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  
• Staff recruitment? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  Now when staff are going to be hired, think in terms of ASFA requirements and how will individuals could deal with them. Try to recruit candidates with those characteristics.
  

4. How do you handle staff training on ASFA?

a. Please describe the training.

• Statewide training sessions for all staff
• Discussions at program administrators meetings provided information for participants to share in their districts
• Various people sent to training conferences given by the federal agency and other organizations.
  

b. Who does the training?

• Agency director
• Agency assistant attorneys general
• Other agency staff
• Training institute
  

c. Is the training just on ASFA or is it incorporated into other training that you provide?

Now it's part of the pre-service training. There is a three day segment on legal training. ASFA topics are presented there since elements of ASFA have been made part of the state law.

d. Have you done any training with or for the courts? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

There was a judicial symposium on ASFA. Some agency staff attended. The Court Improvement Project helped court with changes caused by ASFA.

5. 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?

The information system in use is the SACWIS system. It was designed to be a case management system, not designed to report. In the process of trying to improve the reporting function.

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

6. What has worked best for you in terms of supporting staff as they implement the ASFA requirements?

Reinforcement of successes that leads to buy in by staff. It is possible to see that the focus on moving kids who were stuck in the system into adoptive homes has produced results. It is harder to show how many kids have gone home; once staff can see that, it too will reinforce success.

7. What do you view as barriers to your agency's support for staff as they implement the requirements of ASFA?

• High caseloads
• Frequent staff turnover
  

8. (For County based systems only.) To what extent does the fact that your state is county-based impact your ASFA implementation?

State supervised system.

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

Helpful if staff is stable
Periodic training updates - communicate via e-mail, memos to update staff

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