ASFA TRAINING PROJECT
PHONE POLL OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES

Wyoming

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:

c. Workers:

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?

• Need an understanding of law and philosophy of law
• Develop interaction with court
  

b. Supervisors?

Need same skills as managers
Work with field staff on how to build cases for termination within requirements of ASFA
Ability to train new workers; have to deal with high turnover

c. Workers?

High turnover so many workers not trained as well as others

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.
  Not just related to ASFA - created a specific division housing all protective services which means a greater emphasis on children's issues, including ASFA
  
  Administration changed and broken down into 10 districts
  
  
• Internal communication? No Yes
  If yes, please describe
  Greater emphasis on phone conferences - question and answer teleconferences
  Direct communication between field staff and consultants
  More communication between district administration and director
  
  
• Performance appraisals? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  
• Job descriptions? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  Staff recruitment? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  

4. How do you handle staff training on ASFA?

a. Please describe the training.

Provided three rounds of training:

• State staff consultant went throughout state training on adoption, TPR, review of ASFA elements, compelling reasons, ASFA law, compliance, use of federal review as a guide
• Statewide training - brought in outside training on permanency
• Did training on family conferencing, new case plan with concurrent planning elements
  

b. Who does the training?

State staff and consultants
Some local people in developing model programs

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

In the CPS two week core training, ASFA is touched upon, but kept separate.

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

Attorney general is assigned to work with the agency. Additional attorneys have been hired. He works with the court improvement project to provide training for judges and court staff. Training will be implemented within the next year through the Court Improvement Project - training will be directed to social service staff and court personnel.

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?

Wyoming is using a SACWIS system. It seems to be working well.

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

In the process of implementing a SACWIS system. It is being used in one county at the moment. It should be implemented statewide by 2004.

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

Training worked best; also the attorney general has staff available to go into the field to help build cases.

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

• Inadequate number of staff to handle work load
• Staff turnover
• Need more judges so the court can act more quickly; there is no family court system so judges handle all kinds of cases including child welfare.
  

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

Wyoming is state supervised, state administrated.

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?

Useful to have people on central office staff who have been trained

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