Gd\ Hioo.cb Pi cs CPS 100\:>/3 REPORTS Published for the Child Protective Services Staff of the Division of Family and Children Services Child Protective Services Task Force Hears from the Experts March 2000 Committee members assigned to research and provide background for the CPS task force recommendations were deluged with information at their February meeting in Atlanta. Apanel of national child welfare experts gave their views on Georgia's current situation and shared their ideas for change . One of the panelists, Beverly Jones from Washington DC, was appointed special field coordinator for Fulton DFCS several days after the meeting (See story on page 4).]ones made the following suggestions about ways to improve protective services: Don't write any new policy. Find ways other than through promotions to reward good staff, This would encourage effective caseworkers to stay on the front line. Provide ongoing training and good supervision. Have good data. Make case plans specific with desired outcomes listed. Keep caseloads small. Institutionalize family conferencing. Don't tie up all your funding in one type of resource, e.g., parenting classes (when you have a variety of services available you can offer families what they need). Presenter Peter Lyons Ph.D. noted that Georgia CPS staff salaries rank fourth from the bottom compared to other states. Lyons, from Georgia State University's School of Social Work, also said that the state has among the lowest qualifications for CPS positions and just 1Opercent of workers have bachelor's degrees in social work. Lyons is on the task force staff. In addition to presenting data, Lyons made several suggestions to task force and committee members on how to proceed to the final report. When they prepare to draft their recommendations, he advised them to ask themselves: Do our recommendations ensure the capacity to evolve after the taskforce disbands? Do theyfocus both on CPS and on otherparts ofthesystem? Do they address the interface between systems? Lyons also reminded the group that child abuse prevention is ideally three-tiered, encompassing primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Primary addresses everyone, while secondary efforts target those at risk (for example, teenage single mothers) . "CPS addresses only the tertiary level, preventing recurrences of abuse and neglect, but the task force must address all three levels," Lyons said. The committees plan to have draft recommendations ready by March 24 for the task force 's review. To send your comments, advice and suggestions to the task force, write CPS Task Force Box 1417 Atlanta, GA 30303 The website provides regularly updated information at www.cpstaskforce.state.ga.us Child Safety Initiative 2000 Inside Th!o-thirds in Substance Abuse Treatment Report Childhood Abuse 1\vo-thirds in Substance Abuse Treatment report Childhood Abuse Breaking the cycle of substance abuse among adults who suffered abuse and neglect as children is the focus of a new best treatment practices guide released in February by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration s1 (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). The publication, Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons wjth ChjJd Abuse and Neglect Issues, is the 36th in a series of treatment improvement protocols published by CSAT. It offers guidance to substance abuse treatment counselors and other providers in identifying and treating adults with alcohol or drug abuse addictions who are survivors of childhood physical, sexual or other abuse or neglect. This new guide warns that failure to treat both problems puts children of these patients at risk for abuse, neglect, and eventual self-medication with alcohol or drugs. 1'While not all victims of child- hood abuse and neglect become substance abusers, the relationship is clear," SAMHSA Administrator Nelba Chavez, Ph.D. said. "It is critically important that professionals who treat substance abuse in adults recognize the signs of prior childhood neglect and abuse. With estimates of as many as two-thirds of all those in substance abuse treatment reporting that they were physically, sexually or emotionally abused during childhood, we must focus on treating these adults who are raising the next gen- eration of children." CSAT Director H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D. , M.P.H., explained that 1TIP 36 will help alcohol and drug treatment providers work more effectively with adults with histories of childhood abuse or neglect, and adults who abuse, or are at risk of abusing, their own children. Without proper screening and assessment of their patients, counselors may wrongly attribute symptoms of childhood trauma-related disorders to the consequences of current sub- stance abuse. Understanding and treating the root causes of clients' symptoms will greatly increase the effectiveness of substance abuse treatment." The report documents the associ- ation between one form of abusesexual abuse-and depression, anxiety, sexual dysfunction, eating disorders, personality disorders, dissociative disorders and substance abuse. Treatment improvement proto- cols are developed by consensus panels of non-federal experts to provide best practices guidance to clinicians, program administrators and payers. TIP36 Treatment improvement protocol (TIP) 36 points out that screening substance abusers for childhood abuse or neglect can have the following benefits: Stopping the cycle: TIP 36 highlights research indicating that, while adults who were abused or neglected in their childhoods do not always abuse their own children, they are at greater risk for doing so. Decreasing the probability of relapse: Many people consume substances to self-medicate post-traumatic stress symptoms related to childhood physical or sexual abuse or other trauma. Improving a client's overall psychological and interpersonal functioning: Childnood sexual abuse and neglect may affect the individual's selfconcept and self-esteem. Improving program outcome: Screening for a history of child abuse or neglect will help a program determine the needs of a client and thus improve treatment outcomes. 2 Update from Commissioner Home I t is never easy to work in CPS, but this is a particularly difficult time for all of us. I want to keep you up to date on what is going on with CPS and what we are doing to improve ser- vices to children. As you know, the Atlanta fournal- Constitution has been running a series of articles on deaths of chil- dren whose families had been investigated by CPS at some time previous to the child's death. National television picked up the story and ran a highly critical report on the death of one of the children. However, I would like to point out that despite some inaccuracies (and perhaps some sensationalizing) , the newspapers and TV sta- tions have identified weaknesses and errors in the way the cases studied were handled. While these reports have been painful and difficult to hear about, our major goal now is to focus on improving Georgia's child welfare system. As ofJanuary 12, the GB! began investigating 13 child deaths by obtaining records from DFCS offices in Bibb, Cherokee, Clarke, Fulton, Glynn and Sumter counties. Governor Barnes also ordered the GB! to set up a telephone hotline for people to call who have information on any of the 13 cases. That number is 1-800-254-2064. We are cooperating fully with the GB!. If we are to keep more children safe and prevent child deaths due to abuse or neglect, we have to accept responsibility and correct what needs to be corrected. There is no perfect system, but there is always a way to improve the system and that is what, with your help and support, I intend to do. This is where DHR is currently: The recently appointed independent Child Protective Services Task Force is expected to propose creative options for addressing some of our issues. In case you didn't know, a CPS investigator, Cherry Cornelius from Fulton DFCS, is an official member of the task force . Last month's community forums gave us a lot of input from professionals and members of the general public. Please know that your opinions are needed and we value the professional and personal input you have provided to the task force. I have placed the responsibility for following up county corrective action plans with DFCS Social Services and DHR's Office of Audits. The audits office will track the request for, and the submission and completion of, each corrective action plan. The training of staff from Eligibility and other DFCS sections and their transfer to CPS is continuing. (Editor's note: To date, about 80 of theproposed 171 new CPS staff members have completed their training. ) I am working on raising starting salaries of social services case managers and other related positions so we become more competitive . The new DFCS Director Juanita Blount-Clarke is expected to Continued on page 4 Nancy Berson joined Mark Everson to train CPS staffin the art offorensic interviewing. She is assistant director ofthe UNC program and coordinates Duke University's Child Protection Team. The February B.I. T.E. sessions drew afull house in every city. Presenter Mark Everson, Ph.D. makes a point at the recent B.I. T.E session in Macon . Everson heads the University of North Carolina's childhood trauma and maltreatment program, specializing in evaluating and treating victims of maltreatment, with an emphasis on sexual abuse. 3 "Update," Continued from page 3 enforce certain existing policies that may not have been followed in the past and develop new policies that relate to visits, documentation, case closings, county and state level supervision and accountability. The long-standing problems related to keeping children safe did not arise overnight and no one person is to blame. Neither are we the only protective services agency in this situation. Almost every state has faced, or is facing, similar events and public outcry. I am confident that we will come out of this with a stronger, better system. Icount on you to continue to do your job professionally and compassionately. Audrey W. Home Child Safety Initiative 2000 Fulton DFCS will be the site of the Child Safety Initiative 2000 pilot. The initiative addresses the protective services issues raised in recent months and aims to refocus casework on achieving more positive results. The pilot, which is currently in the planning stages, will include a review of all current case records, site visits to selected homes to verify case records and to ensure that safety plans are in place, and the development of a policy to strengthen mandated reporter relationships. Beverly Jones, newly-appointed special field coordinator for Fulton, will serve as the initiative leader. New Fulton DFCS Coordinator Named A n administrator with Washington DC's Child and Family Services has been appointed special field coordinator for Fulton County. "Beverly Jones has more than 30 years of experience in child protective services. She will bring an outsider's perspective to reviewing the total operation of Fulton DFCS, with special emphasis on CPS and foster care," Juanita Blount-Clark said. Previously, one field coordinator oversaw operations in Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Rockdale counties.Jones will report to Blount-Clark and serve as a special assistant to the DFCS director. She will be responsible for ensuring that appropriate policies and procedures are followed in Fulton, and identifying any corrective actions needed. Fulton DFCS Director Ralph Mitchell will now report to Jones. Jones served formerly as the intake and family services administrator in DC, overseeing a staff of 260. Prior to that, she was director of the Arkansas Division of Family and Children Services. She joins Georgia DFCS on March 27. Supervisors to Meet in April Twenty-five workshops on every subject from program issues to management skills will highlight the supervisors' meeting in Atlanta. The meeting is scheduled for April 25-27 at the Sheraton Atlanta. For more information, contact the Consultation and Support unit at 404 /657-3461. 4 REPORTS Published by the Georgia Department of Human Resources Office of Communications Tell us your story. What, or whom do you want to read about? Fax your ideas and the name and number of a contact person to Renee Huie, editor, CPS Reports Cd 404-651-6815. iii DHR