ICWA

One Social Worker is an Indian Child Welfare Act specialist who attends trainings and keeps a master list of all queries and responses on children who may have Native American ancestry.  The ICWA specialist advises Social Workers on the legal rights of children identified as potential members of any tribe.

Children's System of Care

The Children's System of Care is a Mental Health program which provides intensive, home based treatment for seriously emotionally disturbed children and their families.  Clients are all Dependents of the Juvenile Court at the time of referral.  Services are aimed at helping children stay in the most family-like setting, and lowest level of care possible.  Services are provided to children in all settings (family, receiving home, foster home, and group home).  Current Mental Health staff includes:  a coordinator, seven clinicians, one clinical case manager, and clerical support.  Primary case management support for the team is provided by CSA Social Workers.

Family Decision Meeting Coordinators:

Coordinators:  3 Social Workers IV's

Goal:  Insure safety of children through involvement of extended family.

Location:  Where family chooses - home, church, CSA, out of state.

Attendees:  Parents, children, all available family, service providers involved with family

Transportation:  Paid by CWS if necessary

The family and all service providers involved with the family meet and formally discuss the goal of the meeting.  The family's strengths and concerns are listed.  The professionals then leave, and the family is given as much time alone as needed to make the decisions about the children.  Service providers are then invited back into the room to hear the decisions and to review that the final plan ensures the safety of the children.  Families often provide more comprehensive and more creative solutions that the professionals would have designed.  The agency is committed to offering Family Decisions meetings as an alternative to placement in the Emergency Response and Family Maintenance stages.  In Family Reunifications and Placement phases, the focus is generally on who can best care for the children and what services the family needs to do so.

Domestic Violence Coordinator:

The Domestic Violence coordinator makes home visits with the Emergency Response or ongoing FM,  FP, or FIP Social Worker to address safety issues in the home.  Families are encouraged to participate in the community based domestic violence counseling; children are referred to the Haven's Kids Count program.  The DV Coordinator works closely with The Haven, the Behavorial Health Services Team on site and provides DV training for CWS staff.