National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response in Child Protective Services. (2009, July). Information summit on prevention: Final report. Englewood, CO: Author. Retrieved from http://www.differentialresponseqic.org/assets/docs/prevention-info-summit- report-feb-09.pdf

This report summarizes proceedings at the Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response (QIC-DR) Information Summit on Prevention in child protective services (CPS). Topics covered included the ways in which a differential response-organized CPS system might contribute to the prevention of future instances of child maltreatment in families being served by the system, as well as documented indicators of success and challenges. Lessons learned from other systems, including community-based programs such as the Strengthening Families Program and gaps in the knowledge base around this issue were also discussed.

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Barber, J., & Knoke, D. (2003). Evaluating the implementation of assessment tools in the Australian child protection system. In N. Trocmé, D. Knoke, & C. Roy (Eds.), Community collaboration and differential response: Canadian and international research and emerging models of practice (pp. 49-63). Ottawa, ON: Child Welfare League of Canada.

This book chapter describes research that examines the reliability and validity of clinical judgment versus actuarial risk and safety assessment instruments in Australia’s child protection system. Existing policies support the implementation of assessment instruments that guide and inform workers in both their approach to children and families and their decisions about the services that families need. Likewise, the use of empirically-based assessment tools was introduced in order to increase the consistency of assessments. It is hypothesized that the implementation of a more quantifiable risk and safety assessment process will also result in improved safety, more relevant services and decreased recurrence of maltreatment. The extent to which reliability and validity are preserved in practice depends on how these instruments are implemented. The authors describe the introduction of “tiered responding” based on actuarial assessment instruments in two Australian states. In South Australia, some training was provided prior to implementation, however there was no pilot testing of instruments and system practice modifications were not implemented. In contrast, the implementation of assessment instruments in Queensland was accompanied by efforts to train workers and monitor the new system’s effectiveness. Overall, proper training, monitoring and attention to the fidelity of instrument implementation are needed for more consistent, reliable and valid assessments and may ultimately lead to improved case prioritization.

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Berrick, J. D., Bryant, M., Conley, A., de Elizalde, L., Garcia, V., & Greer, A., … Price, A. (2008). Differential response and alternative response in diverse communities: An empirically-based curriculum. Berkeley, CA: University of California at Berkeley, Center for Child and Youth Policy. Retrieved from http://www.csulb.edu/projects/ccwrl/Differential%20Response%201023.pdf

 

This ten module curriculum on differential response (DR) was developed for the California Social Work Education Center (CALSWEC), a state coalition of social work educators and practitioners. The ten modules included are: 1) an introduction, 2) a review of differential response-related literature, 3-4) reviews of differential response practice in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, 5) practice issues, 6) assessing readiness in diverse communities, 7) client experience with differential response, 8-9) outcomes from Contra Costa and Alameda counties, and 10) implications for policy and practice. Each module includes a discussion of purpose, objectives, competencies, questions for discussion, and references.

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Brubacher, M. D., & Narayan, J. (2003). Community based child welfare services in Guelph and Wellington County. In N. Trocmé, D. Knoke, & C. Roy (Eds.), Community collaboration and differential response: Canadian and international research and emerging models of practice (pp. 89-97). Ottawa, ON: Child Welfare League of Canada.

This book chapter describes the components of a successful community-based service model used by Family and Children’s Services (FCS) of Guelph and Wellington County in Ontario, Canada. Under FCS leadership, the Shelldale Centre brought together a network of 16 agencies and community organizations into one facility -- located in an area known to have the highest rates of poverty and family problems -- to meet the needs of high-risk children and families. FCS’ provision of services is based on the belief that child protection is a community responsibility. FCS uses child-centered interventions in which parents and service providers act as partners and provide outreach to families most in need. The program has resulted in positive outcomes for parents and children; significant improvements in neighborhood safety; and significant, positive impacts on child welfare services, including a reduction in the number of children needing placement outside the home.

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Brunson, L., & Bouchard, C. (2003). Mobilizing communities to prevent child abuse and neglect: A cultural shift in child protection. In N. Trocmé, D. Knoke, & C. Roy (Eds.), Community collaboration and differential response: Canadian and international research and emerging models of practice (pp. 75-88). Ottawa, ON: Child Welfare League of Canada.

This book chapter provides an overview of attempts to maximize child protection in Canada, including the implementation of community mobilization and community collaboration strategies in child welfare practice. Rather than having children and families be exclusively served by child protective services (CPS), the authors argue that traditional child protection efforts could be augmented with community-based approaches. Key elements of these approaches include multi-sector coalitions between family service providers, orientation toward local community data in order to shape appropriate action plans, evidence-based programming and family participation and input regarding services. Furthermore, this chapter states that community-based approaches require local civic leadership and shared accountability for child safety, which will ultimately expand resource and service networks and help alleviate the pressure placed on CPS workers. The authors note that these types of “cultural shifts” in practice are not without their dilemmas. Typical challenges in implementing community-based approaches include how to mobilize communities, how to determine the role of local community residents and how to facilitate the often difficult collaboration process. However, the authors also emphasize that community partnerships are integral to expanding needed resources and services for families, and to possibly preventing future incidents of child maltreatment.

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Cameron, G., Freymond, N., & Roy, C. (2003). Avenues for positive innovations in Canadian child welfare: Lessons from the Partnerships for Children and Families Project and international jurisdictions. In N. Trocmé, D. Knoke, & C. Roy (Eds.), Community collaboration and differential response: Canadian and international research and emerging models of practice (pp. 14-31). Ottawa, ON: Child Welfare League of Canada.

This book chapter addresses the Canadian child welfare system. Research (i.e., interviews, focus groups and questionnaires) was conducted with parents, families and service providers as part of the Partnerships for Children and Families Project in Ontario. One research focus was to understand the daily lives and service experiences of children and families who were involved with child welfare and residential children’s mental health services. In addition, the research examined service providers’ views and experiences. One primary theme that emerged from the research was that it is often difficult to establish trusting and collaborative relationships between child welfare workers and families. The authors propose several avenues for change in the Canadian child welfare system, including flexible first responses tailored to the family’s individual needs and situation (i.e., differential response); an expanded range of “family-friendly” child placement options, including extended kin and family support network placements; and more interventions and time for consensual agreements during the period between supporting families and formally involving the legal system. These reforms would encourage strengths- and family-based practice, allow more time and flexibility for workers to help families, and provide families with a broader range of resources and supports. The authors also discuss the importance of developing collaborative partnerships among community service providers in order to serve families well.

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Carl Vinson Institute of Government. (2009). Differential response/family support

services: Policy analysis and recommendations. Athens, GA: Author.

This report provides recommendations for Georgia’s Department of Human Services to reform its child protective services system to address issues related to its overburdened system. A backlog developed such that investigations were not being carried out in a timely manner following the passage of legislation in 2004 that mandated investigations of all reports coming from mandated reporters. In order to mitigate the number of families receiving investigations, “diversion,” intended to be a mode of differential response, was implemented in some county jurisdictions to respond to reports that appeared to be of a lower-risk. The report details issues of concern in the diversion system including significant variation in definitions of differential response across counties and non-adherence to the model. After reviewing differential response models implemented in other states, the report suggests best practices for implementation in Georgia.

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Carpenter, C. (2007, Spring). Alternative response. Children, families, and the courts: Ohio bulletin, 3(3), 1-13. Retrieved from http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/pdfs/children/differential-response/pc-ar- ohio-child-law-bulletin.pdf

This article raises key policy issues in the implementation and practice of alternative response in Ohio. Ohio’s alternative response began as a ten-county pilot program via legislative authorization enacted on June 21, 2006. The article opens with an overview of alternative response (aka differential response), including a general definition and core elements. It notes the states and countries that have implemented differential response in whole or in part. It also summarizes outcomes data from evaluative research conducted in Alaska, California, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia. The Minnesota and Missouri evaluation reports address family and social worker responses, child safety and family well-being, and fiscal implications of differential response. The article includes a simple chart of differences between family assessment and traditional investigation. It summarizes the Supreme Court of Ohio Subcommittee on Child Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency’s recommendations for the pilot alternative response project in Ohio and concludes with the progress made and next steps in Ohio’s implementation of alternative response.

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Casey Family Programs. (2007). Implementing differential response in California: Promising practices and lessons learned. Seattle, WA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/BreakthroughSeries_DifferentialResp onse.htm

This report chronicles the Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) that was developed, tested and implemented by 43 California counties as part of the state’s child welfare redesign, including the three-tiered adaptation of differential response (DR) developed for the redesign efforts. Detailed background regarding DR, the BSC methodology and the state’s child welfare efforts are presented, and a series of elements regarding agency, community and family engagement are developed to support county implementation efforts. Measures to document DR implementation progress are then proposed, and promising practices for each element are described. County vignettes are included for each of the promising practices, and findings from collaborative-level qualitative data from focus groups and interviews are presented. The report sees the early results of the BSC work as promising and proposes next steps. These include: rigorous evaluation, training and technical assistance in the proposed elements to counties; increased investment in community-based services; and exploring policy changes needed to support the continued implementation of the BSC’s work.

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Child and Family Policy Institute of California. (2006). Child welfare services system improvements: 11 county pilot implementation evaluation: Initial assessment phase, July 2003 to June 2006. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Social Services, Children and Family Services Division. Retrieved from http://www.cfpic.org/children/pdfs/11_County_Eval_Phase1.pdf

This document reviews the initial, planning phase of California’s 2003 11-county project to pilot selected child welfare strategies. Differential response (DR) is one of the strategic areas to be addressed, in addition to standardized safety assessment and permanency and youth transition. The report outlines in detail the process and structure of the state’s three-path adaptation of DR. Successes, challenges and recommendations are also presented. Recommendations for expanding the pilot to other counties are outlined in the areas of community collaboration, culture shift and systems change, training, workload and evaluation. Appendices include instruments, and both state and county-level planning documents. The 11 participating counties were Contra Costa, Glenn, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Placer, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Stanislaus, Tehama and Trinity.

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