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ResourcesSearchable Annotated Differential Response BibliographyUpdated October 6, 2009
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2008). Differential response to reports of child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved October 2, 2009, from http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/issue_briefs/differential_response This publication of the Federal Children’s Bureau gives a historical and programmatic description of differential response, including its philosophical underpinnings and a comparison to traditional child protective services approaches. It describes the common characteristics and variations of DR across states, and presents quantitative and qualitative findings from evaluation research. The document concludes with a series of recommendations for jurisdictions considering DR, which addresses child safety concerns, systematic but flexible pathway assignment, effective assessment, adequate community service and informal support capacity, staff training and workloads, and ongoing outcome-based evaluation. Questions for further research are also listed, regarding the effectiveness of voluntary services, case follow-up, family engagement, worker caseloads, service capacity and community collaboration. Keywords: child welfare practice, family engagement, child safety and risk, community resources, central registry, disposition, agency accountability, assessment, substantiation, prior victimization, recurrence, cost-effectiveness, family-centered practice, system flexibility, service capacity, natural supports, workload Child Welfare League of America. (2007, September). Alternative response systems: Learning tool 13. Retrieved October 2, 2009, from http://www.friendsnrc.org/download/ars.pdf This learning tool is based on a 2007 meeting between joint grantees of Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP), Promoting Safe and Stable Families, the state liaison officers and the Children’s Justice Act. Representatives from 40 states also attended. Participants shared information regarding their involvement with alternative response (AR) and other innovative child welfare practices, ideas on how that involvement could be expanded and needs for technical assistance and support throughout the process. Although several states identified some level of involvement with AR and other innovative practices (e.g., family meetings), it was difficult to ascertain the scope of this involvement and the appropriateness of these methods. Proposed ideas for expanding involvement included augmentations in funding, technical assistance, training, and service provision and collaboration. In regards to technical assistance needs, several states spoke of increased funding and support from local, state and federal governments and from the Children’s Bureau National Resource Centers. Several states also desired to have more information surrounding the research, evaluation, outcomes and accountability of AR. Overall, this meeting illustrated a lack of clarity across states regarding AR practice. There is a need for increased AR involvement of CBCAP-lead agencies and child welfare organizations, as well as multiple system partnerships to improve the safety, permanency and well-being outcomes for all children and families. Keywords: alternative response, American Humane Association, Child Welfare League of America, Children’s Bureau, Children’s Justice Act, CJA, collaboration, community based child abuse prevention, CBCAP, funding; innovative, involvement, learning tool, partnership, Promoting Safe and Stable Families, PSSF, state liaison officers, SLO, support, technical assistance, themes Chipley, M., Sheets, J., Baumann, D., Robinson, D., & Graham, J. C. (1999). Flexible response evaluation. Austin: Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. This report documents the history of the Texas Flexible Response System, and the findings of a 1998 evaluation of a flexible response pilot conducted by the state’s Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. Official data related to 4,428 screened-in reports and 8,972 investigative and assessment interventions were analyzed. Surveys, interviews and observations related to caseworker activities were conducted, along with supervisor and family interviews and case record narratives. The study found that worker assignment of cases to investigation versus assessment could be improved, workers spent less time on assessment than on investigation cases, worker training may be important to initial family engagement and long-term satisfaction and there was no evidence that assessments led to increased child endangerment. Keywords: Texas, flexible response system, child endangerment, worker training, routing criteria, intervention, pilot Christenson, B., Curran, S., DeCook, K., Maloney, S., & Merkel-Holguin, L. (2008). The intersection between differential response and family involvement approaches. Protecting Children, 23(1 & 2), 88-95. This article examines the relationship between family involvement strategies in child welfare decision making and differential response (DR) systems. The two approaches are compared according to their similar underlying values of child safety, extended family engagement and involvement, and the belief that children will be best protected when external systems collaborate with the family network. Family involvement approaches are also identified as key potential components of widespread DR implementation. Furthermore, the article argues that both family involvement approaches and DR should be viewed broadly by the child welfare sector, rather than considered complimentary strategies or only applicable to certain populations. The authors express their hope that soon these approaches will become “a way of practice.” The authors provide an example of an agency, Olmsted County Child and Family Services, which has incorporated family involvement approaches into practice. Results from surveys provided by Olmsted County and distributed to the families they serve are presented. Overall, these surveys yielded positive results and families responded favorably to family conferencing techniques. In addition, the authors describe several scenarios that exemplify how family involvement approaches could be used (via different pathways), regardless of the risk level of the case. Finally, the authors describe the importance of viewing family involvement approaches within the context of an “ideological continuum” from family-driven to professionally-driven practice. Keywords: alternative response, assessment pathway, case planning conference, community partnerships, Connolly continuum, differential response, dual track, family group conference, family group decision making, family involvement approaches, formal supports, informal supports, investigation pathway, kinship involvement, multiple response systems, Olmsted County Child and Family Services, rapid response case planning conference, support pathway Clavel, G., Cadieux, L., & Roy, C. (2003). The inclusive approach of the Outaouais Centres Jeunesse. In N. Trocmé, D. Knoke, & C. Roy (Eds.), Community collaboration and differential response: Canadian and international research and emerging models of practice (pp. 112-118). Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Child Welfare League of Canada. Quebec’s legislation and regulations define child welfare and child protection as collective community responsibilities. The “Centres jeunesse,” the provincial agencies mandated to identify children at risk and ensure their protection, seek the support of community organizations to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities. This book chapter details the efforts to overcome barriers to services by the Outaouais Centres jeunesse in western Quebec, through the adoption of an inclusive approach. This approach is family-focused and has three guiding principles for interventions: understanding the individual circumstances of a child reported to be in need of protection, mobilizing all available and necessary community resources and creating an individualized service plan by working with the child, caregivers and any other necessary partners. The inclusive approach will most likely increase the likelihood that children and families at risk will have access to quality services adapted to their needs. This chapter also outlines collaborative intervention programs inspired by the inclusive approach. Keywords: inclusive, collaboration, community, provincial, interventions, partnerships, child welfare, child protection, Canada, Quebec, barriers, family-focused, service plan, individual, needs Comer, D. (2008, November). The six principles of partnership: A foundation for differential response. Presentation at the American Humane Association Conference on Differential Response, Columbus, OH. This presentation describes the philosophical foundation developed for North Carolina’s differential response initiative, and engages participants in assessing the status of their own approach in relationship to six principles that provide a framework for partnership with families involved in the child welfare system. The principles presented embody a strengths-based approach to systems change, addressing such issues as communication, respect and collaboration. Keywords: partnership, strengths, judgment, power, process, language, parallel process, listening, inside-out learning Comer, D. P., & Vassar, D. (2008). Six principles of partnership: Building and sustaining system-wide change. Protecting Children, 23(1 & 2), 96-104. This article describes the Six Principles of Partnership created by Appalachian Family Innovations to improve communication, collaboration and morale in county social services agencies in North Carolina. It further describes the training modules used to teach child welfare administrators, supervisors, workers and others how to incorporate the principles into practice. The six principles are 1) everyone desires respect; 2) everyone needs to be heard; 3) everyone has strengths; 4) judgments can wait; 5) partners share power; and 6) partnership is a process. These six principles form the foundation for North Carolina’s multiple response system, which has seven key family-centered practice strategies: 1) a strengths-based intake process; 2) a choice of two approaches to accepted child maltreatment reports; 3) coordination between law enforcement and child protective services for the investigative assessment approach; 4) a redesign of in-home services; 5) implementation of child and family team meetings during in-home service provision; 6) implementation of shared-parenting meetings in child placement cases; and 7) collaboration between Work First Family Assistance and child welfare programs. Keywords: Appalachian Family Innovations, child welfare system reform, child welfare training, differential response, dual track system, family assessment, family assessment response, family-centered practice, family engagement, in-home services, investigative assessment response, North Carolina Multiple Response System, principles of partnership, strengths-based Conley, A. (2007). Differential response: A critical examination of a secondary prevention model. Children and Youth Services Review, 29, 1454-1468. This article presents a summary literature review on the rationale for differential response (DR), followed by an analysis of the Another Road to Safety (ARS) Program, the adaptation of DR used in Alameda County, Calif. A description of the program model and findings from a process and outcomes study are reported, specifically, an examination of offering services on a voluntary basis. Home visiting, paraprofessional service provision and a focus on addressing basic needs are also examined. The author’s conclusion is that the ARS program is essentially grounded in the current DR literature, and is ready for further, outcomes-oriented evaluation efforts. Keywords: Another Road to Safety Program, secondary prevention model, paraprofessionals, home visitation, assessment, caseload size, family engagement, strengths-based practice, outcomes, voluntary services, service delivery, substantiation, training Conley, A., & Duerr Berrick, J. (2008). Implementation of differential response in ethnically diverse neighborhoods. Protecting Children, 23(1 & 2), 30-38. This article provides a detailed review of contemporary literature on differential response, including its philosophical underpinnings and a comparison to traditional child protective services approaches. It then presents a detailed discussion and cross-site comparison of a variety of issues experienced during implementation of the Another Road to Safety Program (ARS) in ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Alameda County, Calif. These issues include the development of public-private partnerships, and program and service provision planning with families and service providers in diverse neighborhoods. The article concludes that adaptability of the model at the local level is crucial for its success, and that ARS has been successful thus far in the neighborhoods where it has been implemented. Keywords: Another Road to Safety Program, neighborhood context, public-private partnerships, standardized decision making tool, community providers, cultural sensitivity, paraprofessionals, home visitation, family engagement, strengths-based practice, outcomes, voluntary services Connecticut Department of Children and Families. (2009). CT DCF differential response system (DRS) status of work matrix. Retrieved October 2, 2009, from http://www.ct.gov/dcf/lib/dcf/drs/pdf/drs_status_of_work_matrix.pdf This document is one of a series posted on the state of Connecticut’s website that presents the state’s efforts to initiate a differential response system (DRS). Dated March 2009, the matrix presents a detailed organizational plan that delineates columns for major planning areas, description (of the areas), key activities, leadership (for the activities), status (of the activities) and next steps. Major planning areas include program model development; workforce and organizational development and training; communications and outreach; legal, legislative, and policy; IT planning and data development; data, research, and evaluation; community readiness and service array; and fiscal and personnel impact and business operations. According to the matrix, a planning infrastructure and logic model were created, training materials and a plan for their use were in place, statewide public forums regarding DRS were held and a preliminary agency policy was drafted. Keywords: eligibility criteria, screening and assessment, governance structure, change criteria, assessment protocol, structured decision making, family conferencing, workforce development, credentialing standards, LINK data system, community readiness
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