Resources

Institute of Applied Research. (2004, February). Alternative response research in Missouri, Minnesota, and Virginia. Presentation to California CPS practitioners, Saint Louis, MO.

This PowerPoint presentation from the Institute of Applied Research presents the findings from three evaluation studies in Missouri, Minnesota and Virginia. Findings in six areas (screening, child safety, family engagement, services to families, recurrence of maltreatment and cost-effectiveness) are presented. The proportion of reports screened in for an alternative response (AR) vary significantly in all three states. In Minnesota, an average of 47 percent of reports of child abuse and neglect were screened in to AR across the counties. No evidence was found that child safety was compromised under AR, and some evidence was found of relative improvement of child safety under AR. Minnesota also found greater family engagement, satisfaction and cooperation; more positive emotional responses from families; more use of community resources; and that AR appeared to be cost-effective. Families in Missouri reported greater overall satisfaction with their experience and greater involvement in decision making. Services were provided to families earlier, families were provided with more post-assessment services, linkages to community partners increased and the types of services delivered to families shifted toward family support services. In Virginia, an average of 61percent of reports of child abuse and neglect were screened in to AR. Workers and supervisors reported families often were more willing to talk about problems and accept services.

Keywords: alternative response, screening, child safety, family engagement, services, recurrence, cost-effectiveness, maltreatment, evaluation, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia, satisfaction, decision making

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Johnson, C., Sullivan Sutton, E., & Thompson, D. M. (2005). Child welfare reform in Minnesota. Protecting Children, 20(2 & 3), 55-60. 

This article provides an overview of Minnesota’s alternative response program, which began as a pilot program in 2000 and expanded statewide in 2004. Implementation began with legislative authorization for use of an alternative response in 1999. The initial legislation required the Minnesota Department of Human Services to create implementation guidelines and evaluate the outcomes for families. The state received funding from the McKnight Foundation (a Minnesota philanthropic organization) to assist with start-up costs. Alternative response assessments include use of the Family Unity Model and an early intervention service model. In 2005, the Minnesota legislature passed legislation codifying the dual-track (alternative response) system. The article also discusses aggregated results of multiple surveys, which found that families receiving alternative response felt more positive and engaged than those that received an investigative response, and social workers implementing alternative response felt that it allowed them to respond more positively to families and more flexibly to the families’ needs. It mentions Minnesota’s plan to introduce a third response track for screened-out cases with preschool-aged children -- an outreach program to offer to connect these families with community services.

Keywords: alternative response, child welfare policy, child welfare practice, community-focused approach, cost-effectiveness, differential response, early intervention, family engagement, family group decision making, Family Unity Model, legislation, Minnesota alternative response program, service delivery, strengths-based

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Jones, H., Chant, E., & Ward, H. (2003). Integrating children’s services: A perspective from England. In N. Trocmé, D. Knoke, & C. Roy (Eds.), Community collaboration and differential response: Canadian and international research and emerging models of practice (pp. 119-131). Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Child Welfare League of Canada. 

This book chapter examines how the fragmentation of service delivery can decrease both the effectiveness of early interventions for children and their families and the success of overall efforts to prevent child maltreatment. The authors note that service fragmentation can often lead to multiple and duplicated family assessments, disproportionately large numbers of referrals and caseloads for child protective agencies, and increased levels of rivalry and mistrust among providers. Consequently, there can be a delay, or even a lack, of needed services provided to children and families. Furthermore, the authors emphasize that an integrated approach to serving families in the child welfare system is critical and that assessing a family’s need for services, rather than solely investigating for child maltreatment, should be the focus. The authors argue that this will help increase family engagement by highlighting caregiver strengths, rather than their possible shortfalls. Likewise, the authors stress that a systems approach and a common outcomes framework are essential for the cultivation of necessary alliances among multiple service providers and agencies. The authors exemplify the development of multiagency collaboration approaches to needs assessment and service delivery with a detailed case study of North Lincolnshire (United Kingdom) child welfare services. Notably, while North Lincolnshire strongly supports common assessment approaches, they also encourage methods that facilitate flexible responses to child maltreatment referrals.

Keywords: asset assessment tool, child concern, collaborative working, common assessment tool, common outcomes framework, cross-government policy, engagement, evidence-based approach, flexible response, Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need, holistic understanding, Integrated Children System, interagency assessment process, Looking After Children Project, multiagency collaboration approach, North Lincolnshire, service fragmentation, strengths, systems approach, thresholds of need, United Kingdom

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Kaplan, C., & Merkel-Holguin, L. (2008). Another look at the national study on differential response in child welfare. Protecting Children, 23(1 & 2), 5-21.

This article summarizes the findings from the National Study on Differential Response in Child Welfare, conducted by American Humane and the Child Welfare League of America. Core elements and core values of differential response (DR) are provided, as is a definition of DR for the purpose of this study. Twenty-seven states and counties completed a qualitative survey focusing on the title of the model, contact information, origins, description, evaluation and results, future plans, front-line impact and challenges. A quantitative survey, which consisted of 17 nominal and mutually exclusive questions using consistent and categorical information, was sent to 20 states and counties. Differences in states’ implementations of DR are discussed, including how cases are assigned to DR, maltreatment categories and the use of voluntary services. In addition, the article discusses unresolved or conflicting issues when implementing DR, including case assignment, maltreatment categories, related innovations and rate of growth.

Keywords: differential response, dual track, multiple track, alternative response, core elements, National Study of Child Protective Services Systems and Reform Efforts, National Study on Differential Response in Child Welfare, Child Welfare League of America, CWLA, American Humane, maltreatment, pathway, core elements, core values, family assessment, level of risk, investigations, engagement, services, continuum, voluntary

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Kaplan, C., & Schene, P. (2008, November). Primer on differential response: Take two! Presentation at the American Humane Association Conference on Differential Response, Columbus, OH. Retrieved October 2, 2009, from http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/docs/protecting-children/PC-DR-conf-presentation2008.pdf

This recent presentation provides a comprehensive overview regarding the role of differential response (DR) in child protective services. It clarifies many terms, outlines the core elements, discusses the status of DR across the country, and explains why it has been adopted by many jurisdictions. A comparison of DR pathways is provided, and the centrality of family engagement to effective DR is specifically discussed. Guidelines for implementation are presented, based on the experience of states that have already implemented DR. A list of unresolved issues in the field includes those involving data collection, sustainability, effective public-private partnership, simultaneous tracking of process and outcomes, and ongoing contributions to evidence-based DR practice.

Keywords: non-adversarial, substantiation, family engagement, collaborative partnerships, central registry, family preservation, informal supports, training, protective factors, risk assessments, safety assessments, outcomes tracking, mandated reporters, worker satisfaction, strengths-based, data systems, evidence-based, CAPTA

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Kaplan, C., Shannon, C., & Loman, T. (2008, December). What a difference a year makes: Charting the past, present & future of the Ohio alternative response project. Presentation before the Subcommittee on Child Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency, Columbus, OH. 

This presentation provides a comprehensive report on the first year of Ohio’s alternative response project. The progress of the project’s implementation in 10 pilot counties is highlighted, along with successes and challenges experienced by county and state staff. Evaluation activities are summarized, and issues to be considered are offered. Initial challenges identified by workers include the electronic and paper data collection structure, workers carrying cases from both pathways and the existing pathway assignment protocols. Several “guideposts for the future” are presented, including several related to worker knowledge and skill sets, workload structure, sustainability, collaboration and the need for “political will.”

Keywords: design workgroup, SACWIS, training, screening, collaboration, family engagement, mixed caseloads, concrete services, flexible funds, statutory language, subsequent reports, cost-effectiveness, safety and family risk assessment, community resources, screening worker continuity, supervisor review, service provision

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Kirk, R. S. (2008). Development and field testing of a family assessment scale for use in child welfare practice settings utilizing differential response. Protecting Children, 23(1 & 2), 71-87. 

This article describes how the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale for General Services (NCFAS-G) was developed and piloted in San Mateo County, Calif., simultaneously with the implementation of a differential response system. Social workers identified moderate-risk families that were involved in a differential response and administered the NCFAS-G. The NCFAS-G appeared to be reliable. The findings show that the NCFAS-G can assist workers to assess and construct broad-based service plans for families. The NCFAS-G also holds promise as a comprehensive family assessment tool when serving families with a differential response system.

Keywords: NCFAS, NCFAS-G, California, assessment, implementation, services, differential response, comprehensive, scale, domains, strengths, family assessments, reliable, service plan

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Lohrbach, S., Sawyer, R., Saugen, J., Astolfi, C., Schmitt, K., Worden, P., et al. (2005). Ways of working in child welfare: A perspective on practice. Protecting Children, 20(2 & 3), 93-100.

This article contains four vignettes from social workers in Minnesota who responded to families using differential response. Each social worker describes an aspect of working with a family and reflects on the success of the interaction. Successful intervention techniques include active listening, involving extended family, facilitating communication and planning, and family case conferencing and planning. One worker describes working with an immigrant family and expresses that alternative response methods reduced the family’s fear, galvanized the family to create solutions for themselves and helped family members partner with service providers who could meet their needs. The social worker also describes working with community elders to support a family and achieve child safety. The article concludes with a bulleted list of beliefs about training, supervision, agency culture and other resources and tools that support social work practice.

Keywords: alternative response, assessment approach, child safety, child welfare practice, collaborative practice, collaboration, communication, CPS involvement, culturally responsive, differential response, family assessment, family case planning conference, family-centered, family engagement, family group conference, intervention, outcomes, partnership-based practice, service delivery, social work practice

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Loman, L. A. (2005, May). Differential response improves traditional investigations: Criminal arrests for severe physical and sexual abuse. St. Louis, MO: Institute of Applied Research. Retrieved October 2, 2009, from http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/docs/protecting-children/PC-DR-severe-abuse-MO.pdf 

This report is a reanalysis of the Missouri Family Assessment and Response (FAR) demonstration evaluation data, to assess how the implementation of this differential response approach impacted the handling of cases identified as requiring the traditional investigation approach. Most such investigations involved serious allegations, including criminal acts such as severe sexual and physical abuse. The study assessed 738 families for whom the initiating incidents were investigated and substantiated for at least two of the following incident types: sexual abuse, severe physical abuse and less severe physical abuse. The extent to which investigations of such incidents resulted in an arrest was examined to determine if the program goal of increased prosecution of perpetrators was achieved. Findings led the author to conclude that FAR “resulted in increased legal pursuit of perpetrators of the most serious types of child abuse and neglect.”

Keywords: arrest offense, arrest records, county-level differences, criminal prosecution, family assessment, family offenses, initiating incident, law enforcement, perpetrator, physical abuse, prosecution, sexual abuse, substantiation

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Loman, L. (2007, November). Poverty, child neglect, and differential response. Presentation at the American Humane Association Conference on Differential Response, Long Beach, CA.

This presentation highlights the Institute of Applied Research’s (IAR) data and findings from differential response research conducted in the city of St. Louis and the states of Missouri and Minnesota, as well as a study conducted on Title IV-E waiver cases in Indiana. IAR found that differential response had positive impacts on families, with the most effective prevention of child abuse and neglect stemming from ongoing worker contact and concrete services through the family assessment approach. Differential response led to increased caregiver satisfaction and to more financially related services being offered to the most financially needy families. IAR concluded that this could be attributed to two factors: use of flexible funding and a service shift due to family participation. IAR also found that differential response led to increased up-front service costs but resulted in cost savings over the long term. The presentation also highlights the correlation between poverty and child neglect.

Keywords: caregiver satisfaction, child protective services, chronic neglect, concrete services, cost analysis, differential response, family assessment response, family structure, flexible funding, poverty, recidivism, repeat maltreatment, traditional investigative response

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