Ethical Dilemmas

When I was very young and starting my social work career as a probation officer, I was surprised to find myself facing ethical dilemmas.

For example, my probationers often had the television on while I visited and frequently at top volume, especially if they didn’t like me. What to do? I would start talking in long sentences but say certain words above the volume of the television. These words included “curfew,” “good behavior,” and “early release.” Whereupon the probationer would leap to his feet, turn off the television, and take the chair next to me, listening with rapt attention. I would then explain in a normal tone of voice that the curfew would remain the same until the behavior improved and then we might consider early release from probation.

A more awkward situation occurred when I left the bar with my friends at 1:00 a.m. and encountered a probationer on the street, out after her curfew. What to say? The probationer broke the silence by asking, “You have friends?” That focused my attention on the immediate need and I responded, “You know that you’re out after curfew. Get home right now and be in my office at 9:00 in the morning—ummm, make that 10:00.”

We’ve all done stupid things. Looking back I realize inexperience contributed to many of mine. I was only five years older than many of the probationers I was trying to help and I had a lot of maturing to do. Amazingly, five years later I encountered far fewer ethical dilemmas.

Here’s something that young IFPS therapists today will have a hard time believing: I started out with no mobile phone, laptop, computer…not even a beeper! I did have a tablet (white paper with lines) on which to keep notes. The advantage I had was that my mistakes were viewed by and mainly of interest only to those who were present at the time. Now, everyone is only a click away from fame or infamy. I know, it’s not fair!

There are many resources available to guide us through ethical dilemmas, and I’ll provide a link to one of them at the end of this post. I understand now that one of the reasons why supervisors and administrators are so important is they can offer advice about how to handle ethical dilemmas. What seems confusing and complicated gets much easier to unravel when two people are looking at the situation.

The following are some things I’ve learned over the years that may be of help:

  1. Never violate your conscience. You only have one and you need to be able to rely on it. Violating it continually will render it useless when you need it most.
  2. Never do anything that you (or your mom!) wouldn’t mind reading about on the front page of the newspaper. I learned this handy rule early on during 18 years of legislative work. Unfortunately, some of the legislators learned it the hard way.
  3. If you like second chances, offer them to others. I have many opportunities to recall my own wrong behavior when I observe what others are doing. People forgave me and willingly offered me another chance to get it right. I can make a choice to do the same for others.
  4. Seek friends, mentors, supervisors, and administrators with the highest standards. These people will help you grow in the right direction and you’ll become a better person than you ever thought possible.
  5. Suffer fools gladly. You’re sometimes one too! Say, “I’m sorry,” overlook offenses, reduce defensiveness, and be ever on the lookout for ways to make other people happy.

The North Carolina Family Based Services Association has graciously shared their Ethical and Safety Guidelines which can be viewed here:
http://nfpn.org/articles/ethical-and-safety-guidelines

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Posted by Priscilla Martens, NFPN Executive Director

What Can Supervisors Do To Keep Workers Safe?

ifps-safety2In the last article, we discussed how IFPS practitioners can keep themselves safe while in the field. In this post, we would like to focus on what supervisors can do to assist their workers in staying safe in the field.

There are three types of things supervisors can do to help their IFPS practitioners stay safe when working with families in their neighborhoods and homes:

  1. Training and preparation
  2. Preparation for specific family situations
  3. Availability in emergencies

Training and Preparation

  • Prevention is the first line of defense. Take steps to ensure the safety of all practitioners before they are needed.
  • Conduct in-house training to be sure that practitioners understand the importance of keeping themselves safe and have strategies for doing so (e.g., plan an emergency escape route).
  • Offer ongoing training on verbal de-escalation techniques.
  • Identify high-crime neighborhoods.
  • Make sure you are approachable to so that practitioners feel comfortable talking about how they feel in the field.
  • Encourage practitioners to report back to you immediately if they feel they or their clients are at risk.
  • Keep a session log to document the practitioner’s whereabouts.
  • Know the types of cars that your practitioners drive.

Preparation for Specific Family Situations

  • Complete a risk assessment for each client family.
  • Plan in advance with the practitioner what safety measures are needed with each family or when going into a specific neighborhood.
  • Ask practitioners to check in by phone at pre-arranged times when they are in potentially risky situations.
  • Establish procedures if a practitioner does not call in at expected times.
  • Assist in the field when needed. Offer—don’t wait to be asked.
  • Implement a buddy system, as needed.

Availability in Emergencies

  • Be available to offer support during emergencies by phone or in person.
  • Keep your phone with you at all times.
  • Ask another team member to be on call if you know you won’t be available.
  • Offer strategies to defuse the situation.
  • Provide effective and clear communication in emergencies.
  • Don’t hesitate to call the police when necessary.

Supervisors around the nation, we would like to hear from you. Please share your experiences and your safety tips for keeping your practitioners safe. We will all benefit from your suggestions.

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Posted by  Moneefah Jackson

Safety in the Field and IFPS

IFPS is a strengths-based program that focuses on keeping families together while teaching them problem resolution skills so that they can reduce the conflict in their lives and increase their overall safety.

Safety of all family members is the primary focus of IFPS. In order to help families, IFPS practitioners must also protect their own safety. Since IFPS services are provides in families’ homes and neighborhoods, IFPS practitioners sometimes find themselves in situations where their own safety is at risk.

Here are some situations IFPS practitioners have faced followed by suggestions for ways for staying safe. How do they compare to your own experiences?

  • Have you ever had a child stand poised to hit you, spit at you, or bite you?
  • Have you ever had to walk through a stairway or stand in an elevator with the décor of urine puddles or broken glass?
  • While driving, have you ever had to drive up on the sidewalk to get away from a police chase?
  • When walking to the client’s home, have you ever had to run back to your car as you feared a gang was coming after you? (But later you realize that they were just competing with each other to get to you first so as to sell you their drugs.)
  • Have you ever encountered a 7-year-old child running outside to catch up to you after your session was over to hand you a drug vial (just to prove that his mother was actively using), leaving you now to drive off with drug paraphernalia in your car?

What can we do to stay safe in these and other risky situations?

IFPS-safety1Here are some ideas about ways we, as IFPS practitioners, can keep ourselves safe in the field while providing the most effective services to our IFPS families.

In potentially dangerous neighborhoods:

  • Wear appropriate attire. Wear clothes that don’t stand out but still are professional. Avoid wearing provocative clothing.
  • Wear covered shoes.
  • Avoid wearing jewelry that will bring unnecessary attention to you.
  • Carry a minimum of belongings with you.
  • Be careful where you park. Generally, park as close to your destination as possible.

Wherever you are:

  • Always be alert and on guard.
  • If you are entering a building with an elevator, always check the elevator before getting inside. Send the elevator to the basement and wait for it to come back to you.
  • If you are assigned to work in a high rise or apartment building, always check your surroundings when you walk through the public areas.
  • Never enter a home unless you are invited in.
  • When you enter a client’s home, assess the surrounding areas to plan an escape route.
  • Keep your cell phone fully charged and close at hand.
  • Program emergency contact numbers into your cell phone.
  • Keep your gas tank full.
  • Check your car prior to getting into it.
  • Carry a spare car key and keep it close to you.
  • Avoid parking in front of your clients’ home.
  • Carry a small flash light.
  • Always have your agency’s identification with you.

When people are angry:

  • Use active listening and other diffusion techniques.
  • Stay calm.
  • Maintain a respectful and empathetic demeanor.
  • Set limits and clearly state expectations with clients.
  • Remember to always trust your gut feelings.
  • Do not forget to reach out to your supervisor for help.

There are a host of other safety ideas that will not be enumerated at this time. Why? Because we would like to hear from you! So please share with us your experiences and your safety tips so that we all can benefit from keeping ourselves safe in the field.

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Posted by Moneefah Jackson

An IFPS Success Story: The Walker Family

This is the first in what we hope will be a series of IFPS success stories from programs around the country. To make this series possible, we need to hear from you. If you are interested in sharing a success story as a guest blogger, please e-mail Peg Marckworth (peg@marckworth.com).

The Walker Family

The Walker story shows us how an IFPS intervention unfolds, with each step reinforcing the last and setting the stage for the next. It also illustrates the vast array of factors that influence outcomes in IFPS interventions.

We see how attention to concrete services including fixing a gas leak, obtaining a cell phone, and putting up curtains facilitates relationship and trust between the therapist and family members—as well as resolving stressful and potentially dangerous situations.

At referral, CPS had decided that Christie and Billy would both be placed in foster care unless the family agreed to intensive services.

  • Christie Walker was born premature and spent the first three months of her life in the hospital. She was ready to come home but there were concerns about what Christie would face at home
  • Christie’s brother Billy, age three, was diagnosed as hyperactive with some brain damage.
  • Billy had suffered three concussions over the past year
  • Another infant in the family had died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
  • CPS was suspicious of the injuries sustained by the 3 year old, and about the former infant death
  • The family had had an open CPS case in another state, but left that state when the mother became pregnant with the current infant

The family’s public health nurse and the CPS caseworker discussed their concerns with the parents and the CPS caseworker referred the parents, William and Judy, to Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS).

Click here to read the whole story and its outcome.

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Posted by Peg Marckworth

9 Steps to Developing Effective Communication Skills

In our last post we discussed the role of good communication in building relationships and resolving conflict. In this post we expand on ways to improve our communication skills.

As IFPS staff we know how to use effective communication skills. The following suggestions are a reminder to pause and recall what we know.

1. Think about the problem prior to taking action.
What is the situation? What are your assumptions? What do you hope to accomplish?

2. Reach out to others with sincerity by engaging and listening to them.

3. Try to see the other person’s viewpoint.
They have specific reasons for what they are doing which we can’t know until they tell us.

4. Contribute to open communication by staying present.
If you are thinking about what you’re going to say next you can’t fully listen to the person now.

5. Seek to understand the situation and avoid personalizing it.
Focusing on the other person and your relationship with that person keeps it from being all about you.

6. Ask for clarification as needed.
Don’t assume you know what the person is thinking or feeling or all aspects of the situation.

7. Maintain good self-control.
It may feel good to lash out, especially if you are angry, but it won’t help you reach your communication goals.

8. Find opportunities to help the other person.
With their permission you can clarify or problem-solve with them.

9. Remember that every interaction builds or erodes the relationship.
Maintaining and building a relationship is easier and more pleasant than trying to repair it.

comunication-cartoon2

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Posted by Moneefah D. Jackson and Peg Marckworth

Using Good Communication to Resolve Conflict

Communication is a skill that needs to be developed just like any other skill.

It appears that some people are able to master the art of communication very easily while others seem to have a challenging time. Even if a person belongs to the latter group, it is still possible for the individual to learn to share their thoughts in a pleasant and respectful manner in order to communicate effectively. Ronald R. Sims (Organizational Behavior, 2002) states that “communication is the sharing of information between two or more individuals or groups to reach a common understanding.”

If we are having difficulty helping IFPS families to resolve conflict because we lack good communication, we need to ask ourselves, “Could we improve our communication skills?” It is imperative to know that communication is a vital tool that can help us to understand one another, why others make the decision they do, or perhaps making just a simple statement.

communication-cartoon

How can we develop mature communication skills?

First, we must have good self-control. Second, we will need to try to see the other person’s viewpoint. Third, we need to seek clarification.

Good communication does not mean saying everything that we are thinking and feeling, especially if we are angry. Good communication helps us establish and maintain peaceful relationships. If we work hard to do what we can to improve our relationships with others, it can improve our communication with them.

So, when it comes to resolving conflict through good communication, why not try the following:

  1. Contribute to open communication.
  2. Reach out to others with sincere kind acts.
  3. Find opportunities to help and give a gift from the heart.
  4. Think about the problem prior to taking action.
  5. Avoid personalizing the situation.
  6. Seek to understand the situation.

We must remember that “every interaction is an intervention.”

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Posted by Moneefah D. Jackson

We’re Four Months Old!

The IFPS Coast to Coast Blog is almost four months old which seems like a good time to review our past, present, and future.

Let’s begin with our name: The IFPS Coast to Coast Blog wants to reach everyone interested in IFPS on the coasts and in between! We have an east coast coordinator, Moneefah Jackson, and a west coast coordinator, Peg Marckworth (me). We’re passionate about this model and curious about what people are doing and what important things are happening in the field.

Top Topics

During the past months, we’ve shared information and resources on many topics relevant to IFPS. You may have noticed that we often present topics as a series of two-three posts. This allows us to share more information and gives you more opportunity to comment.

Our most popular posts so far:

For a complete list of all topics, see Categories and Archives in the sidebar.

Tell Us What You Think

We love your comments. One of the main purposes of this blog is to create conversations about each topic. This feedback provides additional information for readers and also inspires new topics! If you’re not sure how to comment, see How to Leave a Comment.

Spread The Word

We’re now extending our reach by linking the blog to other social media. You can follow us via e-mail (see “Follow This Blog” in the sidebar), Facebook, and Twitter. To learn how easy it is to share information from the blog with your colleagues, see How to Share a Post.

Share Your Wisdom

If you’d like to suggest a topic for a series, let us know!

Or, if you have a topic you’d like to write about, let’s talk about you being a guest blogger. We’d love to hear what’s happening in your program or state. And frankly, we do go on vacation, get preoccupied with other work responsibilities, and have writer’s blah!

Onward

Writing a weekly blog is challenging but we try to remember what Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, said: “Writing well is desperately difficult, and it never gets easier. Sometimes after toiling in a quagmire for dozens (or hundreds) of hours I throw the whole effort into the wastebasket and start with a blank page. When I sheepishly shared this wastebasket strategy with the great management writer Peter Drucker, he made me feel much better when he exclaimed, ‘Ah, that is immense progress!’ ”

What Makes It Worthwhile

Here’s one example: a colleague shared with us that he hates blogs but took the time to read ours. He liked what he saw and thought there were a lot of interesting topics. So he sent an e-mail inviting others to check out the IFPS Coast to Coast Blog. We couldn’t be more thrilled!

We look forward to continuing to share knowledge and expertise about IFPS and hearing what you think. Thank you for joining us, supporting us, and for all of your work on behalf of families.

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Posted by Peg Marckworth

What’s Up with Evidence-Based Father Involvement?

In 2002, the National Family Preservation Network (NFPN) embarked on a voyage in uncharted waters to a research demonstration project on father involvement. The project was funded with a $450,000 grant from the Stuart Foundation and was unique in that:

  • It was the first known research study to determine not only how child welfare social workers viewed fathers but how to motivate these workers to involve more fathers in the lives of their children.
  • The study included the first-of-its-kind fatherhood training manual with onsite training provided to the social workers.
  • Following training and other motivational assistance, the social workers demonstrated increases in measures of identifying, locating, contacting, and involving fathers in case planning and placement of children.
  • A research paper of the study was published in a peer-reviewed journal.
  • As an outgrowth of the study, NFPN produced basic and advanced curricula for training front-line practitioners who work with fathers.
  • There is no known replica of this demonstration project.

While programs for practitioners have been relatively scarce, hundreds of programs have been developed for fathers. These programs are varied and may include marriage and relationship strengthening as well as employment, child support, parenting, financial, and other types of assistance. Although tremendous gains have been made in the number and type of programs for fathers, these programs share a weakness with programs for practitioners: little evaluation or development of evidence-based practice.

A study conducted by the Center for Research on Fathers, Children and Family Well-Being, found that only 15% of federal grantees in the most recent fatherhood grant cycle were selected for participation in evaluation. The Center goes on to say, “The fatherhood field passionately believes that . . . serving fathers ultimately improves child well-being. The field therefore has a responsibility to back up those beliefs by investing in researcher-practitioner collaborations to go through all of the stages involved in developing evidence-based practice.”

How can we build evidence-based father involvement programs?

To the greatest extent possible, all of us who are passionate about helping fathers need to use evidence-based curricula and programs. And we need to insist that all programs include a meaningful evaluation that goes well beyond counting numbers and conducting pre/post satisfaction and knowledge surveys. The target to aim for in evaluation is measuring the well-being of children.

Here are some resources that could move the field closer to the target:

  • The federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is soliciting applications for the establishment of a Responsible Fatherhood Research Network: http://1.usa.gov/1bWTRdY
  • The Clearinghouse has released The Responsible Fatherhood Toolkit: Resources from the Field that provides assistance with launching and sustaining successful fatherhood programs: (PDF download)
    http://1.usa.gov/15ZHQBS
  • Read the full report on the current status of father involvement and evidence-based practice: (PDF download)
    http://bit.ly/132G51y
  • Supporting Father Involvement offers evidence-based curricula for fatherhood programs:
    http://bit.ly/12HsbD9

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Posted by Priscilla Martens, NFPN Executive Director

Engaging Fathers

It seems that when working with families, especially with those who are not in contact with the fathers of their children, counselors tend to be quiet about bringing up the idea of father involvement. No one really knows the reason why this happens; but one can assume that fathers are not often thought about because they may not be playing a role in the lives of their children. Most of the time the men are either working or are not around. Sometimes they are living apart from the children because of past conflict with the mother. Mothers seem to be more of the caretaker who provides for the ongoing basic needs of their children, no matter what.

A recent survey of the extent to which IFPS providers involve fathers revealed the following:

Chart: How do IFPS workers engage fathers?

If fathers are given the opportunity and are encouraged to be part of the intervention, the children’s behavior may improve and they would experience a positive change in their family dynamics. If fathers were to be interviewed, many of them would probably say that they want to play an active role in the lives of their children. With fathers involved, a stronger parental bond can be established between the parents and with the children, which can help to influence positive changes within the family.

According to the Fatherhood Institute website dated December 15, 2010, “children of involved fathers are more likely to live in cognitively stimulating homes (Williams & Sternberg, 2002) and fathers’ commitment to the education process also matters.” If a teenager is having issues with being destructive at home, would it not be a good idea to include every member of the family, since the problem not only affects one person, but everyone within the family?  This would give the families the opportunity to work together and build on change. So the question is asked again, why not include fathers in the intervention process?

According to the Social Work Dictionary (5th Edition), family therapy “focuses on the whole system of individuals and interpersonal and communication patterns. It seeks to clarify roles and reciprocal obligations and to encourage more adaptable behaviors among the family members.” If we believe in the family system, why is it that fathers are not included in the intervention process? After all, is it not our goal as counselors to have the family work together in order to decrease the extremity of unhealthy behaviors? Fathers can become a supportive beam to the structure of the household that will help to stabilize the foundation of the family. When the entire family is part of the intervention, we see greater progress and stability within the family.

To engage fathers, perhaps we can consider the following questions when interviewing the mothers:

  • Do you have any safety concerns that keep you from wanting your children to have more contact with their father?
  • How can you reach out to the child(ren)’s father?
  • What relationship does the child(ren) have with their father?
  • How often does the child(ren) see their father?
  • What type of influences might the father have on the children?
  • It seems that if we involve the father in the intervention, the child may begin to work on some positive changes. What do you think?

Of course one is aware that not every child may have the opportunity to have a father around due to possible safety issues or the nature of different circumstances. Nevertheless, we can begin to empower those fathers who are around and want to take an active role in their children’s lives.

As professionals, it is important that we work closely together to come up with different strategies on how to engage fathers and help them to be part of their children’s lives. If this happens, we will begin to see positive results.

For more information on IFPS and father involvement, see the IFPS Guide to Father Involvement.

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts.

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Posted by Moneefah D. Jackson

IFPS Program Evaluation

Last week we focused on the evaluation of the IFPS therapist. This week it’s time to evaluate the IFPS program.

From the beginning, the chief outcome measure to determine effectiveness of IFPS programs has been prevention of placement. In the 2011 nationwide survey of IFPS programs, an average of 91% of families remained intact at case closure. For those IFPS programs that tracked placement prevention at 6 and 12 months, the average was the same for both time intervals: 86% of families were still together.

The state of Missouri tracks families for four years from date of the IFPS intervention. Here is a summary of the most recent four-year time period:

mo-report-table27

The state of New Jersey tracks placement prevention one year from completion of the IFPS intervention. Here are the results from 2011:

mo-report-table-28

Some other measures in the Missouri and New Jersey reports include:

  • Reason for referral to the IFPS program
  • Ages of children
  • Duration of services
  • List of services provided to families

Program evaluation reports are a valuable source of information, not only to the agency providing the service but to the referring agency, other community services providers, policy makers, legislators, advocates of IFPS, and IFPS agencies nationwide. Evaluations of IFPS contribute to the field of knowledge about IFPS, show areas needing improvement, and provide a strong basis of support for establishing and expanding IFPS programs.

You can view the full reports below:

Missouri 2012 Report (PDF, 1.1 Mb)

New Jersey 2012 Report (PDF, 90 Kb)

Please contribute to the knowledge base by sharing a link to your agency’s most recent IFPS evaluation in the comments below or e-mail them to Priscilla Martens at director@nfpn.org.

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Posted by Priscilla Martens, NFPN Executive Director