Category Archives: Blog Updates

Family Preservation Services and Ebola

ebolaOn Saturday, October 18, 2014, I woke up at 8:30 AM with the thought: “What can IFPS staff do to protect themselves from this deadly disease called Ebola?” While it is pretty strange that this was the first thing that came to my mind, it makes sense to think about it as the majority of our work with the IFPS families is in their natural environment.

What are the Risks for IFPS Staff?

The media attention on Ebola reminds us that it is important to educate ourselves, and in some cases, our IFPS client families about contagious diseases, how they are transmitted, and what steps we can take to protect ourselves. The majority of IFPS workers will never be in a situation that puts them at risk of Ebola but there are many highly contagious diseases that we are more likely to come in contact with: colds, flu, pneumonia, gastrointestinal diseases, pink eye and skin infections, lice, measles, mumps and chicken pox. We’re entering the flu season and the holidays are approaching. People are more likely to get sick at this time of year.

In IFPS we teach our clients strategies for prevention and we intervene as needed. These are the same steps for minimizing the spread of infectious diseases. Prevent whenever possible and seek medical intervention as needed. You can teach and model these strategies for your clients.

General Guidelines for Protection and Prevention

  1. Wash your hands with soap and water. When you can’t wash your hands, use hand sanitizer.
  2. Keep yourself and your family current on flu and other vaccinations.
  3. Take care of yourself: eat well, get enough sleep and take breaks when you aren’t with clients.
  4. Stay home if you get sick, especially if you have a fever or are vomiting.
  5. Pay attention to outbreaks such as norovirus or chicken pox or flu—in your own community as well as your clients’.

Another important prevention strategy is to learn if anyone in your client families has traveled overseas or has been in contact with contagious diseases such as malaria, parasites, tuberculosis, tropical diseases or Ebola.

On the Subject of Ebola…

Few, if any, IFPS workers will ever be a situation that puts them at risk of Ebola. There have been very few cases in the United States. The highest risk is for healthcare workers caring for Ebola patients and family and friends of those patients.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “All cases of human illness or death from Ebola have occurred in Africa (with the exception of several laboratory contamination cases: one in England and two in Russia). One travel-associated case was diagnosed in the United States on September 30, 2014. On October 12, 2014, a healthcare worker at Texas Presbyterian Hospital who provided care for the index patient has tested positive for Ebola. CDC confirms that the healthcare worker is positive for Ebola.” www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/exposure

“Ebola, previously known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus strains. Ebola can cause disease in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, chimpanzees). Ebola is caused by infection with a virus of the family Filoviridae genus Ebolavirus… Ebola viruses are found in several African countries. Ebola was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, outbreaks have appeared sporadically in Africa. The natural reservoir host of Ebola virus remains unknown. However, on the basis of evidence and the nature of similar viruses, researchers believe that the virus is animal-borne and that bats are the most likely reservoir. Four of the five virus strains occur in an animal host native to Africa.” www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/

Symptoms of Ebola according to the CDC website:

  • Fever
  • Severe headache
  • Muscle pain
  • Weakness
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Abdominal (stomach) pain
  • Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)

“Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days. Recovery from Ebola depends on good supportive clinical care and the patient’s immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years.” www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/symptoms

Prevention

The following are steps prevent the spread of the Ebola virus:

  • Wash your hands at all times with anti-bacteria soap or use hand sanitizer with alcohol-base
  • Avoid contact with blood and body fluids of any person, particularly someone who is sick
  • Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids.
  • Do not touch the body of someone who has died from Ebola.
  • Seek immediate medical care if you develop a fever (100.4 F/38.0 C or higher), headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bruising or bleeding.
  • The CDC website has a checklist for health care workers that provides additional information: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/could-it-be-ebola.pdf

For more information about Ebola, please visit the CDC website: www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/

 

Posted by: Moneefah D. Jackson

moneefah-jackson

Field Placement Experiences in IFPS

Peg MarkworthWhen I was getting my Masters in Social Work, my advisor suggested a field placement at Homebuilders™. At that point I had no idea what Homebuilders™ was, what kinds of interventions they provided, or what skills I might learn. I’d never actually worked with a family in their home. It turned out to be an incredible experience—an introduction to a set of values about families as well as the opportunity to learn skills and interventions that truly helped families. That was the start of my IFPS career. After I finished my MSW I went to work for Homebuilders™. A few years later I joined the Family Preservation Practice Project, a collaboration between the University of Washington School of Social Work and Behavioral Sciences Institute, which developed the Homebuilders™ program. That project gave me the opportunity to have one foot in the clinical side and one foot in the academic side of IFPS.

The Family Preservation Practice Project offered a group of MSW students a concentration of studies in Family Preservation Services. I worked with staff and faculty from the School of Social Work to develop curriculum that taught the philosophy, theory, research, and skills of family preservation. Each student in the project had a field placement at Homebuilders™. Although Homebuilders™ had offered field placements for a number of years, the project offered an opportunity to hone that experience for students by adding Master’s level courses in conjunction with field placements.

One of the goals of the project was to develop students who could step easily into family preservation programs. At the same time we recognized that some students in the Family Preservation Practice Project would not continue in this field, but would go on to other jobs in other clinical situations. We quickly realized they would do so with an understanding of the value of IFPS and a set of skills that would serve them well in their chosen practice.

The structure of IFPS, its focus on evidence-based practice and the intensity of the intervention created a unique experience for these students. The Family Preservation Practice Project, through its curriculum and classroom experience, prepared students for their field placement experience. The field placement broadened, accelerated and integrated the classroom learning.

Certainly, the focus of the field placement was to provide an opportunity for students to put what they were learning in the classroom into practice, but it wasn’t a direct translation. The students learned what it means to walk into a family’s home with the ability to respond to what was going on that day—to understand that you may have a plan but the situation might need another direction. Students learned to have the flexibility to step back and say, for example, “Here, give me the broom. I’ll sweep the floor while you change the baby’s diapers. Don’t worry about it. Yes, we have an appointment, but we can do this while we talk.” For many students, that ability was a major step to take—to understand what it means to be present with a family, while observing, teaching and helping them go through their day-to-day life.

We had the advantage in The Family Preservation Practice Project of having Homebuilders™ therapists—very experienced Homebuilders™ therapists—teaching and guiding students through their field placements.

One of the things we heard from those students was that an amazing part of the experience was having a relationship with practicum instructors who were: 1) skilled practitioners on the front line, 2) who fully understood the integration of theory and practice, and 3) were skills-based and evidence-based in how they thought, approached students, and worked with families.

Students in the Family Preservation Practice Project came in with a real interest in family preservation but no real understanding of the evidence-based Homebuilders™ model. They graduated from the program after going through both the classroom process and the field placement with an understanding of:

  • The rationale for family preservation services
  • Current policy context and policy initiatives for family preservation
  • The value base of family preservation
  • Theory bases underlying family preservation
  • Theoretical and practical knowledge of the Homebuilders model™
  • Culturally responsive family preservation practice
  • Basic skills needed by family preservation practitioners

 

Posted by Peg Marckworth

IFPS Blog—Is IFPS Relevant Today?

As IFPS (Homebuilders® model) celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, it’s appropriate to ask if IFPS is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago.

Let’s compare IFPS today with past years:

Then Now
Washington State was the first to implement IFPS Homebuilders® (1974)IFPS had been implemented in at least 75% of counties in 6 states (1994) IFPS has been implemented statewide in 12 states with implementation underway in two additional states (2014)
IFPS Homebuilders® served 54 families (1974)IFPS programs in 16 states serve 16,229 families (1994) Exemplary IFPS programs in 12 states serve 11,542 families (2014)
There was only one state with a Homebuilders® program (1974)Most states follow the Homebuilders® model (1994) Strong IFPS states follow the Homebuilders® model (2014)
IFPS (Homebuilders® model) saves $2.54 for every dollar invested (2006) IFPS (Homebuilders® model) saves $4.49 for every dollar invested (2013)
There is no definitive research on which models of IFPS are most effective Research shows that only the Homebuilders® model of IFPS has demonstrated effectiveness
The supervisor’s role is critically important for training therapists, modeling best practice, and case consultation The supervisor’s role is critically important for training therapists, modeling best practice, case consultation, and quality assurance
Low caseloads, availability to families 24/7, high number of face-to-face hours with families, and short-term services are hallmarks of IFPS Low caseloads, availability to families 24/7, high number of face-to-face hours with families, and short-term services are hallmarks of IFPS
IFPS emphasizes evidence-based practice IFPS (Homebuilders® model) is a proven, evidence-based practice listed on registries of EBPs
IFPS includes the provision of concrete services (rent, utilities, car repair, etc.) IFPS includes the provision of concrete services, and studies show that concrete services contribute to the effectiveness of IFPS
Families are colleagues Families are colleagues, family strengths are assessed, and all in-home services have adopted this philosophy
Safety of children is the highest priority Safety of children is the highest priority, and there are only a few documented deaths during IFPS interventions over the past decades
IFPS is an innovative service, focused on the family as a whole, and aimed at keeping families safely together instead of rescuing children IFPS continues to focus on the family as a whole and keeping families safely together. IFPS is now an enduring, evidence-based practice whose values, standards, methods of engaging families, model fidelity, and quality assurance are widely imitated by child- and family-serving agencies

 

Posted by Charlotte Booth, Executive Director, Institute for Family Development

Announcing the Intensive Family Preservation Services Website

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Intensive Family Preservation website: http://www.intensivefamilypreservation.org/

The IFPS Website is designed as a resource both for those in the field of family preservation and those who are interested in learning about IFPS, the unique role it plays in child welfare, and its history.

Priscilla Martens, Director at National Family Preservation Network describes the website as “a tool for the field: a repository of knowledge and a way to stay in touch with everyone involved in preserving families.”

The website features a page on the 40th Anniversary of IFPS and the July 17, 2014, celebration in Seattle. Check back frequently as we will be posting photos and new materials over the coming months.

Douglas W. Nelson, Retired President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation shares his thoughts on the 40th Anniversary of IFPS and its impact on the child welfare system in the U.S.

“I am convinced that the lessons learned from the development and implementation of family preservation program models will continue to inform child welfare practice and system reform efforts in the next twenty five years. It is a timeless model that encourages and supports the fundamental belief that all children need and deserve a family.”

You can now access the IFPS Coast to Coast Blog through the website as well: http://www.intensivefamilypreservation.org/blog/

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We’ll Be Back Soon

We’re taking a break from the blog in order to prepare for an upcoming gala event in celebration of the 40th anniversary of IFPS.

We’ll be back on July 23 to share BIG NEWS.

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Posted by Peg Marckworth

A Blog’s Life: Our First Year

The IFPS Coast-to-Coast blog is celebrating its first anniversary! What do we have to celebrate?

A Coast-to-Coast Conversation that Is Dedicated to the Field of IFPS

There is no other forum with this sole focus. We believe that IFPS plays a critical role in the continuum of family and child-serving systems. We want to make sure that it continues to fulfill that role in the best way possible.

A Variety of Topics for Everyone Involved in IFPS

During the past year we have had posts on topics that appeal to practitioners, supervisors, administrators, researchers, evaluators, and just about everyone else who is involved in IFPS. If there is a topic of interest to you that has not yet been addressed, let us know!

A Milestone for IFPS

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of IFPS (Homebuilders® model). Throughout the year, we will be sharing tidbits of history along with the impact of IFPS.

Preserving the Past and Preparing for the Future

As part of the 40th Anniversary activities, the Institute for Family Development and the National Family Preservation Network will develop an IFPS Repository to store and share memorabilia, articles, publications, and other documents on IFPS. The Repository will preserve the past, enlighten the present, and serve as a foundation to educate future generations about IFPS.

What is the future of IFPS?

We think it’s bright but we know that it will only be achieved through hard work and commitment. We need to consider how we can all work together to create this bright future. How about this for our motto: “If your path is more difficult, it is because your calling is higher” (Unknown).

Your Turn

A blog is interactive so now it’s your turn. Here are some ways that you can actively participate:

  • Pass it along. See “How to Share a Post.” Anyone can follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or sign up to receive notification by e-mail.
  • Comment. See “How to Leave a Comment.”
  • E-mail us at blog@nfpn.org. We want to hear about your successes with IFPS and also your frustrations.
  • Write a post. Let us know that you’d like to contribute a post and we’ll provide the guidelines.
  • And let us know about anything else that would be of interest to the IFPS Community.

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Posted by Peg Marckworth

Celebrating 40 Years of IFPS

Keeping Families Together Title PageDid you know that the term “family preservation” did not exist 40 years ago?

We’ve come a long way in the past 40 years! From no use of the term “family preservation” before 1974 to over 37 million Google listings for “family preservation” in 2014.

IFPS got off to a strong start, was boosted with a strong dose of private foundation and federal government support, experienced a rough patch for a period of time, and is now growing and stronger than ever.

Come along for the journey for the next 40 years!

Birth of IFPS

In 1974 the HOMEBUILDERS® program, a model of Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS), began in Washington State. Its goal—strengthen families and prevent unnecessary out-of-home placement.

The federal government provided impetus for nationwide replication of IFPS through the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980. This act required states to provide reasonable efforts to prevent or eliminate the removal of children from their homes or make it possible for them to return home. Family preservation services were listed as an essential component of satisfying the reasonable efforts requirement.

Foundation and Federal Funding for IFPS

The private sector stepped up to provide key funding for IFPS.

  • In 1986 the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation awarded $3.3 million for development of model programs, training/technical assistance, and capacity building.
  • In 1992, the Clark Foundation funded 7 existing organizations to promote IFPS.
  • Both the Clark Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation provided funding to establish a new organization, the National Family Preservation Network (NFPN). NFPN is the only national organization whose mission is to serve as the primary national voice for the preservation of families.

By 1993 IFPS programs existed in 35 states with 12 states passing specific family preservation legislation. That was also the year that federal funding first became directly available for IFPS through the Family Preservation and Support Act, later changed to the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program (PSSF).

The program was expanded to include funding for reunification and adoption services as well as family preservation and prevention. About one-fourth of the annual federal funding goes to family preservation.

Title IV-E Waivers

In 1994, Congress passed Public Law 103–432, which established Section 1130 of the Social Security Act (SSA) and gave the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the authority to approve state demonstration projects, now referred to as IV-E waivers.

Conceived as a strategy for generating new knowledge about innovative and effective child welfare practices, waivers give states flexibility in the use of federal funds for alternative supports and services that promote safety, permanency, and well-being for children in the child protection and foster care systems.

Waivers allow funding and programs to prevent foster care, including authorization for IFPS as well as reinvestment of public funds that are saved through prevention of costly out-of-home placement. Congress is currently authorizing up to 10 new waiver projects annually.

 

Fidelity Validates IFPS

In 2001 a federal study indicated that IFPS was not effective in preventing out-of-home placements of children. Subsequent studies addressed methodological problems in the federal study. A breakthrough came in 2006 with a study conducted by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP). WSIPP did a meta-analysis of 14 IFPS evaluations based on fidelity to the Homebuilders® model of IFPS. The results from the combined 14 studies showed no significant effect on out-of-home placements.

But the programs with demonstrated fidelity to the Homebuilders® model reduced out-of-home placement by 31%. In addition, the high-fidelity programs produced $2.54 of benefits for each dollar of cost.

IFPS is Effective With a Variety of Families

A study conducted by NFPN found that the positive results of IFPS are not diminished when working with families of color, families involved with substance abuse, or families referred for neglect.

In the next post we’ll take a closer look at the target populations with which IFPS has been found to be effective.

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Posted by Charlotte Booth, Executive Director, Institute for Family Development
and Priscilla Martens, Executive Director, National Family Preservation Network

New Year’s Quiz Winner

In our New Year’s post we posed the question, “In what state did IFPS originate?”

The correct answer is, Washington State.

We offered the choice of one of two prizes to the first person to leave a comment with the correct answer.

PRIZE #1 — 15-minute consultation with an IFPS expert, Charlotte Booth

Charlotte Booth

Charlotte Booth, Institute for Family Development

Prize #2 — A copy of Keeping Families Together, the classic book on IFPS

Keeping Families Together Cover

And our prize winner is . . .

David Gillock

Congratulations, David! To claim your prize, please check your e-mail for a message from us or contact director@nfpn.org.

Thank you for participating in our first blog quiz!

2013 Wrap-up and Survey

The IFPS Coast-to-Coast Blog launched on April 10, 2013, with a new post issued every Wednesday. We’re so glad that you have joined us on this blog journey as we all strive to make a positive impact in the lives of the families that we serve.

A blog is an ideal way to share both content and comments about IFPS, and the blog links to other social media as well. We have followers via e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter. And we have a pool of authors! Ten contributing authors wrote posts this year and we extend our hearty thanks to all of them.

Our authors have produced three dozen posts in 13 categories. You can quickly find topics by scrolling down the right-hand side of the blog home page until you see “Categories.” After selecting a topic and viewing the most recent post, you can view other posts on that topic by selecting “Older Posts.”

The purpose of the IFPS blog is to increase visibility and knowledge of IFPS, share expertise, and expand the reach of IFPS. While we feel that we made a good start in 2013, we want to do even better in 2014. Here’s where you can help:

Please take our 2-question survey right now to provide feedback on what you liked about the blog this year and what you would like to see next year.

Here is the link to the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FGTTFCN

Thank you for your participation, inquiries, and comments the past year.

We will be taking a break over the holidays and will resume with new posts on January 8. In the meantime, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

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Posted by Peg Marckworth

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