Lately, human trafficking seems to be increasing in many of our communities. On December 31, 2013, President Barack Obama declared January 2014 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2014 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in the annual celebration of National Freedom Day on February 1. I call upon businesses, national and community organizations, faith-based groups, families, and all Americans to recognize the vital role we can play in ending all forms of slavery and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.

As IFPS professionals we need to ask ourselves how much we really know about “human trafficking.”

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, human trafficking is “a modern-day form of slavery involving the illegal trade of people for exploitation or commercial gain.” This includes using adults or children for sexual slavery and forced labor.

The Department of Homeland Security reports that “every year, millions of men, women, and children worldwide, including in the United States are victims of human trafficking. Victims are often lured with false promises of well-paying jobs or are manipulated by people they trust, but instead are forced or coerced into prostitution, domestic, servitude, farm or factory labor, other types of forced labor.”

It is critical that IFPS providers be aware of and alert to possible sex trafficking of the vulnerable children and families we serve. Truancy or dropping out of school, frequently running away, lack of basic needs, fear of seeking help, and restriction of freedom of movement are some of the indicators of potential sex trafficking of youth.

Last fall, a congressional committee addressed sex trafficking of youth in foster care (http://waysandmeans.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=355668). Two witnesses were from Washington State.

Bobbe Bridge is a retired judge and Founding President/CEO of Center for Children and Youth Justice. Following is a portion of her testimony:

Washington State was relatively early among state governments to recognize that trafficking in persons, whether domestically or internationally, was an issue of statewide significance. The Task Force Against Trafficking of Persons was created by the legislature in 2002, and in 2003 Washington became the first state in the nation to prohibit trafficking in persons. The term “child prostitute” has been all but removed from our lexicon. Instead we refer to the children and youth who are the victims of sex trafficking as commercially sexually exploited youth (“CSEC”).

You can read Judge Bridge’s full testimony here: (PDF, 3.3 MB)
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bobbe_bridge_testimony_hr102313.pdf

Another witness, Melinda Giovengo, the Executive Director of YouthCare in Seattle, Washington, established the connection between at-risk and foster-care youth and sex trafficking. According to Giovengo:

1. Studies indicate that between 55% and 90% of prostituted individuals report a history of child sexual and/or physical abuse.
2. Youth in foster care are disproportionately at risk for victimization through sex trafficking due to prior abuse and a lack of social/familial support. Furthermore, sex trafficking constitutes violence and abuse of vulnerable youth.
3. Youth in foster care are often victims of sex trafficking long before social workers, foster parents, or other providers are aware.
4. Youth who have run away, or are missing from care, are at significant risk for sex trafficking.

You can read Ms. Giovengo’s full testimony and recommendations here: (PDF, 188 KB)
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/melinda_giovengo_testimony_hr102313.pdf

“This month, I call on every nation, every community, and every individual to fight human trafficking wherever it exists. Let us declare as one that slavery has no place in our world, and let us finally restore to all people the most basic rights of freedom, dignity, and justice” (President Barack Obama, Presidential Proclamation, December 31, 2013).

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Posted by Moneefah D. Jackson and Peg Marckworth

Happy New Year from the IFPS Coast-to-Coast Blog. We’re excited to have you along on our journey in 2014!

Through our survey at the end of last year, we heard about topics you are interested in and ones that don’t appeal to you. We’ve learned that practice tips are always a popular topic, so we will continue to make that a major focus. We will also include posts on research in the field, views of IFPS from an international perspective, and profiles of IFPS programs in states across the country.

Let’s kick off the New Year with a quick quiz about IFPS:

1. In what state did IFPS originate?
2. How many states have strong IFPS programs?
3. Do IFPS programs include reunification services to preserve families?
4. What is the average number of face-to-face hours that a therapist spends with families during an IFPS intervention?
5. What is the average success rate of families remaining together at case closure in strong IFPS states?
6. What is the average percentage of older youth (ages 12–17) served by strong IFPS programs?
7. What is the hallmark of all strong, effective IFPS programs?

You can find the answers to these questions, except for question #1, in the IFPS Nationwide Survey available here:
http://nfpn.org/preservation/ifps-nationwide-survey

The first person to post a comment with the correct answer to QUESTION #1  will win a 15-minute consultation with an IFPS expert or the classic book on IFPS, Keeping Families Together. Winner chooses the prize and the consolation prize goes to second place. Sorry, those who live or work in the state where IFPS originated do not qualify.

Our goal with the IFPS Coast-to-Coast blog is to provide a nationwide forum for exchanging knowledge and expertise about IFPS. We want to extend our reach in 2014. Here’s how you can help:

1. Send this post to your colleagues through their preferred social media.
2. Ask colleagues to join the IFPS blog family. Tell them that the easiest way to receive new posts is through e-mail. Sign up by clicking the “Follow” button in the right-hand sidebar.
3. Commit to posting a comment at least once in 2014. Comments help keep the blog interesting, interactive, and insightful.

Remember, a new post comes out every Wednesday. And, don’t forget to submit your answer to the quiz now!

Happy New Year!

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Posted by Peg Marckworth

The previous post focused on creating goals and objectives with families. In this post, we discuss how to create an effective intervention plan. These ten steps provide a framework you can use to help your client families reach their goals and objectives.

1. Start on a positive note.

Families in crisis are often overwhelmed by things not going well. They may not know how to make changes and may not believe it’s even possible. You can set the stage for success by explaining that change is possible. Share with families that you will be helping them discover why things aren’t working and learn new skills to make things better.

2. Consider each family member’s learning style (i.e., visual, auditory, kinesthetic).

People learn in different ways. What works for one person may not work for another. It is important to ask each person how they think they learn best; observe them in teaching situations; and offer different ways for them to access material.

3. Identify the skill you are going to teach and define small steps to master the skill.

People learn best in small, easily understandable steps. When people succeed with the first step they are more likely to take the next step—and the ones after that. What is a small step for one person may be an overwhelming step for another, so gather information about the person’s abilities before you start and evaluate as you go. Don’t be afraid to make the steps smaller in order to get success.

4. Discuss and explain the importance of using the skill.

Most people, including children, want to know why they need to do things differently. We all want to know “what’s in it for me.” Discuss with family members how changing a behavior or using a new skill will benefit them.

5. Describe and show the steps of using the skill.

Show people the path you want them to take and link it back to how it will benefit them and their family. The “Four Stages of Competence” model can be a useful way to help them understand how people learn new skills.

Use the “show—tell—do” model. Show the skill, explain it in small steps, and then have the person try it with you coaching and giving feedback. This process will help the person understand and gain confidence to try it on their own.

6. Rehearse the skill with the families and provide assignments.

Few people are one-trial learners. We all need to practice. Look for ways to make practice fun—during and between meetings with you. Give homework assignments that are manageable and reinforcing. Offer rewards for simply doing the homework.

7. Practice skills with families until they accomplish their goals.

Once is probably not enough. Five or ten or 50 times may be needed. Practicing with families can give them the confidence to continue on their own.

8. Evaluate as you go.

Make sure you ask for, and observe, each family member’s understanding about the skill being taught to them. Do this at each step in the process. Stop as needed to review and reteach. Break the skill into smaller or different steps as needed. Offer other ways to learn and practice the skills. Make sure you are doing everything you can to make the experience rewarding.

9. Provide effective feedback about progress toward the goal.

Explaining: “We’ve come this far and we have this far to go.” may not seem necessary. It is. Helping people see their progress can be motivating. We’re asking families to make big changes in their behavior and in their lives. It can seem overwhelming. When we put things in perspective we help people move forward toward their goals.

10. Always provide encouragement, praise and reinforcement to families.

Rewards work for all of us. Encouragement, praise and reinforcement are an integral part of a successful behavior change plan. Be sure you provide reinforcement that has meaning to each person. What is rewarding for one person may not be for another. Talk about this in advance with families. A disinterested kid may be more willing to try if they get to do more of the thing they love as a reward. Rewards don’t have to be prizes. Listening, encouraging, even a high-five can make a difference in how a person feels about the hard work they’re doing. We have a huge role in providing that reinforcement.

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Posted by Moneefah D. Jackson

Creating goals with IFPS families can be challenging. Because I frequently hear concerns from IFPS staff about goal development, I’m focusing this post on how to create effective goals with the IFPS families.

1. Before You Start

Many IFPS therapists find it helpful to write a “Statement of Need” before the goal setting meeting with the family. The Statement of Need helps you collect and compare your observations with information from the referring worker and the family. It’s a tool that helps you identify priorities and potential obstacles. It includes:

• your observation of the family situation,
• the problem(s) the referring worker identified,
• what changes the referring worker would like the family to make,
• what the family says they would like to change and
• the outcomes the family would like.

Sample Statement of Need:

The referring worker, Mr. D, reported that Ms. P is currently suffering from financial hardship (e.g., difficulty with paying her rent of $900 a month). He shared that Ms. P receives SSI in the amount of $1,500 a month and $ 900 in food stamps to meet the needs of her three children (Larry, Curly, and Moe). He stated that he would like for Ms. P to work on budgeting skills so that she can pay her rent on time. Ms. P shared that she is not having financial hardship; she just needs some assistance with budgeting her money. She stated that she shops a lot at the corner store because the supermarket is too far for her. She stated that she is behind in her rent because she needed to use the money to buy school clothes for her children. Ms. P shared that she goes out a lot to eat so that she can treat her children. Ms. P stated that she would like assistance with learning how to budget her money so that she can have money left over at the end of the month and pay her rent on time.

2. Statement of Goals: Defining behaviorally specific goals

Creating goals with families involves more than just writing the information on a flip chart. Keep the Statement of Need in mind as you and the family define the Statement of Goals. Assist families in prioritizing their goals. Remember, the goals should reflect the family that you are currently working with. They need to be realistic and achievable within the stated time frame depending on the families’ circumstances and abilities.

Each goal must be defined in behaviorally specific terms that reflects the family’s viewpoint, hopes and concerns. To set achievable goals with families you need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

Example: Ms. P will learn and use budgeting skills to manage her money so she can pay her rent on time.

3.    Measurable Objectives: What you and the family intend to achieve

The Measurable Objectives should support what is written in the Statement of Need and relate directly to the Goal. Measurable Objectives focus on the behavioral changes within the family. The Measurable Objectives should be written in behaviorally specific terms and tailored to the family. It is important to specify a time frame for achieving each Measurable Objective.

Example: Ms. P will use a budgeting sheet to list her expenses on a daily basis. Week 2

4.    Intervention Tasks: Your role in the family’s behavior change

When creating the goals, ensure the family understands the goals and measurable objectives, agrees to their value and is willing to work toward goal achievement with your help. Never force family members to participate in goal development.

It is important for you to clarify the steps you will take to assist the families in learning new skills and changing behaviors. Your intervention tasks can include a variety of intervention tools, designed for the specific family: the use of discussion, role play, “what if” scenarios, videos, therapeutic games, handouts, reading materials, etc.

Example: IFPS therapist will teach Ms. P how to list her expenses on the budgeting sheet using discussion, worksheet, and demonstration.

Review the goals weekly with the family to assess the families’ progress toward their goals; and their “motivation, capacity and opportunity.” Remember to always ask the client for their understanding concerning the goal (s) and what they have been taught. This gives you an opportunity to fine tune your intervention techniques, make the steps smaller and more achievable so that families are experiencing success.

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Posted by Moneefah D. Jackson

Image Source

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

Perhaps your agency is one of many that is on a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year. With the new fiscal year at hand, your agency may also be considering new programs.

How do you start from scratch to build an effective program?

Let’s look at how one state created an effective Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) program.

Legislation

The legislative assembly of North Carolina enacted the Family Preservation Act in 1991. The legislation is only a few pages long but it sets forth the essential components of an effective IFPS model:

• child is at imminent risk of placement,
• families receive services for an average of four and maximum of six weeks,
• family preservation workers are available by phone and for visits 24/7, and
• the maximum caseload at one time is four families.

View the legislation here: http://bit.ly/10ARUBm

Request for Application/Proposal

With IFPS now firmly established in statute, the next step was to further define the program. A good source of information for establishing a program is the Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Application (RFA) issued by a government entity to solicit providers for a specific service.

The North Carolina Division of Social Services issued the most recent solicitation for IFPS in January of this year. We learn from this document that the state is awarding $3 million to be allocated among 11 regions of the state. The three-year contract will provide reimbursement to providers of $6,000 per family who completes services. We also learn that a master’s degree in social work is preferred for IFPS direct services workers and supervisors, and that they are required to take an initial six days of training. The bulk of the RFA describes the services that must be delivered and the expected outcomes.

View the RFA here: http://bit.ly/12XVxTu

Following submission of applications, a review committee scores each one. If there is more than a 10-point difference among reviewers, the application is pulled for further discussion and re-scored. Contracts are awarded for each region based on the highest-ranking application. Because awards are determined in this way, there is no guarantee that winning a contract in one RFA cycle will result in winning a contract in the next RFA cycle.

Tracking Results

How does North Carolina determine if the IFPS services are effective? One method is through a quarterly tracking report. Simple, yet informative, the report collects basic information on the:

• number of families served,
• number of families ineligible for services or opening not available,
• ages of children, and
• outcomes:
  • percentage of families remaining together,
  • improved family functioning, and
  • family satisfaction with services.

At any point in time, the report provides a quick snapshot of IFPS.

Here is the most recent annual summary of their quarterly reports:

(Download the annual summary in PDF format: http://bit.ly/11B6sMA )

Special thanks to Michelle Reines, Program Consultant for Child Welfare Services, for providing information about North Carolina IFPS.

Other Resources

Here are some other resources for building and maintaining an effective IFPS program:

• IFPS ToolKit

• Institute for Family Development — Homebuilders® Model

• National Family Preservation Network (NFPN) — Information, Training/Technical Assistance
  E-mail: director@nfpn.org

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Posted by Priscilla Martens, NFPN Executive Director

The last post presented findings from a nationwide survey on the core elements of exemplary IFPS programs, specifically regarding therapists. This week we take a closer in-depth look at the qualifications of therapists. Let’s start with the job description.

Job Description

Two IFPS programs, one in Tennessee (new program) and one in Washington State (longest-running program in the nation), provided job descriptions for therapists. The basic job responsibilities for both programs are very similar and also reflect the core elements of exemplary IFPS programs:

• Worker meets with the family within 24 hours
• 24/7 availability of the worker
• Worker availability on evenings/weekends
• Low caseload (2–4 families), brief length of service (4–6 weeks)
• High number of face-to-face hours spent with families (32–40+ hours)

You can view/download the complete job descriptions below:

• Tennessee Job Description (PDF, 45 Kb)
• Washington State Job Description (PDF, 70 Kb)

How do you know if someone is not a good fit for the job?

The Tennessee program lists the following red flags:

• Inability to work with diverse families
• Inability to connect in an interview
• Highly structured world view without the ability to consider others beliefs and opinions
• High desire for office-based work
• Strong desire to do “only therapy” (some therapists do not enjoy the case management and hands-on aspects required by IFPS)
• Inability to take constructive feedback
• Judgmental attitude toward people with DCS involvement/substance abuse/poverty
• Lack of adequate transportation, inability to go to a crisis “on a moment’s notice”

Interview Process

And that brings us to the interview process. The following is a list of questions that the Tennessee programs uses in the first interview:

• Review résumé, ask about experience areas
• Ask behaviorally specific questions, such as, “Talk about a time when you had several projects to complete. What was the situation? How did you get all those things done? And what lessons did you learn?”
• Give positive feedback in interviews as this sets people at ease and we tend to get a more realistic view of who they are.
• Another question: Talk about a time when you had a conflict with a supervisor. What was it and how did you handle it? What was the resolution?
• Question: What is your theoretical orientation? What attracts you to that ideology? (Ask enough questions to see if the applicant knows what they are talking about.)
• Question: What are your beliefs about families?
• Question: How will you feel working with a diverse population of families? Some might have a religion very different than yours, might have same-gender parents, might be mixed-race couples, might have many animals, etc. Talk about your feelings on diverse families.
• Question: What kinds of families or clients might be hard for you to work with?
• Question: Talk about your beliefs about people and parents who abuse substances. How might you address a relapse or someone you work with?

In the second interview, the Tennessee program does a role-playing and writing exercise with candidates. You can view/download the role-play details below:

• Tennessee Role-Play Details (PDF, 50 Kb)

So, how does your agency job description and interview process compare to those provided in this post?

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Special thanks to Cindy Cothran, Clinical Supervisor and Project Director of TIES, and to Charlotte Booth, Executive Director of Institute for Family Development, for contributing material for this post.

Posted by Priscilla Martens, NFPN Executive Director

The IFPS Coast-to-Coast Blog has been examining strategies for attracting and retaining IFPS therapists. This post looks at the IFPS therapist from the perspective of the most effective IFPS programs nationwide.

A 2011 survey, conducted by the National Family Preservation Network, found 14 states with exemplary IFPS programs. Exemplary programs have written program standards, monitor compliance, and conduct program evaluation. The majority (65%) of IFPS programs use a specific clinical model and provide follow-up services (66%). In these programs an average of 91% of families remain intact at case closure.

Many of the findings in these exemplary programs relate specifically to IFPS therapists:

• Most of the services are provided by one worker with team back-up
• Worker has ongoing supervision that includes case consultation
• Worker receives mandatory training
• Key components of intensity are adhered to:
  • worker meets with the family within 24 hours
  • 24/7 availability of the worker
  • worker availability on evenings/weekends
  • low caseload (2–4 families), brief length of service (4–6 weeks)
  • high number of face-to-face hours spent with families (average of 47 hours per IFPS intervention)

State by state details – click here to view (PDF, 98 Kb)

The chart also raises additional questions . . . here are some that can be answered by you!

• What does a typical weekly schedule look like for an IFPS worker?
• How do you maintain availability while balancing work and home life?

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Posted by Priscilla Martens, NFPN Executive Director

What is burnout? It’s a state of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion that seems overwhelming and insurmountable. It decreases productivity, saps energy and reduces motivation. Workers who burn out leave the job. We’ve explored the high costs of worker turnover in a previous post and recognize the value of retaining workers.

So what can supervisors do to help their workers avoid burnout? They can teach workers to build resiliency. How? By being proactive and working together to prevent rather than trying to address burnout when it’s too late

Here are 10 strategies that supervisors can teach workers and help them implement:

1. Set reasonable expectations

Goals and plans for each intervention vary widely. Be a resource for workers for case planning. Do the goals reflect the highest priorities for the family situation? Can they be achieved in the time available? Does the worker have the resources needed to help the family achieve these goals?

2. Make a plan

Each person has their own way of dealing with long hours, hard work and stress. Talk with workers about what works for them. Make a plan with the worker for self-care that is individualized and specific. What does the worker do to restore their energy? What activities can they incorporate into their day that makes things easier? What support do they want and need? Talking about it in advance and scheduling time and activities into the worker’s routine will avoid the slow leak of energy that leads to burnout.

3. Don’t do it alone

Ensure that your workers know that they are part of a team. Encourage them to use team members for creative intervention ideas, support in hard situations and back-up. Remind them this is a team effort. Encourage them to use you as a resource as often as they need.

4. Check in often

It isn’t enough to tell the worker to call if they want. Set times that you want them to check in with you. It will vary based on the dynamics of the cases they have. Make it part of the routine, not just something for emergencies.

5. Ask for help

Set the expectation that asking for help is a good thing, not an indication that the worker can’t handle things alone.

6. Healthy thinking

Fatigue and stress can lead to “ain’t it awful” thinking and complaining. Workers need an opportunity to vent and need you to be there to listen and help them reframe. It may also be helpful to strategize with workers ways to make productive changes in their thinking and their actions that will help them feel better and less stressed.

7. Change gears

Encourage workers to take down time. Doing something completely different from their work routine can give them the physical, emotional and mental break they need to restore their energy. A 20 minute nap in the car, reading a novel during lunch, taking a walk in a local park, doing 5 minutes of yoga stretches, watching a funny YouTube video can restore energy and give fresh perspective. Workers may need support in taking time for themselves during the day.

8. Take a break

Vacation is a key element in staying emotionally, mentally and physically strong. It’s important to get away whether it’s a trip, a long weekend at home, or doing something fun with friends and family. Remind workers that taking time to restore is part of the job too.

9. Catch things early

Make sure workers know their personal early warning signs of stress and fatigue. Talk to workers in advance about the indicators that let them know it’s time to ask for help, take a break or just let you know how they are feeling.

10. Celebrate success

IFPS workers make a difference in the lives of families and contribute to strong communities. Find ways to acknowledge and celebrate accomplishments—both big and small. Remind workers to pat themselves on the back for their successes.
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Posted by Peg Marckworth