ASFA TRAINING PROJECT PHONE POLL OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES

Indiana

1. How would you rate your agency's staff in terms of their understanding of ASFA requirements? We are particularly interested in the level of understanding of managers, supervisors and workers. Please rate their understanding on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being 'poor' and 5 being 'comprehensive'.

a. Managers:

Comments: Everyone has a good comprehensive understanding of ASFA. All have been trained.

b. Supervisors:

c. Workers:

2. Based on your agency's experience to date, what skills do you think managers, supervisors and workers need to have to implement ASFA?

a. Managers?

• Know how to think globally
• Time management
• Understand implications of ASFA
• Know how to think outside the box; not just to focus on the moment
• Educate stakeholders

b. Supervisors?

• Supervisors need same skills as managers. Some counties in Indiana are quite small. In the smaller county managers function as managers as well as direct supervisors of line staff.
• Know how to think globally
• Time management
• Understand implications of ASFA
• Know how to think outside the box; not just to focus on the moment
• Educate stakeholders
  
  

c. Workers?

• Understand how ASFA affects them
• Meet timelines
• Adapt to policy changes
• Change thought process; have to think ahead in planning for child
• Think creatively, especially in recruitment of foster/adoptive families
  

3. As part of your ASFA implementation has your agency undertaken any activities in the following areas:

• Agency structure? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  
• Internal communication? No Yes
  If yes, please describe
  An ASFA Implementation group was formed in 1997. It met at least once a month in the beginning of the ASFAimplementation; now it meets about four times a year.
  
• Performance appraisals? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  
• Job descriptions? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  
• Staff recruitment? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  

4. How do you handle staff training on ASFA?

a. Please describe the training.

• Staff went into regions to train on ASFA legislation and ASFA issues, especially adoption and permanency.
• Have held workshops twice a year on ASFA
• Trained staff in agencies that contract with the Division
  

b. Who does the training?

• Agency field staff
• Policy consultants
• Adoption staff
• Local office directors
  

c. Is the training just on ASFA or is it incorporated into other training that you provide?

It is incorporated into the competency-based pre-service and on-going training. Use CWLA's field guide which contains information on ASFA. Also, hold specialized sessions on ASFA when needed.

d. Have you done any training with or for the courts? No Yes
If yes, please describe.

• The agency has done two major conferences in collaboration with the courts. Mainly attended by judges.
• Have an active Court Improvement project that arranged training
• Mostly separate training has been done for court staff and agency staff.
• The legal part of the competency based training that addresses ASFA involves judges and attorneys.
  

5. How well does your information system support the work of managers, supervisors and workers in implementing ASFA? Please rate the support provided by your system on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being 'poor' and 5 being 'outstanding'

a. Why did you give your system that rating?

System in use is their SACWIS system which has been reprogrammed to provide all the data they need to monitor compliance with ASFA.

b. If a rating of 1 or 2 is given, probe as to the status of the SACWIS system.

n/a

6. What has worked best for you in terms of supporting staff as they implement the ASFA requirements?

"For awhile I ate, breathed and slept ASFA. I am pleased with the success of the effort. There has been no negative fallout." Tricia Blander

What worked best was cooperation among stakeholders and key people. They were involved in the beginning on the ASFA committee and then were asked to do training on ASFA. The result was an atmosphere of support. People "embraced it and really believed in it." There was a whole spectrum of people who were saying the same thing consistently. The same information came from all levels.

7. What do you view as barriers to your agency's support for staff as they implement the requirements of ASFA?

• Some problems with the courts remain - some courts can't accept paradigm shift; some courts are over loaded.
• ASFA was an unfunded mandate. Particularly has caused difficulty because of great increase for post-adoption services. The question is where to get funding for them.
  
  

8. (For County based systems only.) To what extent does the fact that your state is county-based impact your ASFA implementation?

Indiana is state supervised; state administered.

9. Is there anything else that you want to tell us regarding the best way to support staff as they implement the requirements of ASFA?

• Have to think of ASFA as not just a child welfare problem, but something that will take the efforts of everyone to implement.
• It takes time to go out and give individual workers the support they need. Need to send support staff out to support workers. Support staff needs to be able to talk workers through cases on a case by case basis.
  

Back to Top