ASFA TRAINING PROJECT PHONE POLL OF CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES

Oklahoma

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: Managers have a very good understanding of ASFA and its implications for our work.

b. Supervisors:

Comments: Supervisors have a good understanding of ASFA.

c. Workers:

Comments: There has been so much turnover at the worker level that it is difficult to know how much they understand about ASFA. It's probably pretty good but less than managers and supervisors.

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?

• Collaboration---they need to feel comfortable with and know how to collaborate
• Creativity---they need to be able to think outside of the box. Also they need to allow their staff to be creative
• Building commitment to change
• Being comfortable with data and knowing how to use it to improve services
  

b. Supervisors?

• Same as the managers plus understanding how to build personal commitment to change and broaden their vision
  

c. Workers?

• Understand the data that directly effects them, such as workload, and the broader picture of how the county and state are doing.
• Decision making and communication. Concurrent planning is a challenge to implement. Workers now must quickly establish strong relationships with families and discuss with them often difficult and conflicting messages about services, potential outcomes and treatment plans. All of this must be accomplished in a very fast period of time.
  
  

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.
  Question not asked
  
• Internal communication? No Yes
  If yes, please describe
  Question not asked
  
• Performance appraisals? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  
• Job descriptions? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  
• Staff recruitment? No Yes
  If yes, please describe.
  Question not asked
  

4. How do you handle staff training on ASFA?

a. Please describe the training.

We provide training on ASFA as part of the core training delivered under a contract with the National Resource Center for Youth Services.

b. Who does the training?

National Resource Center for Youth Services.

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

Incorporated into the core training.

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

Question not asked.

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?

KIDS gives us the data we need to know about where we are with our work; we get and distribute several reports from KIDS. Reports for managers can be area-wide or by detail, while a report for a supervisor will provide information for their specific workers, units or county. KIDS has been enhanced and grown to support ASFA and other new requirements.

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

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

We have worked to provide information to staff throughout the organization on how well they are doing in priority areas such as length of time in out of home stays, placement of siblings, age of child and who has been in care for how long. We provide this information consistently.

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

Worker turnover and lack of continuity of care. When a case goes from person to person to person, it is difficult for the family, child and agency.

Worker turnover also leads to the supervisors being less experienced than in previous years.

Working with the court system. OK law gives parents the right to request a jury hearing at various points along the TPR process. So, while DHS is accountable under law for meeting established timeframes, it has no control over the timing of key events such as permanency hearings and filings for petitions for termination.

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

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?

• OK is implementing Mini CFSRs across the state as part of their Continuous Quality Improvement Activities.

  One of the best ways to support staff is to improve the type, quantity and quality of services available for children and families.

  
  Additional Comments:

  OK already had many aspects of ASFA in place prior to ASFA becoming law (e.g. a 12 month permanency review)

  Both Elizabeth and Amy are willing to serve on the ASFA project Advisory Council
  

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