This article originally appeared in the November-December 1998 Children's Advocate newsmagazine, published by Action Alliance for Children.
Before welfare reform, county social services departments kept "welfare" separate from child welfare, the division that investigates reports of child abuse and neglect, and if necessary, places children in foster care.
But now welfare reform is placing new stresses on families, and welfare-to-work requirements increase the possibility that a family may be caught between conflicting programs. One parent, for example, could be involved with welfare, child welfare, and a drug-treatment program, with obligations to fulfill for each of them. "We have to make sure we're not sending families in a zillion directions," says Del Sayles, director of Child Welfare Services for the California Department of Social Services.
At the same time, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), the new federal welfare program, is providing more funds to help troubled families. Increased cooperation between welfare and child welfare divisions could help get those resources to families before they get to the point of having their children removed.Children's Advocate spoke with social services directors in several counties about ways they're increasing coordination between child welfare services and CalWORKs, California's TANF program.
Working together
In Stanislaus, CalWORKs workers are now trained to offer social services to welfare recipients. A CalWORKs Behavioral Health Services team, located in the same offices as CalWORKs and child welfare workers, provides on-site help for domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse, and mental-health problems. A TANF/Child Welfare Coordinating Committee meets regularly to discuss overlaps and eliminate conflicts. Families already involved with child welfare services are handled by special workers with knowledge about both CalWORKs and foster care requirements.
In San Mateo, families who need services or who aren't cooperating with CalWORKs are referred to the Family Self-Sufficiency Team (FSST). The FSST includes CalWORKs and child welfare workers, alcohol and drug specialists, mental-health counselors, and others who may be involved, such as probation officers. The team develops a joint plan for the family and assigns a primary case manager.
In Riverside, CalWORKs and child welfare workers still maintain separate caseloads; in one office, staff members are encouraged to share information if they have a case in common.
In Santa Cruz, CalWORKs and child welfare workers open separate cases but communicate with each other to develop coordinated plans. CalWORKs workers can refer families to Intensive Services Workers (ISW) if they or the family identifies a problem. The ISW works with the family, contacting the child welfare worker if there is an open case or if the case involves abuse or neglect. A group of supervisors and managers meet as a "cross-over" team to resolve patterns of conflict between the CalWORKs and child welfare divisions. In cases where there are many outstanding issues (housing, child care, child welfare, probation), families are referred to a multidisciplinary team, which develops one plan. Santa Cruz would eventually like to develop a joint-action plan for all cases.
Training each other
In some counties, the CalWORKs workers are trained to refer families to social services. Other counties have opened some training sessions to staff from other divisions. For example, CalWORKs workers who understand the difficulties of withdrawal from alcohol or drugs might become more sensitive to families with substance-abuse problems. Child welfare workers could learn about the pressure TANF puts on counties to place families in jobs. That would help them understand the need to coordinate family reunification plans with a parent's work schedule.
In Stanislaus, CalWORKs workers have learned from the child welfare division about the strength-based approach to working with families, while child welfare workers learned about CalWORKs requirements.
In Santa Cruz, a combined training center works with CalWORKs, child welfare, and JTPA (Job Training Partnership Act) workers.Responding to "sanctions"Under the new welfare law, families receive "sanctions" (reduction in welfare check) if they don't meet CalWORKs requirements.
In San Mateo and Santa Cruz, if a family is sanctioned, a social worker visits the home to see if the children are OK and to offer resources. The social worker is not a child protective services worker and does not conduct an official investigation of child abuse or neglect.
In Riverside, some sanctioned families are put on a "rep-payee" program, in which the county reduces their grant and pays their primary bills.
In Stanislaus, sanctioned families are invited to a "family group model" conference, in which family members, CalWORKs and child welfare workers, employment specialists, and community organizations make a plan to help the family. The county is hoping to use this model and do home visits with all CalWORKs clients, to offer them resources up-front.
Reality check?
Social services departments are coordinating services because they want to provide the best help to families. But some advocates and researchers are raising questions about the benefits—and possible drawbacks—of these approaches:
Special thanks to the representatives who spoke to us from the counties and to Jill Duerr Berrick, Center for Social Services Research.
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