SERVICE

One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.		  
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  CAREGIVER

The provider of physical, emotional, and social needs to another person, often dependent and unable to provide for his or her own needs. Caregiver is the generic term used for the direct service providers in Community Care and Support Services (CCS). 		 
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  PERSONNEL

The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards		  
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  PRACTICE

Established actions or ways of proceeding in the regular performance of organizational duties. Policies and procedures often guide practice.		  
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  SUPERVISION

Assumption of responsibility for directly overseeing and evaluating the work or work products of personnel within an organization. Also includes inspecting the act or process of accomplishing a function or activity.		  
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  WORKLOAD

The amount of work assigned to or expected from a person within a specified period of time. See also CASELOAD.		  
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  ADVANCED DEGREE

A degree at the Master's level or beyond from an institution of higher education. An advanced degree does not include a Bachelor's degree, an associate's degree, or an educational certificate.		  
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  SOCIAL WORK

Professionally responsible interventions carried out by persons with formal, professional education at the BSW or MSW level from an accredited school of social work and appropriate licensing, certification, and registration credentials. Interventions are directed toward improving the transactions between people and environments to enhance the adaptive capacities of the participants and improve environments for all that function within them. Social work is a professional practice with a consumer group consisting of individuals, families, small groups, organizations, neighborhoods, and communities and involving the disciplined application of knowledge and skill.		  
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  ASSESSMENT

An evaluation, which utilizes professional expertise and skills in the collection and analysis of data to understand and describe the nature of service needs of an individual, family, or group. Assessment, as in needs assessment, is also used to determine priorities of program planning and service development for the organization as a whole. See also DIAGNOSIS.		  
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  SPECIAL NEEDS

A designation used in reference to conditions or characteristics of a person that reflect a need for special care, services, or treatment. When the term is used in the context of adoption services, special needs refers to conditions that make a child harder to place for adoption. This includes children who are members of sibling groups, older children, children with disabilities, children of certain racial /ethnic backgrounds, etc. When the term is used in the context of foster care it refers to the need for a higher degree of specialized case services and attention due to mental and physical disabilities. When the term is used in the context of out-of-school time services, a child or youth may have special physical, behavioral, medical, emotional, or cognitive needs that should be addressed or accommodated. The term is also used in other contexts. See also DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.		  
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  CASE

A general term used to designate clients (including individuals, families, and groups) served by an organization for purposes of monitoring the provision of services. A foster care case is generally based on the placement of an individual child, although casework for the child may include services to the child's family. A child protective services case is based on an entire family household if a family assessment model is used; otherwise a case is defined as a child.		  
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  MANAGEMENT

See ADMINISTRATION		  
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  TRAINING

Instruction so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient in a skill or body of knowledge.		  
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  INDIAN CHILD

As defined in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), "Any unmarried person who is under age eighteen and is either (a) a member of an Indian tribe or (b) eligible for membership in an Indian tribe and is the biological child of a member of an Indian tribe." For purposes of compliance with ICWA, the definition provided in the Act shall apply. For purposes of access to services and resources, other more inclusive definitions may apply (e.g. Indian Education Act, tribal definitions, etc.). 		 
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  CULTURE

The customs, habits, values, skills, technology, beliefs, and religious, social, and political behaviors of a group of people in a specific period of time.		  
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  PROCEDURES

Written instructions that outline the steps for performing a task(s) or operationalizing an administrative or service delivery process. A procedure can be written as a step-by-step set of instructions or as a narrative description of a process. A procedure tells someone how to do something not just what to do.

Unlike policies, procedures do not need to be approved or reviewed by the governing body, and need not be associated with a specific policy. For example, whereas a broad anti-discrimination policy requires grievance or other procedures in order to be operationalized within an organization, assessment procedures do not require a governing body approved assessment policy.

Note: Procedures are sometimes referred to as administrative policies.

  
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  FAMILY

Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."		  
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  CASELOAD

The aggregate number of clients and/or consumers of service (including individuals, families, and groups) for whom a given employee is responsible. See also WORKLOAD 		 
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Guardianship Services for Minors
  
Private Org Public Agency  

PA-GSM 10: Personnel

 
Personnel are qualified and receive support to facilitate the development of a permanent caring relationship between the child and his or her guardian.
Note: When the agency is unable to fully implement one or more of the practice standards, intensive efforts should be made to fully implement the other standards. For example, if the agency is unable to recruit workers with specific qualifications, it can ensure that appropriate supervision and workload standards are implemented.

PA-GSM 10.01

 

Guardianship workers are qualified by:

  1. an advanced degree in social work or a comparable human service field; or
  2. a bachelor’s degree in social work or a comparable human service field with two years of related experience.

PA-GSM 10.02

 
Supervisors are qualified by an advanced degree in social work or a comparable human service field and two years of experience working with children and families, preferably in adoption or guardianship.

PA-GSM 10.03

 

Guardianship workers must be knowledgeable of child welfare practices in their state and have the competencies to:

  1. counsel families on all available permanency options;
  2. work effectively with kinship families, including Indian families;
  3. conduct assessments and identify children with special needs;
  4. collaborate with several systems including the mental health, judicial, health, and educational systems;
  5. provide effective case management;
  6. guide families through the guardianship process;
  7. help families obtain available benefits, including guardianship subsidies, as appropriate;
  8. address interstate issues; and
  9. provide families with the information they need to find necessary support services and the skills they need to obtain them.
related PA-TS 1,  PA-TS 2
Interpretation: Competency can be demonstrated through a combination of education, training, and experience.
Research Note: The increased attention to guardianship is a direct result of the increasing number of children being placed in the homes of relatives, and the unique dynamics of kinship families.

PA-GSM 10.04

 

Guardianship workers and supervisors, depending on job responsibilities, are knowledgeable about relevant provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), including:

  1. the importance of ICWA and special considerations for working with Indian children;
  2. the identification of Indian children;
  3. determining jurisdiction;
  4. appropriate notice and collaboration with the child's tribe;
  5. placement preferences that support the child's connection to their native culture and heritage; and
  6. court procedures.

PA-GSM 10.05

 

Guardianship workers maintain a manageable workload, and cases are assigned according to a system that takes into consideration:

  1. the qualifications and competencies of the worker and the supervisor;
  2. the complexity and status of the case;
  3. services provided by other professionals or team members; and
  4. other responsibilities throughout the agency.
Interpretation: Case complexity can take into account intensity of child and family needs and size of the family. Generally, caseloads do not exceed 12-25 families.

Research Note: Staff retention literature indicates that high caseloads and time-consuming paperwork are primary factors in child welfare workforce turnover.

One example of a caseload weighting formula suggests that a useful system is developed with input from staff, time and case study data, uses readily available information, and is not too complex.

PA-GSM 10.06

 
Supervisors or experienced workers provide additional support when personnel are new or are still developing competencies.
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PURPOSE: Guardianship Services for Minors support the establishment of a court-appointed, long-term, living arrangement with a committed caregiver that ensures safety and increases stability and child well-being.

  
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