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o Perpetrators are held accountable for harming children <br />o Number of interviews with children is reduced thus preventing/reducing <br />trauma <br />o The evidence gathering process for criminal prosecution is enhanced <br />Focus on In-Home Family Services <br />- The family and DSS work together to identify the family's strengths and needs <br />- Families are matched with services at an appropriate level and intensity based <br />on their unique strengths and needs <br />- Families with the greatest needs are provided the most intensive services and <br />contacts <br />- Services are delivered within the context of the family's own community and <br />culture <br />- Supportive/voluntary services are available for families where there is a low risk <br />of harm to the child <br />- Families are engaged in the planning process, thus producing better outcomes of <br />safety, well being, and permanence for the child <br />Child and Family Team Meetings <br />- Meetings will maximize and engage family input and decision making with <br />support from DSS and other community resources <br />- The meeting is with the family, not about the family <br />- Family and social worker jointly decide who will be invited to the meeting <br />- The team will be involved with the family throughout the life of the case, even <br />when it is necessary to remove the child due to safety issues <br />- Discuss the family's strengths and needs and how these affect the child's safety, <br />well-being, and permanence <br />- Address what needs to occur to help the family safely parent the children <br />- Seek improvement in decision making process <br />- Encourage the support, and buy-in of the family, extended family, and the <br />community in the planning and assessment process <br />- Develop specific, individualized and appropriate interventions for children and <br />families <br />- Recognize the birth family as an expert <br />Shared Parent Meetings <br />- For families who have had their children placed in foster care <br />- Meetings are a time for the social worker, birth parents, and foster parents to <br />meet and discuss the care of the child when an out-of-home placement is <br />necessary. (Meetings occur within one week of the child's placement) <br />- Share information that may positively influence the child's transition to foster care <br />and timely achievement of a safe and permanent home <br />- Provide parents with an opportunity to have valuable input into the care of their <br />child <br />- Provide the foster parents with the opportunity to share information about <br />themselves and what they observe and have learned about the child <br />- Make plans regarding visitation, medical appointments, and transportation <br />- Keeps the birth family actively involved in their roles as parents of their child <br />- Cultivates a nurturing relationship between the birthparents and the foster <br />parents <br />