Deliverables: Contractual Requirements for FPS Providers

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Deliverables Contractual Requirementsfor FPS
Providers
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A training module for FPS therapists created
byCheri Johnson, MSWCentral Washington
University for Childrens AdministrationOlympia
, Washington
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Introduction

• Every part of the FPS Client Service Contract is
  IMPORTANT!

• Signing a contract signifies your intent to
  comply with all requirements, no matter how
  seemingly small or obscure.

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Before beginning this training.

• It will be especially helpful for you to have
  read the FPS Client Service Contract thoroughly.
• Some level of familiarity with the contract will
  ensure that the topics addressed in the training
  make more sense!

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• Please have the following items handy
• Your copy of the FPS Client Service Contract
• Copies of handouts (some are referred to as
  cheat sheets)
• Highlighter
• Note-taking implements (pen and paper, sticky
  notes)

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• Whenever you see this symbol,

we will be turning to the handout indicated on
the slidethis is your cue to pull out the
appropriate handout to follow along.
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Suggestion

• Highlight every item in the contract that details
  a contractual requirement.
• Take notes regarding any questions that arise as
  you go through the contract or the training
  module.
• Direct questions to your supervisor, your
  regional CA program consultant, the FPS Program
  Manager in Olympia, or a CA-designated trainer.

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A special note to providers using subcontractors

• Provide a copy of the Client Service Contract to
  each subcontractor, and require they read it
  thoroughly.
• Provide subcontractors with administrative as
  well as clinical supervision.
• Know that you are responsible for errors or
  oversights made by subcontractors who dont know
  the contract!

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This training module will focus primarily on
Exhibit A, Statement of Work

• but you still need to be aware of all
  aspectsbusiness, legal, and clinicalof the FPS
  Client Service Contract.

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Are you ready?

• Well now begin a step-by-step exploration of
  deliverables outlined in the FPS Client Service
  Contract.

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Exhibit A Statement of Work
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FPS Purpose and Goals

• Family Preservation Services are committed to
  reinforcing the strengths of the family to
  prevent the out-of-home placement of a child or
  to expedite the earlier return of children from
  out-of-home care
• i.e, to preserve the family unit.

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• Services focus on empowering families to
• Solve problems,
• Become self-sufficient, and
• Strengthen relationships with community resources.

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• Helping to improve family functioning is critical
  in order to enhance the health, safety, and
  welfare of children
• allowing them to remain at home, and the family
  to remain intact.

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FPS Values and Beliefs

• Children need their families and should be raised
  by their own families whenever possible.
• Interventions should focus on family strengths,
  and must be responsive to the familys needs and
  to their cultural values.

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• Child safety is our first priority.
• Participation should be voluntary.
• All families have the ability to learn, grow, and
  change.
• FPS works in partnership with families,
  respecting their expertise and inviting their
  collaboration.

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Service Outcomes

• RCW 74.14C.030 lists 5 expected outcomes of FPS
• Connection to community resources
• No new referrals to CPS or FRS within one year of
  FPS case closure
• Consumer satisfaction
• For reunification cases, reduction in length of
  stay in out-of-home placement and
• Reduction in level of risk factors identified
  at time of referral.

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as translated into a contractual requirement

• Providers must demonstrate at the conclusion of
  services
• Improved child safety/harm reduction,
• Improved family functioning,
• Connection to community resources, and
• Client satisfaction.

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• So how do we demonstrate that weve helped our
  clients achieve the required outcomes?

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The NCFAS

• Administer the NCFAS (North Carolina Family
  Assessment Scales) to assess family functioning
  at both intake and exit from services.
• Compare intake and exit scores in each domain.
• Progress is indicated by improvement in scores
  from intake to exit.

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Consumer Satisfaction Survey

• Provide each family with a Consumer Satisfaction
  Survey at the conclusion of services.
• Surveys are confidential, and are mailed directly
  to DSHS in Olympia.
• Results are not linked to specific families data
  is compiled to provide insight into overall
  consumer satisfaction with FPS as a service.

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Connections to Community Resources

• Document in client file all referrals made to
  community resourcesalso include this information
  in weekly updates to social worker and in Monthly
  Status Report.
• Summarize community referrals under the
  appropriate goal(s) in the narrative portion of
  the Exit Summary.

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Document, document, DOCUMENT!

• Provide information related to required outcomes
  in Exit Summaries and Quarterly Reports.

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• The FPS Program Manager compiles data from Exit
  Summaries, Quarterly Reports, and Consumer
  Satisfaction Surveys into a report which is
  submitted to the Washington State Legislature.
• This data helps determine whether FPS will
  continue to be fundedthus, your cooperation in
  supplying the information is critical!

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• Furthermore.provider success in achieving
  desired outcomes is one way Childrens
  Administration evaluates provider performance.
• and may help determine whether you continue to
  receive a Client Service Contract.

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Availability of Services

• FPS clients must have access to their therapist
  or designated backup 24 hours a day, 7 days a
  week, including holidays.
• From the contract the therapist and
  paraprofessional if utilized, or designated
  back-up, assigned to the family shall be
  accessiblefor all emergent situations.

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• From contract The Contractor shall ensure
  consistency of services for the family by
  assigning a single designated therapist to
  provide services for the family. The Contractor
  shall identify a back-up therapist to assist each
  family as needed.

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What this means is

• Each newly-referred FPS family is assigned a
  specific FPS therapist, as well as a back-up
  therapist.
• The FPS therapist, as well as the parapro (if one
  is being used) and/or back-up therapist, must be
  available to the family in case of emergencies.

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• Family crises do not always occur during business
  hours
• so make sure your agency is able to comply with
  this crucial requirement!

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• FPS meetings take place at the clients
  convenience, not at the therapists or referring
  social workers convenience.
• The FPS therapist must be available during those
  hours when problems can be seen and addressedas
  long as the family agrees to meet at those times.

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• Please note The contract DOES NOT support
  the use of unannounced, surprise visits by the
  therapist! While this may be necessary in cases
  where the client has no phone, drop-in visits
  should be avoided whenever possible (leave these
  up to the social worker, if they feel the need
  for such methods).

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• Of course, if youve asked the client for
  permission to make unannounced visits and they
  agree,
• dropping in without an appointment is
  completely acceptable.

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• Meetings with families take place in their own
  homes, unless the family requests an alternate
  location.
• Potential exceptions to this expectation
  safety, need to access equipment located
  elsewhere, etc.

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Caseload

• Average caseload must not exceed 10 cases per
  full-time FPS therapist.
• Caseload size may be adjusted when parapros are
  used or therapist is hired to provide FPS less
  than 40 hours/week.
• Any adjustments in caseload size must be
  addressed in the contractors Operating
  Procedures.

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• Caseload size must also be adjusted to take into
  consideration a therapists other
  responsibilities (e.g., carrying cases under
  other service contracts, such as FRS Phase II or
  BRS providing clinical supervision to other
  staff, etc.).

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• An FPS therapist may always carry fewer than 10
  cases (as long as their agency agrees! ?), but
  the contract prohibits going above an average of
  10 unless this is approved by CA and incorporated
  into the contractors Operating Procedures.

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Duration of Services

• Each FPS referral is limited to a maximum of 6
  months, or until the funds allotted for that case
  have been exhausted (whichever comes first).

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• Occasionally, families may be re-referred, if
  substantial risk of placement continues to exist
  and the regional program consultant approves the
  re-referral.
• Written approval from the referring social worker
  and regional program consultant must be retained
  in the client file for any extension of services.

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Please note...

• When a case has been referred for reunification,
  the child MUST be returned to the home within 30
  days of the referral, or the FPS therapist is
  required to terminate services.
• The FPS Client Service Contract does not provide
  for exceptions to this requirement.

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Authorization of Services and Referrals

• All referrals must be initiated in writing by a
  CA social worker.
• All referrals must be made using the referral
  form designated by CA for FPS (if referring
  social worker is not sure how to access this, the
  CA Regional Program Consultant will advise them).

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• The referring social worker must indicate on the
  referral form whether the child(ren) is/are at
  risk of placement or in need of reunification.

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Important!

• The Contractor shall not accept a case without
  a complete written referral on the
  CA-designated referral form.
• Complete means
• Uses the designated referral form (as opposed to
  an obsolete form)
• Is signed by the supervisor and
• Includes all required documentation.

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Please keep in mind

• CA Social Workers have large caseloads and many
  service contracts with which to workthey cant
  be expected to remember the ins and outs of the
  FPS referral process!
• YOU need to be the expert in this area so we
  have a cheat sheet to help.

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Referral/Intake Process
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Step-by-Step Referral Process

• Social worker meets with family, gathers info,
  suggests FPS, family agrees.
• Social worker completes referral form, obtains
  supervisors approval and signature, attaches
  Safety Plan, etc.
• Social worker/supervisor select provider and
  contact them by phone to determine providers
  ability to take case.
• Referral packet faxed to provider.

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When you receive the referral

• Make sure its on the correct form.
• Check for supervisors signature.
• Check whether referring social worker has
  indicated At risk of placement or In need
  of reunification for each child.
• Check whether social worker has checked yes
  or no to indicate completion of CA Documents
  (Safety Plan, etc.), and that they have attached
  the appropriate forms.

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• If any one of these items is missing or
  incomplete, the FPS therapist must
  contact the referring social worker
  immediately to explain he/she may not
  begin working with the family until the
  referral is complete.

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Delivery of Services

• Every FPS intervention will differ, depending
  on the individual familys strengths, challenges,
  situations, needs, and goals.

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• The effective therapist utilizes his/her
  experience, clinical skills, and unique
  individual strengths and abilities to determine
  the best way to proceed with each individual and
  each family.
• Childrens Administration also provides
  specialized trainings to ensure the consistency
  and effectiveness of Family Preservation Services.

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For example

• All FPS therapists and paraprofessionals receive
  training in Motivational Interviewing (MI)
• a client-centered, directive intervention that
  focuses on enhancing intrinsic motivation by
  exploring and resolving client ambivalence.

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Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• In addition to Motivational Interviewing, other
  EBPs are being explored and practice
  applications developed for FPS.
• One example is Positive Parenting Program (Triple
  P). This model, as well as others designed to
  meet the needs of FPS families, will be included
  in a menu of potential service models.

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• When EBPs are incorporated into the service
  contract, FPS therapists will be required to use
  these models with all families whose presenting
  problems fit the model.
• CA will provide training on all EBPs included in
  the service contract, to ensure fidelity to the
  model.

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Regardless of practice model or clinical approach

• there are a number of steps which must be
  taken and tasks to complete with each family with
  whom you work.
• We will now take a look at the variety of
  tasks that play a part in each FPS intervention.

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Initial Face-to-Face Contact

• As previously described, first face-to- face
  contact must take place within 48 hours of
  receipt of referral.
• If first meeting cannot occur within 48 hours,
  therapist must notify referring social worker,
  (as per Notifications, later in this
  training).
• At least one primary caregiver must sign a
  voluntary consent form, provided by the FPS
  therapist.

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Voluntary Consent

• There is no state-required Voluntary Consent Form
  (aka Voluntary Service Agreement) currently in
  use each contractor provides their own format.
• While Voluntary Consent Forms may contain
  additional information at the contractors
  discretion, they must include an acknowledgement
  that FPS is voluntary and that the client is
  choosing to participate in services.

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Safety Plan

• If the referring social worker has completed a CA
  Safety Plan, a copy must be attached to the
  CA-designated referral form for FPS.
• During the initial meeting, the therapist must
  review the CA Safety Plan with the family.

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• If no Safety Plan was completed by the social
  worker but the therapist becomes aware of safety
  concerns during the initial meeting, he or she
  must contact the referring social worker
  immediately (and report to CPS intake as well if
  these are CPS concerns).
• Written notification must follow within 24 hours.

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• The CA Safety Plan must be reviewed with the
  family at least every 2 weeks results documented
  in the client file.
• Any new safety concerns must be immediately
  reported to the referring social worker and
  followed up in writing (as noted previously).
• Safety plan status is reported to the social
  worker during weekly case updates.

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Please Note!

• Remember that this requirement is related to
  CA-generated safety plans.
• As an FPS therapist you may choose to develop a
  different kind of safety plan with your clients,
  but doing so is not contractually required
• and doesnt impact the requirement for reviewing
  and utilizing the CA Safety Plan!

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Frequency of Client Meetings

• There is no requirement as to how frequently
  meetings with FPS clients should occur.
• However, a good rule of thumb is to have at least
  one face-to-face meeting each weekmore
  frequently for crisis intervention and when
  developing the Family Assessment and Service Plan.

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• The frequency of meetings with any family will
  generally vary according to
• Family need and the specifics of their Service
  Plan
• Where you are in the intervention (typically,
  increased frequency at the beginning, decreased
  near the end) and
• The amount of allotted funds remaining for each
  case.

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Case Meetings

• The FPS therapist will attend any case-related
  meeting requested by CA staff.
• If unable to attend, the therapist will provide a
  written report, if requested to do so by CA staff.

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• Meetings may include (but are not limited to
• Child Protective Team (CPT) meetings
• Prognostic staffings
• LICWAC meetings
• Case Review staffings
• Family Unity meetings
• Family Team Decision-Making (FTDMs)

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• On occasion, FPS therapists may be asked to
  testify in court as to what is happening with a
  family.
• Therapists may also be asked to provide a court
  report or other documents.
• It is the therapists responsibility to comply
  with any and all such requests.

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Child and Family Team Meetings

• Gathers everyone involved with a particular
  family to discuss that familys needs and
  progress.
• The CFT meeting includes
• FPS therapist
• Referring social worker
• Family members, as appropriate and
• Representatives from other agencies working with
  the family.

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• May be convened if the FPS therapist feels a CFT
  would be beneficialits not required, but is
  often clinically indicated and extremely helpful
  in ensuring the family and all treaters are
  following the same game plan.
• If the referring social worker decides such a
  meeting should be convened, he or she may
  delegate this responsibility to the FPS
  therapist, and the therapist must comply.

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Family Assessment

• The FPS therapist is required to conduct a
  thorough Family Assessment with each family
  referred for services.
• The North Carolina Family Assessment Scale
  (NCFAS) is the state-designated tool that must be
  utilized with every family.

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• The NCFAS, used in Placement Prevention cases,
  contains 5 domains
• Environment
• Parental Capabilities
• Family Interactions
• Family Safety
• Child Well-being
• Each domain contains various items that are
  scored individually an overall score is obtained
  for each domain.

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• The NCFAS-R, used only in Reunification cases,
  contains the five domains of the NCFAS plus two
  additional domains
• Caregiver/Child Ambivalence
• Readiness for Reunification
• As with the NCFAS, the therapist scores each item
  and then determines an overall score for each
  domain.

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• During the first 20 days following the initial
  meeting with the family, the therapist
  familiarizes him/herself with the familys
  strengths and challenges in each domain.
• When the therapist has sufficient information to
  complete the Family Assessment, he/she scores the
  family on each NCFAS/NCFAS-R scale and determines
  overall scores for each domain.

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• There is no minimum or maximum number of hours
  the therapist must spend on the Family
  Assessment, either with the family or scoring the
  NCFAS/NCFAS-R.
• After scoring all scales, the therapist completes
  a narrative report and submits it to the
  referring social worker within 20 calendar days
  of the first face-to-face contact.

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• Currently, each contractor may decide what form
  their completed Family Assessments will
  takethere is no state-generated document
  required.
• However, the narrative report submitted to the
  referring social worker must either incorporate
  the NCFAS/NCFAS-R scores or have a copy of the
  scales attached.

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• The NCFAS/NCFAS-R and the written Family
  Assessment, in conjunction with the FPS referral,
  is used as the basis for the Service Plan and
  outcome measures for services provided to the
  family.

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• The FPS therapist completes the NCFAS/NCFAS-R
  again when the case is being closed. By
  comparing exit scores to the ones obtained at
  intake, the therapist may determine the amount
  of progress made by the family in each domain
  during the intervention.
• This information is reported in the Exit Summary.

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Other uses of the NCFAS

• The NCFAS/NCFAS-R must be reviewed in clinical
  supervision when a specific case is being
  discussed this must be documented in the client
  file.
• The NCFAS/NCFAS-R must also be reviewed when a
  case is transferred from one therapist to
  another the review must be documented in the
  client file.

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Important Note

• All FPS therapists must complete specialized
  training in the use of the NCFAS/NCFAS-R before
  working with families. Please refer to the
  Program Requirements section of this training
  module for more information.

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Service Plan

• Developed during the same time frame as the
  Family Assessmentcompleted Service Plan due to
  referring social worker by 20 calendar days from
  the first face-to-face contact.
• Service Plan addresses needs and builds
  on strengths identified in the Family Assessment.

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• Always developed with the family, not for them,
  with their unique strengths and challenges, risk
  factors, needs, and culture in mind
• Pre-packaged, one-size-fits-all service plans
  are never used in FPS! Each Service Plan is
  uniquely tailored to fit each individual family
  receiving preservation services.

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• Include input from referring social worker (and
  other sources, if applicable) when developing the
  Service Planfamilies may not agree with the
  reason for referral, but the Service Plan must be
  consistent with/supportive of the Case Plan
  developed by the social worker.

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• Each adult/adolescent family member addressed in
  the Service Plan should sign and date the
  completed plan.
• Younger children may sign if they wishwhile not
  required, this can help them feel as though
  they are playing a significant part in the
  treatment process.
• The therapist should also sign, before forwarding
  the plan to the social worker for approval.

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A good Service Plan

• Clearly identifies goals of service, as related
  to concerns noted in referral.
• Outlines objectives (action steps) for achieving
  each goaldefines who will do what, when it will
  be done, etc.
• Is realistic, achievable, and something the
  family wants to accomplish!

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• At the first family meeting following
  completion of the Service Plan, each adult
  and adolescent family
  member receives
  his/her own copy
  of the Plan.

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A final note on Service Plans...

• The Service Plan is a dynamic documentit should
  change as the familys situation changes, and
  reflect the flow of the intervention.
• When a goal is accomplished, document it,
  celebrate it, and move on to a new goal.

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• If no progress is happening on a specific goal,
  discuss with the family and consider another
  approach.
• When goals are accomplished, amended, or
  discarded, be sure to note this in weekly
  contacts with the social worker, as well as in
  the Monthly Status Report.

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Community Connections

• One of the primary functions of FPS is to help
  enhance families connections to the communities
  in which they live and work.

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• To achieve this desired outcome, the FPS
  therapist will explore a number of issues,
  including
• What are the familys needs?
• What kinds of resources might fulfill these
  needs?
• Which of these kinds of resources are available
  in the familys community?

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• What barriers might be preventing the family from
  accessing resources?
• What other available resources might provide a
  reasonable alternative solution to the familys
  needs?
• What might be the benefits and/or disadvantages
  of linking the family to specific community
  resources?

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• A significant aspect of the mission of FPS is to
  help families increase their level of
  self-sufficiency.
• Teaching them where to look and how to access
  resources within their community is an important
  first step.
• Familiarizing FPS families with community
  resources provides them with valuable tools with
  which to tackle present and future challenges.

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• Dont just hand families a list of resourceshelp
  them explore whats out there, show them how to
  discern what might be helpful, and take those
  first steps towards making the connection with
  them.
• Rememberour clients learn best when we do things
  with them, not for them!

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• The key to remember here is that we are NOT
  just connecting families to community resources
  to solve an immediate, one-time need
• we are showing families how they can respond
  to challenges in a healthy, positive way that may
  prevent the need for future CA intervention.

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Concrete Goods and Support Services

• A specific dollar amount (currently 500) is
  allotted to each FPS case.
• These funds may be utilized by the therapist with
  appropriate written departmental approval.

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• Concrete funds may be used for food, clothing,
  shelter, or necessary services for the family
• But there are conditions and exceptions to the
  availability of this 500.

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• For specific information as to what
  constitutes an appropriate usage of Concrete
  Goods and Support Services funds, please refer to
  the contract and to the Billing and Payment
  training module.
• The Billing and Payment training module also
  provides step-by-step instructions on how to
  access these funds and obtain reimbursement for
  your expenditures.

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Use of Paraprofessionals

• From the FPS Client Service Contract
• Paraprofessional Worker means any
  individual who is trained and qualified to
  provide assistance and community support systems
  development to families and who acts under the
  supervision of a preservation services therapist.
  The paraprofessional worker is not intended to
  replace the role and responsibilities of the
  preservation services therapist.

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• The FPS therapist supervises any paraprofessional
  (parapro) involved in a caseprovides clinical
  support, continues to be responsible for the
  case, must complete necessary reporting, etc.
• Parapros may be used for tasks or activities in
  which the level of skills and/or credentials of
  the therapist are not necessarily required.

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For example

• Teaching skills, such as budgeting, meal
  planning/nutrition, basic parenting skills,
  housekeeping, doing laundry, etc.
• Providing emergency transportation when other
  options are not available.
• Developing community connectionsteaching
  families how to access and use available
  resources.

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• Because the hourly rate for a parapro is
  one-third the hourly therapist fee, the use of
  parapros is an excellent way to maximize the
  number of direct service hours to families.
• Parapros may also provide back-up crisis coverage
  to the families with whom they are working.

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Important!

• The referring social worker must authorize the
  use of paraprofessional staff/subcontractors. If
  authorization was not provided at the time of
  referral (indicated on the referral form), obtain
  this in writing before introducing the parapro to
  the client.

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Communication Between FPS Therapist and
Referring Social Worker
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Case Updates

• FPS therapists must provide case updates to
  the referring social worker at least weeklythis
  means providing feedback regarding each case, at
  least once every calendar week.

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• In a high-needs case (as determined by either the
  therapist or the referring social worker),
  updates should occur more frequently, depending
  on the intensity of the case.
• If the social worker requests a protocol
  regarding updates (e.g., every other day, twice a
  week, etc.), it is the therapists responsibility
  to comply.

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• Case updates may include
• Phone calls, voice messages
• Faxed or emailed written updates
• Face-to-face contact with social worker
• Any formal or informal staffing regarding the
  case.
• Case updates must be documented in the client
  file and on the Monthly Status Report.

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• In addition to regular weekly case updates,
  the FPS Client Service Contract establishes a
  number of special conditions under which the FPS
  therapist is required to contact the referring
  social worker. These are known as
  notifications.

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Notifications

• There are six specific conditions for which the
  FPS provider must notify the referring social
  worker. They are
• Family unwilling to meet
• Safety plan (new safety concerns found)
• Change in residence
• Missed appointments
• Unusual incidents
• Death of a client

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Family Unwilling to Meet

• When an FPS referral is received, the therapist
  must meet face-to-face with the family within 48
  hours.
• If the family is unwilling or unable to meet with
  the FPS therapist within that time frame, the
  therapist must document this and notify the
  referring social worker as soon as possible
  (within the 48-hour period).

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Safety Plan

• If during an FPS intervention the therapist
  discovers safety concerns not addressed in the
  social workers Safety Plan (or if no Safety Plan
  was developed)
• the therapist must notify the social worker of
  the safety concern immediately, and follow up
  with written notification within 24 hours.
• If this safety concern is a CPS issue, CPS intake
  should also be notified immediately.

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Change in Residence

• If any member of a DCFS-referred family changes
  residence during an FPS intervention, the
  therapist must contact the referring social
  worker, verbally or in writing, within one
  working day, to notify them of the change.

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Missed Appointments

• When the FPS therapist learns that a client has
  missed an appointment (FPS or other significant
  appointment, generally related to the reason for
  referral), he or she must verbally notify the
  referring social worker within one hour of
  learning of the missed appointment.
• The therapist must then complete a Missed
  Appointment form (IFPS/FPS No-Show and Missed
  Appointment Report).

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Missed Appointment Form
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• The completed form must contain the following
  information
• Date of appointment missed
• Type of appointment missed (FPS, doctor,
  probation officer, etc.)
• Reason appointment missed (illness, no show,
  etc.)
• Follow-up actions taken (by FPS therapist or by
  client) and
• Any concerns (e.g., pattern of missed
  appointments, etc.)

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• The Missed Appointment form must be faxed or
  delivered to the referring social worker within
  24 hours of learning of the missed appointment.
• A copy of the Missed Appointment form must be
  retained in the client file.

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Unusual Incidents

• In the event an unusual incident occurs which
  impacts a childs health, safety or wellbeing,
  the childs living situation, or permanent plan,
  the FPS therapist must contact the referring
  social worker immediately.
• The therapist must also follow up verbal
  notification in writing within 24 hours.

113

• Unusual incidents may include such things as
• an unexpected change in medical or psychological
  condition
• adverse reaction to medication
• severe behavioral incident unlike the child's
  ordinary behavior
• severe injury
• running away
• physical self-abuse or abuse of others
• sexual assaults, or sexual behaviors that are age
  inappropriate.

114
Death of a client

• If the therapist learns of the death of a member
  of the immediate family with whom he or she is
  working, the referring social worker must be
  notified immediately.
• Immediate verbal notification must be followed up
  in writing within 24 hours of learning of the
  death.

115

• The information in the contract regarding
  Notifications is specific and accuratehowever,
  to ensure easy accessibility to therapists, we
  have provided another cheat sheet listing the
  various notifications.
• Because the requirements for each of these
  notifications differ in various ways, its a good
  idea to keep this sheet handy for quick reference.

116
Communication Between FPS Therapist and
Referring Social Worker
117
Termination of Services

• The FPS therapist and referring social worker
  mutually make the decision as to when a case
  should be closed.
• The FPS Client Service Contract contains a list
  of guidelines for determining the appropriate
  time to terminate services.

118
Termination
119
Documentation

• From beginning to end, paperwork is one of the
  most important parts of any FPS intervention.
• Lets look at the range of documentation in
  FPS.

120
Client Service Log

• This document is known by different names in
  different agencies, and its format varies
  according to each agencys needs.
• Regardless of name or appearance, this document
  must contain a listing of all dates and hours of
  every case-related activity.

121
Case or Charting Notes

• Documentation of each case activity must be
  included in the client file.
• Each case/charting note must include
• Name of staff providing the service
• Date of service/activity
• Location of service/activity
• Concise notes regarding activity and
• Signature of staff providing the service.

122
Family Assessment

• Must address all pertinent domains in the
  NCFAS/NCFAS-R and include NCFAS/NCFAS-R scores.
• Must be received by the social worker within 20
  calendar days of the first face-to-face meeting.

123
Service Plan

• Must list goals of service and objectives (action
  steps) leading to goal achievement.
• Must be consistent with/supportive of case plan
  developed by social worker.
• Must be signed by therapist and family members
  approved by social worker.
• Must be received by social worker within 20
  calendar days of 1st meeting.

124
Monthly Status Report

• Must be completed and submitted to fiduciary
  specialist within 10 working days of the
  completed month of service (i.e., within 10
  working days of the first day of each month).
• Must be submitted on the CA-designated form,
  which may not be altered or replaced with a
  substitution.

125
Completed Monthly Status Report includes both the
narrative section and the Financial
Reconciliation Page.

• Narrative portion must include a summary of
  progress made (or lack thereof) on each Service
  Plan goal.

126
If reimbursement for Concrete Goods/Support
Services funds are being requested

• Attach ORIGINAL receipts for each expenditure,
  and
• Document how expenditure related to goals of
  service in narrative section.

127
Exit Summary

• Must be completed and received by social worker
  within 10 working days of termination.
• Must be submitted on the designated form, which
  may not be altered or replaced with a
  substitution.

128
Consumer Satisfaction Survey

• A CA-designated form that is provided to the
  client, along with a pre-addressed postage-paid
  envelope, at termination of services.
• Therapist must document in case notes that survey
  was given to the client.

129
Quarterly Report

• Must be submitted by the contracted agency for
  all therapists providing services.
• Must be submitted to the FPS Program Manager in
  Olympia within 30 days of each quarterly
  reporting period, using the database provided by
  CA.

130
Must contain numbers of

• Referrals
• Families served
• Cases with improved NCFAS scores
• Range of changes in NCFAS scores
• Average of changes in NCFAS scores
• Identified reunification cases

• Children reunified
• Completed interventions
• Family eval cases
• Placemt prevention cases
• Placements prevented
• Children at risk of placement
• Ineligible families
• Families refusing service

131
Documentation/Deadline Summary
132
Client File

• Contracting agencies must maintain files on each
  client.
• Typically, the designated therapist maintains
  their own client files.
• Files must be presented to CA on demand at any
  time requested.

133
The FPS Client Service Contract contains a
lengthy list of what must be included in each
client file.

• Please note that while additional documents may
  be kept in the client file, these are the items
  that must be included.

134
Client File
135
Excerpts from Exhibit BProgram Requirements

136
Therapist Credentials and Experience

• All professional FPS staff must have AT LEAST
  a Bachelors degree in social or behavioral
  science or closely allied field, and at least two
  years of direct casework experience working with
  families and children.

137
Therapist credentials, contd

• In addition, 50 or more of a contractors
  professional FPS staff must have at least a
  Masters Degree plus one year of direct casework
  experience working with families and children
  (OR Bachelors degree plus four years of direct
  casework experience with families and children).

138
Therapist credentials, contd

• All professional staff must be registered as a
  counselor or licensed in at least one of the
  following fields Social Worker, Mental Health
  Professional, or Marriage and Family Therapist.

139
Therapist credentials, contd

• On rare occasions, exceptions to this policy
  may be obtained by contacting the FPS Program
  Manager in Olympia.

140
Degree Requirements

• Please refer to the current FPS Client
  Service Contract for specific degree requirements.

141
License Standing

• All required licenses must be in good standing.
• If any required license is suspended, or any
  limitations/restrictions placed upon a license,
  the contractor must notify the CA regional
  contract manager.

142
Professional Staff/Subcontractor Training

• Each contractor is required to ensure that all
  FPS therapists obtain the following training
  within 60 days of being hired to provide these
  services

143
Specialized FPS Training

• A designated number of hours of specialized FPS
  training must be provided by CA-designated
  expert(s) in Family Preservation Services.
• Must be completed before staff/ subcontractor
  begins work with CA-referred families.

144
NCFAS

• A designated number of hours of approved training
  on the NCFAS must be completed by each FPS
  therapist.
• This may be either in-person or utilizing
  approved training materials under supervision of
  an FPS therapist who has completed the in-person
  training.

145
Motivational Interviewing (MI)

• A designated number of hours of MI
  training provided by CA-approved experts in
  Motivational Interviewing must be completed by
  each FPS provider.

146
Other Training

• Orientation on Quality Assurance standards.
• Specialized training in the provision of family
  support services and development of community
  support services.

147
Please note

• Any professional staff/subcontractor who is
  assigned to work with a family prior to receiving
  the above training must be supervised by an FPS
  therapist who has completed the training!

148
Paraprofessional Staff/ Subcontractors

• There are no contractually-required credentials,
  years of experience, or training standards for
  parapros.
• Each contractor is required to develop a list of
  training standards and other requirements for
  parapros these are submitted to CA as part of
  that contractors Operating Procedures.

149
one more thing

• All staff/subcontractors involved in providing
  FPS must also complete Mandated Reporter training
  and receive certification in CPR and First Aid.
• Other requirements concerning personnel files,
  etc., are contained in Exhibit Bbe sure to
  familiarize yourself with them!

150
In conclusion...

• As an FPS provider, you must have a clear and
  thorough understanding of what you have agreed to
  deliverto your clients, and to CA.
• Complying with these expectations will increase
  your effectiveness as a clinician and better
  serve the families with whom you work.

151
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