Child protection practice is multi-leveled. Public agencies are created and regulated by federal and state legislation and administrative rules. Many public agencies are further regulated by accreditation standards to which they voluntarily subscribe. Collectively, these laws, rules, and standards are the foundation for the basic practice level in the new child protection paradigm.
The agencies develop or adopt criteria used to measure the success of internal programs and services. These quantitative performance targets shape the intermediate practice level in the new child protection paradigm.
Agencies adopt principles they believe should govern programs and services. These are basic truths or assumptions against which the work of the agency is judged. Only when practice conforms to these principles is practice considered fully appropriate and successful. This perspective shapes the advanced level in the new child protection paradigm.
Figure 1: The New Child Protection Paradigm
Basic Practice
Intermediate Practice
Advanced Practice
A.
Rules
Outcomes
Principles
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5______
B.
Procedures
Continuous Invention
Best Practice
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5______
C.
Bureaucracy
Empowerment
Professional Judgment
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5______
D.
Safety
Permanence
Sustained Well-being
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E.
Staff-determined
Services-determined
Protocol-determined
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F.
Program-centered
Family-centered
Community-centered
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G.
Agency-focused
Network-focused
Variable Resource-focused
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H.
Closed Structures
Open Structures
Dynamic Structures
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I.
Collaboration
Partnering
Unified Commitment
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J.
Quality Assurance
Continuous Quality Improvement
Values-centered Practice
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K.
Cost
Process
Performance
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L.
Authority
Assessment & Planning
Rights & Responsibilities
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TOT
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SC
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Practice Rating ________
Figure 1 summarizes the new child protection paradigm. The left set of elements represents the basic practice level. The middle set of elements represents the intermediate practice level and the right set of elements represents the advanced practice level. The following twelve workbook sections (A-L) discuss the new child protection paradigm in relation to the twelve element clusters included across the rows of Figure 1.
At the end of each section, you are invited to rate your practice, your agency, or a specific department or program. Circle the number on the scale best characterizing where practice currently falls along the scale.
The scale ranges from 0 to 5. 0 indicates practice has not incorporated the first element in the cluster and 1 indicates it has. 2 indicates the middle element is partially but not completely integrated into practice and 3 indicates it is fully integrated. 4 indicates the third element in the cluster is partially but not completely integrated into practice and 5 indicates it is fully integrated.
When you have completed the scales at the ends of all twelve sections, here is how to find the score for your practice, program, or agency.
- At the ends of sections A: – L:, look at the number you circled on the chart. Find the corresponding number in Figure 1. Put a checkmark beside that number.
For example, If in section A: you circled 4 to indicate Principles are partially but not completely integrated into practice, put a checkmark beside the 4 in the row below A in Figure 1.
- Once you have put a checkmark in each of rows A: through L: in Figure 1, count the number of checkmarks in each column and put the total beside the appropriate number in the TOT row. That lets you see, at a glance, the number of checkmarks you have for each practice level across the row.
- On the TOT row, multiply each printed number by the number you entered beside of it. Write the answer on the appropriate blank in the SC row.
For example, If you have 5 checkmarks in the 3 column in Figure 1, you put a 5 beside the 3 in the TOT row. You multiply 3 times 5 and get 15. You then write 15 beside the 3 in the SC row.
- Below Figure 1, there is a blank to record the Practice Level. Add together the numbers you have written on the SC row of Figure 1. Write the total (0 to 60) on the Practice Level blank. That is the current practice level for your practice, program, or agency. Here is how to interpret your rating.
0 to 20 = Basic Practice Level
21 to 40 = Intermediate Practice Level
41 to 60 = Advanced Practice Level
(Note) In each section, A: – L:, there are Study Questions. The questions reflect basic, intermediate, and advanced practice levels. This means you may not have an appropriate answer for some of the study questions. This is not a problem. Simply skip any question for which you do not have an appropriate answer at this time
