Abbreviated Reference Tool for Developmental Milestones

Recently, social workers’ visits with children in foster care have become a "hot topic." What has brought increased attention to the value of such visiting? Notice comes from evidence gathered from the recent Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) that a linkage exists between positive outcomes for children in foster care and visits from a social worker. However, the reviews under CFSR also disclosed uneven attention to visitation, and a lack of standardization of practice among Minnesota counties.

Although there has been a long-standing recognition of the importance of some kind of surveillance to monitor the well-being of a child in care, now there appears to be a concerted effort to improve practice in this arena.

There are now several "works in progress" addressing the issue of visitation. Among them are: A PIP (Program Improvement Plan) under development by the Minnesota Department of Human Services; a project, "Family Connect" (through Family Alternatives); and initiatives sponsored by county child welfare staff.

Our contribution, in this edition of Practice Notes was informed by the wisdom of experienced practitioners and an exploration of national initiatives.

In our preparation, we scanned the literature; searched for protocols from other states; and uncovered fugitive guidelines that were embedded in unpublished papers. Somewhat surprisingly, given the importance of the topic, the literature references were few; detailed protocols from other states were scarce; and guidelines were rarely age-related. It was the field that yielded knowledgeable social workers who articulated for us their intuitive wisdom; their keen and sensitive observations derived from long experience; and their grasp of a child’s response to loss and deprivation. From practice experience, the keys to establishing a trusting relationship were identified. The challenge was finding ways to translate the "intuitive instincts" and the storehouse of skill and competencies of experienced social workers into tangible guidance for those assigned to do the valuable work of visitation.

Practitioners in the field were generous in their time and willingness to share their experiences. We are indebted to them (see "Acknowledgments") for a large portion of this edition of Practice Notes. ~E.W.