This resource page summarizes changes implemented by Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) Collaborative teams. In a PDSA Collaborative, local child welfare agencies send a team comprised of workers and a supervisor(s) to use organizational improvement techniques to examine their practices and processes and then design changes to improve their work. An overview of these PDSA team’s projects, including the barriers they overcame and the improvements they are experiencing, are organized by topic below. Many PDSA teams implemented tools, job aids, training plans, or other resources, those tools are available here as well. It is a motto of improvement collaboratives to ‘share relentlessly and steal shamelessly.’ We hope you will take these resources and apply them to your agency’s practice.
Identifying and Engaging Non-custodial Parents (NCPs)
Non-custodial parents (NCPs) can provide valuable child welfare assessment and case planning information and be significant sources of physical and emotional support for their children. The mission of the 2022 and 2023 Plan-Do-Study-Act Collaboratives is to transform agency culture and practices to prioritize early, persistent, and continual efforts to identify, locate, contact, and engage non-custodial parents during the agency’s involvement with the family. See the project descriptions below for ways to improve agency practices in identifying and engaging non-custodial parents.
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Brown – Enhancing NCP engagement continuity
Overview
Brown County sought to enhance identification, location, contact, and engagement with non-custodial parents (NCPs) and to improve the continuity of those efforts across the family’s time with the agency and across all workers. To do this, Brown County recognized there was no consistent NCP resources or guides for staff to use on how to engage NCPs. PDSA members created resource documents and broadcasted their availability to all direct practice professionals. In addition, the case transfer process was reviewed and streamlined to include information on NCP contacts.
The team also implemented an internal staff survey to gather information on what resources were used, what feedback was given by families, feedback on the new case transition process, and to determine if NCP resources were used.
Tools
The tools created may be viewed and downloaded here:
- Non-Custodial Parent Conversation Guide
- Case Transition Request and Checklist 2023
- CPS Definitions
- CPS Father Engagement Brochure
- NCP Search Tool Resource Document
- Non-Custodial Dad Incarcerated Parent Letter
- Non-Custodial Dad Non-Incarcerated Parent Letter
Improvements
As a result of the project, PDSA team members felt that they had:
- Drawn attention to Initial Assessment and Ongoing Standards requirements and improved consistency contacting NCPs. Overall, the PDSA members developed a more intentional approach to NCP engagement in all CPS practices.
- The tools provided to direct practice staff improved their efficiency. For example, staff now document all attempted phone numbers when trying to find the NCP, which saves time for ongoing staff.
- The streamlined case transfer process allowed the IA team to present more information to the ongoing team regarding contact with the NCPs. Three quarters of respondents stated that the consolidated case transfer document was beneficial.
- The survey determined that all new NCP resources were used by survey respondents, and especially the NCP letter.
- Two families provided feedback that the NCP Guide and brochure were beneficial in helping them stay involved while incarcerated.
Barriers
The team acknowledged that their internal data collection was difficult at the beginning of the collaborative, leading to not enough information to provide insight into current practice, and areas in greatest need of focus. The team changed their strategy to gain input and obtain the information on NCP contact across the initial assessment and ongoing team.
Chippewa – Increasing family permanency through practice guides & resources
Overview
Chippewa County’s goal in the PDSA Collaborative was to decrease out-of-home care placements and increase permanency within families. To do this, the county focused on increasing direct practice professional’s awareness about non-custodial parents and relatives and developed a toolkit and onboarding procedure for direct practice professionals. Chippewa County specifically focused on improving direct practice professionals’ by:
- Training on Initial Assessment, Ongoing, and Youth Justice Standards related to non-custodial parents during division meetings and supervision discussions.
- Definitions regarding non-custodial parents (NCPs), and resources and tips for locating NCPs, through creation of the ‘Non-Custodial Parent and Relative Guide and NCP Location Resources’.
- Agency culture was addressed to increase staff beliefs that engaging NCPs and their family is an important part in achieving permanency faster and increasing child and youth well-being.
- Creating a NCP onboarding checklist that includes watching a video, having a discussion with a supervisor or PDSA team member, learning to track NCP data in agency systems, and accessing a curated list of training resources available on their agency’s shared drive.
Tool
The tools may be viewed and downloaded here:
- Non-Custodial Parent and Relative Guide and NCP Location Resources
- Non-Custodial Parent Onboarding Checklist
Improvements
As a result of the project, PDSA team members felt that they had:
- a better understanding of the Standards and more consistent practice related to NCP contacts.
- The Non-Custodial Parent and Relative Guide as well as the Resources Guide for Locating Non-Custodial Parents is in use by direct practice professionals and available agency wide.
- Staff still regularly compile practice data related to NCPs to measure improvement.
- Staff have shared multiple NCP success stories amongst the team including an example of a youth thriving after placement in a NCP relative home, a child reunification with the NCP, and increased motivation amongst NCPs to be supportive in their child’s life.
Chippewa County acknowledges that it has increased the amount of upfront time spent identifying and locating the NCPs; however, the agency believes this work has the potential to decrease the amount of time a child is placed in out-of-home care and will be measuring if this hypothesis is accurate.
Barriers
The team acknowledges that this work involved practice change, and as such requires the agency to continue having discussions around the importance of NCPs and finding permanence for children. Direct service professionals have also navigated cases where the youth is adamant in not wanting contact with the NCP.
Eau Claire – Increasing communication & brainstorming at case transfer and in team meetings
Overview
Eau Claire sought to improve agency policies by providing consistent guidance on who is considered a NCP, how the NCP should be engaged once they are identified, and clarify what benefit comes from engaging the NCP. To address these needs, Eau Claire sought to enhance clarity and communication about NCP engagement at the point of case transition from Initial Assessment to Ongoing CPS.
Eau Claire added a section within their CPS Case Transfer document to specifically discuss and document efforts during Initial Assessment related to the NCP identity, location, contact attempts, and extent of any engagement. Further, the ongoing professional team schedules monthly meetings where all ongoing professionals discuss their cases with NCPs as a group to brainstorm next steps and solutions for how to best engage the NCP. Discussions here include historical and current efforts to engage, as well as barriers within the family. Staff help each other think of ideas that have not been tried for some time, or at all. These meetings are found to bring increased energy, motivation, and shared learning. The documents used in these ongoing meetings are the Engaging NCP – Tracking and Monitoring sheet that includes areas to document the NCP location, contact efforts, engagement efforts, and discussions during supervision. The Engaging NCP – NCP Reviews sheet is color coded by worker and allows space to document barriers and what is unique about the case as well as next steps.
Tool
The tools referenced above may be viewed and downloaded here:
Improvements
As a result of the project, Eau Claire experienced:
- Increased communication, momentum, and a more streamlined process in initial assessment and ongoing case transfer meetings and meetings with the corporation counsel.
- Ongoing professionals experienced more intentional conversation and collaboration when engaging NCPs and their families.
- Positive impact on the ability to actively engage NCPs in a timely manner.
Barriers
Eau Claire first attempted to use a Tracking and Monitoring form at the individual direct-practice staff level as opposed to in a team meeting. The county found that this work felt duplicative of documentation and took too much effort. As this first attempt was not consistently used in individual supervision, it was abandoned in favor of bringing the tool to monthly team meetings to aid in discussion.
Marathon & Waukesha – Youth Justice (YJ) Non-custodial Parent Engagement
Overview
Marathon and Waukesha’s youth justice PDSA teams sought to develop consistent practices for identifying, contacting, and engaging with non-custodial parents (NCPs).
Marathon’s PDSA team changed their intake process asking the custodial parent to arrive 15 minutes early and fill out an intake form which included requesting non-custodial parent information. If an intake with the custodial parent did not occur, the ongoing youth justice workers were assigned to gather NCP information prior to or at the court hearing (as this might be the first time they meet the family). Marathon also created an agency NCP policy for youth justice to clarify expectations.
Waukesha’s PDSA team looked to increase involvement of NCPs by addressing agency culture and practices. First, they had youth justice supervisors engage in intentional conversations about NCPs in supervision. Next, they provided questions for phone calls with NCPs and a standard letter template. Then, PDSA team members had conversations with youth justice professionals seeking qualitative information from social workers about the justifiable reasons they’ve identified for lack of contact with non-custodial parents. Finally, the team was able to provide input about how a new position (Permanency Social Worker) could also identify and engage NCPs as part of their role.
Both youth justice teams collected data related to how many of their cases had a potential NCP (approximately 59% for Marathon and 48% for Waukesha), if the YJ professional maintained contact with the NCP and/or had a justifiable reason for lack of contact, percent of families where the NCP or an NCP relative is involved, and youth that exited care into a NCP or NCP relative home.
Tools
Waukesha’s questions for NCP on phone call
Waukesha’s NCP letter template
Example of tracking NCP data using run charts
Improvements
As a result of their projects:
- Both youth justice teams identified a baseline of data for involvement with non-custodial parents.
- Marathon reported they are gathering more NCP information right up front.
- Waukesha reported that they increased awareness about NCPs in their agency and created staff investment in involving NCPs. For example, one youth was able to reconnect with a NCP who had been minimally involved in their life. After the NCP was invited to be part of the YJ case process, the NCP felt empowered and equipped to eventually take primary placement and the youth has thrived.
Barriers
Teams reported that unique circumstances can challenge professionals’ attempt to engage NCPs including:
- If the significant other of the custodial parents do not have rights of the child, then YJ professionals relied on the legalities of the situation to determine who retains their rights.
- If the youth does not want the NCP involved, then the YJ professional helped the youth understand the importance of that relationship, and helped them navigate options.
Wood - Tools and Internal Training Guides to Boost NCP Engagement
Overview
Wood County chose to focus on increasing contact and engagement with the non-custodial parent (NCP) through their Ongoing and Youth Justice units. Multiple tools were created for direct practice staff to utilize so they would be best prepared to identify, locate, contact, and engage the NCP, and to do so uniformly across all direct practice professionals. The tools are available to view and download, and include:
- NCP Initial Assessment Guide
This guide provides a clear list of NCP definitions, so professionals are clear on who is considered a NCP and what constitutes a justifiable reason to not contact a NCP. This guide also clarifies internal standards as to what actions are to be performed at access and initial assessment. - NCP Engagement Brochure
This brochure is a means of informing the NCP as to why it is in everyone’s best interest to engage with their child and explains how the agency can partner with families. - NCP Engagement Letter
This letter is a means to inform the NCP about the agency’s involvement with their child and request their engagement. - NCP Locator Resource List – This list is to assist direct practice professionals effectively search for NCPs and to improve consistency in efforts across all staff.
In addition to creating these tools, Wood County held multiple discussions within both the Ongoing and Youth Justice units about how to utilize the tools and best engage with NCPs.
Improvements
As a result of the project, initial data indicates the agency has increased contact with NCPs. This is corroborated with anecdotal information that there have been increased internal conversations regarding NCP contact and engagement. The agency has also noticed a positive impact with engaging NCPs as an out-of-state NCP was located and began contact with their child.
Barriers
The team experienced barriers in a lack of time, direct practice professional illnesses impacting momentum, and high caseloads. The agency combatted these barriers through scheduling regular check-ins as a team and assigning deadlines for different PDSA projects.
Improving the quality of professionals’ visits with children, youth, caregivers, and providers
The topic of the 2020 & 2021 PDSA Collaboratives was improving the quality of direct service professionals’ visits with children, youth, caregivers, and providers. In child welfare practice, change happens in the context of relationships. Professionals’ visits with children, youth, caregivers, and providers comprise the cornerstone of relationship development and are one of the most important ways to promote positive child outcomes. See the project descriptions below for ways to improve agency practices and processes related to visits.
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Adams – Prep checklist, to-do list, and ‘Enhanced Assistance Tasks’
Overview
Adams County sought to improve the quality of caseworker visits with families and ultimately improve family’s outcomes. To this end, the PDSA Team implemented a prep checklist to better prepare for home visits and used the tool when meeting with families. Also, a to-do list with carbon paper was used in meetings to document actions the family and/or worker agreed to take, and copies were left with both the family and worker to improve accountability. Finally, the team implemented a new process they termed “Enhanced Assistance Tasks (EATs). Here the worker identifies some of the to-do tasks that should be completed in the family visit and uses visit time to assist the family in completing those tasks.
The tool
The Tool may be viewed and downloaded here:
Adams Visit Checklist and To-Do List
Improvements
As a result of the project, the team noted that the checklist led to better documentation of what was discussed in the visit. The prep sheet and to-do list also assisted in reminding workers to address safety concerns, family goals and tasks necessary to comply with expectations. One worker noted that while they spent 7 minutes tailoring the prep sheet to the specific family prior to use, the use of the prep sheet ensured they covered every topic in the family visit. While more time is spent prepping for the visits and more time is spent meeting with families, the team is saving time in the long run through covering all topics and not needing to schedule additional meetings or follow up with additional phone calls.
PDSA Team members stated that when they use the to-do list and EATs process, the family was held accountable for their participation in services, such as finding housing. Working through the to-do items with families also helped better identify where families were at in the change process, and specifically which families were motivated to make changes. The process also showed the progress of obtaining and maintaining services along with the struggles the family had where the worker was able to step in and assist. For example, a worker may help with phone calls and communication with service providers to work towards the family goals. In another example, the EATs process helped one worker identify a family member’s struggle with literacy which was previously unknown. Identifying this barrier led to the worker better understanding additional supports this family needed.
Barriers Overcome
Adams County discovered the preparation sheet was not applicable to all case types. Also, using a new tool was initially a challenge as workers have their own processes. Last, the EATS process was not helpful with after-hours visits as it is often not possible to contact providers at these times.
La Crosse – Ongoing structured case notes and accountability for next steps
Overview
Prior to beginning the PDSA Collaborative, La Crosse County felt that documentation was inconsistent with requirements outlined in the Department of Children and Family’s Ongoing Service Standards. The county also felt that their current documentation process did not clarify if next steps or tasks decided upon in family meetings were followed up on.
Over the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021, La Crosse County created a structured case note template to be used for all face-to-face interactions with case participants. The county’s goal in using the structured case note was to encourage concise and focused case notes, as well as to allow for easy tracking of action steps that were or were not taken by clients and the county social workers. The structured case note was revised over multiple weeks through use of the tool, revision, and ultimately unit adoption. The workers also measured the effectiveness of the process through utilizing a point system to determine whether the tasks were completed by the workers or if they were not.
Tool
The La Crosse County structured case note may be viewed and downloaded here:
Face to Face Case Note Template
Improvements
Workers found that this structure helped focus their case notes on relevant details from visits and cut out some of the ‘noise’ that occurs in a typical visit. Workers also felt this was faster as they were able to begin their case notes in that structure during meetings and then more easily translate those into their fully formed case notes once they adjusted to the structure. Workers also had an easier time remembering what all parties had agreed to accomplish by the next meeting and following up on those.
Barriers Overcome
In utilizing the structured case note process, workers needed to shift from documenting the case notes chronologically, and to instead fit discussion items into themes. This required additional analytical work by the social workers. Overall though, the investment of time and analysis was important and led to improved quality of the case notes, only the important points were documented, and the action steps were more specific. Workers generally felt that the structure kept them on track and made it easier for them to follow up with clients about tasks they had agreed to accomplish. This also provided accountability for the workers, since they knew it would easily be identifiable if they did not accomplish an action step assigned to them.
Ozaukee – Improving documentation methods and follow up
Overview
Ozaukee County identified three practice areas to improve through using the PDSA Collaborative process. First, the collaborative members wanted to address their varied documentation styles between workers. The agency felt that the documentation did not always include all required information for face-to-face contacts, including documentation of adequate engagement and sufficient quality of visits. Second, the team also identified a need to give families more transparency in what to expect in visits, to help the families follow through on tasks from meetings, and to make the content of visits more purposeful and planned. Last, there was a desire to reduce a workers’ feelings of being overwhelmed due to documentation requirements.
The PDSA Collaborative team created a case note template and a tear-away sheet to provide families with a list of items to do after each meeting. The tools were taken to visits, shared with families, and was used to guide documentation after the visit. One worker also looked into if documentation could be made even more efficient by using handwriting-to-text technology. To this end, the worker uploaded their case note template to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Lite tablet, and handwritten notes entered onto the tablet converted to text that was able to be copy and pasted into eWiSACWIS.
Tool
The Tool may be viewed and downloaded here:
Case Note Template and Tear-away sheet
Improvements
As a result of the project, PDSA team members felt that:
- Case notes were easier to write as well as more consistent.
- Case notes included all necessary information.
- Case note documentation turnaround was faster.
- Permanency plan and case plan documentation time was reduced because the information was easier to find.
In addition to the benefits seen by the team members, the agency felt that families seemed to like the transparency this structure for visits/notes provides. The families appreciated the to-do list provided at the end of visits. Also, the tool holds both workers and families more accountable to accomplishing tasks and making progress between meetings. Team members felt a reduction in being overwhelmed by documentation requirements specific to case notes and permanency plans.
The use of the tablet that enables handwriting-to-text casenote writing was also found to be successful for the worker. This system allows the worker to stay on top of notes and the technology was user-friendly to learn.
Barriers
The team found that the tool works best when it is formatted to the family’s specific goals, and workers need to spend time personalizing the tool for each family.
Trempealeau – Consolidating events for use in court and case transition meetings
Overview
Trempealeau County’s PDSA Collaborative goal was to improve documentation. Prior to the work in the PDSA Collaborative, workers found it time consuming and difficult to go through past case notes to gather all information needed for their current casework, and specifically for court documents. The team created a simple template to document what had or had not been done in the case, such as the dates of contact, drug tests, and other important events that occurred each month.
The template created is essentially a log that condenses all case management contacts, drug testing, etc., into one user-friendly spreadsheet that can easily be referenced when needed. The log was based off information needed in court to give updates to the Judge. Likewise, it is also helpful in case transition meetings to inform the new worker of the work that has been completed in the case.
The tool
The tool may be viewed and downloaded here:
Improvements
Due to Trempealeau County’s court calendar, not enough data has been able to be gathered to determine the effectiveness of this tool, as of the end of the Collaborative in April 2022. The team does hypothesize that they will be able to save time overall in preparing for court documents. The team also theorized that clients and caseworkers will be better able to track progress (or lack thereof) throughout the life of the case. Likewise, the team feels that if the family is transitioned to a new worker, the log will likely help the new worker understand past contacts made, progress made, etc.
Barriers Idenitified
Trempealeau County identified that it does take time to document and update the case management log in addition to regular case noting, and this process must be worked into regular case work. Likewise, the PDSA Team noted that as multiple people sometimes work on one case, the team needed to save the log to a location that could be accessed by all necessary people.
Washington County – Structured format for Ongoing Workers and Family Support Assistants to document progress
Overview
Washington County joined the PDSA Collaborative motivated to improve their data collection and better document their case notes. The county had identified inconsistencies in what information was being captured and were concerned as to the risk of missing important case information. The county also sought to streamline their case notes, ensure all important documentation was being collected, and remove unnecessary details cluttering the note. To solve these issues, the county created two case note templates – one for their social workers, and the other for the Family Support Assistants.
Tool
The Washington County structured case note contact checklist may be viewed and downloaded here:
Family Support Assistants Contact Checklist
Improvements
Washington County participants found that there was an initial investment of time in learning this process. However, throughout the case the participants found it saved time and made it easier to find and track information – specifically court documents and Permanency Plans. It was also easier to follow up with subsequent visits. Family Support Assistants reported that the notes assisted them with easily identifying the quality of a visit, and for better ease of seeing change cycles for meetings with social workers. Team members also preferred structured notes over the narrative style in most situations. Finally, workers also found that the template took less time than they initially thought it would.
Barriers Overcome
As stated, there was an initial additional time investment, but users of the new system did overall find time savings once the tool was comfortable. Additionally, when rolling the tool out to workers not on the original PDSA Collaborative Team, there was some trepidation as not all were in a position to take on a new task. The process was made easier through having joint team meetings with the other ongoing unit to explain the template prior to use. A survey was also used to gather feedback on the tool and improve its functionality. Through the feedback the tool was made more functional and less time consuming. Use of the tool is also an expectation of the workers in the unit.
Waukesha County – Action planning to achieve client goals & reach permanency
Overview
Waukesha County’s PDSA Collaborative goal was to implement a comprehensive change that would move families to permanency quicker. In doing this, the PDSA Collaborative members sought to improve communication and understanding of and follow up on goals necessary to achieve permanency. The county strived to build trusting relationships and engage families by developing a practice for structured client contacts which focused on safety and permanence. An action planning tool was created and implemented during client related contacts – including family team meetings, home visits, and staffings. The tool reflected the needs, goals, action steps and timelines for team members. A few different versions of the form were created to utilize in different settings.
After the tool was created, it was introduced and used in contacts with families. The PDSA Collaborative members reviewed who used the form, where, and how frequently. Barriers were identified and discussed during weekly PDSA check-ins with the team. A survey was also developed to determine the usefulness and satisfaction of using the action planning form in contacts with families.
The tool was shared with other ongoing teams, other workers have shadowed use of the action plan and other workers have used the action plan in their work with families.
Tool
The Waukesha County Action Planning Tool may be viewed and downloaded here:
Improvements
As a result of the project, team members felt more comfortable and confident in the roles and steps towards meeting case goals and achieving safety, permanency and well-being. Social workers increased rapport and understanding of the family’s needs and families felt they were heard to a greater extent. Workers appreciate that they know if the families follow up on expectations set in meetings and families appreciate having a better understanding of the steps they need to follow. Everyone feels meetings are more organized and they have a better understanding of where the case is in the process. The Action Planning Tool has helped increase transparency with families, improved accountability with all case participants and provided a clear path towards permanency.
Worker Testimony in using the Action Plan
A family began receiving child welfare services in 2017 and there was a transition in social workers in 2019. There were many challenges in working with the family. One of the primary identified barriers was the issue of communication and planning. Through the implementation of the action planning tool in family team meetings, a reunification is pending court approval. The action planning tool was very helpful in being able to move the case to a shared goal of permanency for two children. The tool provided a clear way to define the specific goals which related to child safety and then concise actions steps were developed for all team members. This was effective in improving transparency and communication between the social worker, family, relative caregivers and providers. The action steps were tied directly to items that impacted the safety of the children. This increased awareness of safety within the family team. The action planning tool allowed the parent and team members to follow up sooner, address barriers earlier and track progress often. The parent was asked to participate in the optional survey after each family team meeting. The parent felt very strongly that the action planning tool increased her understanding of each task and that it helped her make progress on her family goals. It is my belief in working with this family and being part of the PSDA collaborative team that this case is an example of how we created goals that were family centered which resulted in reunification for this family.
Wood County – Comprehensive preparation checklist for ongoing visits
Overview
Through work in the PDSA Collaborative, Wood County sought to find a more time efficient and effective way to document their meetings with families, to simplify documentation, and to improve consistency between workers. The county attempted multiple different processes, and ultimately adopted and tweaked the structured case note created by Vilas County. In Spring 2021, the PDSA Collaborative team asked the entire Wood County Ongoing Unit, including those outside of the original PDSA team, to implement the new structure, termed the Visitation Preparation and Summary Sheet.
Improvements
First, workers noted time efficiency and savings. The workers found they saved approximately 5-10 minutes per case note through using the Visitation Preparation and Summary Sheet. Workers were able to be more focused at visits which in turn made the time in homes more efficient.
Additionally, workers noted an improvement in overall effectiveness and thoroughness of notes resulting in better response, decision making and understanding of the case when needed to be accessed by another worker. This was specifically noted by workers needing to access a case during an on-call response, decision making at Access when a new report is received, and when a different worker or supervisor needs to cover the case unexpectedly during an absence. The content of these notes was also more helpful to new workers accessing the case during a Termination of Parental Rights, when the new worker found that better information was captured and organized within the case note.
Finally, there was also the downstream effect of improved team morale, great teamwork, and creative brainstorming. New workers were trained on this process and found it helpful as they had been unsure with what they needed to cover at each meeting.
Barriers Overcome
As stated, the team went through multiple different tools before deciding upon the one linked below. Also, through use of the chosen tool, it was found that some of the areas covered in the tool were excessive for every meeting, leading to workers at times skipping over unnecessary sections. Rolling out the tool to the non-PDSA Collaborative Ongoing Unit took time, but were assisted through using the Unit Meeting Flyer to help explain the process, available in the hyperlink below. Questions were encouraged, and conversations helped explain the process and clarify expectations. In late Spring, additional meetings were held to further revise the tool prior to adoption.
Tool
The Wood County Visitation Preparation and Summary Sheet, as well as the Wood County Unit Meeting Flyer may be viewed and downloaded here:
Assessing Case Note Documentation
A Dane County PDSA team engaged in an organizational improvement project to assess the quality of their case notes using the PDSA process. Explore the example below to learn more.
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Dane County – Case Note Review Tool
In Summer 2019 Dane County created and used Case Note Review Tools to determine the extent to which caseworker meetings with families and the corresponding case notes captured issues relating to safety, child development, case planning and/or caregiver engagement. For a further description of this project including lessons learned, please view the following video with Dane County CPS Manager Julie Ahnen.
Video interview with Julie Ahnen
In the Dane County Case Note Review Tool project, three separate Case Note Review Tools were created, where each tool is tailored around the different issues that may be discussed depending on who is included in the meeting. The review tools are tailored to meetings with caregivers, meetings with children in out-of-home care (OHC), or a meeting with other case types (labeled here as ‘generic’). An example of a completed Case Note Review Tool is here.
Case Note Review Tool (Completed) – Ezra Example
Blank versions of the Dane County Case Note Review Tools are available below for your use, if interested. Please modify them as necessary to fit your practice.
Case Note Review Tool – Generic
Case Note Review Tool – Caregivers
Case Note Review Tool – Children in OHC
To further the understanding of the content collected in the Case Note Review Tools, the data was inputted into a spreadsheet that automatically added the results together. That spreadsheet is available below for your use, if interested. Please note that as there are three separate review tools, there are three separate tabs available to collect this data.
Dane County Case Note Review Tool – Data Collection Spreadsheet
The PDSA Toolkit is brought to you through partnership between the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and the Wisconsin Child Welfare Professional Development System