19.14 Action Planning

Georgia State Seal

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Child Welfare Policy Manual

Chapter:

(19) Case Management

Policy Title:

Action Planning

Policy Number:

19.14

Previous Policy Number(s):

N/A

Effective Date:

July 2021

Manual Transmittal:

2021-03

Codes/References

N/A

Requirements

The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) will:

  1. Develop an action plan in partnership with parents, caregivers, children, and care team members during the Family Team Meeting (FTM) or other family meeting targeting challenging everyday life tasks.

  2. Develop an action plan for each Family Level Outcome (FLO) and Individual Level Outcome (ILO).

    1. FLOs address tasks that are the responsibility of the entire family.

    2. ILOs address behaviors of the individual caregiver(s).

      ILOs can be developed with youth ages 14 and older, to address their personal barriers to achieving Written Transition Living Plan (WTLP) outcomes.

  3. Ensure the action plan focuses on the challenging everyday life tasks using the five (5) relapse preventions skills:

    1. Identifying high risk or difficult situations

    2. Identifying early warning signals

    3. Preventing high risk situation

    4. Interrupting high risk situations not avoided

    5. Escaping situations not interrupted

  4. Outline tasks to be completed by the family and/or individuals including a description of how change will be measured to achieve case plan outcomes.

  5. Engage parent(s)/caregiver(s), child(ren)/youth and collaterals during purposeful contacts to measure progress and determine the effectiveness of the action plan(s).

  6. Revise the action in partnership with the family or youth when barriers to FLO or ILO achievement are identified.

  7. Celebrate progress made by the family in achieving tasks and outcomes, evidenced by behavioral change.

  8. Upload the Action Plan to Georgia SHINES External Documentation.

  9. Adhere to confidentiality and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provisions outlined in policies 2.6 Information Management: Confidentiality/Safeguarding Information and 2.5 Information Management: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Procedures

Social Services Case Manager

  1. Develop the case plan in partnership with parents, children, caregivers and care team members to identify the FLO and ILO (see policy 8.3 Family Preservation Services: Case Planning and 10.23 Foster Care: Case Planning).

  2. For each FLO and ILO, engage the family in developing an action plan targeting the challenging everyday life tasks, by identifying:

    1. Difficult or high risk situations that lead to unwanted behaviors or conditions

    2. Early warning signs such as thoughts or feelings that trigger unwanted behaviors and conditions;

    3. Steps to prevent high risk situations, include services and supports;

    4. Plans to interrupt when unable to prevent high risk situations; and

    5. Steps to escape and seek external support when unable to interrupt escalating behaviors.

  3. Ensure the action plan clearly outlines:

    1. What task(s) will be completed;

    2. Who will be responsible for completing each task;

    3. Under what circumstance each task(s) will be completed;

    4. Description of how progress will be measured and documented by the family (i.e. completing logs, calendars, charts or other documentation).

  4. Assist the family with naming their action plan(s) to facilitate an appropriate name is assigned based on the desired outcome (e.g. “Remain Calm Plan”).

  5. Obtain the parents/caregivers or youth signatures on the action plan(s) and provide them a copy.

  6. Celebrate with the parent, caregiver or youth:

    1. Adherence to their plans

    2. Completion of tasks

    3. Demonstration of desired behaviors and outcomes

  7. Upload a copy of the action plan into Georgia SHINES External Documentation within 72 hours of the FTM or family meeting.

An individual other than the parent(s)/caregiver(s) shall not be assigned a task on an Action Plan unless they participated in the development of the Action Plan and agreed to be responsible for the task.

Practice Guidance

What is an Action Plan?

An action plan is a strategic tool that supports the achievement of family and individual level outcomes and must be developed in collaboration with the family, age appropriate youth and their care team members. The action plan focuses on specific everyday life tasks that are challenging for the family or individual and provides a personalized, simplistic strategy for addressing those challenges to achieve the desired outcomes. The action plan is a fluid document that can be analyzed and modified to ensure the skills the family or individual learn are long-lasting.

Each FLO and ILO on the case plan must have an associated action plan targeting the most high-risk situations. For example, DFCS involvement is related to inadequate supervision and educational neglect with a caregiver who has identified substance abuse issues. Two FLOs will be developed with the family, one to ensure adequate supervision of the child(ren) and the other to ensure the educational needs of the children are met. Only one ILO will be developed for the caregiver to address substance abuse which is his/her underlying issue contributing to the maltreatment.

Action plans may primarily include tasks for the parents/caregivers; however, other members of the support team play an active role in supporting the family and may have clearly defined tasks on the action plan. When other members of the support team are given tasks on the action plan, it is imperative that they have participated in the development of the plan and/or agreed to complete these tasks. We should not accept a parent’s/caregiver’s statement that another individual has agreed to a task, but rather should gain agreement directly from that individual. Expectations of plan participants should be spelled out to ensure action plan success.

The Five Relapse Prevention Skills

Every action plan should utilize the five relapse prevention skills when addressing the everyday life situations that are challenging for the family. It is ideal to build a consensus with the family or individual on the identified high risk situations that need to be addressed; however, the family or individual may not always be at the point of accepting and acknowledging the high risk situations. In those instances, the SSCM may have to provide greater influence when identifying the high risk situations. When identifying early warning signals, the family or individual should be encouraged to identify specific thoughts, feelings, actions, and physical reactions that occur potentially leading up to harmful incidents.

Once the high risk situations and early warning signs are identified, the family or individual can better understand what strategies may prevent a high risk situation. Some prevention techniques may include:

  1. Relieving stress through exercise, sufficient sleep, prayer, etc.

  2. Educating oneself about a specific problem (i.e. ADHD, available childcare resources in the community, available financial assistance, etc.).

  3. Planning for the unexpected (i.e. unexpectedly having to work late, a sick child, car trouble, daycare is closed, etc.).

If unable to prevent or avoid the high risk situation, then the next step is to interrupt it. In order to interrupt the situation, the family or individual would need to be aware of their early warning signs to recognize that they are in a high risk situation. Steps would then need to be taken to stop the escalation into a harmful incident. For example, a caregiver may need to stop, take a deep breath, recognize what they are able to control and adjust accordingly. If unable to interrupt the high risk situation, the caregiver needs to escape it by walking away and allowing someone else to step in as caregiver.

Action Plan Destructive Behavior Cycle

19 14 action plan

Below is an example of an Individual Level Action Plan:

Ms. Jones ‘Hands Free Action Plan' and Tasks:

High Risk / Difficult Situations:
I’m tired/overwhelmed from a hard workday and Johnny does not respond to repeated verbal instructions or redirection.

Early Warning Signs:
Feelings of frustration, tightening of the jaw, shouting.

Prevention Plan:
Attend counseling at ABC counseling to learn ways to control my frustration, especially with Johnny.
Keep a journal about times when I feel myself getting upset with Johnny and list the techniques used to calm myself.
Go to bed by 10:00 pm each weeknight to avoid becoming overly tired.
Praise Johnny whenever he follows the schedule and/or responds to my verbal commands.
Schedule regular “mommy time”.

Interrupt Escalation Plan:
I will walk away and take deep breaths until I feel calm enough to interact with Johnny in a non-physical manner.
If that doesn’t work, I will look at my journal list of techniques and I will practice other ways to calm myself.

Escape Plan:
If I am unable to calm myself, I will contact my mother to have her come over to care for Johnny while I go to my friend Susan’s house to discuss the situation and how I am feeling.

Indicator/Measure:
I will mark the following on the calendar:

  1. An “x” for each time I am successful at calming myself.

  2. A check on the calendar each night I go to bed on time.

  3. A star for each day I praised Johnny for adhering to the schedule.

  4. A smiley face for each day I took respite.

After each session with ABC counseling, I will write in my journal techniques learned to help me control myself when I feel frustrated by Johnny’s behavior.
I will journal each time I have to walk away and take deep breaths.
If I have to use my escape plan, I will discuss these with my case manager, Ms. Smith and my counselor at ABC.

Safety Plan
I agree not to hit or spank my son no matter what happens.
If I need extra help, I will call my mom and Susan to come over and help like they said they would.

Forms and Tools

N/A