What is the MA DCF Action Plan?
The Massachusetts Department of Children and Family DCF (also known as MA DCF) Action Plan is a document which lists the actions, services and supports required to change the family’s circumstances in order to protect the well-being, safety, and best interests of the child. The action plan indicates:
- The permanency recommendations for every child in the home
- What changes are necessary to improve the family’s condition or situation
- Why MA DCF should continue to be involved in your family’s life.
It is the responsibility of your MA DCF social worker to work with your family to create an action plan. The action plan is created during the assessment. Never forget that the terms of the form are binding. Do not sign anything without having an experienced DCF attorney review it first.
What is the Purpose of The MA DCF Action Plan?
An action plan helps MA DCF determine which services would be best to help your family function well. The goal for MA DCF during the assessment is to find services necessary to provide a safe environment for the children of Massachusetts. An action plan is the best way for MA DCF to evaluate your family’s condition and guide your family correctly.
The MA DCF Action Plan addresses:
- the needs of the child and specific actions, services, supports related to achieving their revised permanency plan;
- the steps the Department is taking to finalize the guardianship when the plan is to achieve permanency through guardianship,
- revisions to the parent/guardian section of the Action Plan to provide changes to actions, services, and supports related to the change of permanency status.
MA DCF can create separate plans when there are concerns about family member safety or family members have conflicting interests
Finally, the Family Assessment Outcome is determined using the MA DCF Action Plan. The Social Worker and Supervisor, after discussion with the family, determine if the case will remain open or be closed.
Why Did MA DCF Give My Family an Action Plan?
MA DCF offers clients with a range of services and programs. Some parents may need to seek counseling for their own relationships. Other parents require counseling to better their parenting skills. MA DCF can also help a family access many different educational services.
Family assessment and action planning emphasizes child safety. It centers on engaging family members in a process of exploring their strengths and needs for TWO important and related purposes:
- Determining whether the Department must remain involved with the family to safeguard child safety and well-being.
- Develop a plan to support the family in strengthening their ability to meet the well-being needs of each child.
The gathering and analyzing information is a process throughout the life of a case, not a one-time event.
What are MA DCF’s Values and Principles Stated in the Action Plan?
Family Assessment and Action Planning at the Department is conducted in a manner that aligns with the Case Practice Model and furthers the Department’s Core Values:
- Child and Youth-Driven: A child’s right to safety and their experiences and perspectives must be recognized and understood.
- Family- Centered: Family members are partners in assessing strengths and needs, and in planning to address child safety.
- Community- Focused: Children, youth and their families are best understood and supported within their natural support systems.
- Strengths-Based: Families have the ability, with support, to overcome adverse life circumstances.
- Committed to Cultural Diversity/Cultural Responsiveness: Families have the right to be respected for their cultural practices, norms, attitudes and beliefs.
- Committed to Continuous Learning: Changes in the shared understanding of a family’s circumstances. Needs and strengths are revealed and recognized over time.
What are the Outcomes of the MA DCF Assessment
The Family Assessment and Action Planning process should result in the Department and the family having shared understanding of:
- Everyone’s concerns for the child’s safety, permanency and well-being – whether or not they agree with each other’s concerns;
- What is working well that promotes the safety, permanency and well-being of the child;
- What actions or changes need to happen to assure the safety, permanency and well-being of the child.
As a result of this process, and the development of an Action Plan, family members should know any:
- Changes in caregiver behaviors the Department needs to see in order to close the case.
- Services and resources the Department recommends to support changes in caregiver behaviors and to strengthen the safety, permanency and well-being of the child, and how to sustain those changes over time.
- What assistance and support can be provided in order to help the family make any changes needed.
Action Planning identifies and engages all family members who have a role to play in the children’s safety and well-being. This includes:
- all parents/guardians
- individuals residing in the home (kin and other)
- children in Department placement
- minor siblings residing out of the home and/or others identified.
What is Specified in the Plan?
The Action Plan specifies, at a minimum:
- the time period of the plan (usually 6 months);
- the areas of focus based on the findings of the Department’s Family Assessment of parental capacity that indicate why continued Department involvement is needed;
- for each priority area of focus, the observable changes that are needed to maintain child safety and to achieve the jointly identified goals in the Action Plan; and
- the actions/tasks/services/supports identified to address the observable changes needed for each parent and child investigated
The Action Plan may also include information and actions/tasks for substitute care and other providers.
The Social Worker, in consultation with the Supervisor, may determine that there is a need to request a Criminal Offense Record Information (CORI). A Sexual Offender Registry Information SORI check of a household or other case member may be performed.
Who Approves the MA DCF Action Plan?
The Action Plan must be signed and dated by the Social Worker and approved by the Supervisor and presented to at least one parent/caregiver and any youth age 14 or older, for their review and signature.
If the child is out of home placement, the substitute caregiver also signs the Plan.
Do Different Child Age Groups Receive Different Action Plans?
If the Action Plan is for a youth age 14 years or older, the MA DCF Social Worker may review the Youth Readiness Assessment, when completed, and includes tasks/services/supports to promote the youth’s life skill development and readiness for transitioning to adulthood.
The focus of the action strategy for the young adult (aged 14 and up) is on the development of a relationship with responsible adults. These adults will maintain a consistent, caring and permanent relationship with the young adult. The goal of these types of action plans is to ensure preparation for successful adulthood. They also support life skills development and providing resources to promote adult independence.
Can The MA DCF Action Plan be Changed?
If during the Family Assessment, the Social Worker is presented with information from the family and/or learns information that would change the original support and/or substantiated concern decision, the Social Worker recommends to the Area Director to review the Supported decision. If the Area Director agrees with the change, the supported and/or substantiated concern decision is changed in the case record.
The Family Assessment and Action Plan must also be updated when the following significant events occur in a family:
- birth/death of a child;
- new household member/caregiver;
- family becomes homeless;
- loss of a caregiver to death, divorce or incarceration
- child enters placement.
The Social Worker, with the Supervisor, may also determine that it is necessary to update the Family Assessment and/or Action Plan prior to the regularly scheduled 6 month update. This is in response to recommendations from any formal reviews or when there are other significant changes that affect child safety. This can include the 6 Week Placement Review, Foster Care Review, a court permanency hearing, Permanency Planning Conference.
How Long Do I Have to Do the MA DCF Action Plan For?
Completion of the Action Plan is done in conjunction with the Family Assessment. The Department completes both within 60 working days.
The Department updates the Action Plan every 6 months. The the social worker updates the Family Assessment to reflect progress made by the family since the last assessment/update. The social worker also records any significant changes in family circumstances that affect child safety over the 6 month period.
Do I Still Meet with my MA DCF Social Worker After I Receive a MA DCF Action Plan?
The Department has processes to meet with the family through the Regular Review of Child Risk and Family Progress. The social worker will come to your home to evaluate the family’s progress, assess the level of risk to the child or children, and update the existing information in the Family Assessment and Action Plan.
The Social Worker has a minimum of 3 face-to-face contacts. The first of occurs within 5 working days after the assignment of the case to the Social Worker. Two of the three face-to- face contacts take place in the home.
What are the Procedures of Completing A MA DCF Action Plan?
The DCF develops the Action Plan in partnership with the family. It identifies what the family must accomplish in order to keep the children safe in the home. It also deals with well-being, achieving the child’s permanency plan and closing the case.
The MA DCF Action Plan is part of the Family Assessment. The MA DCF Action Plan identifies the needs and the actions/tasks/services/supports that the family members require. MA DCF will participate in the Action Plan to accomplish the goals identified with the family for achieving the safety, permanency and well-being of the child.
In ALL CASES, steps include:
- the Time Period that the Action Plan will address (in most cases, 6 months);
- the Permanency Plan for each open consumer child;
- the Areas of Focus, for each open consumer member who will be a participant;
- the Observable Changes Needed to support the identified outcomes that promote the safety, permanency and well-being of the child;
- Visitation Plans and other placement- required information for each child in Department care or custody (see below Section III-B. Out-of-Home Placement Cases, Procedure 6).
DO NOT sign any document without consulting first with a qualified and experienced attorney.
You can sign the Action Plan digitally or in hard copy.
Who Receives the MA DCF Action Plan?
The Social Worker must provide the family a copy of the entire Action Plan. The DCF Supervisor must approve and sign the Action Plan.
The Supervisor approves the DCF Action Plan. The Social Worker, family and young adult, and substitute care provider(s) sign the DCF plan.
The social worker provides a copy of the Action Plan, including visitation strategy, to the parent(s)/guardian(s).
- Each young adult (14 years and up) in Department care or custody may choose 2 individuals, who shall not be either the foster parent or the assigned Social Worker, to consult with for the development of their Action Plan.
What Are the Different Parts of the MA DCF Action Plan?
The DCF Action Plan evaluates 4 aspects of the family:
- Family Profile and Functioning;
- Parental Capacities;
- Child Safety, Permanency and Well-being
- Clinical Formulation.
As your social worker gathers information during the assessment, they make suggestions on what the family needs to work. Then, the social worker puts these suggestions into the Action Plan.
The Family Profile and Functioning section of the Family Assessment focuses on understanding the family’s current involvement with the Department. The Department considers family’s personal history. This includes past involvement with the Department. They also consider supports to address the child’s needs for safety, permanency and well-being.
The parental capacities aspect relates to how fit the parent is to care for their children. This will address the parent’s physical, mental and emotional limitations. When parents have physical disabilities where they are in a wheelchair, it can affect their ability to pick up the children from school, for example. So the action plan may ask the parent to get another caretaker they trust to pick their children up from school. When the parent suffers from mental health issues, the action plan may ask the parent to seek medical treatment through therapy or medications.
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How Does MA DCF Define “Parental Capacities” with the Plan?
The Parental Capacities section of the Family Assessment is based on 5 protective factors:
- Parent and Caregiver Behaviors
- Parent/Caregiver Knowledge
- Parent and Caregiver Skills
- Parent/Caregiver Attributes that help them find or develop resources, supports or coping strategies.
- Parent and Caregiver Presence of Support system is a condition of parental capacity.
These are protective factors that can increase the safety of children. For each of the protective factors above, the assessment should focus on whether this is an area that is a strength, a need, a high need, or not applicable at this time.
Kevin Seaver is a trusted Massachusetts DCF lawyer specialized in DCF Law since 1991.
