On November 4, 2024, your UPE team met with the County to reconvene the meet and confer regarding Family Time Coaching (FTC). The last time we met was this past March, and the department decided to postpone implementation. Coaching should take place before, sometimes during, and after visits.
UPE asked the department if they were planning to add these duties to the FSW Standards and should this add time to the visit; and were they planning on utilizing Hop Skip Drive (HSD) if transport is necessary. The department stated that these duties are already in the FSW Standards and are performing FTC to some degree now. There will be a transport service to assist (may not be HSD) and coaching prior to the visit does not have to be in person if there is no time (may occur over the phone).
The UPE team asked, well, why two (2) days of training if the FSWs are already performing the FTC duty? Per CPS management, this would give the FSWs more tools (language) to utilize when the families are being serviced. The department also stated that it is up to the FSW to assess the visit and determine if coaching is necessary. UPE made it very clear that since it is up to the FSW to assess and determine if coaching is needed, they will not be disciplined should they decide that coaching is not appropriate. CPS management stated this will not be used as a disciplinary tool.
The department has a unit they would like to test the pilot with, and training has already started. They do not plan to implement FTC until after the new year (2025). UPE requested that the department inform us of when the FTC pilot starts so we may meet thirty (30) days following.
Thank you, Priscilla Cochran-Navarra and Sarah Singleton, for your advocacy!
