The Initial Assessment Model is a part of PRS Child Protective Services (CPS) programs. The goal is to provide CPS caseworkers with more consistent, comprehensive, and timely information for assessments to facilitate permanency planning and to improve the matching of services to children and families in Travis and Cameron Counties. The evaluation by the Center for Social Work Research will allow a better understanding of how to improve implementation of the Initial Assessment Model so that initial benefits of shorter durations in placements and fewer disruptions in care can be realized.
To determine what contributes to the use and non-use of the assessment information offered by the Initial Assessment Model, both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected and analyzed. Specifically, the following factors will be addressed in the evaluation:
- What benefits can be documented from the use of the Initial Assessment Model?
- What are the number of days spent in initial shelter/other care?
- What are the number of post-shelter placement disruptions per child in care?
- What factors contribute to the use of Intial Assessment Model information?
- What factors deter the use of the Initial Assessment Model information?
- To offer further evaluation recommendations in continuing funding proposals.