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Finally, standards make it possible to compare what is with what is considered desirable for children. The standards listed are described in detail below.
Social workers and other professionals in public child welfare shall, in all of their duties, take into account the diversity of cultures and communities. In addition, they shall:
1. Display knowledge basic to the social work profession and an understanding of the social institutions, organizations, and resources serving children and families.
2. Possess specialized knowledge and understanding about children and families and about the dynamics of child abuse and neglect.
3. Demonstrate skills fundamental to the profession of social work and related disciplines.
4. Know, understand, and work competently with the diversity of people within the state and region.
5. Accept the authority inherent in child protection and the responsibilities shared by the agency to carry out this authority under supervision.
6. Assume responsibility for learning in supervision.
7. Meet the expectations of conduct established by the NASW Code of Ethics, other professional ethics codes determined by a worker's professional affiliation, and the county's code of ethics.
8. Adhere to agency policies, procedures, and evaluations, and use constructive channels to bring about change.
9. Apply results of research and evaluation to practice and collect data in support of the agency's information system.
10. Demonstrate, throughout all their child welfare tasks and activities, acceptance of the professional Values for Public Child Welfare Practice.
11. Uphold the authority to protect the child as vested in Public Law 96-272, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and the laws of the State of California.
12. Participate in multidisciplinary teams with staff in other programs, with colleagues in other disciplines, and with informal and formal institutions in the community.
13. Promote collaborative working relationships among community agencies and the courts toward establishing a comprehensive public child welfare system and family support system.
14. Provide leadership, guidance, and support to staff.
15. In accordance with legal mandates, establish the policies, procedures, and guidelines necessary for effective practice in public child welfare.
16. Administer the agency so that it provides an adequate level of services; establish priorities for provision of such services.
17. Demonstrate a commitment to improving agency and community services for children and families.
18. Advocate for sufficient child welfare funding and adequate work environment.
19. Demonstrate a commitment to 24-hour child protective response capacity.
20. Conduct management practice that is responsive to diversity.
21. Keep current on and inform staff about pertinent state and federal legislation.
22. Provide supervision to child welfare staff and be available to staff facing crises in the field.
23. Assume multiple professional roles, including teacher, manager, administrator, and service provider, and responsibility for the authority that accompanies these roles.
24. Provide leadership through developing resources, advocating for clients, recruiting, selecting, and training a diverse workforce and acting as a community liaison.
25. Develop the capacity to supervise and work with a multidisciplinary workforce; acknowledge the validity of other professional training that applies to public child welfare.
26. Promote teamwork through the use of peer supervision, consultation, and group process.
27. Work toward the development of resources to enhance staff practice and agency services.
28. Respond to reports of child endangerment, taking into account diverse cultural practices.
29. Assess parents' willingness and ability to protect the child.
30. Provide direct and intensive services to parents to strengthen their capacity to care for their children.
31. Through the entire course of the intervention, engage family in using its own strengths and resources.
32. Help create a family plan for legal permanency that includes family preservation and community support in a safe environment for the child.
33. Engage in ongoing service planning with the community and support networks as appropriate to maintain and unite families.
34. Determine the priority of service needs and monitor their provision.
35. Continually assess the presence and level of risk to all children.
36. Be prepared to initiate and follow through on court action on behalf of the child.
37. Ensure child's participation in planning and direction for his or her life.
38. Pursue legal permanency; initiate termination of parents' rights as necessary.
39. In preparing for reunification or out-of-home legal permanency, include foster parents in the planning process.
40. Use social work processes in termination of service.
41. Manage in a professional manner personal feelings associated with providing child welfare services.
42. Work toward enhancing resources available for the child within the agency and in the community, including resources for independent living/emancipation.
43. Strive to prevent child endangerment by engaging resources in the community to support and strengthen families.
Initial publication date: 1997
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