The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. The Structured Decision Making (SDM) program has been rated by the CEBC in the area of: Child Welfare Initiatives.

• Types of Maltreatment: Does not target any specific kind of maltreatment
• Target Population: Families referred to and assessed by CPS agencies.

SDM is a comprehensive case management system for Child Protective Services (CPS). CPS workers employ objective assessment procedures at major case decision points from intake to reunification to improve child welfare decision-making. SDM targets agency services to children and families at high risk of maltreatment and helps ensure that service plans reflect the strengths and needs of families. When effectively implemented, it increases the consistency and validity of case decisions, reduces subsequent child maltreatment, and expedites permanency. The assessments from the model also provide data that help agency managers monitor, plan, and evaluate service delivery operations.

The primary goal of the SDM case management system in CPS is to reduce the subsequent maltreatment of children in families where an abuse or neglect incident has occurred. The underlying logic is that the best way to accomplish this goal is to accurately identify families at high risk for maltreatment, prioritize them for agency service intervention, and then effectively deliver services appropriate to their needs. The following SDM assessments were designed to help workers make decisions necessary to accomplish these tasks. Use of the assessments can also help bring a greater degree of consistency, objectivity, and validity to case decisions. The model includes the following components:

• The safety assessment helps workers identify the immediate protective service interventions (including child removal) required, if any, during a CPS investigation or case.
• A research-based risk assessment estimates the likelihood of future abuse and/or neglect and informs the decision to provide services and how often a worker should have contact with a family.
• An objective strengths and needs assessment helps workers identify and prioritize the specific service interventions needed to construct an effective treatment plan.
• Periodic reassessments of safety, risk, and needs measure progress and help workers update the treatment plan and review readiness for case closure.
• The reunification assessment informs workers' decision to reunify the child with his/her family or to change the permanency-planning goal.
• Service levels (e.g., low, moderate, high, and intensive) based on results of the risk assessment guide the minimum contact standards a worker makes with the family. This practice ensures that staff time and attention are concentrated on those families at the highest levels of risk and need.

Structured Decision Making (SDM) was not designed with a child component.

Structured Decision Making (SDM) was designed with a parent/caregiver component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

• Child involved in the Child Welfare system.

Structured Decision Making (SDM) was not designed to be conducted in a group setting, and has not been tested for use in a group setting.

Recommended Intensity:

The number of face-to-face contacts between a family and the caseworker varies based on the risk level obtained from completing the risk assessment. The number of contacts increases with an increase of the family risk level. The goal of differential contact standards is to target limited resources to those families most at risk of maltreating their children in the future. For example, a very high-risk family will have four face-to-face contacts (at least two with the case manager) per month, while a moderate risk family will have two face-to-face contacts (at least one with the case manager) per month.

Recommended Duration:

Caseworkers employ assessments throughout the life of a CPS case, from intake to closure from foster care or in-home services.

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Community Agency

This program does not include a homework component.

Structured Decision Making (SDM) does not have materials available in a language other than English.

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Usually existing agency resources can be used. A management information systems component is strongly recommended.

Minimum qualifications for workers using the case management system are determined by the CPS agency.

There is a manual that describes how to implement this program, and there is training available for this program.

Training Contact:

• Raelene Freitag, PhD
  rfreitag@mw.nccd-crc.org
  phone: (608) 831-1180

Training is obtained:

Training is typically provided onsite, as either a training-for-trainers or direct training of workers and supervisors.

Number of days/hours:

2 to 4 days.

This program is rated a "3 - Promising Research Evidence" on the Scientific Rating Scale based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The practice must have at least one study utilizing some form of control (e.g., untreated group, placebo group, matched wait list study) establishing the practice's benefit over the placebo, or found it to be comparable to or better than an appropriate comparison practice. Please see the Scientific Rating Scale for more information.

Child Welfare Outcomes: Safety and Permanency