The SSW actively encourages and supports parent participation in the assessment, planning and service delivery processes. The SSW provides encouragement and support that include engaging the parents, discovering barriers to their participation and, when possible, removing the barriers.
The SSW has the responsibility to continually gather and incorporate information from all sources into a coherent, individualized assessment of the child and family. The SSW initiates services, makes appropriate referrals, and documents contacts with the family, child and service providers. Ongoing documentation includes the SSW’s efforts to arrange services, the family’s efforts to utilizing services, and the family’s demonstrated progress toward removing the risk factors that led to the removal. The SSW documents whether the parents are making behavioral changes that are allowing them to more appropriately parent their child.