Program Information Program description and contact updated: 01/29/17
Program approved for: 2nd-Year MSW [X] Title IV-E
Parent Agency Name: Sonoma County Human Services Department, Division of Family, Youth & Children’s Services (Child Welfare)
Parent Agency Address:
1202 Apollo Way Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Parent Agency Phone Number:
707-565-4300
Agency/Program Website Address:
http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Human-Services/Family-Youth-and-Children/
STAFF MEMBERS PROPOSED AS FIELD INSTRUCTORS:
Jo McKay, MSW, Training/Internship Coordinator, 707-565-4328, mckayj@schsd.org
Program Description:
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Vision
The Sonoma County Family, Youth and Children’s Division ensures the safety and well-being of children and youth by providing families with the resources they need, promoting supportive placements and permanency for children and youth and building community connections that empower all members of the community to support the safety of children.
Mission
At the Sonoma County Family, Youth and Children’s Division, our vision is that all children and families that are involved with our services are treated with dignity and respect and are kept free from abuse and neglect. Families and the community understand and embrace their shared responsibility to ensure that children are safe and families are supported. All children have permanent homes and successfully transition into adulthood. The services that the Family, Youth and Children’s Division provide are transparent to families and the community. As an organization, we hold ourselves accountable for upholding the mission and working towards the vision.
Family, Youth & Children’s Services provides comprehensive Child Welfare services to our community and believes that child protection is a community responsibility, which is why we are firmly committed to teaming with not only our clients but also our community partners, relatives, law enforcement, and schools. Title IV-E interns with our county will have the opportunity to learn the foundations of child welfare with support from not only their field instructors but also the training coordinator and management. As budgets allow, we routinely hire the interns we invest in during the academic year.
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Primary Issues that the Program Addresses:
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Child Welfare issues for children and families living in Sonoma County with a focus on ensuring child safety in the least intrusive and least traumatic manner possible.
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Populations and Clientele Served:
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According to US Census (2010) our community was approximately: 60% White, 1.6% African American, 1.4% Native American, 12% Pacific Islander, and 25% Latino. In Sonoma County there are 5 federal recognized tribes of Native Americans, so application of ICWA is a regular occurrence.
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Types of Services Offered by the Program:
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Typical child welfare services including: Intake/Hotline, ER Investigations, Dependency Cases including Court Investigations, Family Reunification and Family Maintenance, Permanency Planning, Adoption, Guardianship, Prevention Services like Voluntary Family Maintenance and Intensive Family Services, Facilitated Family Team Meetings for case plans and placement decisions, RFA for placements, Caregiver recruitment and retention, Valley of the Moon Children’s Emergency Shelter, Federal Case Reviews and implementation of systemic change based on data themes, and Mandated Reporting Trainings about Child Abuse/Neglect. Sonoma County utilizes the following tools to assist with social work practice: Structured Decision Making, Safety Organized Practice, and Team Decision Making as well as being a county in alignment with the Continuum of Care Reform and the Core Practice Model.
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Intern Assignments and Learning Opportunities:
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Interns with the County of Sonoma have the opportunity to shadow a wide-variety of child welfare assignments and have the opportunity to work directly with families in the following areas: Intake/Hotline, Emergency Response Investigations, Dependency Investigations, Family Reunification, Family Maintenance, and Voluntary Services. Interns will have support directly from their Field Instructors as well as the Internship Coordinator, and supervisors/management. Interns will be provided with weekly meetings with their Field Instructors as well as once-monthly check-in meetings with the Internship Coordinator and once-monthly FY&C All Staff meetings. Interns also have the opportunity to complete their research project on a specific area related to child welfare in Sonoma County, as determined between the student and the Field Instructor.
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Other Specialized Training and Educational Opportunities:
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Interns have access to attend all trainings provided for child welfare staff in Sonoma County. Sonoma County is a Safety Organized Practice (SOP) county and trainings are provided to support learning how to incorporate SOP into social work practice. Interns will have the opportunity to learn how to use the CWS/CMS database. Interns will also have the ability to use county-issued cell phones, a shared desk space, county cars
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Student Availability:
Days preferred: __Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (Mondays and Fridays are generally “off” days for our staff, but a back-up FI can be identified if internship occurs on Monday or Friday__
Hours preferred: ____8am to 5pm_
Does the agency offer evening and/or weekend hours for the field placement? Yes:____ No: __X__
Agency Profile:
Non-Profit: ____ Public/Government: __X__ Educational Institution: ____ Other (specify): ____
If a K-12 school, is PPS supervision available? Yes: ____ No: ____
INTERN CHARACTERISTICS
Please indicate the number of students in the following categories that the agency could accommodate:
BASW:____ First-Year MSW: ____ Second-Year MSW: ____ Second-Year Title IV-E:__X__
Please indicate any particular characteristics and skills that would be desirable for this placement (e.g., language capacity, knowledge of specific computer programs, etc.):
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We are always looking for bi-cultural and bi-lingual interns (Spanish).
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Number of SF State University School of Social Work students previously placed at this agency: _2___
SPECIAL PLACEMENT PROCEDURES OR REQUIREMENTS
Does the agency require:
__X___ Fingerprint clearance
_X____ Background check
__X___ TB clearance
_____ Other health examinations
__X___ Immunizations
_____ A vehicle for placement related duties
__X__ Driving Record
Does the agency cover the cost for any background checks or health procedures? Yes:____ No: _X___
Does the agency require an early start or late completion date: Yes:____ No: _X___
Are there any other special placement procedures or requirements? If so, please specify:
INTERN BENEFITS
Does the placement offer a stipend? Yes:____ No: _X___
If yes, how much is offered and are there any particular requirements to receive the stipend
Are there other benefits available (e.g., work study matching funds, food, transportation, subsidies for travel expenses and conferences, etc.)? If so, please specify:
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Name
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Title
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Phone Number
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E-mail Address
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Jo McKay, MSW
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Training/Internship Coordinator
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707-565-4328
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mckayj@schsd.org
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