The Integrated Core Practice Model (ICPM)
Intended Audience
- Child Welfare Workers
- Child Welfare Supervisors
- Child Welfare Leadership
- Social Services Non-child Welfare
- Caregivers and Potential Caregivers
- Youth
Targeted Age Group(s)
- 0-9
- 10-12
- 13-17
- 18 or older
QIC-EY Engagement Model Components (i) The engagement model components were identified through the QIC-EY Environmental Scan as critical to the support of youth engagement in the attainment of permanence.
- Engage Specialized Staff
- Support Youth Empowerment
- Utilize Youth-guided Team
- Prioritize Legal, Relational and Cultural Permanence
Description
Current research demonstrates that when services are integrated and collaborative and when they actively engage and partner with children, youth and families, they are most effective in meeting the complex needs of children and families involved in multiple, government-funded service organizations.
The ICPM is a framework used by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) in partnership with cross-serving agencies and stakeholders. It captures the effective and essential principles and practices for serving children and youth in child welfare, behavioral health and juvenile probation. Derived from a compilation of the California department’s Pathways to Well-Being services, the ICPM is the enhanced rendition of previous service models that move from working in an individual system or agency to working in a cross-system team environment.
The ICPM sets the Child and Family Team (CFT) as the primary vehicle for the team-based process. The process is implemented in four phases: engagement, service planning, monitoring and adapting, and transition. Together with the CFT process, the ICPM establishes an authentic partnership with children, youth and families, which results in coordinated and integrated plans that are individualized to address the unique needs of each child and family member working together toward well-being and permanency. Additionally, the ICPM helps to create a culturally relevant and trauma-informed system of care that strengthens the voice and choice of the child, youth and family while building consensus around their strengths and needs in service planning and delivery. The practice of working together as a team is at the heart of the ICPM.
Implementation Considerations
The ICPM and the Integrated Training Guide were revised during the past year. They are being vetted by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Consequently, new editions of each document will be released for statewide use later this year or in 2023. The revised documents will reflect an expanded “system-of-care” environment in California that encompasses the systems of child welfare, behavioral health, juvenile probation, education and regional centers that serve children with disabilities. The California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC) played an integral role in developing the California Child Welfare Core Practice Model. While targeted specifically for the child welfare system, this model provided much of the material that later was incorporated into the multisystemic ICPM. The CalSWEC was also responsible for coordinating the development of the Integrated Training Guide and for editing its current revision.