Child Welfare Services Response to COVID-19: Addressing Face-to-Face Contacts

Abstract

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, child welfare case managers faced contradictions in their responsibility to make regular in-person contact with children and families to promote safety, permanency, and well-being while following public health directives to avoid social contact in order to curb COVID-19 infections. In response, federal guidance was issued regarding the use of technology to maintain mandated contacts with children in foster care. States had to make decisions about how to handle other contact types. This study reviewed documentation of state child welfare agency practices regarding face-to-face contact between case managers and child-welfare involved families between March 2020 and May 2020. Using a point-in-time search to obtain publicly accessible documents related to caseworker face-to-face contact and COVID-19, data was located for 49 states and the District of Columbia ( n = 50). Documents were analyzed in NVIVO 12 using document analysis. Within the context of face-to-face interactions by child welfare case managers, documents were analyzed in six themes based on the types of services provided to children and families: (1) investigations, (2) family preservation, (3) family team meetings, (4) foster care, (5) adoption, and (6) general child welfare. State decisions about how to manage these contacts varied. In several states case managers were directed to document both virtual and in-person contacts during this time as face-to-face; which may impact future evaluations of child welfare systems during COVID-19. Findings highlight a range of strategies used by state child welfare systems. By reviewing previous practice and hearing what other states are doing, child welfare service agencies have the potential to evaluate appropriately, strengthen their plans and address disparate impacts.

Children patients with COVID‐19: How can parental and peer support lessen the psychological burden of isolation

“…During the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, child welfare service providers faced contradictions in their responsibility to make regular in‐person contact with children and families to promote safety, permanence and well‐being while following public health directives to avoid social contact in order to curb COVID‐19 infections. In response, federal guidance was issued regarding the use of technology to maintain mandated contact with children in foster care (Seay & McRell, 2021 ).…”

“…During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, child welfare service providers faced contradictions in their responsibility to make regular inperson contact with children and families to promote safety, permanence and well-being while following public health directives to avoid social contact in order to curb COVID-19 infections. In response, federal guidance was issued regarding the use of technology to maintain mandated contact with children in foster care(Seay & McRell, 2021).During this difficult time, vulnerable families are also at risk of losing access to services or experiencing a reduction in quality as providers attempt to move services to a virtual format. In the early days of the pandemic, efforts to reduce the viral spread of COVID-19 involved limiting face-to-face contact with human service professionals, including education providers and healthcare providers.Many education systems (including daycares, preschools, elementary, middle and high schools, community colleges and universities) have transitioned from classroom instruction to virtual homeschool instruction (Van Lancker & Parolin, 2020).…”

COVID‐19: Impact on children living in out‐of‐home care and their carers

“…Australian parents with children in OOHC have also reported the distressing nature of reduced or no contact (Fogarty et al, 2022). Yet there is also evidence of efforts being made by service providers to implement supportive practices and increase communication to vulnerable families and children (Seay & McRell, 2021; Wilke et al, 2020). An exploratory study exploring birth family contact found virtual visits can be effective when well‐supported by caseworkers and may offer important ongoing opportunities for family connections post the COVID‐19 restrictions, to support connections when distance, incarceration or transport issues are present (Langley et al, 2021).…”

Physiological evidence of escalating stress during COVID-19: a longitudinal assessment of child welfare workers

“…Child welfare professionals were required to pivot from a face-to-face practice modality to working remotely and communicating with clients through virtual approaches -contributing a new set of stresses. Systemwide shortcomings associated with technology, infrastructure, and the need for improved training became increasingly evident (Loria et al, 2021;Schwab-Reese, Drury, Allan, & Matz, 2020;Seay & McRell, 2021). Concerns about the pandemic's impact on child welfare practice (e.g., increased levels of maltreatment and placements, etc.)…”