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Working With Families & Youth

Working with families and youth is at the core of good family-centered practice. To conduct assessment, case planning, and case management successfully, caseworkers must be skilled in communicating with children, youth, and families to help them strengthen interpersonal, parenting, and problem-solving skills.

Elements of effective work with families include engaging families and youth; providing direct assistance with challenges the family is facing, including counseling, parent coaching, and modeling; and continuing to assess with the family their strengths, needs, and progress.

• Family engagement & involvement
• Youth engagement & involvement
• Casework processes/worker skills

Related Information Gateway Topics Family-centered practice: Family & youth involvement Family-centered practice: Family-centered services Systemwide: Cultural competence–Working with children and families Systemwide: Cultural Competence–Working with youth Supporting & preserving families Achieving & maintaining permanency: Preparing children and youth for permanency Achieving & maintaining permanency: Transition and postplacement support Adoption: Working with birth parents Systemwide: Service array

Updated on September 18, 2008