Despite the fact that I began my social work career making home visits and working with families in their own homes, the term home-based services was never used. This is a relatively new term that we use to make a distinction between (a) the medical model where a professional sits in an office, waits for a client to show up, ask for service and leave with some type of remedy and (b) the proactive approach to services where we actually go out, cross the porch, sit down on sofas, and take service to the client.

The distance from an office to a home may only be a mile or two, but it represents a tremendous step in philosophy, commitment and approach. In the first place, this trip sends a message to a family that we are willing to reach out to them personally, get wet when it is raining, cold when it is snowing, and hot when summer comes. It says we don’t mind inconvenience.

Another message that a family receives from home-based services is that the service is specifically designed for their individual needs and situation. There is within all of us the desire to feel confirmed that our family is unique and the response we need from a service provider must be customized to meet those unique qualities. We don’t like just being lumped into a category called "at-risk families" and offered a standard set of suggestions.

When we sit on a person’s sofa, see their pictures, allow a child to show us where he sleeps, feel their home, then barriers of pretense, shame, embarrassment, and denial have a good chance to come down. The relationship changes, closes distance, and takes on a less intimidating flavor. Even if a person doesn’t like what she hears, sitting side by side with a toddler on the floor make it more tolerable.

Of course there is a host of reasons why home-based services work, and there is a long list of why we stopped making home visits in the 70’s e.g. money, safety, reallocation of resources. Returning to this approach however, just makes sense. People who need help in parenting need to get it from a person who at least resembles their mother, grandmother, sister, friend, aunt, neighbor. That’s how it worked for hundreds of years prior to 1970, and it is working again.

We have reconfirmed the beauty and uniqueness of each family, developed home-based services to meet the needs of the individual family, and celebrate both the people who deliver the services and those who receive them. All of us are involved in a commitment to make families strong and able to nurture our future.

Thank you for your support as I Begin my new role as President of the Michigan Home Based Family Services Association Board of Directors.

For those that do not know me, let me tell you a little about my background. I have a Master Degree in Social Work and a Bachelor Degree in Psychology. I have worked in reunification and solution focused programs in the Metropolitan Detroit Area. I have experience in both Child Welfare and Community Mental Health. Although I enjoyed working closely with children, individuals with developmental disabilities, the elderly and families, I have also held supervisory positions. My experience with the MHBFSA has been quite rewarding. I volunteered to participate in this organization for the last seven years. Starting as a member-at-large, I have also held the position of Training Committee Co-Chairperson and Vice-President. I look forward to providing a leadership role with the board to this association as President for the next two years.

Looking back at the many accomplishments the association has made, I am committed to promoting similar success. We had a very successful Conference in Frankenmuth. We had more attendance than we have had in the last four years. We have significantly increased our membership. More specifically, we have members from underrepresented communities in the state of Michigan. In addition, our Website has been further developed and has been quite well received. These accomplishments are only a few of the many we are proud of. For these reasons, I formally thank the board members for all their hard work. Their commitment to a volunteer organization is commendable.

Now, let us move forward in this next year. We are in the process of finalizing arrangements for our next conference. This year we are heading to Ann Arbor, for the conference We look at the feedback from evaluations from conference attendees in an effort to make the each consecutive conference even more pleasing to you.

We do want to bring you other training opportunities. Therefore, we are exploring options for one-day seminars in the spring. If you are interested in having MHBFSA work together with your agency or if you are interested in hearing from a particular presenter, please contact us.

The conference is the highlight of our year. However, the Membership and Public Education committees will continue to develop our Website for your benefit, bring you further editions of Practice to keep you abreast of new information and continue to recruit new members in an effort to touch as many practitioners as possible. All these efforts are to promote strength for our association and to ensure that we have a diverse spectrum of experiences to share with one another.

Thank you for your support of our association and its causes. Promoting best practices and family-centered, home-based interventions is our commitment. Your successes are our successes and we can only commend you for your hard work in a challenging environment.

Moving beyond the basics of Solution Focused Therapy, Crossing The Bridge focuses on integrating the techniques of the Solution Focused model into clinical practice across the continuum of care. Each chapter has extensive case examples illustrating the various techniques in a variety of settings. This practical guide to using Solution Focused therapy in the clinical arena will answer many questions often asked by clinicians learning and practicing the Solution Focused Model.

CONTENTS:
Introduction to Solution Focused Brief Therapy * Assumptions of Solution Focused Brief Therapy * Cooperating with Clients * Creating Well-Formed Treatment Goals * Beginning the First Interview * The Miracle Question * Exploring Exceptions * Utilizing Scaling Questions * Ending The First Session * Later Sessions: Amplifying Improvement * Later Sessions: When Things Are Not Better * Integration * Author Index * Subject Index.

By: Doug Nurenberg

The Michigan Home Based Family Services Association 2001 Annual Conference entitled "STRENGTHENING AND AFFIRMING FAMILIES THROUGH HOME-BASED INTERVENTIONS" is fast approaching. The conference will be held on October 3, 4, and 5th at the Sheraton Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The national presenters on Wednesday afternoon October 3rd will be Susan Tohn and Lydia Walker. Ms. Tohn will be presenting "Three Innovative Solution-Focused Tools for Home-Based Work". Lydia Walker’s topic will be "Getting a Firm Foundation: Understanding and Intervening in Domestic Violence". Dinner will be served on Wednesday night where the President’s Award will be presented.

Thursday October 4th will feature workshops using local presenters many of whom are members of the Association. An array of new topics will be featured. The conference will close on Friday, October 5th with Naomi Haines-Griffith presenting "Celebrating the Uniqueness of Each Family".

Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan, offers many fun and interesting restaurants, shops and attractions. The Sheraton is across from Briarwood Mall, the area is filled with numerous stores and restaurants. Downtown Ann Arbor is just a short drive away. This offers a glimpse of the University and unique shops, clubs and eateries

Please make your reservations soon at the Sheraton Inn-Ann Arbor by calling 734-996-0600.

By: Jill Peck

It is not too late to make a nomination for the Michigan Home-Based Family Services Association’s annual President’s Award!!!

The Public Education Committee is accepting nominations for individuals, agencies and families who have demonstrated their commitment to family preservation.

It is easy to make a nomination. Just submit a letter of recommendation to the Public Education Committee and we will take care of the rest. The winners will be announced on Wednesday evening at the Annual Conference, October 3, 2001.

This year you have the option of submitting nominations on–line at this web site, click here to view form or send a letter of recommendation to:

Gillian Peck
Highfields, Inc.
P.O. Box 98
Onondaga, Mi. 49285
FAX: 517-628-3421.

Kris Koivu in action!

You may have seen this smiling face at past conferences or heard her pleasant voice over the phone when renewing your membership. Kris Koivu, is administrative assistant for Highfields’ Inc. and participates on the MHBFSA Membership Committee. Kris has been instrumental in organizing the member ship list. She has also been a great asset in completing the numerous mailings the Association has yearly as well as helping to register people for the Annual Conference. If you see Kris, make sure you introduce yourself and thank her for her dedication to the Michigan Home-Based mission.

By Marcia Radin, Parent

This article focuses on when my son was a baby and things were so hard for our family. He had been released from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after seven weeks, two weeks before his due date, weighing 3 lbs. 15 oz. I had begged the physician to let me take him home early, and they allowed me to do so because I was a "veteran" mom, having already raised another tiny premature baby. But things were much more difficult with my second child, and for weeks, then months, then years, he was constantly sick, didn't sleep through the night, ate poorly, cried a lot, and developed bizarre behaviors and fears. Soon it was impossible to do things as a family - one parent always had to stay home with him when the other went out with our older son. We took him to many specialists, each one checking for something wrong in his or her area of expertise.

Finally, after four and a half years, we were sent to a specialist who was able to understand the source of the problem: his failure to regulate functions of sleeping, eating, moving, perceiving, hearing, learning, playing, etc., could all be explained by early neurological damage. We were finally able to seek appropriate help. We began meeting with the preschool team to create an intervention program suited to his particular needs and sought ways to improve the experience of the whole family.

Looking back, I wish one of the many "experts" we met with during my son's first four years had asked me to describe a typical day at home, or what we did together as a family. Had these questions been asked, the chaos of our home life might have been recognized sooner. We might have gotten an earlier start on getting the help my son and the family so badly needed.

Today, parents involved in home-based services have an opportunity to take a more active role in describing their family situation and determining outcomes for their child. In practice, however, many parents and professionals are unclear about how to make this happen.

We're still learning how to ask the right questions, to help parents take a step back and think about the future or changes they'd like to see. Parents tell us they are often asked, "What do you need?" or "What are your priorities?" Especially when they're first seeking help, parents don't often know what they want or need. It is hard to step out of the "crisis mode" long enough to think about long-range goals or dreams.

Sometimes a simple question, "What is a typical day (or night) like?" can more easily open the door to learning where a parent's most difficult struggles are. The outcomes, which are then targeted in the family goals, are directly linked to events happening in a family's day. It may also help to ask parents about things they are familiar with. Some home-based staff have begun asking parents a question based on their previous experience, to help them think of changes they would like to have happen: "Think about what you wanted for your other children. What activities did you do with them?" Or "What did you imagine doing as a family while you were pregnant?"

Considered together with information about their child's developmental and input from others, professionals can use these preferences to develop a plan uniquely suited to the child and family. This can also open up the possibilities for including extended family, or neighborhood friends and places as key resources in achieving their goals. Looking at the family system as a whole helps keep "families first" in the process.

Marcia Radin is a Early On Parent Liaison in Washtenaw County

Most Useful: Open-Ended Questions

• "Can you talk a little bit more about that?"
  
• "Tell me about your family."
  
  Highly Useful: "What, When, Who, How" Questions
  
• "What happened when...[you didn’t drink]?"
  
• "What was different...[when you didn’t get high]?"
  
• "Who helped you when...[you went for treatment last time]?"
  
• "When ...[you’re not drinking, what is different at home]?"
  
• "How helpful was it when... {your mother lived with you]?"
  
• "How did it happen...[that you were sober during your pregnancy]?"
  
  
  Less Useful: WHY? [Implies blame, i.e., ]
  
• "Why were you late?
  
• "Why did you do that?"
  

  Instead use WHEN rather than IF questions.
  When implies trust that the person is going to do something.
  "IF" implies they may or may not do something.
  For example,
  "When you are in control of your temper..."
  "When you go to drug treatment..."

  Low Usefulness:
  

• Any questions that can be answered Yes or No.
  
  Least Useful: Tag Questions
  
• You want to be honest, don’t you?
  
• You want to be sober, don’t you?
  
• You want to clean up the house, don’t you?
  
  

By: Shelly Wood & Jan Manio

On May 4, 2000, a press release announced legislative funding through the Family Independence Agency for the Family Reunification Program (FRP) in select Michigan counties. FRP received this support after being piloted in 12 Michigan Counties during the previous 8 years and found to be effective according to an evaluation conducted by the Skillman Foundation. There are now 15 contracts to provide the service in Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Genesee, Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lake, Lenawee, Macomb, Mason, St. Joseph, Saginaw, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties.

The Family Reunification Program is designed to reunify children with their families sooner, when out-of-home placement has occurred and to prevent repeated out-of-home placements. The primary focus is on safety. Intensive, in-home services, using a strength-based, solution-focused approach helps the FRP team and family engage and begin to make and maintain progress.

Families may begin receiving services up to 30 days prior to the return of their children. This gives family members of the FRP team an opportunity to engage and complete what is needed for the children’s safe return. During the first two weeks, the team will spend approximately 10-12 hours per week with the family. An average of four hours of face-to-face contact with the family occurs during the remainder of the intervention. FRP services may be provided for four months, with the ability to extend for up to two additional months. The total intervention cannot exceed six months.

A team, consisting of a Team Leader and a Social Worker, provide a number of services for the family, including in-home counseling. Additional in-home services may help families build a variety of skills through direct teaching, modeling, problem solving, and relapse prevention. The team will also help the family develop safety plans, connect them to community supports and resources, and help them identify their natural supports. By using existing resources or flexible dollars, concrete services may also be provided for the family. When the need exists, vocational and educational services will also be provided in the form of advocacy through area schools, job training, and employability skills, and education.

The contractor makes ongoing parenting classes available to parents involved in FRP. Workshops are held quarterly on topics that are pertinent to many of the families currently receiving services. Recognizing that part of a family’s reunification should involve some quality, fun time, quarterly activities are held for the group of families receiving services. This opportunity to have fun and socialize with others has been a highlight for many of the families who have received the service. They have indicated this helps make them feel like a "normal" family. Examples of some of these events include family day at the zoo when admission prices are reduced, baseball games, picnics, and hoedowns.

Planning for crisis or emergencies is part of helping families create safe and nurturing home environments. Part of this may be identifying a family, friend, or neighbor the children could stay with for a short period of time if the need arose. For those families who experience such a crisis, and natural supports could not be identified or are not available, the contract agency provides short-term respite care. Due to the planning and support available through FRP in other ways, formal respite is seldom used, but having it available can prevent a crisis from escalating.

The success of the original FRP pilot was highlighted in a 1992-1995 Skillman Foundation evaluation. The data contained in that evaluation indicates that the Family Reunification program was effective in reunifying 85% of children who completed the program. Further data revealed that of that 85%, 73% of those children remained safely at home with no further out-of-home placement for 12 months after reunification. Children who did require a repeat out-of-home placement were returned to their homes more quickly than those children who had not received Family Reunification Program services. This evaluation included a random assignment where families were either afforded 4-6 months of service, or 6-8 months of service. It was found that in either case most families reached a plateau for success at 4 months, therefore the FRP model provides for 4 months of service with the possible extension to 6 months. The evaluation also established that the program was cost effective, saving the State $5,283 per child over the 18-month period following Family Reunification Program services.

An unexpected finding of the evaluation was the high rate of success for families where substance use and domestic violence had been an issue, traditionally considered a population "difficult to serve." Macomb and Saginaw Counties, as part of their continuum of services related to substance affected families, are piloting a Family Reunification Program targeted to this group. Staff with experience in this field are recruited to provide service. Training specific to FRP and providing FRP services to substance affected families is being provided to the contract agency staff.

Based upon the research outcomes and the new investment, the legislature has provided to return children from out-of-home care sooner, and keep them home safely - the Family Independence Agency expects a great future for our children. We expect the success of the program to continue as this new program touches the lives of more families throughout Michigan.

c/o Gillian Peck Public Education, Chair
P.O. Box 98 Onondaga, MI 49264
or by fax (517) 628-3421
or email: gpeck@highfields.org

Call for Articles Articles are needed on a variety of topics : success stories innovative techniques humor time management book or article reviews employee / program / agency profile Submissions of 1-3 doubled spaced pages will be welcomed. Please share your experience with other home-based workers by faxing article to:

President’s Award Call for nominations The President’s Award is presented each year at the MHBFSA annual conference. Individuals workers, Agencies and Families can be nominated for outstanding and innovative contributions to Home-Based services. Please send a one page letter of nomination. c/o Gillian Peck Public Education, Chair P.O. Box 98 Onondaga, MI 49264 or by fax (517) 628-3421