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Data collection Grant
Creation of Uniform Case Plans in Electronic Formats
Family case plans are prepared by the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) caseworker and submitted to the court when an improvement period is granted. The purpose of the family case plan is to set forth a clear, well-organized, realistic identification of family problems and the appropriate steps to be taken to resolve those problems. Child case plans are prepared and submitted when an adjudication of abuse and neglect has been made. In addition to matters covered in family case plans, child case plans must include a specific permanency plan (or concurrent plans). Both the family and child case plans can be useful resources to guide the court and parties toward a beneficial outcome. Untimeliness in submission of case plans and deficiencies in substantive case-plan content hinder progress in many cases. It was determined that the quality of case plan documentation was adequate or better in only 31.25% of the reviewed cases; and that many judges do not perceive the case plans as readable or useful documents. In order to address these problems, as recommended in the CIP Reassessment Report, uniform formats have been developed for family and child case plans by collaborative action among the judiciary, DHHR, Court Administrative Office, and CIP-Oversight Board. It is anticipated that these formats will be adopted by DHHR policy and Supreme Court administrative order for uniform use throughout the State. Following such statewide adoption of these formats, the next step will be to make the case plans electronically available for preparation and submission by the caseworker, and review by the court and other professionals involved in each case in a secure database.
Electronic Case Tracking
All circuit courts are required to report periodically on the status of every pending child abuse and neglect case. West Virginia's circuit court judges are now providing these reports electronically, and the reports generated from this data can be used to bring to the attention of judges cases on their docket which are not compliant with the appropriate timeframes so that appropriate corrective action can be taken.
