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Hennepin County Adoption Project School of Social Work University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Social Worker Self-Survey for Work with Adoptive Children with Special Needs and their Families (SWISS)
Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW jgilgun@umn.edu Susan Keskinen, MSW skeskinen@yahoo.com

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Please feel free to reproduce this self-survey for your professional use.

Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW, is professor, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 1404 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA. Phone: 612/624-3643; e-mail: jgilgun@umn.edu Susan Keskinen, MSW, is research and evaluation consultant, 691 Portland Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104. USA. Phone: 651/292-9085; email: skeskinen@yahoo.com.

Jane F. Gilgun and Susan Keskinen in collaboration with an advisory group developed the SWISS. The members of the advisory group are Ginny Blade (National Council on Adoptable Children, St. Paul, MN) and staff of the Hennepin County, Minnesota, Human Services and Public Health Department: Dan Capouch, Suzanne Douglas, Suzanne Gaines, Marcia Miller, and Mary Herek. Penny Wile, Glenn Bracht, Sheila Schmaltz, and Paula Childers made notable contributions to the development of these tools. The SWISS is one of several products resulting from a five-year collaboration between the Hennepin County, Minnesota, Human Services and Public Health Department and the School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW, principal investigator.

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Hennepin County Adoption Project School of Social Work University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Social Worker Self-Survey (SWISS)

Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW jgilgun@umn.edu Susan Keskinen, MSW skeskinen@yahoo.com

The following is a self-survey for adoption professionals who work with or who are planning to work with children with special needs and their biological, foster, and adoptive parents Its purpose is to identify areas of strength in adoption professionals capacities and areas that require attention. By doing this survey, social workers will be positioned to improve their skills. The results of doing the SWISS will also provide direction for supervisors and other adoption agency administrators to tailor training needs to particular professionals as well as to establish workshops and other trainings that are agency-wide. The topics in this self-survey are similar to the topics in the Readiness to Adopt Self-Survey (RASS) and the Interview for the Readiness to Adopt Self-Survey (IRASS). Some of the topics covered in this survey encourage adoption professionals to reveal personal and sensitive information. When discussing results with others, adoption professionals should have freedom of choice not to talk about topics that create a sense of fear and insecurity. Supervisors and administrators should help adoption social workers stay within their zones of emotional safety. They can do this by being empathic and using active listening skills. This self-survey is divided into six parts. Do as many or as few as suits you at any one time. Rememberthis is not a test. Its a way of exploring your strengths and areas that require attention. This self-survey is intended to give some direction as to how adoption professionals can prepare themselves for work with children with special needs and their familiesbiological, foster, and adoptive.

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Table of Contents
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS Identity as a Professional Commitment Systems Issues Promoting Authoritative Parenting Encouraging Adoptive Parents to Maintain Contact with Childrens Biological Families Affirming Childrens Cultural Heritage 6 Relationships with Adoptive Families KNOWLEDGE OF RESOURCES Willingness to Inform Families of Services to Which They are Entitled Willingness to Learn About the Needs of Individual Children Willingness to Learn about the Capacities of Families TRAINING AND EDUCATION Willingness to Engage in Continuing Education Systems Issues Related to Training and Education PERSONAL QUALITIES Sense of Humor Flexibility & Adaptability Emotional Capacities Resilience PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL NETWORKS Teamwork Personal and Professional Support 5 5 5 6 6

7 7 7

8 8

9 9 9 10

10 10

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VALUES, EXPECTATIONS, AND BELIEFS Realistic Expectations about the Children and Adoptive Families 11 Admiration of the Children 11 Some Adoptions Dont Work Out as Planned 11

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PROFESSIONAL SKILLS On a scale of 1 to 5, rate yourself on each of the following statements. The scale items are: 1 = Doesnt describe me at all 2 = Describes me a little 3 = Describes me somewhat 4 = Describes me quite well 5 = Describes me very well Identity as a Professional ___ I take pride in my work as an adoption professional. ___ I find satisfaction in my work as an adoption professional. ___ I recognize that being an adoption professional can evoke powerful emotions and memories in me and some of them are unpleasant. Commitment ___ I am committed to my work as an adoption professional. ___ I can take responsibility for the decisions that I make. ___ If I am unable to keep commitments to children and their families, I inform them at the earliest possible time. ___ I reflect on my personal responses to my work as an adoption professional. ___ I take actions that ensure my personal responses do not bias my decisions. System Issues ___ I realize that although I personally strive to do the best in my work, the system in which I work is not perfect and compromises must be made. ___ I realize that although my personal wish may be to find the perfect family for a child, the system may limit my choices in the selection of a family. ___ I can accept that the system in which I work may not have the resources to obtain all the desired information about a child before placement. ___ I am satisfied with the services available to adoptive parents of children with special needs. Promoting Authoritative Parenting ___ I support adoptive and foster parents in setting clear and fair limits for children. ___ I support adoptive and foster parents in having clear and fair expectations. ___ I support adoptive and foster parents in giving children choices. ___ I support adoptive and foster parents in setting clear and fair consequences. ___ I support adoptive and foster parents in following through on consequences. ___ I support adoptive and foster parents in giving children age-appropriate responsibilities, such as chores around the house and yard. ___ I support adoptive and foster parents in providing a high degree of affection, both through touching and words.

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___ I support adoptive and foster parents in praising children for respecting limits and other positive behaviors.

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Encouraging Adoptive Parents to Maintain Contact with Childrens Biological Families ___ I help adoptive families talk to adoptive children about their biological families and other persons important to them. ___ As far as is feasible, I encourage adoptive parents to maintain contact with biological families and other persons important to their adoptive children. ___ I encourage adoptive parents to create opportunities for children to maintain contact with siblings and any other members of biological family, when this is feasible. ___ I encourage adoptive parents to keep letters, pictures, and other mementos from the childrens past. ___ I encourage adoptive parents to be even-handed and kind to the children when they talk to them about their biological families and other persons important to the children Affirming Childrens Cultural Heritage ___ I help adoptive families to recognize that adopting cross-culturally presents special issues and opportunities. ___ I help adoptive families promote the childrens understanding of and identification with their cultural, ethnic, and racial heritages. ___ I help adoptive families to perform routine care of children, care that might be different from how their culture performs these tasks; the care of hair and skin are examples. Relationships with Adoptive Families ___ I provide adoptive families with as much information as I can about the children. ___ My communication with adoptive families is timely and respectful. ___ I establish an effective working relationship with adoptive parents. ___ I realize that I may play a secondary role in adoption placements if adoptive parents and another adoption professional have an effective working relationship.

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KNOWLEDGE OF RESOURCES On a scale of 1 to 5, rate yourself on each of the following statements. The scale items are: 1 = Doesnt describe me at all 2 = Describes me a little 3 = Describes me somewhat 4 = Describes me quite well 5 = Describes me very well Willingness to Inform Families of Services to Which they are Entitled ___ I inform childrens foster and adoptive parents of the services to which they are entitled. ___ I am willing to advocate for the services that children and their families require. ___ I seek services for children and their families that will promote their optimal development. Willingness to Learn about the Needs of Individual Children ___ I spend time acquiring information about individual children from the children themselves, foster parents, biological family members, school and medical personnel. ___ I value the information from collateral contacts in better understanding the needs of children. ___ I am knowledgeable about the birth, social, and medical histories of individual children for whom I have responsibilities. ___ I spend time getting to know individual children who are or will be eligible for adoption. Willingness to Learn about the Capacities of Families ___ I spend time acquiring information about prospective adoptive families from the family and their references. ___ I am knowledgeable about the home study and other information about the families for whom I have responsibilities. ___ I spend time getting to know individual families who are considering adoption.

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TRAINING AND EDUCATION On a scale of 1 to 5, rate yourself on each of the following statements. The scale items are: 1 = Doesnt describe me at all 2 = Describes me a little 3 = Describes me somewhat 4 = Describes me quite well 5 = Describes me very well Willingness to Engage in Continuing Education ___ I am willing to obtain training to increase my competencies in dealing with the many issues of adoptive children and families. ___ I consult with other professionals who know the children and their families in my caseload; these professionals include medical and school staff and childrens former or present foster parents. ___ I take the time to let educators, supervisors, and managers know what my educational needs are. Systems Issues Related to Training and Education ___ My agency educates me about the services that are available to adoptive parents of children with special needs. ___ My agency provides me with in-service training and training conferences that provide me with the information about child development, adoption, family functioning, parenting, and other issues related to working with adoptive children and their families. ___ I am satisfied that the education I received in my undergraduate and graduate training prepared me for work with adoptive children with special needs and their families (biological, foster, and adoptive).

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PERSONAL QUALITIES On a scale of 1 to 5, rate yourself on each of the following statements. The scale items are: 1 = Doesnt describe me at all 2 = Describes me a little 3 = Describes me somewhat 4 = Describes me quite well 5 = Describes me very well Sense of humor ___ I can find humor in situations that may also be difficult. ___ I can laugh at some of the childrens and familys challenging behaviors in ways that promote their self-acceptance. ___ I can laugh at myself in ways that promote my own self-acceptance. ___ If I temporarily lose my sense of humor, I can see humor in situations when others point it out to me. ___ I recognize that some situations may not be funny when they happen but they may be funny later on. ___ I recognize that some situations are not funny but threaten the well-being of others. ___ I recognize that gallows humor is part of the job, though I keep such humor within my trusted professional contacts. Flexibility & Adaptability ___ I accept things I cannot change. ___ I seek other ways of dealing with situations when what I have done does not have the desired effects. ___ I am willing to change how I deal with situations when what I do does not have the desired effects. ___ I am willing to listen to professionals who have views about the children that are different from my own. Emotional Capacities ___ I can express my emotions directly, honestly, and respectfully to professional colleagues and to clients. ___ I can elicit the direct and honest emotions of professional colleagues and clients. ___ I keep my cool when professional colleagues or clients are highly emotional, including being angry at me or have unrealistic expectations of me. ___ I deal constructively with my emotional responses when my professional colleagues and clients appear to reject my counsel and advice. ___ I know when I am about to lose my cool. ___ I seek the support I need to maintain my cool. ___ I realize that losing my cool could result in my acting in ways that can hurt others.

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___ If I lose my cool with professional colleagues and clients and then do something I later regret, I make amends while also remaining a professional. ___ I apologize when I over-react. ___ I apologize when I unintentionally do something that results in professional colleagues or clients feeling anxious. ___ I realize that losing my cool is human. Resilience ___ I have successfully coped with adversities in my own life. ___ I can empathize with the adversities the adoptive children may have experienced. ___ I realize that how I responded to my adversities may be quite different from how children in my caseload responded to theirs. ___ I can set limits and be authoritative in my direct work with children even when I recognize that childrens behaviors are related to previous traumas. ___ I admire other people, including children, who have survived adversities and manage to go on. PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL NETWORKS On a scale of 1 to 5, rate yourself on each of the following statements. The scale items are: 1 = Doesnt describe me at all 2 = Describes me a little 3 = Describes me somewhat 4 = Describes me quite well 5 = Describes me very well Teamwork ___ I work cooperatively with other members of the professional teams that serve families. ___ I share my honest thoughts and responses at team meetings. ___ If I disagree with other team members, I say so directly to the professionals concerned. ___ I do not say I will do something and then not do it without taking full responsibility for my change of mind. ___ I maintain good working relationships with other adoption professionals. ___ I maintain good working relationships with collateral contacts such as medical doctors and psychologists. ___ I work cooperatively with adoptive parents. ___ I believe and act as if I am part of a team with adoptive parents for the well-being of the children and their families. ___ I am honest, direct, and kind with adoptive parents. Personal and Professional Support ___ I seek the counsel and support of my supervisor. ___ I seek the counsel and support of colleagues. ___ I have family members and friends who can be supportive of my work. ___ I seek professional counseling and therapy when my personal issues affect my work with children and families.

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VALUES, EXPECTATIONS, AND BELIEFS On a scale of 1 to 5, rate yourself on each of the following statements. The scale items are: 1 = Doesnt describe me at all 2 = Describes me a little 3 = Describes me somewhat 4 = Describes me quite well 5 = Describes me very well Realistic Expectations about the Children and Adoptive Families ___ I recognize that I have expectations for the kinds of families whom I want to adopt children in my caseload. ___ I realize my expectations may not be met. ___ I realize that many different kinds of parents can be effective with the children whom they adopt. ___ I recognize that some children have limited chances of being placed in adoptive homes and non-traditional parents may be their only hope for becoming part of families. ___ I realize that parents who have experienced adversities and who have show long-term on-going mastery of the effects of these adversities may be the best match for the children in my caseload. ___ I realize that children can respond to adoptive placements in ways I did not anticipate. ___ I realize that childrens behaviors can overwhelm capacities of adoptive parents to manage them. Admiration of the Children ___ I appreciate the resilience children have to survive the difficulties in their lives. ___ I appreciate the interests, emotional capacities, and activities that have meaning to the children. ___ I support parents efforts to provide opportunities for children to develop their interests, their emotional capacities, and activities that have meaning to them. Some Adoptions Dont Work as Planned ___ I realize that the behaviors of some children can threaten the physical and psychological safety of members of adoptive families. ___ I accept the possibility that some children require more supervision than adoptive parents can provide. ___ I accept the possibility that some children may require out of home care. ___ I accept the possibility that when adopted children have out of home care they can still be part of an adoptive family.

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___ I understand that placing children in adoptive homes entails risks and that there are no guarantees about how the children will turn out, just as there are no guarantees how biological children will turn out. ___ I can accept the possibility that some adoptions may disrupt because of issues or circumstances that no one anticipated.