In the fall of 2007, Ramsey County Community Human Services (RCCHSD) was one of five sites chosen as recipients of a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau (USDHHS) for the “Using Comprehensive Family Assessments to Improve Child Welfare Outcomes” project, to develop a model of comprehensive family assessment to be used in child welfare.
The Ramsey County Comprehensive Assessment Model of Practice includes definitions and explanations regarding how staff partner with families, service providers, and other stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes for youth and their families. The foundational values and principles of the Comprehensive Family Assessment model of practice are:
- Engagement and relationship building
- Involvement of families and youth in identifying their own strengths and need
- Cultural grounding
- Family is a system
- Identifying and including extended family and service providers
- Individually tailored approach for families
- All children are individualized
- Empathy, authenticity, and transparency