Clinical Skills and Research

Best Practices Research Bibliographies

A compilation of research bibliographies prepared by staff at the Children and Family Research Center. If you would like a copy of any of the articles for your personal use (professional development). You may request one copy by contacting cfrc@uiuc.edu

CARA - Child Abuse Risk Assessment

When you click on the CARA link below, it will open in a new window and you will be leaving the Web Resource. CARA - Child Abuse Risk Assessment

CARA is an on-line, case-based learning environment developed as a collaborative project between the Children and Family Research Center, School of Social Work at UIUC, and IDCFS. CARA, an acronym for Child Abuse Risk Assessment, was designed to aid child protection investigators, caseworkers, and follow-up workers in thinking about the complexity of risk factors, and their interactions, related to the immediate safety and future risk of children. CARA consists of 10 cases, based on real life investigations by child protection agencies. While many of these cases feature the same assessment factors, the intention is to focus on the multiple facets of these factors, their shifting significance when co-occurring, and the need to develop flexible thinking skills for risk assessment.

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Clinical Treatment Pathways

The following guides have been prepared by the DCFS Division of Clinical Services. If you have questions about these guides, direct them to Velma Williams or Mark Holzberg.

• A Practice Guide for the Development and Implementation of Clinical Treatment Pathways
• A Clinical Information Guide: Attention Deficit Disorder
• A Clinical Information Guide: Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• A Clinical Information Guide: Depression
• A Clinical Information Guide: Bipolar Disorder
• A Clinical Information Guide: Schizophrenia
• A Clinical Information Guide: Developmental Disabilities
• A Clinical Information Guide: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• A Clinical Information Guide: Reactive Attachment Disorder

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Decision Trees

Decisions trees will open as a graphic in a separate window.

• Decision Tree: Domestic Violence
• Decision Tree: Mentally Ill Parent
• Decision Tree: Serious Physical Injury
• Decision Tree: Sexual Abuse
• Decision Tree: Substance Abuse
• Decision Tree: 3 or More Indicated Reports of Physical Injury

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Research In Action

The Research in Action Newsletter was a collaborative project between IDCFS Clinical and Training Divisions and the University of Illinois' Children and Family Research Center and the Graduate School of Library Information Science. By accessing this on-line newsletter you can read research summaries on topics that relate to your everyday work. Also, the lead article is always written by DCFS staff to give you the perspective of the agency.

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Research to Practice Integration Guides

The Research to Practice Integration Committee emerged in 1997, and was a collaborative relationship between DCFS' Quality Assurance, Clinical, Training and Best Practice Divisions, and UIUC Educational Partnership and the Children and Family Research Center. Three products have gone through a rigorous process outlined by the committee to result in practice guides that define effective worker behaviors. Two of these guides have been approved by DCFS. These practice guides are available in PDF format through the following links:

• Kinship Caregiver Burden
• Parental Expectation's of Caseworkers

In October 2001 a decision was made to replace the Research to Practice Integration Committee with the Practice Advancement Committee (PAC). Any additional guides would be a result of the PAC initiative.

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Table of Required Investigative Contacts

This table compares current requirements to the investigative contact requirements resulting from the drafting of the revised allegations. Rationale for the changes and additions are made.

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