CIP Cafe' - August 21, 2025

GATHER. LEARN. COLLABORATE.

^____       Hosted by the Court Improvement Program of the Louisiana Supreme Court       ^____

THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES CASE PLAN

Thursday, August 21 | 12:00pm-1:00pm

Approved 1 HOUR CEU - Presumptive Approval CLE 1 HOUR

Information undergirds judicial decision-making in Child in Need of Care cases. The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) leads the development of the case plan, which is the blueprint for return and/or another permanency outcome for children. It should be based on the grounds for adjudication.

The case plan sets forth services and supports that are designed to improve the caretaker’s ability to safely care for their children as conditions for return. The case plan for the child is designed to ensure the child’s safety and well-being while maintaining a sense of normalcy during their time in foster care. It is a dynamic document that should be tailored to the individual family given their strengths and needs, outlining a pathway to enhanced caretaker capacity evidenced through behavior changes. The case plan should be monitored and modified as the circumstances in the case evolve until goal achievement.

Our speakers from DCFS will help attendees understand the different parts of the case plan. They will go into depth about safety threats, caretaker protective capacities and conditions for the child’s return to the parents as well as how the Structured Decision Making (SDM) and Child Welfare Assessment Decision Making Model (CWADM) informs the case planning process.

Speakers:

• Leslie Calloway, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Child Welfare, Department of Children and Family Services
• Sholanda Ellis, Foster Care Consultant, Department of Children and Family Services

Agenda:

12:00 – 12:15pm    The why’s and how’s of the case plan

12:15 – 12:40pm    SDM and CWADM’s models in relation to the case plan

12:40 – 12:50pm    Conditions for return

12:50 – 1:00pm      Questions and discussion

Objectives:

• Become familiar with the reason for and underpinnings of the Department of Children and Family Services case plan.
• Understand the role of the case plan in addressing conditions for the child’s return to the parents.