WorkFirst HandBook
Tools
3.5 Case Staffing
The Case Staffing section includes:
- 3.5.1 What is a case staffing?
- 3.5.2 Who needs a case staffing?
- 3.5.3 When are case staffings mandatory?
- 3.5.4 Who do you involve in a case staffing?
- 3.5.5 What are the benefits of a case staffing?
- 3.5.6 Case Staffing – Step-by-Step Guide
3.5.1 What is case staffing?
Case staffing is an opportunity for the WorkFirst Program Specialist (WFPS) and/or the WorkFirst Social Worker (WFSW) to exchange information about the person and gain consultation from other professionals. It is a group process in which the case worker (WFPS or WFSW) invites two or more professionals and others involved with the person to help identify issues, suggest problem resolution strategies, and recommend service options.
Key elements to a case staffing include:
- Gather demographics (names, ages of family members and others in the household)
- Invite at least two other relevant professionals such as social workers or persons from other agencies that have work with the individual. A minimum of two professionals, the assigned WFPS or WFSW and a least one other professional are required to conduct a case staffing.
- Let sanctioned individuals know that they can invite anyone else they choose to.
- Document in eJAS Case Staffing notes where you:
- Mention who was involved (relevant professionals). This should also be listed under the attendee tab.
- Discuss the circumstances of the case.
- Identify the issues, strengths, concerns and anticipated duration of issues or concerns. Strengths may be: H.S. Diploma, stable housing, reliable transportation. If possible identify how strengths may help address any barriers such as how the parent's education may be helpful in obtaining employment.
- Determine if the person was screened for NSA and if there is a NSA plan. Take appropriate steps to modify the accommodation plan as needed.
- Document that the case was reviewed and past or present issues appropriately acted upon.
- Describe the roles and responsibilities of those involved with the individual.
- Create a joint action plan with time-frames and expected outcomes.
- Sanction and Non-Compliance Sanction (NCS) Case Staffing Documentation Standard: In addition to the eJAS Case Staffing documentation, you must include the following information:
- Document that all available information was reviewed and discussed with one or more professionals, and
- An explanation of the decision whether or not to pursue sanction / NCS.
3.5.2 Who needs a case staffing?
The individual may need a case staffing at any point when it appears the person is not making progress or there are significant issues to address. It is important that you do everything you can for families before they reach 60 months on WorkFirst. Case staffings are to be conducted as early and regularly as possible. Some case staffings are mandatory, others are conducted based on the recommendation of the WFPS, WFSW, partner agency or contractor such as Community Jobs.
3.5.3 When are case staffings mandatory?
Case staffings are mandatory for individuals who:
- Have not participated in WorkFirst activities, without good cause, before entering sanction status.
- Are in the 4th consecutive month of sanction (second month if the case was closed by the SRP).
The goal of the NCS Case Staffing is to re-engage the person into appropriate WorkFirst activities.
When a person reaches their 4th month of consecutive sanction, a Non-compliance Sanction (NCS) case staffing requires the assigned worker to invite two other relevant professionals such as the WFPS/WFSW, Public Health Nurse, Chemical Dependency Professional, etc. The worker (WFPS or WFSW) assigned to the case counts as one professional.
It is extremely important to invite a Children's Administration (CA) Social Worker if CA is working with the individual.
Below are some strategies that have been used by local Community Service Offices to make this effective tool available to a broad range of individuals:
- All Cases : You can case staff all of the cases in a caseload to ensure all of the individuals have been seen, if a reasonable and timely IRP has been developed, and if timely and appropriate referrals were made. This is helpful to maximize participation. This can be an in depth review of the case including identifying issues and action steps addressing the issues. You must invite at least two other professionals such as social workers or persons from other agencies that have worked with the sanctioned individual. A minimum of two professionals, WFPS/WFSW and a least one other professional are required to conduct a Case Staffing.
- Cases with common characteristics : Staff common cases (such as all employed, all sanctioned, or all X cases) to develop specialized processes and resources to address the needs of groups of individuals. With this type of staffing, you can refer individuals to existing services and make plans to fill gaps in services. Depending on the type of case being staffed, Employment Security Department, college staff, community jobs contractors, or other community contractors may be involved.
- Difficult cases : These are the cases discussed in the previous section as Intensive Services. This particular type of case staffing will generally require more time to conduct a review of the case and develop a plan to meet the person's needs.
- During employment services participation, especially at the twelfth week: Employment Security Department (ESD) and DSHS staff will discuss the best next steps for individuals who have gone through employment services without finding a job. Options include Work Experience (WEX), on-the-job training opportunities, Community Jobs, approved training, including basic education, or additional employment services if appropriate. Local staff should work together to develop processes that will make sure individuals do not lose momentum in participation as they transition from one activity to another
3.5.4 Who do you involve in a case staffing?
As shown in the chart below, depending on the person's circumstances, you may want to invite different people to attend a case staffing.
Most state employees will come at no cost. If a psychologist or similar professional needs to be paid, the payment can be made as a support service. In some instances, (like an "all case" reviews) it can be considered staff training and paid as a training cost. Other payment options include exception to rule, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation or Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) funds, Social Services Payment System dollars, school district support, or Labor & Industries, accommodation and diagnostic money.
If attendance by key professionals cannot be arranged, then the WFPS or WFSW should attempt to gather information prior to the staffing through phone calls and/or other correspondence.
| Suggested case staffing participants | |
| Children’s special needs |
|
| Depression |
|
| Chemical Dependency |
|
| Cultural issues |
|
| Wage progression |
|
| Child care |
|
| Job retention |
|
| Family violence |
|
| Legal, probation & parole |
|
3.5.5 What are the benefits of case staffing?
In most situations, a case staffing provides another approach to identify concerns by bringing together a multidisciplinary team of experts to review cases, identify resolution strategies, and recommend solutions. Bringing the group together for this purpose increases everyone's understanding of services and expertise available in the community and provides an opportunity for creative problem solving and resource development.
A good case staffing brings the right people to the table to identify the needs and suggest or supply the resources to meet those needs.
3.5.6 Case Staffing – Step-by-step guide
- The WFPS/WFSW:
- Determines the type of case staffing needed (all cases, specified type of cases or a difficult case) and then,
- Invites the appropriate case staffing attendees
- Prepares copies of the IRP/case demographics for the staffing.
- The case staffing group:
- Identifies, prioritizes and determines who will meet each person's need
- Increases emphasis on work/work activities as other issues are resolved
- Creates short-term and long-term goals, with plans to meet each
- Establishes and documents in eJAS time frames for results or review of the IRP
- After the case staffing, the WFPS/WFSW:
- Makes the agreed upon referrals, updates the IRP and NSA plan as needed;
- Authorizes needed child care and support services;
- Documents
the attendees, the review of the circumstances of the case, the case staffing results including identified issues, strengths, NSA plans and any action steps necessary to address issues in the Sanction/NCS case staffing section in eJAS. All required activities resulting from the case staffing must also be documented in the IRP.
Case Staffing screens are considered special records (highly protected) for DSHS-only (See guide below).
In addition to the eJAS Case Staffing documentation, you must include the following information:
- Document that all available information was reviewed and discussed with one or more professionals, and
- An explanation of the decision whether or not to pursue sanction / NCS.
- It is critical that you invite the Children’s Administration (CA) Social Worker to the NCS case staffing if the family is involved with CA. Try to re-engage the person back into appropriate WorkFirst activities.
eJAS Case Staffing Step-by-Step Guide
- Log into eJAS, enter the client's JAS ID number and from the main menu, click on the "Case Staffing/extension Analysis" link. Once the Case Staffing page, click on the "Click Here to Create Case Staffing Event" link.
- Case Data Tab:
- Staffing Date: Enter the date. To display the calendar help screen, click the icon beside the staffing date entry box.
- Component IRP: To display the active components and IRP screen, click this button.
- Referral: To create and send a referral, click this button.
- Completed Date: Complete this box ONLY when you have fully finished the Case Staffing. Once completed you cannot modify this Case Staffing event anymore.
- Attendees Tab:
- Enter a minimum of two Case Staffing attendee's names in the boxes provided. A minimum of two professionals are required to conduct the case staffing, the assigned worker (WFPS/WFSW) counts as one professional.
- Issues/Notes Tab:
- Click "Create New Notes."
- On the Create Notes page, select the issues prior to documentation
- Click "Begin Notes."
- Enter your notes on the text box.
- Click "Continue with Note List" to go to the next issue or go back to Case Staffing.
- Case Staffing Result Letter:
- Select the Case Staffing Result Letter and customize the letter to reflect the results of the case staffing. Print the letter and give/send the person a copy of the letter. If necessary, translate the Case Staffing Result letter into the appropriate language and send translated document to DMS.
- Saving:
- Clicking from one tab to another will save the entries for the previous tab.
- To save a Case Staffing entry as complete, you need to enter a Date and select the appropriate case staffing event type(s)
- Sanction
- 60 month
- Exempt
- Other
See Examples of Case Staffings on the Case Staffing Documentation.
See 3.7 Time Limit Case Staffing Section for Step-by-Step to complete 48 month Risk Analysis, 60 month Time Limit Case Staffing, and the Extension Analysis.