Development  of  a  Mul/disciplinary  Team  Protocol  for  ORCA  Children’s  Advocacy  Centre  

Serena  Bedwal,  Project  Assistant/Researcher  Fred  Ford,  Board  Chair/Ac/ng  Project  Manager  

April  11,  2013    

! Introduc)on  ! Vision  ! Ra)onale  ! Objec)ves  ! Protocol  development  process  

!  ORCA  Children’s  Advocacy  Centre  Society  is  a  non-­‐profit  organiza)on  striving  to  establish  and  operate  a  Children’s  Advocacy  Centre  (CAC)  to  serve  child  and  youth  vic)ms  of  sexual  and  serious  physical  abuse  in  Greater  Victoria.  ORCA  Society’s  mission  is  to:  

   Improve  the  community's  response  to  child  abuse  and  neglect,      to  minimize  trauma  to  children,  youth  and  their  families  and  to      model,  promote,  and  deliver  excellence  in  child  abuse  response      and  preven;on  through  service,  educa;on,  and  leadership.  

 !  To  achieve  these  goals,  ORCA  Society  intends  to  work  with  several  partner  agencies  in  order  to  co-­‐locate  a  mul)disciplinary  team  of  professionals  and  coordinate  services  in  the  inves)ga)on  and  prosecu)on  of  child  abuse  cases  

!  The  Na)onal  Children’s  Alliance  lists  the  establishment  of  a  Mul)disciplinary  Team  as  one  of  its  best  prac)ce  accredita)on  standards.  Criteria  include:    ◦  A  wriPen  interagency  agreement  ◦  Determine  the  involvement  of  each  partner  agency/team  member  ◦  Design  informa)on  sharing  and  communica)on  policies  ◦  Offer  joint  training  and  cross-­‐educa)on  opportuni)es  ◦  Ensure  a  commitment  to  suppor)ng  children  and  families  throughout  the  process  ◦  Consult  with  partner  agencies  in  designing  protocols  and  policies  

 

 

!  The  primary  objec)ve  of  this  project  is  to  create  a  Mul)disciplinary  Team  Protocol  that  will  guide  collabora)ve  prac)ce  at  ORCA  Children’s  Advocacy  Centre.    

 !  The  overall  objec)ve  of  the  protocol  is  to  ensure  that  once  the  mul)disciplinary  team  is  implemented,  it  func)ons  effec)vely  and  is  able  to  face  any  challenges  that  arise.    

Literature  Review    

Review  of  partner  agency  policies  

Cross-­‐jurisdic/onal  scan  

Key  informant  interviews  

DraMing  of  protocol  

!  Comprehensive  review  of  literature  of  best  prac)ces  for  Mul)disciplinary  Teamwork  in  a  Children’s  Advocacy  Centre  seUng.    

 !  Areas  of  inquiry:    ◦  Facilita)ve  factors  of  effec)ve  mul)disciplinary  teams  ◦  Barriers  to  partner  agency  commitment  to  mul)disciplinary  teamwork  ◦  Sources  of  conflict  in  mul)disciplinary  teams  at  Children’s  Advocacy  Centres  ◦  Conflict  resolu)on  strategies  ◦  Mul)disciplinary  team  protocol  development  guidelines  

Ability  to  manage  conflict     Shared  

accountability  for  outcomes  

Commitment  to  teamwork  

Shared  vision,  

values,  and  goals  

Evalua/on  of  team  prac/ce  

Collabora/on  is  supported  by  all  partner  agencies   Knowledge  of  

each  other’s  roles  and  

responsibili/es    

Posi/ve  interpersonal  rela/onships  

Open  and  honest  

communica/on    

Effec/ve  team  

leadership  

Clear  team  protocol  and  

policies  

Need  for  flexibility  in  personnel  

assignments  to  the  team    

Legisla/ve/  poli/cal  

barriers  to  informa/on  sharing  

Uncertainty  about  

prevalence  of  child  abuse  

Lack  of  funding  and  resources  

Lack  of  experience  with  mul/-­‐disciplinary  teamwork  

!  Compe)ng  interests  and  incompa)bility  of  goals  !  Lack  of  knowledge  of  each  other’s  roles  and  responsibili)es  

!  Workplace  stress  !  Need  for  interdependence  !  Disagreements  over  case  process  and  decisions  !  Turf  issues  !  Status  and  power  differen)als  

!  Give  team  members  an  equal  opportunity  to  be  involved  in  development  of  the  team  and  its  policies  and  prac)ces  

!  Design  a  formal  protocol  to  guide  team  prac)ce  

!  Focus  on  shared  goals  !  Evaluate  team  prac)ce  on  an  ongoing  basis  

!  Design  a  dispute  resolu)on  policy  as  part  of  the  team  protocol    

!  Empower  team  members  to  resolve  the  issue  amongst  themselves  

!  Interests-­‐based  Conflict  Resolu)on  ◦  Define  the  problem/clarify  the  issue  ◦  Explore  needs,  interests,  and  goals  of  each  team  member  and  how  they  relate  to  the  team’s  overall  needs  and  goals  ◦  Brainstorm  poten)al  solu)ons  and  strive  to  meet  all  needs  and  interests  

!  U)lize  conflict  resolu)on  skills  of  team  leaders,  agency  supervisors,  and  third  party  facilitators,  if  necessary.    

!  Review  of  websites,  documents,  policies,  and  legisla)on  of  all  partner  agencies.    

 !  Areas  of  inquiry:    ◦  Goals  and  values  of  each  agency  ◦  Defini)ons  of  “child  abuse”    ◦  Each  agency's  role  in  child  abuse  inves)ga)ons  ◦  Governing  legisla)on  and  policies  regarding  collabora)on,  informa)on  sharing,  and  confiden)ality.    

!  Review  of  Mul)disciplinary  Team  Protocols  used  by  exis)ng  Children’s  Advocacy  Centres  in  the  United  States.      

!  Focus  on  outlining  the  most  common  components  of  Mul)disciplinary  Team  Protocols  and  policies  and  procedures  associated  with  each  component.    

Mission  Statement   Team  Composi/on  

Case  Selec/on  Criteria   Roles  and  responsibili/es  

Intake  and  Referral  Procedures  

Forensic  Interviews  

Medical  Examina/ons   Case  Reviews  

Case  Dissolu/on  Criteria   Case  Tracking  

Confiden/ality  and  Informa/on  Sharing  

Conflict  Resolu/on  

Evalua/on   Joint  Training  

!  Interviews  with  representa)ves  from  key  partner  agencies  ◦  All  local  police  detachments  ◦  Ministry  of  Children  and  Family  Development  ◦  Ministry  of  Jus)ce  ◦  Mary  Manning  Centre  ◦  Vancouver  Island  Health  Authority  ◦  Other  agencies  as  iden)fied    

!  Interviews  with  representa)ves  from  one  established  Children’s  Advocacy  Centre  in  Canada.    

DraMing  of  Protocol  

Coding  and  thema/c  analysis  of  interview  transcripts    

Drawing  upon  common  

components  of  Mul/disciplinary  Team  Protocols  used  by  exis/ng  

CACs  

Crea/on  of  a  list  of  “Guiding  

Principles”  based  on  thema/c  analysis  of  

partner  agency  documents  Development  of  

protocol  through  triangula)on  of  all  data  sources.  

!  Consulta)on  with  partner  agency  representa)ves  to  revise  and  finalize  protocol.    

 

 Distribute  draM  protocol  to  all  partner  agency  representa/ves  (1st  DraM:  January  2013)  2nd  DraM:    (April  2013)  

Establish  a  mee/ng  schedule  to  review  and  revise  each  sec/on  of  the  draM  protocol.    (May  2013)  

Forward  the  revised  draM  protocol  to  the  head  of  each  partner  agency  for  review.    (July  2013)  

Incorporate  feedback  and  revisions.  (August  2013)

 Schedule  a  

formal  signing  of  the  finalized  protocol  by  the  head  of  each  

partner  agency.  (September  

2013)    

!  Team  policies  and  procedures  should  be  based  on  solid  research  and  evidence-­‐informed  prac)ces  

!  Partner  agencies  should  be  consulted  and  ac)vely  involved  throughout  the  protocol  development  process  

!  The  CAC  needs  to  respect  the  exper)se  of  each  of  its  partner  agencies.  The  CAC  should  not  strive  to  create  new  policies,  but  to  provide  guidance,  direc)on,  and  an  environment  in  which  that  exper)se  can  be  brought  together  and  coordinated  to  best  serve  children,  youth,  and  their  families;  therefore,  in  developing  a  protocol,  the  CAC  should  focus  on  building  upon  exis)ng  policies  and  re-­‐framing  them  in  a  collabora)ve  manner.    

!  For  more  informa/on  or  resources,  please  contact:    

Serena  Bedwal  Project  Assistant  

ORCA  Children’s  Advocacy  Centre  Society  Serena.Bedwal@orcacentre.ca