Who can use the CHAP? Any worker who trains foster family
applicants or who does home studies with applicants can use the CHAP
to assess foster parent applicants.
Can licensed families fill out the
CHAP? The CHAP can be
used with licensed foster families, although it was designed
primarily for use with foster family
applicants.
Can the CHAP be used with adoptive parents
who don't intend to foster? We developed the CHAP to assess foster
parent applicants. Some of the measures assess general qualities
and characteristics associated with successful parenting. Other
measures in the CHAP are specific to fostering. You can use some
of the measures with adoptive family applicants, however, the
normative comparisons are based on normative data on foster
parents.
Can the CHAP be used with parents who plan
to provide guardianship or kinship care? Yes, the CHAP can be used with all types
of families who provide temporary out-of-home care for children in
foster care. This can include families who provide short-term,
long-term, therapeutic, and emergency placements for children.
Can the CHAP be used with same-sex
couples? Yes.
For couples, why should partners complete
the CHAP separately, without talking about their
answers? Couples
should complete their assessments separately because some partners
might disagree about answers or not feel free to answer questions
honestly with their partner present. It's fine if couples want to
talk about answers after completing their assessments.
How long are the various measures?
The length of the
measures vary; some have only 3 questions and others have 40.
Does the applicant have to answer all of
the questions? We know
that some items on the CHAP measures might not apply to every
applicant. Encourage applicants to answer all questions to the
best of his or her ability. At least 80% of the items have to be
completed in order to score the measure.
How do I know which measures to
use?
Each applicant family is unique and will
have specific strengths and growth areas. It may be helpful for the
applicant to complete a CFAI first to identify specific areas for
follow up using relevant CHAP measures to address issues further.
How is information from CHAP to be used in
selection decisions?
Workers and applicants can use the
information to promote discussion about applicants' strengths and
plan for services and supports needed for effective fostering.
Information from the CHAP is not used to approve or deny a foster
parent. The CHAP does not replace agency requirements for
fostering.
What if a worker's sense of a family
differs from ratings on the CHAP? Workers should rely on their knowledge of
foster care, the applicant, and the situation. We still need to
learn much about foster parents. Keep a log of situations where your
judgment differs from CHAP results to discuss with your
supervisor.
Is the CHAP compatible with self-selection
pre-service training models such as MAPP, PATH, and PRIDE? Yes. The CHAP is designed to help applicants
and workers assess the applicant's strengths as a foster parent and
to identity the types of services and support an applicant will need
to develop as a foster parent.
Where can I go for updates about the
CHAP? At any time, you
can call (206) 282-7300 or email cffa@casey.org for updates about
the tools. Also, you can go to the home page and review the "Did
You Know" section.
