In my experience as a foster care case manager, I have assisted with making numerous referrals to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for psychological assessments, behavioral health services, and specialized clinics to meet the needs of children in care. Due to a variety of factors, such as prenatal exposure, birth circumstances, and medical reasons, one of the specialized clinics where clients have been referred to for a multidimensional assessment of development is the Child Development Center. After a referral is made to the Child Development Center, a Pre-Evaluation form is completed by the child’s caregiver and returned to the Child Development Center for review prior to the initial appointment.
In Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and
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More detail could be given to the client’s spiritual and social dimensions, but with this intake form mainly focusing on the biological dimension, I was pleased to see the questions regarding the spiritual and social dimensions. The form also pays attention to the main concerns the client is facing, how the concerns are affecting the client’s relationships, legal issues, and any significant health concerns that should be taken into consideration in …show more content…
Due to the nature of the form and the necessity to obtain a large amount of medical history, a number of medical disorders which may be unfamiliar to the majority of the general population are noted. Although the medical name is given on the form, most of these diagnoses are followed by a description that is easier to understand (toxemia/high blood pressure). This is also true of the mental health diagnoses, with the name of the diagnosis presented first, followed then by symptoms that may be used to identify the disorder (dyslexia/trouble learning to read).
Are the intake forms available in the language that clients served by the agency speak?
The Pre-Evaluation intake form used by the Child Development Center is not available in languages other than English. The region served by Nationwide Children’s Hospital is large and diverse, with many different languages spoken, which makes it surprising that the intake form is only available in English. The Pre-Evaluation form does not ignore language, asking which language is predominately spoken in the home. English and Spanish as are offered as options, but the form also provides room for parents to identify an “other”. Additionally, the intake form asks if parents would like to have an interpreter at the assessment visit at the Child Development