A Key Question

Talking about the new multiple response pilot, Alamance County CPS worker Leslie King acknowledged that some situations are so serious that it is not possible to take an assessment approach. “But,” she said, “I like being able to help make things better for the families that we can help. I like to ask the question: ‘What can I do to make things better so that this won’t happen again?’”

This statement is terribly important because it epitomizes the profound change in attitude multiple response demands.

To make multiple response work, North Carolina’s pilot counties will have to make many changes. None of these changes will work, however, unless CPS workers approach families in the way Leslie King does, asking each one: “What can I do to make things better so this won’t happen again?”