The Integrated Core Practice Model (ICPM)

Beginning in the fall of 2019, subject matter experts from various identified systems formed short-term ICPM advisory and review teams. Their task was to evaluate and refine the original practice model content developed by the Child Welfare, Probation and Mental Health experts for the 2018 version. These teams underwent a series of facilitated meetings to review, expand, and enhance the Integrated Core Practice Model (ICPM) content, tailoring it to effectively address the needs of their constituents and fellow service organizations.

The collaborative effort included representatives from:

• Regional Centers
• Family Resource Centers/Family Support and Child Abuse Prevention Experts
• Current and Former Foster Youth
• Biological Parents and Parent Partners
• Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program and Foster Family Agency Providers/Resource Families
• Schools (General and Special Education)
• Tribal and Native Service and Policy Experts

The ICPM embodies the shared values, core components, and standards of practice expected from California’s children, youth, and family serving agencies within the System of Care (CYSOC). It outlines expected behaviors for staff in direct service, supervisory, and leadership roles. These values, principles, and practices are meant to be shared by all who seek to support children, youth, and families whether employed by a governmental agency or a community-based organization. Supported by brain science, these principles cultivate psychological safety, a crucial neurobiological element for growth and transformation.

Collaboration is at the heart of this ICPM, emphasizing teamwork with parents, children, youth, families, tribes, and other natural supports. It requires working transparently and responsively with all interagency partners, building positive relationships, sharing decision-making power and resources to successfully implement an integrated plan. For Indian children, a tribal representative must be included in the team. A tribal representative provides enriched cultural information and perspective, as well as the required formal support within decision-making processes.

Research on collective intelligence reveals that social abilities are crucial to achieving high performance in teams. The number one factor is the social perceptiveness of the members–how effectively they function as an interdependent entity, interpret each other, and respond to social cues. The second factor is the balance in turn taking. Teams that attentively address each other’s emotional and social needs, maintaining regular communication, demonstrate higher intelligence and collaborate more effectively.

While a teaming process is common across all partner agencies, court-dependent children and youth are required to have Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings, integrating services and supports into court-ordered case plans addressing the removal or risk of removal from parents. Many counties have implemented Safety Organized Practice (SOP) within their child welfare services and as a framework for their CFTs and case planning within child welfare.

For those receiving services outside of foster care, various teaming forms exist, including Individualized Education Planning, Student Study Teams, Individual Family Service Plans, Individual Program Plans, etc. Regardless of the form or structure of the team, professionals are expected to implement the values and principles of this ICPM in the engagement, assessment, planning and implementation, monitoring and adapting, and transitioning of care and services. A shared goal of the local Children and Youth System of Care is to limit redundancy and conflict across plans and maximize resources and alignment in planning activities. There should be one team and one plan for each youth in a Children and Youth System of Care.