Children's Services
Practice
For North Carolina * Child Welfare Workers
From the NC Division of Soaol Services and r he Family and Children's Resource Program
Volume 6, Number 1 • February 2001
Children's Services Practice Notes is a news¬
letter for North Carolina's child welfare work¬
ers produced four times a year by the North
Carolina Division of Social Services and the
N.C. Family and Children's Resource Program,
part of the Jordan Institute for Families and
the School of Social Work at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In summarizing recent research, we fry to give
you new ideas for refining your practice. How¬
ever, this publication is not intended to replace
child welfare training, regular supervision or peer
consultation— only to enhance them.
Let us hear from you!
If you would like to comment about something
that appears in this or any other issue of
Children's Services Practice Notes, please do
so! Address your comments to:
John McMahon
Jordan Institute for Families
UNC-CH School of Social Work
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550
State Courier Number: 17-61-04
E-mail: johnmcmahon@mindspring.com
Newsletter Staff
Lane Cooke, MSW, Advisor
John McMahon, MA, Writer/ Editor
Amy Ramirez, Asst. Editor
Daniel Brezenoff, Writer
Visit Our Website
To read this or past issues of Practice Notes
online, go to <http:// www.sowo.unc.edu/fcrp/
Cspn/cspn.htm>.
TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS
Termination of parental rights (TPR) is
one of the most difficult elements of
child welfare. Though most families
involved with our system never reach
the point where someone petitions a
court to terminate parents' rights, TPR
is there. It does happen.
When social workers and others
concerned with the welfare of children
do seek TPR, they do so out of neces¬
sity: sometimes TPR is a child's only
chance of growing up in a safe, lov¬
ing, permanent home.
Yet social workers also find TPR to
be a source of ambivalence and per¬
sonal pain. Though they may recog¬
nize that seeking TPR is in the long¬
term best interests of a child, they also
grieve when TPR occurs—
for the pain that TPR inevi¬
tably causes the child, and
for that part of the birth
parent that loves the child
and wants to be a good
parent.
Because TPR is so se¬
rious and final, it is essen¬
tial that child welfare work¬
ers understand when ter¬
mination should be pursued, how the
TPR process works, and how to mini¬
mize emotional trauma to everyone in¬
volved. This issue of Practice Notes
attempts to provide a framework so
you can begin exploring the issues
relevant to TPR.
Because TPR is so
serious and so
final, we must
understand
when and how
to seek it.
TALKING TO PARENTS ABOUT TPR
As any social worker who has been
through the process knows, it is not
enough to know the laws, policies, and
procedures behind termination of pa¬
rental rights (TPR). Even with all this
firmly in your grasp it still falls to you
to talk about TPR the family involved.
What you say to parents will depend
a lot on their unique c ircumstances and
your relationship with them. Although no
one can tell you what to say— there is
no right or easy way to have this con¬
versation— the following may help.
YOUR FIRST DISCUSSION
Good social work practice requires you
to beg in to prepare for the possibility of
TPR from the moment a case is sub¬
stantiated. However, it is not appropri¬
ate to discuss TPR with parents unless
their child is taken into DSS custody or
DSS petitions a court to take custody
of the child. Discussing TPR before this
point would be premature, and could se¬
verely hurt your chances of establish¬
ing a trusting, supportive relationship.
If their child is taken into DSS cus¬
tody, talk clearly and honestly with par¬
ents about TPR. Make sure they under¬
stand what TPR means and that,
though it is not what anyone wants,
TPR is often a necessary part of the
"alternate" plan your agency will need
to pursue if it is not possible for their
child to return home. As part contp.2
