8.3.1  Preparing for the Termination of Services

Skills in terminating the helping relationship are just as important as skills that are used in initiating and establishing the relationship. Termination of services should be a planned and natural component of the casework process.  Discussion of case closure should begin during the assessment phase when time limited services were discussed with the family.  The use of the (CD-14B) Written Service Agreement to develop and document time-limited goals lets the family know when to expect case closure. The decision to terminate services develop an aftercare plan should fully involve the family.

8.3.2  Building Support Systems

Stabilization of the changes which have been made by the family is important. The Children’s Service Worker must try to determine any factors that might counteract the changes made in the helping relationship and take steps to prevent this from happening. Helping the family locate and utilize outside support systems and resources throughout the treatment process is a good way of facilitating family empowerment. Such measures will assist the family beyond the time when the Division closes the case.

8.3.3  Beginning Disengagement

Several weeks before the actual termination, the family should be reminded of their progress in solving their problems and of their reduced need for the Children’s Service Worker.  It is often helpful to decrease the frequency or duration of contacts with the family toward the end of the helping relationship.

8.3.4  Family Reactions to Termination

If the relationship has been a rewarding experience for the family, the prospects of termination may be met with ambivalent feelings. There are a number of typical reactions which families may use to avoid and forestall termination, or conversely to accomplish it.  These reactions include:

• Denial - The family members may simply "forget" that the Children’s Service Worker has told them about termination;
• Regression - The family seems to backslide in their abilities to cope with problems. They may demand greater dependence upon the Children’s Service Worker. They may also show anger toward the worker and toward the idea of termination;
• Expression of need - Family members may feel that the Children’s Service Worker will continue providing services if they show that a need still exists. The family may increase problematic behavior, verbally plead for continuing help with problems, or bring up new problems;
• Recapitulation - Family members may express a desire to reminisce or repeat earlier experiences with the Children’s Service Worker in an effort to recapture the helping experience that is slipping away;
• Evaluation - The process of repeating earlier experiences may become part of the process of evaluating the meaning and worth of the experience with the Children’s Service Worker;
• Flight - There are two kinds of flight. The destructive form of flight is a reaction to separation in which there is denial of any positive meaning of the experience with the Children’s Service Worker. The second kind of flight is positive and involves constructive steps toward disengaging from the helping relationship. The family members might find new activities, new friends, or another person who is as meaningful to the family as the worker has been.

8.3.5  Children’s Service Worker's Reactions to Termination

The worker sometimes feels a sense of loss because it is not easy to separate from someone with whom he/she has developed a meaningful relationship. Termination also tends to make the worker question the quality of his/her performance. He/She may have guilt feelings for not having had the time or skill to have been more helpful to the family. If the worker is not clear about his/her own feelings regarding termination, he/she can easily get caught up in the family's reactions, especially if the family is attempting to prolong the helping relationship.

8.3.6  Evaluation of Casework Process

During the termination process it is helpful for the family and Children’s Service Worker together to evaluate the progress made by the family. Feedback from the family may be valuable in helping the worker to evaluate his/her performance and to establish future relationships. The evaluation not only helps the family members recognize their progress but may also encourage them to engage in future self-evaluation.