The relationship between parent immigration status and concrete support service use among Latinos in child welfare: Findings using the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAWII)

The underutilization of concrete services by immigrants is widely documented across several service sectors, yet evidence is lacking on the use of such services among immigrants reported to child welfare for the purposes of reducing maltreatment. It has been suggested that Latino immigrants involved with the child welfare system may face steep challenges to receiving needed services due to issues surrounding legal status, language and cultural barriers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether referral to and receipt of concrete services by Latino families reported to child welfare agencies, was associated with legal immigration status. The sample included children of Latino parents who participated in the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAWII), who remained in the home following a child welfare investigation (n = 561). Over a third (37%) of Latino families were referred for at least one concrete service, yet only 17% received any. Weighted logistic regression models showed that families in which the primary caregiver was undocumented had significantly lower odds (OR = .24) of receiving services once referred. Families who had trouble paying for basic necessities (OR = 7.52), those with active domestic violence in the home (OR = 4.98), and those receiving ongoing child welfare services (OR = 4.52) had increased odds of referral for services by the caseworker. The odds of receiving services increased when the primary caregiver was unemployed (OR = 5.24), when there was domestic violence in the home (OR = 4.59), and with the receipt of child welfare agency services (OR = 8.83). There appears to be an unmet need for concrete services among Latinos investigated by child welfare, as demonstrated in the gap between overall service referral and receipt. A parent's legal status may be one reason for that unmet need, implying that children of undocumented parents are less likely to have basic needs met to mitigate economic stress and reduce maltreatment risk upon contact with child welfare. Policy recommendations and implications for child welfare practice are discussed.     

Expanding the conceptualization of re-entry: The inter-play between child welfare and juvenile services

Re-entry in child welfare is traditionally viewed as a child exiting to permanency and then reentering the child welfare system. Using this approach is effective for understanding child welfare practice from a single-system lens, but gives an incomplete picture of how children may move between related child serving systems. The present study expands the definition of re-entry by examining re-entry for 2259 children who either return to the child welfare system or move into the juvenile justice system after reunification from foster care. When measuring a broader concept of re-entry (into either system) the rate of re-entry went from 18% to 25% - a 33% increase. Regression analyses further suggested that many of the risk and protective factors associated with standard child welfare reentry were also predictive of multisystem re-entry such as having previous child welfare experience (OR = 1.79, p < 0.000), and child behavior as a factor at removal (OR = 1.75, p < 0.000). Findings of this study support the need to continue increasing the conceptualization of re-entry to be more inclusive of related systems as well as continuing to focus research efforts on understanding effective practices within child serving systems so that re-entry into either system is mitigated.     

Implementation of a solution based approach for child protection: A professionals' perspective

A child protection system is not just about minimizing child abuse but also maximizing welfare (Munro, 2008). Therefore, the new Youth Act in the Netherlands promotes empowerment in child protection (Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport & Ministry of Security and Justice, 2014). The last decade, empowering child protection services was dominated by the Signs of Safety (SoS) approach of Andrew Turnell and Steve Edwards (1999), a strength-based method with a strong client focused perspective.The current study evaluates a multilevel implementation process of a SoS approach within a Child Protection Service (CPS) in the Netherlands as perceived by professionals. Since 2014, the CPS is implementing its own SoS-version called Safe Together Step by Step (STSS). The study comprised a cross-sectional survey (n = 138) with an experimental and control group and was part of a larger evaluation study on the STSS approach.We analysed a multilevel approach, using Cretin's chain of action, dividing professional level, team level, organisational level and contextual level determinants of implementation. Results show that the implementation of STSS within current CPS is still in an early adoption stage. The study provides some support for a multilevel implementation strategy with 38% explained variance. However the professional level is the largest contributor (25%) to the use of STSS, especially knowledge necessary for implementation and influences of important others (subjective norm), contribute to the use of STSS.A multilevel implementation strategy should include activities on all levels in order to improve the determinants. With an integrated multilevel strategy chances for implementation success increases. In addition, the multilevel strategy should include a long term process with continues feedback on the implementation and adjustments in implementation strategies if needed. Moreover, knowledge from literature and practical experience should meet to further develop the implementation strategy for SoS approach in order to improve empowerment based working within child protection services.     

Ethnic disproportionality in the child welfare system: A Norwegian national cohort study

This study of Norwegian child welfare clients examined the extent to which ethnic disparities in involvement with the child welfare system can be attributed to ethnic differences in sociodemographic background. Using logistic regression models and a unique dataset constructed by linking child welfare records to national administrative registers for the 1993–1994 birth cohorts, we computed ethnic disparities in the odds of child welfare involvement at age 6–12 (N = 122,894), both before and after adjustments for sociodemographic background. Compared with ethnic Norwegian cohort peers, non-Western children had twice the unadjusted odds of entering the child welfare system (odds ratio = 2.13). However, the data also indicated pronounced ethnic disparities in eight sociodemographic correlates of child welfare involvement. When adjustments for these background factors were modeled, we found no ethnic differences in the odds of child welfare involvement. Our findings suggest that the association between ethnicity and child welfare involvement is confounded by differences in socioeconomic status, maternal social assistance, family size and family structure.     

Societal factors impacting child welfare: Re-validating the Perceptions of Child Welfare Scale

ObjectiveThis research examines the psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Child Welfare Scale (PCWS) by seeking to understand the differences between workers' perceptions of how society views them based upon job title by revalidating the PCWS with a sample of administrators and clinicians.MethodsConfirmatory factor analysis was utilized to analyze data on 165 administrators and 153 clinical child welfare workers.ResultsThe final model consisted of three latent variables with ten indicators related to stigma, value, and respect ([X²] = 167.6, [p] = 0.00; [RMSEA] = 0.07; 90% [CI]: 0.06–0.09; [CFI] = 0.95; [TLI] = 0.95).DiscussionThe factors found in the previous study were confirmed using an entirely different sample of child welfare workers. The factors value, stigma, and respect were confirmed across the sample based upon whether the workers were administrators or clinicians. This provides reassurance that measuring how workers perceive they are viewed by those outside the child welfare system does not vary based upon job title.     

Internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems of American Indian children in the child welfare system

Children involved in the child welfare system display elevated or clinically significant behavioral problems. However, there is a dearth of literature on the behavioral problems of American Indian children following child welfare involvement. Grounded in Patterson's Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response theory, this study fills that gap. Baseline, 18-month, and 36-month follow-up data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being were utilized. The sample (n = 3498) consisted of American Indian, African American, and Caucasian children ages 2–16 at baseline (M = 8.13 years old, SD = 3.85) and 51.7% were female. Nearest neighbor propensity score matching analyses were used to estimate the effect of race on clinically significant internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. Findings suggest that although externalizing behavioral problems do not differ based on race after controlling for other important factors, internalizing behavioral problems do differ. American Indian children are more likely to display clinically significant internalizing behavioral problems.     

Trends in state budgets and child outcomes during and post child welfare class action litigation

Litigation is the most prevalent mechanism for comprehensive child welfare system reform. Litigation has resulted in increased funding to child welfare systems. This study assesses the impact of litigation on budgets during and after litigation and the budgets correlation with child outcomes. This mixed methods study analyzes 7 years post-litigation data in 4 state case studies. Individual interviews were conducted with key stakeholders (N = 17) in the lawsuits to determine what impact the lawsuit had on budgets and outcomes. Findings indicate that litigation likely impacts outcomes at least partially through increased financial investments (decreased reunification impacting decreased reentry after reunification and rate served); however, the impact of these outcomes is mitigated because financial investment in child welfare is not sustained.     

Exploring the self-care practices of child welfare workers: A research brief

Child welfare workers experience higher rates of vicarious trauma, workplace stress, and compassion fatigue, when compared to other social service workers. Increasingly, social service agencies, in general, and child welfare agencies, specifically, recognize the importance of self-care in assuaging these problematic employee outcomes. However, research that explicitly examines the self-care practices of child welfare workers in nominal. This study brief explores the self-care practices of child welfare workers (N = 222) in one southeastern state. Results reveal that child welfare workers only engage in self-care at moderate levels. Additionally, data suggests that variables such as health status, current financial status, and relationship status significantly impact personal and professional self-care practices, respectively. After a terse review of relevant literature, this brief will explicate findings associated with this study, and identify salient discussion points and implications for child welfare training, practice, and research.     

Drivers of change: Examining the effects of gender equality on child nutrition

India has the world's highest burden of child undernutrition. Lack of income is considered as one of its primary causes. However, evidence suggests that despite steady economic growth and investments in social services directed towards child welfare, undernutrition rates continue to rise. Thus indicating, that there are other societal factors impacting child undernutrition. Previous studies indicate that countries with higher gender inequality have worse health outcomes for women and children. India, particularly in the northern states, has deep-rooted gender biases, leading to disproportionately worse outcomes for women and children. This study uses cross sectional data from the India National Family Health Survey Round-3 (NFHS-3) to examine the immediate and underlying effect of gender inequality on child nutritional status. The sample includes urban married women between 15 and 49 years (N = 9092) who have at least one living child between 0 and 5 years. Findings highlight the significant effect of autonomy and health related awareness on child nutritional status, when the relationship is mediated by maternal health. Implications for policy and practice are provided.     

A qualitative study of 369 child welfare professionals' perspectives about factors contributing to employee retention and turnover

A statewide qualitative study of personal and organizational factors contributing to employees' decisions to either remain or leave employment in child welfare is described. Of particular interest was identifying factors related to employee retention. Professional staff (n = 369) in a state public child welfare agency, representing all levels of the agency and regions of the state, participated in 58 focus group interviews comprising some 1200 person hours of data collection. Core findings of the results are presented and discussed in view of information from other recent child welfare workforce studies. Recommendations and implications of the results for policy and practice are described.     

Understanding the diverging paths of stayers and leavers: An examination of factors predicting worker retention

The retention of qualified, competent staff has been a longstanding challenge for child welfare agencies. Given the stressful nature of child welfare work, difficulties with recruitment and retention of staff may not be surprising. However, considering the costs of chronic turnover, efforts to increase retention are crucial. The current study utilizes a large sample (n = 1102) of Title IV-E graduates from one statewide consortium in order to explore the usefulness of a conceptual model for understanding retention and turnover of workers in public child welfare. Logistic regression models reflect that at least one variable from each of four categories (worker, job-extrinsic, job-intrinsic, responses to job) predicted retention. Implications for child welfare workforce research, agency practice, and Title IV-E MSW programs are discussed.     

Finish what you start: A study of Design Team change initiatives' impact on agency climate

This study employs a multi-site longitudinal design to examine the effect of a Design Team intervention on organizational climate. Thirteen private, not-for-profit child welfare agencies from one state participated in a Design Team intervention to address workforce needs. A total of 407 workers from those agencies responded pre and post intervention to a survey that measures worker perceptions of the psychological climate of their organization using the Parker Psychological Climate Survey. Workers in organizations that completed the Design Team intervention had statistically significant increases in three of the four dimensions of the Parker scale. On the role dimension, significant change was noted on all three subscales on the interaction between Time 1 and Time 2 (ambiguity: p = 0.012; conflict: p = 0.04; overload: p = 0.05). On the organization dimension, the justice and support subscales had significant differences in the desired direction (justice: p = 0.05; support: p = 0.03). On the supervisor dimension, significant change was observed in the desired direction for both the goal emphasis and work facilitation subscales (goal emphasis: p = 0.02; work facilitation: p = 0.00). Statistically significant improvements in the organizational climates of child welfare agencies suggest the benefit of future research to test the effectiveness of Design Team interventions in other service areas. These findings build on intervention research with organizations by linking the ability of an organization to fully implement a change initiative to their capacity to improve the workplace climate for employees.     

Advancing case manager motivation in child welfare: Job control's curvilinear relationship and instrumental feedback's moderating influence

To date, no published empirical studies in the field of child welfare (or social work) have investigated the curvilinear relationship between job characteristics and any aspect of employee functioning. The present study addressed this research gap by testing job control's direct and interactive curvilinear effects on motivation using a sample of 419 county-based public sector child welfare case managers. Consistent with Cavanaugh, Boswell, Roehling, and Boudreau's (2000) challenge–hindrance framework, study findings revealed a significant curvilinear job control × linear instrumental feedback interaction. No support, however, was found for a direct curvilinear effect for job control. Empirical results advance the child welfare literature by being the first to demonstrate how job characteristics impact the motivation of child welfare case managers in a curvilinear manner. Study data also clarify prior nonsignificant tests of Warr's (1987) vitamin model and extend seminal findings from Karasek's (1979) job demands–control model. Finally, instrumental feedback's capacity to integrate three well-established but previously unrelated models of occupational health is discussed.     

Use of research evidence and implementation of evidence-based practices in youth-serving systems

Although the effectiveness of interventions for prevention and treatment of mental health and behavioral problems in abused and neglected youth is demonstrated through the accumulation of evidence through rigorous and systematic research, it is uncertain whether use of research evidence (URE) by child-serving systems leaders increases the likelihood of evidence- based practice (EBP) implementation and sustainment. Information on URE was collected from 151 directors and senior administrators of child welfare, mental health and juvenile justice systems in 40 California and 11 Ohio counties participating in an RCT of the use of community development teams (CDTs) to scale up implementation of Treatment Foster Care Oregon over a 3 year period (2010 − 12). Separate multivariate models were used to assess independent effects of evidence acquisition (input), evaluation (process), application (output), and URE in general (SIEU Total) on two measures of EBP implementation, highest stage reached and proportion of activities completed at pre-implementation, implementation and sustainment phases. Stage of implementation and proportion of activities completed in the implementation and sustainment phases were independently associated with acquisition of evidence and URE in general. Participation in CDTs was significantly associated with URE in general and acquisition of research evidence in particular. Implementation of EBPs for treatment of abused and neglected youth does appear to be associated with use of research evidence, especially during the later phases.     

Youth participation in foster youth advisory boards: Perspectives of facilitators

Foster youth advisory boards (YAB) have the objective of promoting foster youth participation in decisions that are made about their lives. There is currently little known about how youth participation is conceptualized or implemented within or across boards. This qualitative study explored youth participation from the perspectives of 42 primary YAB facilitators in 34 states. The study's findings are derived from telephone interviews. A thematic analysis identified four primary approaches to youth participation, which we labeled as being, ‘Adult-Led’ (n = 2); ‘Adult-Driven Youth Input’ (n = 14); ‘50–50 Youth-Adult Partnership’ (n = 16); and ‘Youth-Led’ (n = 2). Within each of these approaches to youth participation, we present findings that explore facilitators' conceptualizations of youth participation, the strategies and program activities they use to enact youth participation, and the strengths and limitations of each of the approaches. Our discussion explores implications for YAB program activities, youth participation in child welfare systems, and future research.     

Mental health outcomes among child welfare investigated children: In-home versus out-of-home care

BackgroundChild welfare has increasingly focused on alternatives to out-of-home (OOH) placement. In-home services, such as parent training, have increased and more maltreated children remain in-home. Yet, little is known about the effect on mental health of maintaining vulnerable children in-home vs placement in stable OOH care.ObjectiveTo evaluate and compare difference in mental health among children investigated by child welfare and who remained in-home vs. those who were placed in stable OOH care.Design/methodsWe examined a cohort of children (aged 1.5–18 years) from a nationally representative sample of children investigated by child welfare using the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II (NSCAW II). We compared changes in mental health functioning over 18 months for children who remained in-home with parent training versus those placed in stable OOH care.ResultsAmong the 749 children in our sample, baseline characteristics of children who remained in-home with parent training and those placed in stable OOH care were similar. Among school-aged children placed in stable OOH care, mental health problems decreased from 26% to 13% (p = .003). This differed significantly from school-aged children who remained in home, for whom mental health problems increased (50% decrease stable OOH care vs. 23% increase in home; p = .007). Among pre-school aged children, mental health problems increased in both settings, particularly stable out-of-home care (p = .008).ConclusionsFor school aged children with a history of maltreatment, mental health outcomes improve following stable OOH placement, yet worsen when remaining in-home with parents. Pediatricians should be watchful for mental health problems among children who remain home after maltreatment and should advocate for high-quality stable OOH care when it is necessary. Child welfare may need to monitor the outcomes of children remaining at home more closely and provide more intensive preventive and treatment services to families.     

Programmatic effects to modify sources of financial support among Hispanic teenage mothers

This study evaluates whether a randomized school-based intervention for adolescent teenage mothers successfully helped participants achieve better financial independence and economic prospects. Project Mothers and Schools (PMAS) is an initiative intended to modify attitudes and beliefs related to self-sufficiency, parenting, educational goals and achievement, career goals, health behaviors, and interpersonal relationships with family members. PMAS participants were surveyed at baseline and 12 months after intervention enrollment to evaluate the receipt of financial support from 11 sources. The 48 “core group” participants received a basic level of services, whereas the 43 “core-plus group” participants received the same basic services and additional enhanced services. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to identify statistically significant changes in participant responses from baseline to 12 months post-intervention. Both groups reported higher levels of employment 12 months post-intervention compared to baseline (z = − 3.162, p = 0.002 and z = − 2.646, p = 0.008, respectively). The core-plus group used more Food Stamps (z = − 2.673, p = 0.008) and reported receiving more child support (z = 2.236, p = 0.025) 12 months post-intervention versus baseline. PMAS benefited all participants by promoting employment 12 months post-intervention versus baseline. The enhanced services offered to the core-plus group appeared to also increase participant access to Food Stamps and child support, sources which assist participants down the path toward eventual financial independence.     

Community-based organizations for vulnerable children in South Africa: Reach,psychosocial correlates,and potential mechanisms

Community-based organizations (CBOs) have the potential to provide high quality services for orphaned and vulnerable children in resource-limited settings. However, evidence is lacking as to whether CBOs are reaching those who are most vulnerable, whether attending these organizations is associated with greater psychosocial wellbeing, and how they might work. This study addressed these three questions using cross-sectional data from 1848 South African children aged 9–13. Data were obtained from the Young Carers and Child Community Care studies, which both investigated child wellbeing in South Africa using standardized self-report measures. Children from the Child Community Care study were all CBO attenders, whereas children from Young Carers were not receiving any CBO services, thereby serving as a comparison group. Multivariable regression analyses were used to test whether children attending CBOs were more deprived on socio-demographic variables (e.g., housing), and whether CBO attendance was in turn associated with better psychosocial outcomes (e.g., child depression). Mediation analysis was conducted to test whether more positive home environments mediated the association between CBO attendance and significantly higher psychological wellbeing. Overall, children attending CBOs did show greater vulnerability on most socio-demographic variables. For example, compared to children not attending any CBO, CBO-attending children tended to live in more crowded households (OR 1.22) and have been exposed to more community violence (OR 2.06). Despite their heightened vulnerability, however, children attending CBOs tended to perform better on psychosocial measures: for instance, showing fewer depressive symptoms (B = − 0.33) and lower odds of experiencing physical (OR 0.07) or emotional abuse (OR 0.22). Indirect effects of CBO attendance on significantly better child psychological wellbeing (lower depressive symptoms) was observed via lower rates of child abuse (B = − 0.07) and domestic conflict/violence (B = − 0.03) and higher rates of parental praise (B = − 0.03). Null associations were observed between CBO attendance and severe psychopathology (e.g., suicidality). These cross-sectional results provide promising evidence regarding the potential success of CBO reach and impact but also highlight areas for improvement.     

Recovery coaches and the stability of reunification for substance abusing families in child welfare

Substance abuse is a long-standing challenge for child welfare systems. Parental substance abuse disrupts family stability, family cohesion, and jeopardizes the well-being of children. In the current study we test an intervention to improve child welfare outcomes for substance abusing families, specifically the probability of families achieving a stable (at least 12 months) reunification. The intervention was an integrated case management model where recovery coaches were appointed to substance abusing parents associated with an open foster care placement. A diverse group of families (n = 1623) were randomly assigned to either a control group (services as usual) or an experimental group (services as usual plus a recovery coach). Multinomial logistic regression indicated that substance abusing parents associated with a recovery coach were significantly more likely to achieve a stable reunification as compared with similar families in the control group.     

Family group conferencing in Dutch child welfare: Which families are most likely to organize a family group conference?

Aim of the present study was to identify which families involved in child welfare are willing to organize a Family Group conference (FGc; phase 1) and which are most likely to complete a conference (phase 2). Data were used of a Dutch randomized controlled trial (N = 229). First, the proportion of families willing to organize an FGc and actually completing a conference was determined. Then, for each of the phases, reasons for dropout according to parents, child welfare workers and FGC-coordinators were assessed and categorized and family characteristics were linked to completion rate. Results showed that 60% of the families (137 families) were willing to organize an FGc and 27% (62 families) eventually completed a conference. Reasons for dropout were lack of motivation, high-conflict divorce situations and need for other professional care. Broken and/or newly formed families were less likely to complete a conference, whereas families with indications for child maltreatment were more likely to complete a conference. Future research is needed to examine other possible explanations for the relatively low success rate, such as attitude of child welfare workers towards FGC and the lack of understanding of the aim of FGC by child welfare workers and families.