Exploring the needs of parents for achieving reunification: The views of foster children,birth family and social workers in Spain

BackgroundFamily reunification refers to the process through which children and adolescents under a measure of temporary separation (foster care or residential) return to live with their biological families. The research has begun to reflect a paradigm change in intervention and support for these families that affects the consolidation of reunification and the prevention of new processes of separation and reentry into the protection system.ObjectivesThis article examines the needs of parents who are susceptible to an educational intervention from a positive focus that contributes to the consolidation of family reunification.MethodEighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted and 22 discussion groups were convened with 135 participants (63 protection-system professionals, 42 parents and 30 children and adolescents). The data were analyzed through content analysis and were subject to peer revision.ResultsA series of parents' specific educational needs when their children return home was recognized. These needs can be the objects of family intervention based on a positive focus directed toward highlighting parents' strengths and are related to awareness of family progress, emotional management, giving and receiving help from other families and social support. The participants' comments show that feelings of self-sufficiency and positive reinforcement are fundamental for consolidation of the process.ConclusionsSocial support through formal and informal networks may be a path to explore for providing more and better support after returning home. Empowering families so that they can be agents of support for other families can be a way to consolidate reunification, allowing families to be active agents in the reunification process. In addition, listening to children's voices can be a good strategy for family consolidation.     

Evaluation of a family-based substance abuse prevention program targeted for the middle school years

A family-based substance abuse prevention program was evaluated which emphasizes family cohesion, school and peer attachment, self-esteem, and attitudes about adolescent use of alcohol and tobacco. The program was implemented in rural communities and targeted families with students entering middle or junior high school. Baseline surveys were conducted with students and parents in four schools and were readministered one year later. Because the program was voluntary, a quasi-experimental design was used to compare participants (29 students and 28 parents) and nonparticipants (268 students and 134 parents). Analyses of covariance indicated that student participants, as compared to nonparticipants, had higher family cohesion, less family fighting, greater school attachment, higher self-esteem, and believed that alcohol should be consumed at an older age at the one year follow-up. There were fewer significant results for parent participants. Strategies for involving parents in prevention programs are discussed.     

Family Services: A Proposed Model for Coordinating Spouse Abuse Services

ABSTRACT

This article presents a proposed model to organize spouse abuse services within communities. It proposes that family service agencies take the lead in organizing and implementing the model program. The community team would consist of representatives from agencies and disciplines that serve spouse abuse families. The community would benefit from the coordination of both the direct services to affected families and the prevention and education activities designed to eliminate spouse abuse.     

ATTENDING TO THE CONTEXT OF FAMILY TREATMENT: PITFALLS AND PROSPECTS

This paper argues that family therapy is failing to attend to the contexts in which family mental health services are provided and, therefore, is losing touch with the realities of family services in communities. We present a model for describing the institutional contexts of family mental health treatment in North America, and explore how these contexts influence family treatment. The model proposes that family mental health care can be categorized into three levels, analogous to the levels of the health care delivery system: (a) primary, (b) secondary, and (c) tertiary care. These levels represent systematically different contexts for family treatment; each has unique advantages and limitations. Translating treatment methods across levels can be hazardous because of differences in contexts. We argue that delineating the contextual levels of family mental health care can encourage more fruitful and respectful collaboration among the diverse professional groups working with families.     

Developing an educational workshop on teen depression and suicide: a proactive community intervention

Eight years into the YES emergency services collaboration, a comprehensive Youth Emergency Services model has emerged, one that incorporates a proactive approach to clinical and prevention strategies. In addition to direct service provision, these strategies include: (1) workshop training of school and community professionals so that they can identify young persons at highest risk for suicidal thoughts, threats, and attempts; (2) prevention education for both adolescents and parents about suicide, risk factors, and interventions; (3) a partnership with the local hotline to facilitate community screening and referral to appropriate crisis services for families and youths; (4) collaboration with a large primary care provider network to streamline the after-hours crisis referral process, using the hotline; and (5) the use of a website to inform individuals about services and resources. It is proposed that this is a contemporary model that can meet the present primary and secondary intervention needs for children, adolescents, and their families.     

Selected Websites for High-to-Low End NPO Website Development

ABSTRACT

SubstanceAbusePrevention.org, a virtual Community, is a 3.5-year project initially funded by the US Department of Commerce, Technology Opportunity Program. Its purpose was “to determine what proven components of substance abuse prevention in ‘real’ communities can be effectively transferred into ‘virtual’ communities.” Teens in drug treatment helped university researchers translate resiliency-based prevention practices into a Web site that would appeal to their peers. The 24 strategies tested fall in the categories of prevention exercises, games, multimedia, and information. This article describes the development process along with the lessons learned and future directions. The information is useful for those wanting to design and develop interactive Websites that address human service problems.     

Evaluation of what parents know about their children's drug use and how they perceive the most common family risk factors

Research on family risk factors for addictive behaviors in young people has not paid a great deal of attention to parents' knowledge of their children's addictive behaviors and of the family risk factors that affect such behaviors. The aim of this work is to compare knowledge about these two aspects in two groups of parents that differ regarding their children's declared drug use. The research was carried out with a sample of 309 schoolchildren and their families, divided into two groups: one of 154 families with children defined as non-Drug Users and another of 155 families with children defined as Drug Users. The results show that parents with children who consume drugs tend to strongly underestimate their children's use. Moreover, they overestimate the control they exercise over them and appear to be more familiarized with the use of drugs, if we compare them with parents of non-Drug Users. It is suggested that these results may be relevant for the planning of strategies that increase motivation in families with drug-risk children to participate in prevention programs.     

Family Caregivers for Seniors in Rural Areas

In this article, the demographic characteristics of family caregivers for seniors in rural communities are assessed to examine whether their circumstances could facilitate or impede their well-being. Services available in rural communities for family members providing ongoing care to frail seniors is examined, particularly those that provide health and social services. How families access these services and whether there are specific barriers in service provision are analyzed based on current social work practice and the research literature. Trends for future services are identified as well as whether these trends support new roles for social workers in rural settings.     

Effective Recruitment for Parenting Programs Within Ethnic Minority Communities

This article describes the results of a demonstration project which focused on exploring recruitment and retention of ethnic minority families to a parent training program aimed to prevent substance abuse among their children. The Parenting for Drug-Free Children project sought to deliver a curriculum to parents from several ethnic groups in an urban setting. The targeted ethnic communities were African American, Latino, Native American, and Samoan. The project successfully recruited diverse groups of families to participate in a drug prevention program, many of whom had never participated before in a parenting program. The identification of key individuals for recruiting and accessing networks of potential participants proved to be an effective means of recruitment.     

The Blended Family Life Cycle

Blended families face unique challenges that differ greatly from those encountered by nuclear families. Societal stereotypes that view blended families as abnormal, taking nuclear family functioning as the prototype for all family units, create a lack of role clarity for each of the members involved. Although many strategies exist with which to help families, many are based on nuclear family systems and thus are inapplicable to blended families. The creation of a blended family life cycle specific to blended family systems could help members of a blended family create a successful family unit as they work with a counselor.     

Change for the BEST: Family Changes for Parents Coping with Youth Substance Abuse

This paper reports family changes for participants in a program for parents coping with youth substance abuse. The Behavioural Exchange Systems Training (BEST) program is a professionally‐led, parent training intervention. During 1996 and 1997, six groups of parents participated in the program. High levels of depression were observed at intake, and symptoms demonstrated a stable reduction in association with exposure to the program. Parents tended to achieve success in developing common strategies for assertively managing family problems, though couples from more complex blended families found this more difficult. Adolescent improvements were noted during the weeks observed. A two‐year follow‐up conducted with a subset of families revealed that parents continued to report that the intervention had helped them cope with youth drug abuse.     

Prevention of preK-12 School Employee Sexual Misconduct and Abuse

ABSTRACT

The abuse of preK-12 students by school personnel is a pervasive, understudied topic that has behavioral, psychological and monetary consequences for victims, their families, and their communities. This special issue is the second of a two-part series and focuses on studies of school employee sexual misconduct prevention training programs and prevention issues and frameworks. This compilation of articles presents evidence that effective training can lead to improved awareness and behavior changes, concerns about policy implementation that may contribute to continued prevalence, and presents strategies and guidelines for prevention. These articles provide considerations for prevention including training, loopholes, and frameworks.     

“Beating the Odds” Versus “Changing the Odds”: Poverty,Resilience, and Family Policy

Mixed in with national data on declining poverty rates are other signs that poverty, economic hardship, and inequality continue unabated. This essay examines: (a) the scope of poverty and the growing disparity in income and wealth; (b) the consequences of poverty of adults and children; and (c) strategies for improving their resilience. It is suggested that resiliency will be enhanced more by keen attention to national economic policies than by focusing upon individual personality characteristics, family attributes, or even unique community features. Drawing on a public health analogy, a focus on prevention (through sound economic redistribution policies) could significantly strengthen families and improve their well‐being.     

Family patterns and the politicization of consumption relations

There has been little sociological research on the processes of exploitation and the politicization of relations of consumption. This study examines the role that family structure plays in the development of a class‐based politicization of consumption relations in a community. I compare communities of the Lake Superior region at the turn of the 20th century that were settled largely by the male immigrants living without families with structurally‐similar communities from the same region and time that were settled larged by married workers and their families. Using local newspapers, corporate reports and federal and state investigations, I compare the level of politicization of consumption relations in family‐settled communities with those settled by male workers. I find some relationship between family settlement patterns and the politicization of consumption in a community, but the relationship is not constant across communities. Family‐based communities do have a greater ability to organize alternatives to corporate‐controlled consumption than do non‐family based communities.     

A Participant-Informed Model for Preventing Teen Pregnancy in a Rural Latino Community

Recognizing the need for health prevention efforts that are tailored to the needs of Latinos in rural communities, the researchers utilized focus groups to ascertain the perspectives of Latino children and their parents who participated in a teen pregnancy prevention program. This article presents a Latino-driven conceptual design of an evidence-informed comprehensive, community-based, and culturally sensitive teen-pregnancy prevention program. The new model, called the Family-Festival Prevention Model, (1) used culturally relevant and experiential learning activities, (2) promoted community connections, (3) incorporated strategies that engaged fathers, and (4) engaged important faith-based and community stakeholders to involve the whole community in prevention efforts.     

Problem Gambling in Non-English Speaking Background Communities in Queensland,Australia: A Qualitative Exploration

This paper provides an overview of qualitative research into problem gambling among non-English speaking background (NESB) communities in Queensland, Australia. The focus for this pilot study was the Chinese, Greek and Vietnamese communities. Using qualitative methodologies, this community-based research explored the motivations for gambling, and the impacts of problem gambling upon individuals and communities. Findings indicate that problem gambling is evident in each of the communities of study, but the issue is characterised by a pervasive sense of denial. Gambling is an issue of enormous shame and stigma, not only for the problem gambler but their entire family. As a result, most problem gamblers do not seek professional help but try to resolve the problem themselves or within the family unit. Research findings indicate that service access could be increased through a range of strategies including the provision of culturally appropriate community education and gambling help services, partnerships between NESB communities, gambling help services and community workers, and the development and implementation of preventative strategies.     

CARING ABOUT POVERTY

Entry to institutional care is being used as an ineffective and expensive response to child and family poverty in a number of countries. In this paper, the practice of using institutional care for children in poverty is examined, drawing on case studies from three countries–the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, and Sri Lanka. Research findings reveal that poverty is a major underlying cause of children being received into institutional care and that such reception into care is a costly, inappropriate, and often harmful response to adverse economic circumstances. We suggest that alternatives to care may be funded from resources currently committed to institutions by developing a policy of gatekeeping. However, alternative strategies must be responsive to local conditions, and all such strategies need to be developed in consultation with children, their families, and communities.     

The assessment of parent-led prevention programs: a preliminary assessment of impact

This article reports on a preliminary study of the impact of parent-led prevention groups on youthful drug and alcohol use. In addition, the study assessed the extent to which families involved with parent-led prevention programs reported improved family relations and increased parental control of children's social activities--two major mechanisms by which parent-group advocates claim their activities alter youth substance use patterns. Consistent with the claims of parent-group advocates, the study results suggest that the parent groups did have some impact on family relations and on parental control of children's social activities. The evidence for an impact on drug and alcohol use was, however, weak. A somewhat unexpected finding was that parents who become involved in parent-led prevention activities may not be those parents whose children are at highest risk.     

African American Gay Family Networks: An Entry Point for HIV Prevention

Gay families are constructed support networks that gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals of color form, often in response to societal marginalization and rejection from biological families. Research on these family structures has been scarce, with little focus on the experience of African American gay family networks in the South. The current grounded theory qualitative study focused on the experiences of 10 African American male and transgender individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 from gay families in the Mid-South, and explored the ways these families addressed safe-sex issues and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk prevention. Results revealed that families can play a role in either increasing HIV risk (e.g., ignoring HIV issues, encouraging such unsafe behaviors as exchanging sex for money or drugs, stigmatizing HIV-positive people) or decreasing it (e.g., intensive, family-level prevention efforts at safe-sex practices and family support for HIV treatment adherence). The potential of these family networks for HIV prevention and adherence efforts is considered.     

From ‘Fighting Family’ to ‘Belligerent Families’: Family–Military–Nation Interrelationships and the Forming of Israeli Public Behavior among Families of Fallen Soldiers and Families of MIAs and POWs

The army–family relationship is vital for control by a state aware that the family is the central agent influencing their son to enlist. A historically ‘affectionate’ relationship prevailed between Israel's army and families. During and after the Yom Kippur War, families of captive and missing soldiers, and bereaved families, adopted ‘new’ social behaviors. They organized in an institutionalized manner, clashing with the establishment. Our research highlights the changing behavior patterns. Previously, Israel's ‘fighting family’ had applied a ‘hegemonic behavior model’. Families could process their loss privately, or publicly – as cultural agents committed to state values. After the war, many spurned that model and entered the public space, calling senior government officials ‘enemies’, ‘guilty’ of their plight. The new behavior fell on fertile ground: the declining traditional ‘network of elites’ and the burgeoning social-civil arena. Families of captive and MIA soldiers, and of fallen soldiers, adopted the trailblazing model. We first address theoretical aspects of ties between state and society, parenthood and family. Next we explore the ‘hegemonic model’ describing the pre-Yom Kippur War relationship between families and the establishment. We describe the ‘new’ behavior of two groups: families of captive and missing soldiers, and families of fallen soldiers. The state's co-opting of the family appears to be a regressive process, and the two institutions have begun operating competitively.