Family-centered child welfare services: new life for a historic idea

The recent emphasis on permanency planning in child welfare has strengthened the resolve of policy makers and service providers to serve the families of dependent children better. Permanency planning asks child welfare services either to reunite children in care with their families of origin or to find permanent substitute families for children, but the goal of a permanent family for every child has been much easier to articulate than it has been to achieve.     

Sharon: A self-employed lone parent with a disabled child

Sharon's story was collected as part of a study of parents combining employment with the care of disabled children in Britain. Sharon is a lone parent with three daughters, one of whom, Helen, has severe epilepsy. Here she explains to researcher, Trish Heaton why work is important to her but also why it is so difficult for her to sustain work and caring in the context of minimal formal or informal support from within the community. The practical and emotional difficulties of negotiating with inflexible services can drive working parents to crisis point. Sharon describes one such crisis point where all her arrangements had broken down. The supports she needed were minimal, but their absence had a profound impact.     

A parent gesture intervention as a means to increase parent declarative pointing and child vocabulary

This study examined whether a brief parent gesture training resulted in a change in the communicative intent of pointing gestures used by parents of infants from age 10–12 months and whether specific types of points (declarative vs. imperative) were more or less likely to predict later child language skill at 18 months. Compared to parents who were randomized to the control group, parents in the intervention group produced significantly more declarative pointing gestures as a result of the intervention. Moreover, parents’ use of declarative points at 12 months was predictive of later child vocabulary comprehension at 18 months. These findings suggest that a short-term parent training can have important effects on the communicative intentions conveyed through gesture which predict vocabulary development.     

The capacity to parent: A self psychological approach to parent—child psychotherapy

Clinicians who work with dysfunctional parent-child relationships face the dilemma of evaluating and effectively treating the psychopathology of parenting, which is often elusive and difficult to extrapolate from behavioral reports or social statistics alone. Fundamental concepts of the self psychological theory of development, particularly empathy and the self-selfobject matrix, are especially useful for elucidating the complexities of parenting because they explain the psychological components of the interaction as well as its intrapsychic significance. These concepts will be applied to the process of parent-child psychotherapy. A case is presented to illustrate the explanatory advantages of a self psychological conceptualization.This work was conducted while both authors were employed as CoDirectors, Infant Development Project at the Juvenile Protective Association, Chicago, Illinois.The Infant Development Project is funded by a grant from the Kate Maremont foundation, Chicago, Illinois.     

How distance to a non-resident parent relates to child outcomes

Family courts now encourage both parents to maintain contact with their children following separation/divorce, believing this is in the child’s best interest. We use geographical distance between non-resident parents and their children to test how such distance is related to educational and behavioral outcomes within a population sample of children from nonnuclear families in Denmark. As this distance is a choice, non-resident parents may choose where to live in part based on expected child outcomes; results that fail to take endogeneity into account will be biased. We use instrumental variable techniques to control for this potential endogeneity. The results indicate educational outcomes are somewhat better for all and behavioral outcomes are at least no worse for girls who live at a greater distance from their non-resident parent. Failing to control for endogeneity seems to bias the results for behavioral outcomes in favor of more proximate parents. Thus, policy efforts to keep separated parents geographically closer for the sake of their children may in fact not be advantageous.     

Effects of a video feedback parent training program during child welfare visitation

Behavioral parent training programs have documented efficacy for improving behaviors among parents and their children and are frequently used by child welfare agencies to prevent removal of a child from the parental home or to facilitate reunification. Although an ideal time for parent training might be during supervised visits where parents may practice skills with their children under the guidance and support of a therapist or caseworker, this is not typically the case. Most often, parents within the child welfare system receive parent training in small groups without their children present, and to date, few studies have examined effects of behavioral parent training interventions during supervised visitation. In this study, concurrent multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to examine effects of a behavioral parent training program, Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND), on parental skill acquisition with four mothers who had lost custody of their children but were being considered for reunification. Children emitted little or no problem behaviors during baseline or intervention, so parenting behavior was the primary dependent variable. Results obtained across participants documented a clear functional relation between implementation of the FIND intervention and increases in developmentally supportive parenting behaviors. Results of social validity and contextual fit measures suggest the intervention was perceived by mothers to be positive, feasible, and appropriate within the child welfare context. Practical and conceptual implications, limitations of this study, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Survival dilemmas: Case study of an adult child of a schizophrenic parent

This article describes aspects of the treatment of an adult child of a schizophrenic parent. Many theories on irrationality in the family setting illuminate the range of impingement on the child's reality when a parent is disturbed in this way. Current research has absorbed itself in interpretations of data on risk, vulnerability, disorder, and early trauma, which have implications for prevention as well as therapeutic treatment of the adult survivor. Profound effects on Ms. P's early development are elaborated in the therapy, in which the treatment stance is influenced by Kohut's theories of the self, particularly as applied to the establishment within the holding environment of specific transferences that facilitate reconstructive work.     

Parents' initial reactions to having a mentally retarded child: A concept and model for social workers

Motivated by the knowledge that the initial reaction experience to having a mentally retarded child is a critical determinant of parental responses for years to come, this paper attempts a close look at and a detailed conceptualization of that experience. In so doing, it has taken into account the available information and understandings and has particularly striven to integrate the psychoanalytic and crisis views. The hoped-for result is a concept that is realistic and a model that is specific, comprehensive, and affirmative enough to be readily usable by social workers.     

The family culture of negotiation—a result of changing parent‐child relationships

Case studies of parent‐child relations in three different European regions—West Germany, East Germany and the Netherlands—offer material for the comparative analysis of the ongoing intra‐familial process of modernization and civilization in post‐war West European societies. The data are drawn from extended narrative interviews with twelve‐year‐olds and from parallel but separate semi‐structured ‘mirrored’ interviews with the same children and their parents. The results of the analysis show that family relations in general, and parent‐child relations in particular, are increasingly marked by a familial ‘culture of negotiation’. This suggests that the balance of intergenerational power relations is currently in the process of change. To a greater or lesser extent, contemporary family relations are characterized by situationally grounded processes of negotiation between parents and children.     

A culturally relevant measure of client satisfaction in child welfare services

Child welfare professionals increasingly recognize the importance of the client's perspective in evaluating service outcomes, but there is a dearth of well-developed instruments that meet the needs of service providers and planners. This article describes the implementation of a measure of primary caregivers' satisfaction with mandated child welfare services. This measure is significant for its flexibility regarding the nature of the child welfare population to be surveyed and for its attention to cultural aspects of the clients' experience. The instrument is an adaptation of Harris, Poertner, and Joe's (2000) client satisfaction measure and includes selected items from related instruments in the field. The measure was developed with the help of an Aboriginal child welfare agency and piloted with that agency's clients. The adapted instrument also includes items requested by the pilot testing agency to reflect high quality child welfare practice including specific attention to the clients' racial, ethnic, and cultural identity. This project furthers Harris et al.'s (2000) prior work by using the instrument in another country (Canada) and with diverse populations, thereby adding to the body of evidence supporting the development of this measure. Future research with larger samples could further enhance the validation of the measure and its usefulness to policy makers and practitioners.     

Linking worker-parent working alliance to parent progress in child welfare: A longitudinal analysis

Using a national data set of child welfare cases, we asked how parent progress in a case plan was related to four factors: collaborative engagement, child welfare history, parent characteristics, and social worker characteristics. Our secondary analysis employed a sample extracted from nationally representative longitudinal records of 3185 children and their parents. Results of generalized least squares random-effects modeling showed that parent progress was associated positively with five specific variables: collaborative engagement, maintenance of effective working relationship, parent receipt of assistance in achieving goals, parent satisfaction with collaborative engagement, parent Hispanic ethnicity, and child welfare worker with MSW or degree in other major. Associated negatively with parent progress were parent receipt of assistance with obtaining needed services, out-of-home placement, multiple problems, and family income. Practice implications are discussed.     

BANANAS: providing child care services to a multi-ethnic community

BANANAS, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that has provided child care resource and referral services for over 35 years. BANANAS emerged as a grassroots effort initiated by a group of female volunteers who sought to build a network of women with children who needed childcare. As the organization developed, its leaders recognized and responded to additional needs, including resource and information sharing, workshops and classes, and political advocacy. Beginning as a collective, BANANAS has grown into a multifaceted service delivery and advocacy nonprofit operating with an annual budget of $12 million. This history of the agency reflects the development of a unique community-based effort, its challenges and rewards, and the multiple successes that this pioneering nonprofit has experienced.     

Animal-human relationships in child protective services: getting a baseline

Inclusion of certain aspects of animal-human relationships (AHR), such as animal abuse and animal-assisted interventions, can enhance child welfare practice and there are resources available to promote such inclusion. However, there is little knowledge of whether this is being accomplished. This study sought to fill this gap by conducting a national survey of state public child welfare agencies to examine AHR in child protective services practice, their assessment tools, and cross-reporting policies.     

Effect of child protective services system factors on child maltreatment rereporting

This study examined how child protective services (CPS) systems respond to initial and subsequent reports in the context of child maltreatment rereporting and to what extent CPS system factors are associated with the risk of rereporting after controlling for abuse type and child and family factors. This study followed 67,243 families who were reported to the CPS agencies in seven counties in Florida for child abuse and neglect over a period of 5.4 years and found that 14,218 families had one or more child maltreatment rereports. Key findings include that CPS system factors were significantly different from initial report to subsequent reports. Five CPS system factors, reporting source, contact by CPS workers, investigative level at intake, postinvestigation services, and duration ofCPS involvement were significantly associated with the risk of child maltreatment rereporting. Multivariate analyses found that CPS system factors were substantially different for three categories ofrereporting, unsubstantiated rereports, substantiated rereports, and recurrence reports. Interpretations and implications for practice are discussed.     

Case management for child protection services: A multi-level evaluation study

This article presents an evaluation study of a case management method for child protection services, the Delta Method for Family Supervision, in terms of supervision order duration and occurrence and duration of out-of-home placements. Additionally, case and case manager characteristics were examined. Data was collected about 224 cases, 58 case managers and 30 team managers of all 15 offices of the Child and Youth Protection Services in the Netherlands. In all cases the Delta Method was applied. Data were obtained by interviews, questionnaires and case files. Multi-level analysis was performed to study the influence of independent variables on supervision order duration, and the occurrence and duration of out-of-home placements. Case characteristics related to 87% of the differences in the duration of supervision order, case manager characteristics to 13% of the differences. Some case manager characteristics about applying the Delta Method were significantly related to shorter duration of the supervision order and the occurrence and duration of out-of-home placement. Case characteristics also showed strong relations. Together with the more general aspects of case management supported by this study, such as a one family and one worker approach, this contributes to a more effective practice of case management for child protection services.     

A culturally responsive practice model for urban Indian child welfare services

This article describes collaboration among a university, a state child welfare agency, and a Native American community organization to develop a culturally driven practice model for urban, Native American child welfare. The approach includes a strategy to build resources to serve Native American clients, a training program for child welfare and court personnel using a culturally responsive curriculum, and an advocacy program that monitors for Indian Child Welfare Act compliance and provides assistance to child welfare workers and the court. The discussion identifies challenges and opportunities in addressing the needs of urban Native American communities. The article concludes with principles for culturally responsive practice for urban Native American child welfare practice.     

Resources ancillary services and classroom instruction: thoughts of a deaf-blind social work student and her teacher

This article is the story of a social work instructor and her deaf-blind student. The chapter includes: (a) an overview of Gallaudet University, focusing on the Social Work Program and the Office of Students with Disabilities program, (b) personal background information about the student and her professor, and (c) perspectives of the educational process by both the student and her instructor. The article concludes with recommendations to both students and instructors for addressing the needs of deaf-blind students in the classroom and university setting.     

Comparing differential responses within child protective services: a longitudinal examination

This study examines the efficacy of a family differential response program to lower rates of (1) reentry into child protective services (CPS) and (2) child removal. Data were collected over 20 months from one region of British Columbia, Canada. Comparisons between family development response (FDR) and cases assigned to regular investigation (INV) suggest that FDR does not decrease recidivism to CPS. However, fewer children in the FDR group were removed than children in the INV group.