Accomplishing family reunification for children in care: An Australian study

Whilst child protection systems are concerned with removal of children from their families in the interests of safety, the capacity of child welfare systems to return children safely to their families of origin is of central importance. The multidimensional standardised assessment tool, the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale—Reunification (NCFAS-R) was used by practitioners to assess family strengths and needs in case planning and reunification decision making. The current paper examined (1) whether NCFAS-R domain ratings at intake and closure differ by characteristics of parents and children; and (2) whether reunification is predicted by NCFAS-R score at closure.     

A follow-up study of adopted children from Romania

Romania became notorious in recent history for the problems in its child welfare system. A black cloud continues to hang over the country since media reports, such as 20/20's Shame of a Nation, and other writings and broadcasts have focused worldwide attention on the child welfare problems in Romania. During this same time period from 1990 to 1993, several thousand children were adopted from Romania by North American families. This study describes the positive and negative aspects of children adopted from Romania. It gives particular attention to the experiences of families who adopted children from institutional settings compared to other placements.A version of this paper was presented at the 21st Annual North American Council on Adoptable Children Conference, Norfolk, Virginia, August 3–6, 1995.     

Forgotten children: A critical review of the reunification of American Indian children in the child welfare system

Reunification is the preferred permanency path experienced by children following out-of-home placement (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2011, 2012). Emerging literature suggests a number of child, parent, family, and child welfare case characteristics predict the likelihood of reunification. However, research on the reunification of American Indians in child welfare system is limited. Given the unique historical and cultural context of American Indian families, a need exists to better understand what contributes to achieving permanency through reunification for these families. To develop a better understanding of reunification research, this article provides a critical review of the literature on predictors of reunification that is inclusive of American Indians. A search of the literature resulted in the inclusion of 17 articles. Findings suggest that although awareness of the factors associated with reunification for American Indian families is helpful, without consistent inclusion of child, parent, family, and case-related variables across statistical analyses, limited conclusions can be drawn. It is significant to note that a level that is not currently considered in literature is the tribe or band and what is done to assist the child in reunification from the tribal level.     

A psychological profile of juvenile firesetters in residential treatment: a replication study

Results of a replication study of juvenile firesetters confirms, in general, findings of the earlier study: juveniles who feel unwanted or abused or who become aroused by watching or setting fires are most likely to be firesetters. There were, however, significant differences in certain results of the first and second studies, which indicate a need for further research.     

Tandem treatment: A model for work with parents of troubled children

The complexity of individual work with parents whose children are in treatment because of their difficulties is explicated. An exploratory study of 15 mothers' experiences with such treatment is reported. The focus of the study was on parents' expectations, their relationships with their own and their child's clinician, the process of treatment and termination. The findings are integrated with relevant literature and clinical experience to provide a tandem treatment model in which emphasis is placed on clarifying parents' expectations, working with parents' individual issues as well as their role as parents, and focusing first on their children's problems, then gradually moving to the parents' concerns about their own problems.Ms. Staver is a retired Chief Psychiatric Social Worker, Judge Baker Guidance Center     

Characteristics of children in residential treatment in New York State

This study addresses three questions about the population of children and families served in the highest level of care in the child welfare system in New York State residential treatment centers (RTCs): (1) How prevalent are emotional and behavioral problems in the youth entering RTCs? (2) Has the proportion of youth with such problems increased compared to 10 years ago? (3) Are there identifiable subgroups of youth entering RTCs? One-fourth of RTC admissions in fiscal year 2001 were randomly selected from a representative sample of 16 RTCs. The study completed a standardized data collection instrument based on a review of agency records, and included information that was known at the time each child was admitted. The results show significant increases compared to t10 years earlier in the proportion of youth with mental health problems and juvenile justice backgrounds. The findings suggest that youth who traditionally have been served by other systems of care are now being served in the child welfare system. The increased treatment needs of these youth and the heterogeneity of the RTC population have important implications for policies, programs, and practice.     

Care management and social work: A case study of the role of social work in hospital discharge to residential or nursing home care

The role of social work with vulnerable adults has changed markedly in many countries, including England and Wales following the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act. The basis for this paper is a small qualitative study of the social work role in helping people entering residential or nursing care in the independent sector following an emergency hospital admission in England (Phillips and Waterson 1997). This double transition is an under-researched area (Bywaters 1993; Downs and Crossan 1999). Furthermore, the literature on hospital discharge to date relates to developing policy objectives (Department of Health 1989, 1992, 1994a) or a critique of them (Pearson 1994; Cresswell 1994; Nazarko 1994) or the impact on practice, highlighting issues of inter-disciplinary cooperation (Rachman 1993; Higgins et al. 1994; Davies and Connolly 1995a; Clark et al. 1997; Healey et al. 1999). Until very recently, there has been much less about the users and carers perspective of the effects on the social work role in this area (Hardy et al. 1999; Henton et al. 1999; MacDonald 1999; Chesterman et al. 2001; Hellstrom and Hallberg 2001). The research findings review the core tasks of care management and point to a devaluing of the 'social' dimension, which had previously been the mainstay of hospital social work, and which is precisely what users and carers continue to value. Whilst this paper is written from a UK perspective, and focuses on a small study of an atypical area of work, this finding raises issues of wider interest to those concerned with the health and social care of vulnerable adults in a range of transnational contexts. It raises fundamental questions about the nature of contemporary European social work.     

Youth engagement and service dosage in a mandated setting: A study of residential treatment centers

Treatment theory in residential treatment centers (RTCs) is conceived as a two-stage process of first engaging the client and then delivering services or interventions aimed at presenting problems. This treatment logic has been criticized for “creaming clients” or reserving services for clients easier to engage or more amenable to treatment but less in need. The present study examines whether higher early levels of engagement by youth in RTCs leads to more intervention and compares the relative effects of engagement and seriousness of presenting problems on the quantity of services provided by the mid-point in the adolescents' stay. Data come from interviews with a clinical sample of 71 male and 59 female adolescents in two RTCs in an eastern state. Findings indicate that higher level of engagement predicts more treatment interventions. Treatment staff delivered higher dosages of services to youth with more current behavioral problems, not those with problematic behaviors at intake. Youth with positive peer group backgrounds also received more services. Findings extend knowledge of how treatment staff provide treatment to clients and the role engagement plays in RTC service delivery.     

Reunification of foster children: Factors associated with reunification outcomes in Flanders and the Netherlands

Although a significant number of foster children eventually return to their birth parents, evidence-based models for permanency planning are scarce, and there is a lack of clear decision-making criteria for reunification. This study aimed to establish further knowledge about reunification. Both reunification pace and factors which are associated with reunification were examined. The focus was on factors related to the foster child, the birth parents, the foster parents and the foster placement, and reasons for removal. Case file analysis was performed for 580 Flemish and Dutch foster children ages 0–18. Cox regression analyses showed contact with birth parents to be most strongly associated with reunification. Moreover, particularly placement related factors (e.g., legal framework, additional support services, contact with birth parents) increased the likelihood of reunification. Furthermore, over a period of six years approximately 15% of foster placements led to reunification notably during the first 2.5 years of placement. Policy makers and foster care professionals are therefore encouraged to timely aim for permanency planning. Reunification efforts should be planned from the start of the foster placement. If subsequently reunification proves not feasible, permanency should be secured within the foster family.     

Family therapy with selectively mute children: a case study

Due to its rarity (<1% of all clinical cases), few Marriage and Family Therapists have significant expertise in dealing with children who have become selectively mute, and little research has been conducted to determine the effectiveness of family therapy in treating this disorder. Much of what has been researched does not serve to provide a cohesive or uniform road map to follow in determining the course of treatment. The purposes of this article are (a) to present a case study outlining specific treatment interventions in a specific case used over the course of 2 years in a school-based setting, (b) to demonstrate the efficacy of utilizing school-based family-centered treatment, and (c) to stimulate further research and development on the efficacy of family therapy in alleviating anxiety and stress in children who have developed this disorder.     

Cow as co-therapist: Utilization of farm animals as therapeutic aides with children in residential treatment

Using a mixed methodological approach, this exploratory study investigates the experiences of children who are placed in a residential treatment center that utilizes farm animals as one of its treatment approaches. The findings indicate that the children utilized the farm animals, like one would utilize the services of a therapist. Respondents indicated that they spoke to the animals, without fear that what they said would be repeated; that they visited the animals to feel better when they felt sad or angry; and that they learned about nurturing and caring for other living things. This article highlights a unique and novel approach to treatment that has not, as yet, been fully explored by the child welfare profession.     

Child safety at reunification: A case-control study of maltreatment recurrence following return home from substitute care

When considering reunification, child welfare caseworkers are faced with the difficult challenge of predicting which caretakers will be able to provide a safe environment for their children once they return home. Unfortunately, although an increasing number of studies have examined maltreatment recurrence during investigation and following case opening, little is known about the factors that predict maltreatment recurrence following reunification. Using a case-control design and information gathered from a child welfare administrative database and client case records, the current study examined the factors that predict short-term (i.e., within 60 days) maltreatment recurrence among 174 families with children returning home from their first stay in substitute care. From a variety of child, caretaker, placement, family environment, and service provision characteristics, seven variables uniquely added to the prediction of maltreatment recurrence: 1) child age, 2) caretaker mental illness, 3) number of placements, 4) type of placement, 5) length of time in placement, 6) number of children in the home at reunification, and 7) the interaction between household structure at reunification and the presence of siblings returned home with the index child. The implications of these findings for child welfare practice and future research are discussed in detail.     

Family problem solving: A case study

Abstract

Working with the families of young offenders may often be the best method of helping those young offenders to change. Sometimes, however, social workers and others who work with young offenders are reluctant to work with family groups because they may feel that they lack skills in family counselling. This article presents a case study which illustrates a family counselling intervention. The case study uses Family Problem Solving, a method which involves the adaptation of mainstream social work skills to work with families. It is anticipated that the article might be of interest to social workers who work with families but who feel apprehensive about counselling family groups.     

A psychological profile of juvenile firesetters in residential treatment

Psychological test data of 30 known juvenile and adolescent firesetters were compared with those of a matched control group, within a residential treatment center, to distinguish the identifying characteristics of each group. Hypotheses based on 80 variables found in the literature on firesetting were treated by using a standard test equivalent for each variable. Of the hypotheses, 14 were found to differentiate significantly the two groups, but not all in the predicted direction. Four characteristics were found to be sufficient to discriminate between the groups with greater efficiency than any other combination of variables. A predictor equation is set forth.