Child Welfare Resources
|
Relationships Between Parents-In-Law and Children-In-Law of Differing Racial and Ethnic Backgrounds: An Initial Qualitative Exploration
Micah Saviet, Geoffrey L. Greif Abstract: In-law relationships have drawn recent interest from family scholars. Historical trends demonstrate a significant rise in newlyweds marrying someone of a different race or ethnicity. Given this growing population of inter-racial marriage, the need to know more about these couples and their families is paramount. This article describes four themes that emerged from qualitative interviews with nine parents-in-law discussing their relationships with their child-in-law who is of a different race. The overarching themes identified for in-laws included: being initially hesitant based on race and/or culture; managing barriers pertaining to communication, language, and/or culture; differences that were enriching to the in-law relationship; and bonding related to shared minority status. Based on these findings, social workers may assume a supportive role for members of interracial families as they navigate not only social barriers but also their in-law relationships. |
| ||
|
“I Gotta Carry the Burden by Myself:” Experiences of Peripartum Depression among Low-Income Mothers of Color
Robert H. Keefe, Rebecca Rouland, Sandra D. Lane, Audrey Howard, Carol Brownstein-Evans, Xiaozhong Wen, & Lorinda Parks Abstract: Despite prevalence estimates indicating that upwards to 38% of new mothers of color will experience perinatal depression, little research has been published that investigates how they cope with the stressors in their daily lives. This article presents the findings of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 30 low-income new mothers of color about parenting their children despite the burden of ongoing depression. Narrative analyses revealed three themes: feeling alone, isolated, and overwhelmed; feeling misunderstood, betrayed, and judged by others; and having to carry their burden alone. Despite having depression, the mothers spoke of ways they were able to persevere even with the enormous burden of raising their children while living in high-crime, low-income neighborhoods. Recommendations include the need for social workers to recognize low income mothers’ inner strengths; recognize why mothers may not trust professionals to be of help; and take the time to build strong therapeutic relationships with mothers who perceive their families, friends, partners, and often social service professionals as being of little help. |
| ||
|
Engaging Men Across the Violence Prevention Continuum: An Exploratory Study
Brian Hansen, Lana Wells, and Caroline Claussen Abstract: Men have a role to play in the prevention of violence against women; however, there is increasing awareness that the social service sector has failed to adequately engage men in violence prevention programming and advocacy. This study used semi-structured interviews to explore the challenges that a sample of Canadian violence prevention practitioners and organizations face in engaging men in preventing violence and generating practice recommendations for what is needed to better equip practitioners. At an organizational level, findings indicate that more capacity-building around emerging research, strategies, and tools in working with and engaging men in the prevention of violence is required. Challenges around recruiting male staff, in what is primarily considered a female-dominated profession, were also noted. Practitioners also discussed the role of masculine gender norms as barriers to men’s help-seeking and engagement in violence prevention advocacy. Recommendations include expanding social work curriculum and training to include information and resources on working with men, as well as increased research on best and promising practices to support organizations and practitioners in their engagement efforts. |
| ||
|
Perceived Effectiveness of Parent Representation Social Workers by Legal Professionals Involved with Indigent Defendants
Jeremiah W. Jaggers, Aurene Wilford, Ileana Anderson, & Joanna Bettmann Abstract: The total number of children in the U.S. foster care system exceeds 428,000. Previous research indicates that when social workers and legal professionals work together, children and their families benefit significantly. Parents who effectively engage in the child welfare system are more likely to benefit from services and reunify with their children. The present study employed a phenomenological approach to explore how a parent representation pilot, which paired social workers with public defenders to better represent the needs of families in the child welfare system, was experienced by legal professionals. Judges and family court attorneys (n = 9) found the program to be helpful in reunifying families. Public defenders were able to leverage the social worker’s skills and experience to facilitate more positive outcomes, while reducing case burden. Challenges were also identified and included a lack of interdisciplinary training, potential overlap in ethical responsibilities, and role confusion. Structured intervention programs that encourage collaboration between social workers and legal professionals may improve case outcomes for indigent families involved in the child welfare system. It is advised that social work undertake a formal multidisciplinary approach in support of public defenders, which may serve to encourage positive case outcomes. |
| ||
|
Child Protective Services Guidelines for Substantiating Exposure to Domestic Violence as Maltreatment and Assigning Caregiver Responsibility: Policy Analysis and Recommendations
Victor, Rousson, Henry, Dalvi & Mariscal Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the range of policy approaches used by child welfare systems in the United States to guide workers in classifying and substantiating child exposure to domestic violence (CEDV) as an actionable form of maltreatment. To that end, we conducted a qualitative document analysis of child protective services (CPS) policy manuals from all state-administered child welfare systems in the U.S. (N ¼ 41). Our findings indicate that a majority of state-administered systems (71%) have adopted policy requiring workers to demonstrate that children have endured harm or the threat of harm before substantiating CEDV-related maltreatment. Many state systems (51%) also include policy directives that require workers to identify a primary aggressor during CPS investigations involving CEDV, while far fewer (37%) provide language that potentially exonerates survivors of domestic violence from being held accountable for failure to protect on the basis of their own victimization. Based on our findings and identification of policy exemplars, we offer a recommended set of quality policy indicators for states to consider in the formulation of their policy guidelines for substantiating children’s exposure to domestic violence that promotes the safety and wellbeing of both children and adult survivors of domestic violence. |
| ||
|
Model Fidelity and Child Well-Being in Family Team Conference: The Interaction Effect of Racial Matching and Child Race
Jangmin Kim, Mijin Choi, Catherine A. LaBrenz , Marian S. Harris, Reiko Boyd and Barbara J. Pierce Abstract: Family Team Conference (FTC) has been suggested as a promising practice model to effectively reduce racial disproportionality and disparities in child welfare. However, previous studies have noted ongoing challenges to promoting cultural responsiveness in FTC. This study analyzed caseworkers’ survey data (n¼736) to explore the role of racial matching between caseworkers and children as an effective practice to strengthen the high fidelity of FTC associated with child well-being. The results of the extended regression model indicate that high FTC fidelity was a necessary condition to improve child well-being. However, racial matching was neither a significant factor of child well-being nor a moderator that strengthened the positive association between FTC fidelity and child well-being. Instead, a follow-up analysis showed that caseworkers’ competencies for facilitating FTC were a significant moderator to promote the positive effect of FTC fidelity on the well-being of all children regardless of their race. This paper concludes with research and practice implications to make FTC more culturally responsive to achieve its intended outcomes especially for children of colour. |
| ||
IARCA Institute for Excellence Outcomes Measures Project Snapshots In response to nationwide demands in the summer of 2020 for more action on racial justice issues, the IARCA Institute identified ten data points from its Outcome Measures Project that could potentially shed light on racial equity issues within Indiana’s child and family welfare community. Founded over twenty years ago, the Project tracks dozens of points of data across thousands of children each year. The data is shared on a voluntary basis by more than 50 Indiana agencies service children and their families. The Institute releases an Annual Report summarizing the data and occasional special issue reports analyzing specific pieces of data. In 2020, the Project also began to share weekly Snapshots of data points that may be of interest to a wide variety of audiences. The first Snapshots series focused on what particular data points look like across racial and ethnic groups. These data points are just the beginning of what Outcomes data can tell us about racial disparities. They are a quick look across all service lines, including home-based services, foster care, residential, independent living, and older youth services. The Institute will continue to look at these data points within particular service lines to see if greater variation exists by type of service. For the purposes of Snapshots, the data points are collected when a youth begins a particular service, when a youth is discharged from a service, and six months after a youth was discharged. Just for clarity sake, this generally does not mean when a youth begins to receive any services to the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) or all services are completed. A youth may receive several specific services from one or more child and family welfare agency while in DCS’s care. These data points were collected in conjunction with those specific services. |
| ||
|
Emerging Bicultural Views of Fatherhood: Perspectives of Puerto Rican Fathers
Cristina Mogro-Wilson, Alysse Melville Loomis, Crystal Hayes, Reinaldo Rojas Abstract Puerto Rican fathers remain an understudied population despite the growing Latino community in the U.S. Understanding how Puerto Rican fathers perceive their roles as fathers can inform our conceptualization of their engagement with children as well as the development of culturally-specific parenting interventions. In this qualitative study, focus groups were conducted with Puerto Rican men to identify their perceptions of their role as a father and how individual, child, and cultural influences may relate to these roles. Parenting roles identified by fathers in the study were: being there, maintaining open communication, building confidence, preparing for adulthood, teaching culture/values, and providing a role model for their children. The study also explored father and child characteristics, history with their own father, and a hybrid cultural perspective as influences on Puerto Rican fathers’ perceptions of their parenting roles. Due to the increasing population of Puerto Rican and other Latino sub-groups, providers and social workers working with Puerto Rican families should understanding the perceived parenting roles within families to better engage and support fathers and families within this growing population. |
| ||
|
The Impact of Sociosexualization and Sexual Identity Development on the Sexual Well-Being of Youth Formerly in the Foster Care System
Richard A. Brandon-Friedman, Elizabeth A. Wahler, Barbara J. Pierce, Jeffry W. Thigpen, J. Dennis Fortenberry Purpose: Youth in the child welfare system experience disproportionate rates of negative sexual health outcomes as well as increased engagement in risky sexual behaviors. This study explored the impact of sociosexualization and sexual identity development on the sexual well-being of youth formerly in the foster care system. Methods: Two hundred and nineteen youth formerly in the foster care system completed an Internet-based survey, including measures of the level of sexuality-related topics discussion, relationship quality with the individual with whom the topics were discussed, adverse childhood experiences, severity of sexual abuse history, sexual identity development, and sexual well-being. Hierarchical regressions examined the impact of youths’ sociosexualization experiences and four domains of sexual identity development on their sexual well-being. Results: Sexual Identity Commitment was the strongest positive predictor of youths’ sexual wellbeing (b ¼ .428) followed by Sexual Identity Synthesis/Integration (b ¼ .350) and Sexual Identity Exploration (b ¼ .169). Sexual Orientation Identity Uncertainty negatively impacted sexual wellbeing (b ¼ .235), as did adverse childhood experiences (b range ¼ .150 to .178) and sexual abuse severity (b range ¼ .208 to .322). Sexuality-related discussions with foster parents negatively impacted youths’ sexual well-being, whereas discussions with peers were a positive predictor. Conclusion: Enhancing youths’ sexual identity development and reducing the impact of traumatic experience are critical to improving sexual well-being. The influence of sexuality-related discussions on sexual well-being requires further analysis as impacts varied widely. Public policies should provide guidance to professionals on what services should be provided to enhance youths’ sexual development. |
| ||
