Search

Associated with extensive negative outcomes for children, parental substance use disorders are a major concern within the child welfare system. Obtaining actual prevalence rate data has been difficult, however, and there are no recent published reports on this issue. Using a systematic search, this paper examines: (1) Prevalence estimates of parental substance use disorders in the child welfare population; (2) the types of child welfare involvement for reported prevalence estimates; and (3) how prevalence information is being collected. Prevalence rates were found to have a wide range, from 3.9% to 79%, with regional prevalence estimates being higher than national estimates. Prevalence rates of parental substance use disorders varied by type of child welfare involvement of the family and method of data collection. This study points out the need for improvements in prevalence estimates in the United States and national data collection procedures to ensure that child welfare and substance abuse treatment systems are adequately responding to children and families with substance use disorders., Parental substance use disorders are a major concern within the child welfare system (Hill, Tessner, & McDermott, 2011; Seay & Kohl, 2013; Seay & Kohl, 2015; Staton-Tindall, Sprang, Clark, Walker, [...]

Parental substance misuse places families at risk for involvement in Child Welfare Services (CWS) (Barth, Gibbons, & Guo, 2006). Furthermore, maltreated children of parents who misuse substances are more likely [...]

Based on a qualitative study of the Twin Cities Hmong community, this paper offers a case study of a Hmong family's response to a situation in which a woman who is a member of their family has been chronically physically abused by her husband. The case illustrates the challenges of understanding the family's reactions in light of their cultural context as well as the implications for social work practice. An excerpt of a verbatim interview between the author and a subject from the study is provided. The specifics of the cultural values, protocol for handling conflict and communication patterns that contribute to understanding what has occurred are discussed. The author then discusses the challenges for the social work practitioner of simultaneously maintaining the ethical values of honoring diversity and protection of the oppressed. KEYWORDS. Violence, cross-cultural, shared meaning, Hmong, communication, protocol

The Caribbean, although classified as a developing country has been experiencing an ageing of its population over the past two decades. Faced with the lack of a well-developed social service infrastructure for seniors and economic challenges, care of the elderly is predominantly by families and in the community. Training institutions have had to develop new programs and new approaches to aid those caring for seniors. A course for community based social workers of varying backgrounds has been developed to enhance their skills in promoting good health as well as maximum independence in all aspects of life among seniors. Health as defined by the World Health Organization is all embracing including physical, mental, social and spiritual aspects. The course uses several innovative approaches one of which the paper discusses. A key component of the course is the use of the 'Family Study' which exposes teams of students to a family, which includes a senior for the duration of the 20-week course. Seniors are chosen for study based on their social, physical complaints and desire for assistance. Using a modified version of the social compass and other quality of life assessment tools, students are required to not only identify the problems but how the problem affects the senior and the family and to plan and implement an intervention based on the strengths and weaknesses of the senior and the support system. The paper describes the process and the evolution of the use of the family study since 1992 and the students' evaluation of it. The family study also exposes the students to other aspects of theories and practices associated with ageing, including the importance of effective communication and how to work in teams. The inclusion of a practical approach involving seniors and their families has strengthened the academic program while benefiting the client so satisfying the needs of both. KEYWORDS. Ageing, community based social work, family study, teaching tool

The authors examine alternative methods to family social services and child welfare programs among Native Americans.

This article examines social factors that influence unmarried parents' expectations regarding marriage. Findings indicate that unwed parents feel optimistic about marriage immediately following the child's birth but that substance abuse problems, physical violence, interpersonal conflict, and gender distrust significantly diminish expectations about marriage.

This article examines the influence of parenting practices and family life on the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents. Findings indicate that family harmony, parental empathy, and the degree of synchrony, or reciprocation between the parent and child, directly contribute to adolescent adjustment.

This article examines social factors that influence perceptions of family functioning in a diverse sample of adolescents attending pregnancy prevention classes. Findings indicate that adolescents raised without their parents are more likely to perceive their families as dysfunctional while minority teenagers perceive higher levels of healthy family dynamics.

Objectives: To decrease the emotional distress of child victims of extrafamilial sexual abuse (ESA) and their families. To provide crisis intervention, individual and group treatment in response to an expressed need in the community. To pilot the use of group treatment for child victims of ESA under age 10. Method: This discussion describes intervention with a sample of 246 child victims, ages 2-14 years, and 323 parents who participated in the program from 1984 to 1991. This pilot project operated at a university medical facility and was located off campus in an outpatient child abuse center. Priority was given to child victims under age 7. Child victims and their families were evaluated after investigative interviews by law enforcement agencies were completed. A treatment plan was developed based on clinical assessment. Families participated in crisis counseling, individual treatment for the child victim and/or parent, Children's Treatment Groups, Parent Support Groups, or were referred to other resources. Clinical assessment of treatment progress included weekly case review by child and parent therapists, video analysis and observation of Children's Treatment Group sessions, consultation with parents and collateral contacts. Results: A family approach and services for parents in addition to intervention for child victims were determined to be key components in facilitating recovery. Clinical observations and client feedback showed positive outcomes for child victims and parents with crisis counseling, Children's Treatment groups, and Parent Support Groups. The extent of intervention ranged from one session to 24 months with an average participation of 6-9 months. Follow up surveys were returned by parents for 48 child victims and results are reported. Themes, parallels in responses, and recovery factors for child victims and parents are discussed. Conclusions: The need for intervention and a community-based program was demonstrated by (1) the significant disruption in functioning that occurred for child victims of ESA and their families, (2) the risk for long term sequelae, (3) the high incidence of extrafamilial sexual abuse, and 4) the consistent, large number of requests for services. Family-centered crisis services, Children's Treatment Groups, and Parent Support Groups can be effectively based at child advocacy centers, out patient care clinics, or other community agencies. The results of formal outcome measures and longitudinal studies is needed to determine how child victims and parents benefit from specific treatment modalities and to better guide the use of limited resources. Key Words--Children, Parents, Sexual abuse, Extrafamilial, Group treatment, Parent support group.

Objective: Since the 1980s Child Protective Services has increasingly relied on family reunification for abused/neglected children rather than long term foster care or adoption. While family reunification practices are controversial, little research is available to inform the debate. This research explores the efficacy of these practices. Methods: This study utilizes two CPS data sources and both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify reentry rates and correlates of reentry for abused and neglected children returned to their families by CPS. Results: System reentry due to additional maltreatment is considerable. Thirty-seven percent of the children reunited with their families reenter the system within 3% years. Correlates of reentry are identified as; abuse type, CPS history, parental competency, race, criminal history, substance abuse, and social support. Notably, assessments of risk made by caseworkers are found to be unrelated to reentry. Conclusions: The high reentry rate and the limitations of current risk assessment procedures suggest that CPS family reunification practices have not been entirely successful. The identification of specific risks of reentry, such as those revealed in this study, will be helpful in assessing risk on cases. In addition, future studies should explore the systemic deficiencies that contribute to the additional maltreatment that occurs for a sizable proportion of the children served by the system. Key Words: Reabuse/reneglect, Recurrence, Child protective services.

Health care utilization and community support are of utmost importance in minimizing the sociomedical problems of people with HIV/AIDS. This article describes a health clinic in Belle Glade, Florida, that effectively uses the Culturally Specific Health Care Model defined by the author in a previous article. The current article explains the process used to assess the immediate needs of children with HIV/AIDS and their families. It also explores some of the personal and social determinants that prevented the families from pursuing medical treatment at a community migrant health center after pediatricians had diagnosed the children as having HIV/AIDS. Key words: children; Culturally Specific Health Care Model; health care utilization; HIV/AIDS; social work intervention, Research has confirmed the benefits of early diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, such as early sociomedical intervention to lessen the severity of HIV/AIDS and its accompanying social, economic, and related problems (Johnson, [...]

The Family Support Act (FSA) requires states to raise welfare/work program participation rates to unprecedented levels in the 1990s. This study analyzes Ohio's welfare/work demonstration to estimate the impact of mandated high participation on welfare caseloads. The estimated caseload reductions are larger than earlier estimates due to high participation rates, an emphasis on workfare, and a multi-year observation period., I. INTRODUCTION The Family Support Act (FSA) of 1988 substantially changed conditions of welfare dependency by requiring Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients to participate in work-related programs. [...]

Feminists disagree about the appropriateness of qualitative and quantitative methods for doing social science research. To push readers beyond a squabble about methods, I focus on more fundamental aspects of research methodology: agenda, epistemology, and ethics. I review the feminist literature on each of these aspects of methodology and consider the implications for methods. A feminist agenda for family studies includes experience embedded in broader context, the struggle to adapt to the contradictions of family life, a vision of nonoppressive families, diversity among women and families, and rethinking the discipline. Feminists grapple with the epistemological concerns of value-sustaining and politicized inquiry, the connection between researcher and researched, women's experience as source and justification of knowledge, and the nature of truth. Feminists also face two prevailing ethical concerns: Whose interests are served by research, and how can the subjectivity and authority of research participants be preserved? Both qualitative and quantitative methods must be adapted and elaborated to serve feminist family studies. An inclusive approach to methods is best, but we also should question the authority and glorification of quantitative methods.

TECHNICAL assistance on seven self-surveys was provided to a statewide family support organization. The collaborative approach increased client involvement, offered significant economies, and reduced barriers to dissemination, at the same time requiring trade-offs between methodological rigor and utility to the group.

Comments on the support intervention study with elderly women by Heller et al. (1991). The study highlights the need to determine what aspects of social support are most effective for particular populations. I discuss what basic research on supportive functions suggests for this population, and what kinds of knowledge are needed to best translate epidemiologic findings into intervention research designs. Related research on the effects of family vs. peer support is discussed, and processes that may help or hinder family support are proposed. Finally, I note some implications for further research on social networks of elderly persons, and approaches to increasing social companionship and social integration.

This article presents findings from a study of casework outreach to birthparents of children in out-of-home care. The study explored whether the birthfather was being ignored as a resource for discharge planning. It examined the outreach and interventions of caseworkers in three New York City out-of-home care agencies. Casework activity levels were found to be higher for birthmothers than for birthfathers, and a complex relationship among the variables of gender, outreach, and response was revealed. The nature and value of more specific outreach toward birthfathers of children in care and the risk of ignoring men in the birthfamily system are discussed.

Recent research on elder abuse highlights the importance of communication and conflict resolution in the families of older people. Although methods of handling detection and intervention of elder abuse exist, few prevention programs are available for use with community groups. This article reviews the literature on elder abuse and describes an educational curriculum designed to prevent avuse and neglect in families of the elderly.

This study addresses two questions. First, do adolescent mothers differ from older mothers with similar educational backgrounds in terms of the quality of care they provide for their toddlers? Secondly, can maternal child-rearing beliefs be used to predict which mothers are providing the most supportive care for their toddlers? The older mothers are found to have higher (more favorable) Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) scores than the younger mothers. Both older and younger mothers who provide their toddlers with the most supportive care have beliefs about appropriate child-rearing practices that differ from the beliefs of their peers who provide less supportive care.

This longitudinal study of 724 rural families in nine central states investigates the potential effects of young adult children's leaving and returning home upon midlife rural fathers and their family relationships. As expected, only a minority of the rural fathers report distress or unhappiness over either and leaving home or returning home of a young adult child. However, when only the youngest children's leaving is considered, the farm fathers are significantly lower than the rural/nonfarm fathers on indicators of individual well-being and on marital and family satisfaction. More than twice as many farm fathers report distress and feeling bad when the child who left is the youngest child. On the other hand, the returning of adult children to the farm home may be a 'mixed blessing' to farm fathers. Several implications of the findings are suggested for family interventionists who work with farm and other rural families.

RELATIONSHIP OF PERCEIVED ADEQUACY OF SERVICES, FAMILY-PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIPS, AND FAMILY QUALITY OF LIFE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICE PROGRAMS. Summers, J., Marquis, J., Mannan, H., Turnbull, A., Fleming, K., Poston, D., [...]

Research is presented describing the study of integrated care and control communications used by Dutch family supervisors when interacting with the parents of children under care orders.

Issues relating to the provision of care within Northern Irish farming families are presented. Previous studies of informal care have been focussed on urban families. Care giving patterns are found to be linked to cultural expectations in farming families.

Family conferences will only be useful in helping the families resolve their difficulties if their needs are made central to the process rather than the aims of the professionals. Families should not be requested to make plans which at a later date will not be supported by resources. Families are prevented from making workable plans if they are given insufficient information. Methods used by families to cope with problems will not always be in line with those used by the professionals. The article was written in support of C. Lupton's article, in the Feb 1998 issue of the journal.

Voydanoff's (1987) three constructs for the sequencing of work and family stages are integrated with family development theory to produce three hypotheses in regard to work-family career stages and its relationship to satisfaction with the balance between work and family. Canadian findings indicate that the effects for work-family stages are moderated by gender. Mothers who work over twenty hours a week are less satisfied with the balance between work and family than fathers and mothers who work less than twenty hours or are at home full time. Part time dual earner families show relatively high satisfaction with work-family balance for both genders. These finding are discussed in the contexts of family development theory and current social change., INTRODUCTION Work and Family Stage Family development theory (Hill & Rodgers, 1964; Rodgers, 1973; Aldous, 1978; Mattessich & Hill, 1987; White, 1991; Rodgers and White, 1993) posits that each stage […]

The services provided to 120 children (62 experimental and 58 control) by state welfare agencies were followed for six years. When identified initially, all of the children were in out-of-home [...]