Abstract
Background: In Japan, a half to one third of child abuse cases involved parents with mental disorders. However, support skills for these parents have not been established. Objective: This qualitative descriptive study aimed to describe child-welfare social workers’ support skills for parents with mental disorders. Method: Eight social workers were interviewed, and each was asked to identify four cases (32 total cases); two were successfully supported, and two were not. Descriptions of support goals and content were extracted from transcripts, coded, and categorized. Results: Almost half of the parents with mental disorders identified in this study were diagnosed with addictive or personality disorders. Social workers supported parents in the following goals: “being able to consult when the need arises,” “living conditions with minimum level of safety and comfort for children,” “living arrangements suitable for the family,” “independence of the family,” and “growth of children.” Social workers supported more comfortable and realistic living arrangements for each family and supported them to live independently. The social workers supported the parents with the following support skills: “assessment of the needs of the family,” “assessment of and support to relationships with parents,” “assessment and support of growth of children,” “assessment and support in child-raising by parents,” “assessment and support for the stability of medical condition of parents,” “support through cooperation with other related agencies,” and “continuing support for being an independent family.” Conclusion: Social workers had many ways of assessing/supporting parents with mental disorders. However, social workers must be more sensitive to medical conditions and collaborate more with psychiatrists.
Highlights
The number of child abuse cases reported has been increasing in Japan [1]
Almost half of the parents with mental disorders identified in this study were diagnosed with addictive or personality disorders
The social workers supported the parents with the following support skills: “assessment of the needs of the family,” “assessment of and support to relationships with parents,” “assessment and support of growth of children,” “assessment and support in child-raising by parents,” “assessment and support for the stability of medical condition of parents,” “support through cooperation with other related agencies,” and “continuing support for being an independent family.”
Summary
The number of child abuse cases reported has been increasing in Japan [1]. Families in which children are abused are supported until the children reach 18 years old under the Child Welfare Act in Japan. The social cost of child abuse in Japan in the fiscal year 2012 was at least ¥1.6 trillion ($16 billion), almost equal to the total amount of damages from the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in Fukushima Prefecture [2]. Despite this high cost, Social Workers (SWs) working in child consultation centers in Japan, which are the main management and support agencies for child abuse, are in charge of many families with cases of child abuse; each center reaches over 100 families per SW [3]. Support skills for these parents have not been established
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