Child Welfare Context Research Articles

Informal Support Networks of Parents Involved With the Child Welfare System: Needs and Mental Health Symptoms.

Studies show the protective power of informal support networks for parents, however, most research in this area is not specific to the child welfare context. With a sample of parents with children involved with the U.S. child welfare system due to substantiated child maltreatment (N = 118), latent profile analyses revealed three distinct profiles of parents' informal support networks including perceived support, received support, and network demands. The profiles were associated with differences in sociodemographic risks, ACEs, and symptoms of depression and stress. Parents with four or more ACEs were more likely to be classified in the very little support profile versus the profile of parents with some support. Parents who had high levels of informal network support and a manageable level of network demands had lower levels of depression and stress compared to parents with very little network support. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Collaboration Between Social Workers and Music Therapists in a Child Welfare Context for Unaccompanied Refugee Children

Collaboration Between Social Workers and Music Therapists in a Child Welfare Context for Unaccompanied Refugee Children

The socio-technical organization of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in child welfare

ABSTRACT In this article we use institutional ethnography to investigate the intersection between provincially mandated digital technologies intended to streamline decision-making, improve communication, and create efficiencies and the development and implementation of strategies to institutionalize Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (or EDI) in child welfare contexts. These two moves collide in the Child Welfare Redesign – a state-led initiative that organizes the convergence of data and diversity work in local Children’s Aid Societies in the Canadian province of Ontario. Drawing on 38 interviews with child welfare directors, supervisors, and managers coupled with extensive documentary research, our findings show how the Ontario Child Welfare Redesign goal to make child welfare services more “inclusive” and “culturally appropriate” for Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities who are overrepresented among those receiving child welfare services is undermined by the continued use of provincial information management infrastructure and the provincially mandated Child Protection Standards and Tools.

Case conceptualization in child welfare: an underused resource to improve child, family, and provider outcomes.

Case conceptualization, formally known as case formulation, is one tool that assists in determining the best course of action for children and families experiencing family violence that has been under-utilized in child welfare. In this article we present a step-by-step case conceptualization process that considers the child welfare context. We then present a hypothetical case example of a 10-year-old child referred by a child welfare worker to evidence-based treatment for mental health and behavioural concerns. Mental health services are not helpful for the child and further consultation is enlisted. To more effectively guide intervention and treatment planning and ultimately improve outcomes for the child, we present case conceptualization as a process that incorporates relevant aspects of the child and family's history and circumstance. We conclude with a succinct case conceptualization and treatment plan to show how the prognosis of the child can be improved when case conceptualization is employed.

Behavioral health and legal system involvement among transition-age youth in foster care: a longitudinal analysis of youth in California

ABSTRACT Research shows that young people in foster care experience high levels of behavioral health problems that may lead to life obstacles, including legal system involvement (LSI) during the transition to adulthood. However, few longitudinal studies have examined LSI among foster youth from a behavioral health perspective during the transition to adulthood. To understand adolescent behavioral health conditions associated with adult LSI, we used longitudinal survey data of young people in foster care (n = 540) to compare the prevalence of different behavioral health disorders (age 17) between youth who later reported LSI and those who did not (ages 19–21). We also examined associations between adolescent behavioral health disorders and adult LSI, accounting for other covariates. We find that compared to those who did not, youth who reported later LSI in early adulthood had significantly higher rates of four behavioral health disorders at age 17: alcohol use, drug use, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder. Regression results showed drug use disorder at age 17 to be a particularly strong predictor of later LSI after accounting for other covariates. Many individuals experience various risk factors for LSI, including behavioral health needs. We discuss implications for practice, policy, and research in the child welfare context.

Inclusive work environments as a pathway to an engaged child welfare workforce that intends to stay

Numerous workforce matters have converged as critical issues in the child welfare context, including the need to have a stable and healthy workforce and respond to increased diversity among workers. Little research has explored the role of work engagement in workers staying in their jobs. Furthermore, limited research has examined how work engagement and job burnout might moderate the relationship between an inclusive and just work environment and workers’ intentions to stay in the agency. Using cross-sectional data from 2,000 public child welfare caseworkers, this study examined how an inclusive work environment is related to the intention to stay in the agency. Furthermore, the study examined the influence of work engagement and burnout on the relationship between inclusive work environments and intention to stay in the agency. Multiple regression analyses were conducted, with results suggesting that organizational justice was significantly related to intention to stay in the agency among White and BIPOC caseworkers. Inclusive leadership was significantly related to intention to stay in the agency only among BIPOC caseworkers. Work engagement and job burnout were significantly related to intention to stay in the agency for White and BIPOC caseworkers, and job burnout moderated the relationship between inclusive leadership and intention to stay on the job among BIPOC caseworkers who reported high levels of inclusive leadership and low job burnout.

Giving and Taking Voice: Metapragmatic Dismissals of Parents in Child Welfare Court Cases

Applying tools of linguistic anthropology to ethnographic research conducted in a California child welfare court, this article analyzes how commentary by attorneys and judges about the language practices of parents and other communicative practices normalized the dismissal of the voices of marginalized lay actors throughout their cases. This commentary is an example of what linguistic anthropologists describe as “metapragmatic discourse,” or the use of language to foreground language itself and what language can accomplish in social exchanges. I introduce the concept of “metapragmatic dismissals” to describe how attorneys and judges in the child welfare context positioned parents’ language practices and overall personhood as suspect, often before parents even entered the courtroom. I identify practices of silencing, voicing figures of disbelief, and the use of metapragmatic labels of “lies” and “excuses” as common forms of metapragmatic dismissals that are supported by norms of court procedure, standards of evidence, and institutionalized discretion. This concept provides new insights into legal experiences in child welfare courts and, more generally, offers a valuable analytical framework for scholars who study the intersection of law, language, and power.

Analysis of implementation drivers of secondary traumatic stress (STS)-informed organizational change and experiences of STS and burnout in child welfare

BackgroundSTS and burnout (BO) are significant problems for child welfare professionals (Bride, 2007; Craig & Sprang, 2010). A challenge for at-risk professions is to understand how both individuals and organizations can address the potential impact of these conditions. ObjectiveThis study explores the influence of organizational factors on individual experiences of STS and BO in child welfare settings. Participants and settingStudy participants were 382 child welfare professionals in the United States who were participating in an organizational assessment of STS and related activities. MethodThe Secondary Traumatic Stress Informed Organizational Assessment (STSI-OA) tool (Sprang et al., 2014) was administered to evaluate the use of policies, practices and training activities that address STS and BO (Sprang et al., 2014). The National Implementation Research Network's (NIRN) implementation framework was applied to the STSI-OA and domain activities loaded onto the three implementation drivers of competency, organization and leadership (Sprang, Ross, & Miller, 2018). Regression analyses were conducted to determine the strength of associations between the implementation drivers of STS informed organizational activity and individual ratings of STS and BO. ResultIncreased use of STS-informed activities affiliated with all three implementation drivers was significantly associated with lower individual STS and BO scores. STS-informed activities associated with the organization driver seemed particularly effective for addressing STS. ConclusionThis study supports the utility of the integrated framework for enacting STS-informed change in child welfare contexts. Recommendations for organizations and future research are provided.

Feasibility of a Healthy Relationships Program with Youth at a Child Protective Services Agency

AbstractYouth involved in child welfare may benefit from programming that enhances their relationship skills given their susceptibility to engaging in high-risk interpersonal behaviors that can lead to challenges such as, engaging in or experiencing violence, housing and job insecurity, and poor physical and mental health. This research explored the feasibility of implementing an evidence-based healthy relationships program, the Healthy Relationships Plus Program - Enhanced (HRP-E), with youth involved in child welfare. Over 9 months, four HRP-E groups were facilitated at a Children’s Aid Society in Ontario, Canada, involving 28 youth. Interviews were conducted with facilitators (n = 5) and youth (n = 13) to examine their views of the program. Facilitators also completed surveys that evaluated the facilitation of each session and overall program implementation. A thematic analysis of the data was conducted and results indicated that the HRP-E was perceived as a valuable program that is relevant and useful for youth involved in child welfare. Participants highlighted trauma-informed practices and organizational resources that are required when facilitating the HRP-E within a child welfare context. The present findings address the theory-to-practice gap by illustrating the practical application of trauma-informed program facilitation. The outcomes of this study contribute to understanding considerations and best practices for implementing a healthy relationships program with youth involved in child welfare.

A Multilevel Examination of Whether Child Welfare Worker Characteristics Predict the Substantiation Decision in Canada.

The decision to substantiate a report of child maltreatment represents a key decision point in the child welfare service decision-making continuum. This decision has various potential implications for children and their families, which may include more intensive child welfare involvement or the cessation of services. The substantiation decision is determined by whether there is enough evidence to suggest that maltreatment or the risk of maltreatment has occurred. To date, there has been minimal exploration of whether child welfare worker characteristics might influence this critical decision point. The Decision-Making Ecology would suggest that indeed, worker characteristics play a role in how they carry out their role. Given the importance of this decision point, this study uses secondary data to examine whether worker characteristics, such as education level and type, ethnoracial identity, caseload, and experience, predict substantiation in the Canadian child welfare context. Furthermore, this study utilizes multilevel modeling, a theoretically important and unique method of analyzing organizational data that considers differences in decisions among child welfare workers. The final model included 4,327 children and 567 workers from across Canada. Several case level factors (e.g., child age and functioning, caregiver risk factors) predicted the substantiation decision. Furthermore, and most importantly for this study, worker characteristics significantly predicted their substantiation decision. Workers with fewer years of experience, those in an Ongoing Services role, and with a lower caseload substantiated significantly more often than those with more work experience, in another role, and with higher caseloads. Lastly, caseload and years of experience, and training and caseload both interacted to predict the substantiation decision. Implications for policy and practice and future research areas are discussed.

Strengthening supportive networks for care leavers: A scoping review of social support interventions in child welfare services

Care leavers often have a smaller network and receive less social support than other youth. This is problematic, as research highlights the importance of having a strong social network on which to rely when transitioning to adulthood. As such, the purpose of this scoping review was to identify studies describing interventions, programs, or methods used by child welfare services to strengthen or enhance supportive networks for care leavers. A literature search was conducted among five databases. The search was limited to articles published between 2010 and 2020 and written in English. To be as comprehensive and inclusive as possible, quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies were included. Twelve articles were included in the review. The interventions discussed in these twelve studies were divided by the authors into five categories: (1) natural mentoring, (2) formal mentoring, (3) formal mentoring and skills training, (4) network facilitation by intensive family finding, and (5) self-help groups. This scoping review suggests that few studies have been conducted on social support interventions for care leavers carried out by child welfare services. Moreover, the method of evaluation differs among the studies that do exist. The literature is thus too limited to suggest a promising practice, but there are some examples of hopeful interventions. As such, there seems to be a need for more research on social support interventions within a child welfare context.

Is buprenorphine treatment availability associated with decreases in substantiated cases of child maltreatment?

ObjectivesBuprenorphine utilization is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Given the recent increase in child maltreatment reports related to parental substance use, research should explore the correlation between buprenorphine treatment and child maltreatment–related outcomes. MethodsThe study team drew the data for the study from 2016 to 2018 administrative records on buprenorphine waivered providers and child welfare caseloads in 25 states. Multivariable linear regression models with county and year fixed effects were estimated to examine the correlation between changes in buprenorphine treatment capacity (defined as the total patient limit of all providers with a buprenorphine waiver in a county) and the total number of children reported for maltreatment in a county, and the case determinations of those children. ResultsAn increase in buprenorphine treatment capacity did not have a significant impact on the total number of children reported to child welfare agencies for maltreatment but was associated with a reduction in the number of substantiated cases. Specifically, an increase in capacity of 1 patient per 100 residents was associated with a −0.9% decrease in the probability that a report will be substantiated following an investigation. ConclusionsIncreased buprenorphine treatment capacity was correlated with lower rates of substantiated cases of maltreatment, suggesting that OUD treatment is effective in reducing immediate risk to children. Increased treatment for OUD has a positive externality in the child welfare context. Increases in buprenorphine treatment are likely to provide parents not only with the needed treatment for their OUD but also act as a support mechanism to fulfill their parental roles.

Too Vulnerable to Participate? A Systematic Literature Review of the Gap between a Right to Participate and Participation, in Welfare Services

AbstractThere is a need to reconceptualize children as competent and reflective actors in their own lives, acknowledging their right to be heard and to participate in meaningful ways. This article explores and suggests the means to overcome the gap between the formal right to participate and meaningful participation in welfare services that involve evaluating a child’s family environment. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic literature review to synthesize the qualitative literature on how children and young people who have been in contact with child welfare services experience participation in the making of decisions that affect their well-being. The articles collected from eight scientific databases indicate that despite a growing general emphasis on the importance of child participation over the past 25 years, the operationalization of children’s right to be heard is challenging in child welfare services. There are challenges at both the organizational level, with the failure to fully acknowledge and operationalize children’s right to be heard in a sufficient manner, and at the individual level, with a need to improve opportunities for communication that facilitate trustful relationships between child welfare social workers and children in need. Based on previous studies of participation in a child welfare context at different levels, we conclude that a legally clear framework in combination with the realization of Skivenes and Strandbu’s definition of participation would increase the chances that children’s interests and right to be heard are respected, protected, and implemented.

Deepening Our Understanding of Reflective Practice in a Safeguarding Child Protection and Welfare Context

This article aims to develop a deeper understanding of reflective practice (RP) in teams in the context of a systemic approach to child protection. It highlights the inherent dichotomy of reflective practice between the very private nature of reflection and its application to the public arena of professional practice. Six social workers in the London Borough of Ealing participated in semi-structured interviews based on their experience of the structures in place to facilitate team reflections, namely daily Morning Check-in (MC) and weekly Group Supervision (GS) meetings. Findings identified four key themes: first RP as a team learning activity; second, the challenge to provide emotional support through RP within the team, third, the time commitment and last the importance of team stability. The impact on social workers’ ability to reflect in their teams is discussed using four dimensions of systemic practice; first, the use of ‘self’ in social work interventions; second, the ‘mentalisation’ of the child and their family; third, the ‘team around the worker’ support and fourth, practitioners’ reflective learning. Much more needs to be understood to effectively accommodate the private process of RP within the reality of public organisational life.

Understanding trauma experiences and needs through a comprehensive assessment of transition age youth in child welfare

BackgroundIn the context of child welfare, Transition Age Youth (TAY) have high rates of trauma experiences (TEs) and are more likely to exhibit negative outcomes as they transition into adulthood. ObjectiveThis study describes the frequency and distribution of TEs among TAY in child welfare, as a whole and across sex and race/ethnicity. This study also examines the relationship between TEs and Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) needs. Participants and settingParticipants included 3324 TAY (14.5 to 21-year-olds) who were under the care of the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (IDCFS) and in out-of-home care for at least one year. MethodsThe CANS was the primary measure for this study. Administrative and clinical data were examined for youth who met the identified criteria. Pearson's chi-square tests of association were conducted to determine differences in TEs across race/ethnicity and sex. Negative binomial regressions were used to determine the association between TEs and needs. ResultsMost TAY had at least one TE (91%) and the majority had four or more TEs (52%). Significant differences occurred in relation to sex and race/ethnicity. Furthermore, TEs were significantly associated with needs across all CANS domains examined (e.g., behavioral/emotional needs, life domain functioning). ConclusionsThis is one of the few empirical studies to examine TEs and related functional, behavioral, and emotional needs of TAY in child welfare. Overall, findings suggest a need for improving trauma-informed approaches and interventions that serve TAY.

The Importance of Teaching Social Work as a Sociolegal Practice: An Irish Perspective

ABSTRACT It has been argued that social work is the only profession that is based on a sociolegal expertise. In this article we suggest that this expertise differentiates social work from related social professions; requiring advanced sociolegal practice skills and a particular approach to sociolegal education. In a sociolegal environment, social workers and legal professionals practice in a space between service user and their wider environment. We demonstrate the importance of social work students developing competence in the use of the law and how a socioecological model can help students develop their sociolegal practice. We draw from our experience of the Irish child welfare and protection context and argue that specialist sociolegal skills education is required to inform practice across domains.

Family treatment court participation and permanency in a rural setting: Outcomes from a rigorous quasi‐experiment

AbstractSubstance‐affected families are frequently cited as the most challenging families to serve within the child welfare context, particularly in rural settings where treatment services may be few and far between. Growing evidence suggests that family treatment courts (FTCs) may be more effective than their traditional counterpart at achieving key child welfare goals; however, prior studies have been limited in their methodological rigour. This study used treatment and matched comparison data to test foster care exit patterns of families with children in foster care due to parental substance use. Treatment group data were collected on a sample of 91 children with open dependency cases in an integrated FTC in a rural Midwestern town. Propensity score nearest neighbour one‐to‐two matching was used to identify a comparison group of 146 children. Findings suggest that FTC participation significantly influenced foster care exits. Survival analyses revealed that FTC children were 170% more likely to reunify, and 58% more likely to achieve permanency, than comparison cases. The effect of FTC participation on likelihood of reunification and likelihood of permanency was stronger when models estimated outcomes from FTC start date, rather than child removal date. Implications for social work practice, research, and education are discussed.

The What, Why and How of Child Participation—A Review of the Conceptualization of “Child Participation” in Child Welfare

This review explores the conceptualization of “child participation” in a child welfare context. The analyses are based on the theories, models and concepts researchers apply when framing their studies. Central to the authors’ conceptualizing is the understanding of why children should participate. Children’s rights are a common starting point for many authors, but they differ on whether children should participate out of consideration for children’s intrinsic value (e.g., concern for their well-being) or for the instrumental value of the participation itself (e.g., service outcome). The analysis also focuses on how authors measure participation level. The analysis showed that most authors presented a limited rights-focused goal for the collaboration with children, while a minority group problematized the concept. Although several researchers emphasize that participation requires a process, few authors see the meaning-making process as the main purpose of child participation.

How do staff in residential care transform Trauma-Informed principles into practice? A qualitative study from a Norwegian child welfare context

ABSTRACT Trauma-informed practices (TIP) in social welfare and mental health services have become widespread. TIP is considered to be a mindset rather than an operationalized methodology. TIP principles need to be transformed into practice in any given context. We interviewed staff at a Norwegian residential care institution on how they transformed TIP-principles into practice after receiving competence building based on Howard Bath’s ‘three-pillar’ approach. Informants emphasized the importance of self-awareness such as self-reflection, authenticity, and other-regulation, intended actions such as building strength, providing staff availability, setting safe limits, and collaborating with the youth, as well as organizational and cultural practices such as promoting a shared coherent mindset, stability, routines, and cultural safety. Using an adherence check model as a framework, we discuss if informants´ descriptions reflect a general humanist approach, rather than TIP as such. Most of their descriptions make sense in a TIP perspective, but few can be claimed to be unique to TIP, and their focus on authenticity may even conflict with theories of change embedded in TIP. Further, we reflect on the debate on whether TIP should be more standardized or not, and outline implications of findings for future implementations of TIP programmes.

Educating Children in Our Care

In Canada, there is increasing recognition that poor educational outcomes of children and adolescents involved with the child welfare system represent an emerging crisis for youth, their families, and the broader society. Interprofessional education and collaboration between educators and social workers may facilitate better outcomes for children in care. Although interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaboration (IPC) are well established in the allied health fields, there is not an equivalent acceptance within the applied social sciences, specifically in education and child welfare contexts. This may partially be attributed to the “siloed” nature of these professions, which limits both capacity and opportunities for professionals to understand each other’s mandates, roles, and policies. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a graduate elective course for social workers and educators that was geared toward educational outcomes of children in care. Thirty-eight students from both disciplines participated in a summer institute. Although participants valued the content and process of the course, it is unclear whether these types of initiatives facilitate enhanced IPC. Findings do however suggest that IPE initiatives targeted toward a specific population may have more positive outcomes, compared to general IPC.