Family Assistance Research Articles

Reducing poverty among children: Evidence from state policy simulations

State approaches to reducing child poverty vary considerably. We exploit this state-level variation to estimate what could be achieved in terms of child poverty if all states adopted the most generous or inclusive states’ policies. Specifically, we simulate the child poverty reductions that would occur if every state were as generous or inclusive as the most generous or inclusive state in four key policies: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), state Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and state Child Tax Credits (CTC). We find that adopting the most generous or inclusive state EITC policy would have the largest impact on child poverty, reducing it by 1.2 percentage points, followed by SNAP, TANF, and lastly state CTC. If all states were as generous or inclusive as the most generous or inclusive state in all four policies, the child poverty rate would decrease by 2.5 percentage points, and five and a half million children would be lifted out of poverty.

Trauma-Informed Financial Empowerment Programming Improves Food Security Among Families With Young Children

ObjectiveTo determine how trauma-informed programming affects household food insecurity (HFI) over 12 months. DesignChange was assessed in HFI from baseline to 12 months in response to a single-arm cohort intervention. Measures were taken at baseline and in every quarter. Two participant groups were compared: participation in ≥4 sessions (full participation) vs participation in <4 sessions (low/no participation). SettingCommunity-based setting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ParticipantsA total of 372 parents of children aged <6 years, participating in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, recruited from county assistance offices and community-based settings. InterventionTrauma-informed programming incorporates healing-centered approaches to address previous exposures to trauma. Sixteen sessions addressed emotional management, social and family dynamics related to violence exposure and childhood adversity, and financial skills. Main Outcome MeasuresHousehold food insecurity, as defined by the US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey Module. AnalysisMixed-effects logistic regression models were used to compare groups from baseline to 12 months, controlling for adverse childhood experiences, depression, and public assistance. ResultsThose with full participation had 55% lower odds of facing HFI compared with the low/no participation group (adjusted odds ratio = 0.45; 95% confidence interval, 0.22–0.90). Conclusions and ImplicationsTrauma-informed programming can reduce the odds of HFI and may reduce trauma-related symptoms associated with depression and poverty.

Support for families with children during a pandemic – tasks and organization of the work of family assistants

In March 2020, in Poland were introduced regulations to limit the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2. The restrictions apply to the everyday life of people, they refer to maintaining social distance, moving outside home and the functioning of institutions. Many companies and institutions introduced remote work. Trade is moving to online shopping. In the face of these changes, what should the profession of family assistant look like, which has the nature of social service and its work area has usually been the place of residence of the family? The answer to this question is presented in this study. It includes recommendations on the scope and organization of family assistants' activities during the pandemic.

Ensuring Equitable Access to School Meals

Ensuring Equitable Access to School Meals

Cooperation in Child Welfare Decision Making: Qualitative Vignette Study

ABSTRACT Many social work decisions are the outcome of collaborative working with other professionals and organisations, although there is little study of these decision-making processes. In this qualitative study conducted in Poland, the frame of reference was social work practice experience rather than a theoretical model. A vignette was presented to five respondents from each of nine groups of workers who have roles in child welfare decision making: counsellors, family assistants, family judges, family mediators, police officers, probation officers, school teachers, social workers, and voluntary probation officers. Qualitative data were gathered through interviewing respondents about the vignette. Two themes from the study related primarily to the assessment process and individual judgement prior to actual partnership engagement: “Reaching beyond the presenting problem”, and “Framing the decision through problem identification”. Two other themes related to early stages of engaging with another organisation: “Clarifying responsibilities with other organisations”, and “Using the diagnosis of another organization”. The fifth and final theme related to work required to help the family: “Identification of ‘the one big problem’”. There seemed to be some reluctance to own responsibility for addressing a problem faced by the family. The themes were analysed using elements of risk communication and collaboration theory. The study highlights the need for leadership in partnership working built on an understanding of the realities of the practice environment and the specific responsibilities of each profession and organisation.

Data retrieval service on poverty blockchain-based on regional government

The distribution of assistance to disadvantaged people in an area is always synonymous with problems especially, in the duplication of assistance and manipulation of family data that actually has no right to obtain assistance data for underprivileged families. To ensure the integrity of the data taken is not duplicated and non-repudiation, the blockchain-based poverty data collection plan is one solution. The purpose of this research is to ensure that the data retrieved cannot be modified after data retrieval and the database cannot validly deny that the data has been provided as a result of a particular request. The feasibility of the proposed service using the blockchain method is a request from the poverty database in the form of low-income family data and assistance type data that are placed in the blockchain series and tested with hash values that have been created from the blockchain

State Politics, Race, and “Welfare” as a Funding Stream: Cash Assistance Spending Under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

Race and racism have long been identified as influences on state cash assistance policy under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF; “welfare” in the United States) and its predecessor programs. TANF is structured as a flexible block grant with a state contribution requirement and cash benefits now account for only about one‐quarter of all program expenditures. Both proportion of effort devoted to cash assistance and change over time since passage of the 1996 welfare reform law vary by state. In this article, I consider the relationship between prevalence of negative stereotyping of blacks among whites in a state and emphasis on cash assistance as a TANF expenditure priority from 1998 to 2013. I find that prevalence of stereotyping of blacks among whites is related to TANF cash assistance effort, while evidence that it is related to the rate of decline in cash assistance over time is ambiguous.

Pracownik socjalny i asystent rodziny w systemie wspierania rodziny

&lt;p class="Default"&gt;Efektywnej pracy socjalnej z rodziną sprzyja właściwa współpraca pracownika socjalnego z asystentem rodziny. Zharmonizowanie ich zadań jest ważne szczególnie w sytuacjach, w których dotychczasowe działania przedstawicieli służb społecznych nie przyniosły satysfakcjonujących rezultatów. Zadania pracownika socjalnego, wielokrotnie opisywane w literaturze, nie doczekały się pogłębionych analiz obejmujących wspólne działanie z asystentem rodziny. Asystent wspiera rodzinę tak, by mogła pokonywać trudności życiowe, zwłaszcza dotyczące dzieci, oraz towarzyszy rodzicom we wprowadzeniu zmian umożliwiających prawidłowy rozwój ich potomstwa. W przeciwieństwie do pracy socjalnej cechą właściwą asystowaniu jest wysoka indywidualizacja działań, możliwa dzięki mniejszej liczbie świadczeniobiorców. Podobnie do pracownika socjalnego asystent ma na celu zwiększenie poczucia wpływu członków rodziny na własne życie, przyczyniając się do podniesienia poziomu jego jakości. Optyka asystenta rodziny ogniskuje się głównie na jej usamodzielnieniu i pozostawieniu dzieci w ich naturalnym środowisku, obejmując szeroko rozumianą pedagogizację. W artykule podjęto próbę omówienia zakresów ról pracownika socjalnego i asystenta rodziny w systemie wspierania rodziny.&lt;/p&gt;

Rola zawodowa asystenta rodziny – przegląd badań

&lt;p&gt;Zawód asystenta rodziny w świetle obowiązujących przepisów został wprowadzony do pomocy społecznej w Polsce w 2012 r., początki jego istnienia datuje się jednak dużo wcześniej. Zawód ten w dużej mierze polega na udzielaniu pomocy w przezwyciężaniu trudności życiowych rodzin oraz poprawie funkcjonowania jej członków w różnych obszarach. Celem artykułu był przegląd publikacji prezentujących badania poświęcone roli zawodowej asystenta. Badacze zajmowali się wieloma obszarami wprowadzonej w Polsce asystentury. Zalicza się do nich realizację asystentury rodziny oraz badania pozwalające na ocenę jej efektywności według ustalonych kryteriów. W polu zainteresowań znalazły się także możliwości kształtowania kompetencji w procesie szkolenia asystentów rodzin oraz radzenia sobie z wypaleniem zawodowym, jak również analizy związane z postrzeganiem asystentów rodziny, formami zatrudnienia czy profesjonalizacji zawodu asystenta. Opisane publikacje zawierają wiele aspektów stale związanych z asystenturą rodziny, lecz są też takie, które przedstawiają jeden obszar badań, dotyczący specyficznej roli asystenta rodziny. Zakres prezentowanych publikacji jest dość szeroki, pozwala jednak na wybranie obszarów do głębszej analizy.&lt;/p&gt;

Aktywności ukierunkowane na odczucia rodzin w pracy socjalnej asystentów rodziny

&lt;p&gt;Artykuł przedstawia analizę aktywności asystentów rodziny ukierunkowanych na odczucia rodzin. Są to linie aktywności mieszczące się w obrębie „pracy nad odczuciami”, po raz pierwszy opisanej w koncepcji społecznej organizacji pracy. Opracowanie stanowi fragment badań narracyjnych przeprowadzonych z asystentami rodziny w latach 2011–2017, których celem było poszukiwanie aktywności podmiotowych, poprzez które wyraża się tożsamość podmiotu działającego. W ramach badań powstała praca doktorska pt. &lt;em&gt;Tożsamość profesjonalna w narracjach asystentów rodziny&lt;/em&gt;. W artykule zaprezentowano wnioski związane z fragmentem przeprowadzonych badań, dotyczące przebiegu aktywności asystentów oddziałujących na emocje, uczucia oraz przekonania członków rodzin, które zmagają się z wieloma problemami życiowymi, co wpływa na ich wydolność opiekuńczo-wychowawczą. Artykuł może być inspiracją do namysłu nad sobą dla praktyków pracy socjalnej, którym zależy na profesjonalnym uwrażliwieniu na Drugiego oraz na jakości współtworzonych relacji pomocowych sprzyjających procesowi wsparcia.&lt;/p&gt;

PERSONAL DETERMINANTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE FOR FAMILIES WITH PROBLEM CHILDREN

The article defines and generalizes prognostic personal determinants of psychological assistance for families with problem children. The discriminate analysis method was used to investigate the differences between the gradations of the “dependent” variable and the effect of “independent” variables on it. The “independent” (discriminate) variables were defined with an array of quantitative indicators determined with standardized psychological diagnostic means: questionnaires for studying the accentuations of character (A. Ehides in the modification of I. Slobodyanyuk, O. Kholodova, O. Oleksenko), parental attitudes (A. Vargaga, Stolin), for the analysis of family relationships (E. Eidemiller, V. Yustitskis), the Freiburg personal questionnaire (FPI). The “dependent” variable was not a quantitative trait; it was meaningfully defined as “a degree of family system functionality”: dysfunction, pseudo-functional, functional. The results of the studied prognostic personal determinants of psychological assistance for families with problem children were generalized and analyzed. The identified symptomatic set of specific personality determinants can become the focus and direction of psychological assistance for families with problem children. The generalized prognostic and significant personal predictors of family system functionality were: the functional coherence and flexibility of family roles; similarity-relevance of family values and scenarios; mainly constructive ways of conflict resolving by spouses; complementarities in relationships; emotional closeness, trust, empathy in relationships; flexibility and honesty in communications; authenticity; favourable psychological climate in the family; satisfaction with marriage; open partnership between spouses; differentiation from parental family and a partner; matrimonial conformity of spouses; rarely expressed “hypoprotection”; positive attitude towards children; wide sphere of parental feelings; cooperation with children; schizoid accentuation; symbiosis with a child; rarely expressed “indulgence”; minimum sanctions; epileptoid type. The article emphasize that some determinants of family dysfunction need to be corrected. Other determinants can be used to predict the effectiveness of psychological assistance for families with problem children, since optimal and effective scenarios can be designed and implemented only on the basis of understanding and taking into account the meaningful characteristics of the personal structure. These indicators are weighed at the stage of evaluating the psychological assistance effectiveness. The further exploration will be in the direction of implementation of the psychological supporting program for families with problem children with taking into account the data obtained at the stages of program planning and its effectiveness evaluation.

Family Perception in Readiness Accepting Discharge Planning Determined by Nursing Advocacy Program

Introduction: Planning for patients to go home raises the issue of whether the patient is ready to face health problems at home, the lack of a support system becomes a problem especially if the patient as the head of the family needs continuity of care both in the healing process and in maintaining the patient's health status both at home sick or at home. The purpose of this study was to determine how is the Role of Advocacy given by Nurses with Readiness in Receiving Discharge Planning by patients and families. Methods: The cross-sectional correlational study in this study views the patient's family support in readiness to receive the patient's home program on the ward. Sampling 97 respondents with a purposive sample technique. Results: Family perceptions about nurses in the positive category (73.2%). The level of family readiness in accepting return planning in the good category (53.6%), the results of the bivariate analysis using the Spearman rating relate to family perceptions about nurse advocacy with readiness in accepting return planning with a p value of 0.00 &lt;alpha 0.01. Conclusion: Family perceptions about nurse advocacy with home preparation have a strong relationship, so family assistance in nursing care in re-care planning is needed. family perceptions of nurses are needed including nursing actions or other matters relating to care by the family also need to support patient health.

Psychosocial factors that influence marital couple duration

Humanity’s history, with its biological, psychological, social, cultural, economic and political dimensions, belongs to the coexistence of man and woman, to the relationships between them and their children. In time, family has become one of the oldest community forms, which ensures the evolution and continuity of the human species. Family influences the most the human being. Many studies made by researchers in this field, have proved the importance of the family for people, emphasizing that family is a real laboratory for the development of a person. In contemporary society, family suffered a lot of important transformations, like female empowerment for example, which, in turn, has determined many other changes in the family life. Due to these changes, the marital couple is currently more interested in satisfying its own interests and minimizes the tasks that society assigns to the family. A sample of 30 married couples, residing in Constanta County, has been assessed with Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale, Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale, Kansas Marital Conflict Scale and Influence of the Material Situation on the Couple Questionnaire. The main objective of the research was to identify the relationship between these factors and the duration of the marital couple. We identified significant correlation between: (1) the couple’s duration and marital satisfaction; (2) the marital satisfaction and marital adjustment; (3) the level of the financial status and marital quarrels. Results are discussed in terms of marital counseling, the increase of marital satisfaction and the development of assistance for families in need.

Sustainable livelihood strategies: comparative cases at the aftermath of landslide at Ponorogo and Bantul, Indonesia

This study discusses the sustainable livelihood strategies of landslide impacted two different regions, namely: Banaran Village-Ponorogo Regency and Wukirsari village-Bantul Regency. Banaran landslide caused 28 houses to be buried, 28 people died, and 40 families directly affected. Wukirsari landslide caused 18 houses damaged, 4 people died, 2 people were injured, 15 families fled to different areas. Banaran Village is an Agrarian Village in rural area, and Wukirsari Village is an Industrial Village in urban area. These different types of villages affected the capacity of local people to cope with disasters. This research employed a spatial temporal statistical method with livelihood component to be evaluated. There are several indicators such as meeting the needs of life and utilizing the social-family-government network observed in each household. The more diverse the activities that are owned, the higher the income, so to increase the capacity of directly affected populations requires a variety of activities as a form of livelihood strategy. Meanwhile, they show different livelihood strategy in disasters: the rural people depending on government and family assistance, while the urban people rely more on various source of income and family assistance to survive.

Smoothing Rough Transitions: the Extensive Role of Family Assistance in Pathways into Homeownership

Research addressing intergenerational financial assistance is currently uncovering a key space in which the familial transmission of advantage and disadvantage plays out. However, there is a gap between studies addressing the relationship between intergenerational assistance and outcomes in areas such as education and employment, and those addressing intergenerational assistance with entry into homeownership. The former have not addressed the impact of assistance on housing outcomes in any depth, while the latter have focused predominantly on single instances of support. As a result, little is known about the relationship between intergenerational support received over the so-called ‘transition’ to adulthood and support received specifically to aid entry into homeownership. This article presents data from ‘housing pathway’ interviews conducted with 33 young adult homeowners in Australia and in so doing begins to uncover the complex relationship between financial assistance with homeownership and previous instances of financial assistance. Drawing on the finding that homeownership appeared, in some cases, to be facilitated by seemingly unrelated forms of assistance, the paper argues for a revised conceptualisation of the relationship between independence and dependence in the transition to adulthood. Specifically, rather than understanding the achievement of adult milestones as symbolic of growing independence, it is argued that these milestones are, in some cases, achieved only through dependence on protracted forms of support. This claim challenges a dichotomous notion of dependence and independence by instead putting forward the concept of independence through dependence.

Model-Based Family Health Promotion To Improve The Quality Of Life Of Children Aged 2-4 Years

Children aged 2-4 years are a golden period as a basis for the next development. Because the primary care role of children under five is by families, it is necessary to do family-based health promotion. Model health promotion information-motivation-behavioral skills s implemented in the form of family assistance activities. Namely the family assistance model by providing information, motivation, and examples of behavioral skills in parenting children under five.&#x0D; The purpose of this research is knowing the effectiveness family-based model of health promotion models in formation-motivation-behavioral (IMB) skill s to the quality of life for toddlers 2-5 years. Pure design experiment using Randomized Controlled Trial with pre-post test with a single-blind control group. The research subjects are toddlers aged 2-4 years many 60, who meet the criteria have significant congenital abnormalities and not multiple. The instrument of this study is a Guide to family-based health promotion models, with the research instrument being the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL ™) Questionnaire.&#x0D; The health promotion model of information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) is carried out in the form of family mentoring activities to improve the quality of life of children aged 2-4 years ( p-value0,000). The average enhancement child's quality of life score, more large ( mean difference 16.90, p-value 0,000 ) in the group experiment ( IMB Model ) compared the control group. External variables that affect the quality of life of children aged 2-4 years are income and parenting parents.

State variation in the drug felony lifetime ban on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: Why the modified ban matters

The drug felony lifetime ban on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) affects thousands of individuals with felony drug convictions in the United States. Federal law allows states to choose to opt out or modify the full ban. Prior research has treated the ban as a binary outcome, characterizing anything but a full ban as a sign of state reform of this harsh collateral consequence. We argue that modified versions of the ban, which simultaneously allow greater access to public aid while also monitoring and sanctioning recipient behavior, have been overlooked but pose important theoretical and empirical challenges to this narrative. To address this gap, we analyze state discretion in the implementation of the drug felony lifetime ban on TANF receipt between 1997 and 2010 utilizing a multilevel multinomial modeling strategy. Results reveal that distinct patterns of state-level factors are associated with each form of the ban, highlighting the need to treat modified bans as unique policy choices in their own right. Our study informs the understanding of state implementation of collateral consequences that straddle both the penal and welfare systems in the United States.

A new kinship typology and factors associated with receiving financial assistance in kinship care

Financial hardship is one of the most challenging issues faced by kinship foster care families. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits and foster care payments are potential sources of financial assistance for kinship families. This study used wave 2 of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II (NSCAW II) to develop a new typology of kinship care based on financial mechanisms, including: (1) families that received TANF only (TANF only); (2) families that received foster care payments only (FC only); (3) families that received both TANF benefits and foster care payments (TANF + FC); and (4) families that received no payments (None). This study further divided the None group into two subgroups: None + Below Poverty and None + Above Poverty. To examine factors associated with receiving TANF and foster care payments, results from logistic regression analyses indicated that maltreatment type, children’s externalizing problems, married caregivers, and receiving social services were significantly associated with receiving foster care payments. Living below the federal poverty line and in a single-adult household were associated with receiving TANF benefits. Additionally, this study found that children of other race/ethnicity, such as Asian/ Pacific Islanders or Native American families, children’s internalizing problems, and employed caregivers were associated with lower odds of receiving foster care payments. Being a licensed foster caregiver was associated with lower odds of receiving TANF benefits. The results suggest that child welfare workers and policy makers should consider how to increase kinship caregivers’ awareness of financial resources and to make appropriate resources accessible for kinship caregivers.

Assessment of Unemployment in Dire Dawa Administration: Trends and Current Conditions

In Ethiopia, urban unemployment is one of the socio-economic problems of urban population including Dire Dawa Administration where significant number of population is suffering from. According to the CSA (2018) employment- unemployment statistical survey report, the urban unemployment rate in Dire Dawa Administration is 25.3 percent. The unemployment rate among females is higher than males which accounts 33.5 percent and 17.6 percent respectively.The main purpose of this study is to assess the urban unemployment in Dire Dawa Administration. The study employs the annual statistical report of urban employment- unemployment survey (conducted from June, 2018 to July, 2018) by Ethiopian Central Statistics Agency. The study reveals that the rate of urban unemployment in Dire Dawa Administration is the highest in Ethiopia and far from the national unemployment rate which 19.0 percent. The survey report was supported with interview of individuals working in Dire Dawa economic bureau to triangulate the collected data.The unemployed population wants to work any available job to relief from their family assistance and support themselves and their families. Surprisingly, more than one third of unemployed population want to establish their own business, though still they did not do because of different constraints mainly shortage of finance, lack of training and finance and lack of place of working. Besides, the illiterate and trained urban population is more unemployed than that of the illiterate one which implies education doesn’t guarantee for employment. Therefore, the Dire Dawa administration should consider this problem and take a serious measure to minimize the unemployed population. The administration should focus on labour-intensive investments that can employ huge man-power at a time. Besides the government should create suitable working environments for those who want to establish their own business including provision of financial credit without any collateral, working place and continuous training on entrepreneurship concepts with the collaboration of nearby higher institutions. Keywords: Urban, unemployment, Ethiopian, CSA, job opportunity. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-4-03 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

FAMILY AND COMPANY SUPPORT IN BREASTFEEDING MOTHER WHO WORK

Background: Increased female labor is one of the challenges in making the exclusive breastfeeding program successful. Factors that hinder the success of a working mother are short time off work, shorter workplace support, shorter breaks at work, no open space for milking the mother's milk, opposition to the mother's need for increased breastfeeding and production.Objective: To find out the relationship between family support and company support with the performance of working mothers in the Pekalongan Regency.Method: an analytical study related to family and relationships with mother companies in Pekalongan District with cross sectional support. The independent variable in this study is family assistance and company support, while the independent variable is the assistance of working mothers. The population in this study was the study of working mothers in companies in the Pekalongan Regency.Results: analysis with the Chi square test obtained p value of 0.856 (&gt; 0.05) so that it can be concluded that there is no relationship between families support and performance. The analysis with the chi square test obtained a p value of 0.008 (&lt;0.05), which concerns the relationship between corporate support and performance resulting in an odds ratio of 7.87, company support that can produce 8 times the consuming performance gets better.Suggestion: Company leaders need to maintain and improve policies for female employees to facilitate breastfeeding, and also need to be provided with lactation rooms that make it easier for mothers to milk breast milk between working hours.