Showing papers in "Child Welfare in 2005"

Pathways to college for former foster youth: understanding factors that contribute to educational success.

Abstract: This article presents early descriptive findings from the Pathways to College study, a multimethod and multiphase study of emancipated foster youth. Results based on a sample of 216 emancipated foster youth attending a four-year university indicate that many of their experiences are characteristic of individuals manifesting resilience in the face of adversity. At the same time, results indicate that although the youth are successful academically, they may be vulnerable in other areas. This article examines the participants' responses, comparing them to other studies to understand the factors that affect the academic performance of former foster youth.

Assessment of issues facing immigrant and refugee families.

Abstract: This article identifies the different problems immigrants and refugees face in the United States, especially socioeconomic and psychosocial concerns that often relate to the experience of migration. Traditional familial roles and responsibilities are frequently challenged, exacerbated by sociocultural differences and inadequate understandings between the new arrivals and the host country. Essential in assessments of immigrant and refugee families is evaluating resources for social, economic, and cultural integration; discriminating between realistic and unrealistic expectations; evaluating families' problem-solving abilities; exploring family functioning within the context of heritage; identifying the transferability of work skills; and gauging families' learning capabilities and motivation for adaptation.

Fathers in Child Welfare: Caseworkers' Perspectives.

Abstract: Five focus groups substantially agreed about the lack of paternal participation in child welfare services and the reasons for low paternal involvement. The groups had considerable disagreement about whether child welfare professionals should address this issue. Some caseworkers believed that all fathers and mothers should be treated identically with respect to services to be offered and time frames for services; other caseworkers thought that the special circumstances of some fathers, such as lack of child care experience, called for service approaches that differ from those for mothers. Another disagreement was whether more fathers would be more involved if services were gender sensitive, that is, if agencies provided male caseworkers for fathers and had father-only services. Much of the debate focused on pragmatic considerations (would gender-sensitive services improve paternal participation and outcomes?), although some participants were concerned about equity (would such services give fathers an advantage in disputed custody cases?).

Effective child welfare practice with immigrant and refugee children and their families

Abstract: This article presents a multistage migration framework to broaden the lens through which child welfare personnel can view immigrant and refugee families and their children. By better understanding the family's experiences in both emigration and immigration, including reasons for leaving their home country, experiences in transit, and reception and resettlement experiences in the United States, child welfare personnel are better equipped to assess their needs and provide effective prevention, protection, permanency, and family preservation services. Case examples illustrating the application of the framework and guidelines for program and practice are included.

Sudanese refugee youth in foster care: the "lost boys" in America.

Abstract: This study examined the resettlement experiences of unaccompanied Sudanese refugee youth placed in foster care from the perspectives of the youth, foster parents, and agency caseworkers. Youth experienced considerable success. The challenges of adjusting to school and family life, however, suggest a need for funding to support more intensive educational services, more cultural training and support for foster parents and school personnel, and flexibility to provide services in more culturally appropriate modalities. This article examines the resettlement experiences of Sudanese refugee youth placed in foster care through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program. It addresses three questions: What were the successes and challenges of the placements? How could youth, foster parents, and caseworkers have been better prepared? What are the implications for policy and practice? As a result of civil war, the Sudanese refugee youth popularly known as the "Lost Boys" were separated from their families during childhood and fled to refugee camps in neighboring countries. They experienced a series of horrific life events (e.g., war, separation from their families, the death of friends, treks across deserts with insufficient food and water) and chronic adversity (e.g., fear of violence in the refugee camps, insufficient food rations, schools with very limited resources) without the support of their biological parents. For humanitarian reasons, the U.S. government agreed to resettle refugee youth whose parents were deceased or untraceable; eventually some 3,500 were resettled in the United States (Corbett, 2001). Between November 2000 and April 2001, 89 minor youth (13 females and 76 males) resettled in mid-Michigan through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program. Children in this program are placed in foster homes and receive services until the age of 20 to help them adjust to U.S. life. Older youth may transition into supervised independent living. Youth and foster parents receive financial assistance, monitoring, and services through group meetings and home visits by agency caseworkers. Research and practice reveal that refugee children-exposed to war and violence, displaced and separated from parents-may suffer from psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress, anxiety, disruptive behavior, and psychosomatic symptoms (Shaw, 2003). The likelihood of having adverse psychological effects is greater for those who have experienced more traumatic events in a longer period of time. When interviewed in the camps, however, the Sudanese youth demonstrated considerable evidence of resilience in the face of significant adversity, despite experiencing stress (Duncan, 2000). To facilitate a better adjustment experience, a partnership was formed between the two agencies responsible for resettling minor and adult refugees and a university to study the refugees' adaptation to life in the U.S. and to implement programs to build their capacity for success. The partnership initiated and obtained funding for a 17-month program that provided group education, tutoring, socialization with Sudanese and American peers, and a venue for interacting with youth and building trust. Methods and Procedures The findings presented in this article were gathered from qualitative and quantitative sources. First, a brief survey instrument was administered that included measures of behavioral adjustment, time use, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Foa et al., 2001); for this group, Cronbach's alpha (a statistical measure for reliability) for the PTSD measure was .85, a good indication of reliability. Youth were also asked about their educational progress, employment, and sources of support. Forty-three (38 males, 5 females) completed this survey with the assistance of a trained interviewer who read all questions, provided clarity where needed, and recorded answers. Qualitative data from three sources provided the basis for the analysis of their experiences: youth focus groups, parent focus groups, and individual caseworker interviews. …

Characteristics and trajectories of treatment foster care youth.

Abstract: Using cross-sectional analyses in conjunction with dynamic modeling (hierarchical linear modeling), the authors profiled 119 treatment foster care youth and constructed behavioral change trajectories for a subset of 97 children. Children generally showed improvements in internalizing and critical pathology problem domains but remained the same on measures of externalizing behaviors and total problem score. The number of previous out-of-home placements was positively associated with increased levels of psychiatric symptomatology and served as the most robust predictor for modeling treatment response trajectories across problem domains. Placement instability places the well-being of children at heightened risk, therefore, accurate assessment of child need and risk in relation to caregiver capacities is critical.

Parenting and the process of migration: possibilities within South Asian families.

Abstract: The migration experience creates a unique set of challenges for families, which can result in intergenerational conflict and create the conditions for abuse or neglect. Alternatively, families can cope with these challenges in creative and seemingly contradictory ways, thus strengthening family relationships. This article introduces the process of migration as a theoretical framework to use in understanding the complexity of the migration experience as well as the wide range of coping responses within families. The process was developed as a theoretical tool in an ethnographic study of first- and second-generation South Asian women in the United States; the study's findings are used to illustrate the application of the process to South Asian parenting experiences and show how the process of migration-where families adjust to a different set of structural conditions, ideologies, cultural norms, and social systems-shapes parenting and family life. Understanding the specific stresses and possibilities inherent in the migration experience and the ways in which families cope is essential to culturally competent practice with immigrant and refugee families (Coalition for Asian American Children and Families [CACF], 2001). This article presents a framework called the process of migration to examine the experience and its effect on parenting and family life, specifically by South Asian families in the United States. The process was developed as a theoretical tool for an ethnography that examined how South Asian women in the United States creatively attempt to achieve their will given the constraints and possibilities of their social environment. Life-story interviews were conducted with 16 first- and second-generation South Asian women living in New York and New Jersey. Six of the participants were mothers, five of whom had raised or were raising their children. Twelve of the participants had been raised all or a significant part of their lives in the United States. In applying the process of migration to these women's experiences, the study revealed that parenting in the United States becomes organized around identity, a theme echoed in the literature (Leonard, 1997; Pettys & Balgopal, 1998; Srinivasan, 2001). How parents interpret what it means to be South Asian in the United States affects the choices they make about living their lives, from child care to expectations of their children around career choice, sexuality, dating, and marriage. Narrow parental interpretations (Das Gupta, 1997) can result in intergenerational conflict, a dominant theme in the literature on South Asians in the United States. This conflict has been attributed to a lack of communication (Segal, 1991) and to parental control around issues of dating, marriage, and sexuality (Dasgupta & Das Dasgupta, 1998; Leonard, 1997; Roy, 1998; Srinivasan, 2001). Another but a very different pattern emerged in the study, however: families developed new interpretations. Rather than intergenerational conflict, mothers and daughters described dynamic, supportive relationships with their families in which communication was strong, although not always open. This article presents an overview of South Asian families in the United States; the components of the process of migration; the methodology used in the previous study; and limitations, reliability, and validity issues, then applies the process specifically to the two different ways that South Asian immigrant families cope: one in which there is an increased risk for abuse and neglect, and one in which families are strengthened through their creative responses. South Asians in the United States South Asia includes the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Tibet. Each of these countries includes great diversity; more than 50 official languages are spoken and a variety of religions are practiced, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, and Zoroastrianism. …

Unleashing the power of community to strengthen the well-being of children, youth, and families: An asset-building approach

Abstract: Search Institute's decade-plus emphasis on the elements of positive human development and community approaches to asset building can make a meaningful contribution to the field of child welfare. The institute's framework of developmental assets identifies a set of interrelated experiences, relationships, skills, and values that are associated with reduced high-risk behaviors and increased thriving behaviors. Its community-building work emphasizes the human relations and developmental infrastructure children, youth, and families require for their health and well-being.

"Just therapy" with families on low incomes.

Abstract: This article addresses the inadequacies of counseling, therapy, and social work that occurs with low-income families. The author argues that many families who seek help arrive with problems that are usually assessed separately from their socioeconomic and cultural contexts. Careful questioning will often lead to the discovery that the onset of many family problems are located in events external to the family, such as unemployment, bad housing, and racist, sexist, or heterosexist experiences. They can be extremely depressing ongoing experiences that eventually lead parents and children into a state of stress that opens them up to physical and mental illnesses. This article argues that a wide body of research supports such a view and that counseling, therapeutic, and social work practices should address these issues much more directly. It also argues that practitioners have an important role to play in social and economic policy development out of respect for their clients' struggles.

Evaluating multidisciplinary child abuse and neglect teams : A research agenda

Abstract: A review of child welfare research literature reveals used to investigate and intervene in child abuse and neglect cases, the field does not know enough about their structural variations, implementation processes, or effectiveness. Moreover, although articles advocating multidisciplinary teams enumerate their apparent strengths, they lack attention to the teams' possible weaknesses. The article discusses implications for future evaluation studies.

Covariates of length of stay in residential treatment.

Abstract: This study explores variables associated with length of stay in a child welfare residential treatment center. The study followed three entry cohorts (416 boys) from admission through discharge. The researchers conducted event history analyses to examine the rates of discharge over time and the covariates of length of stay. They conducted analyses by discharge destination (reunified, transferred, or ran away). The results demonstrated that mental health issues slowed down rates of discharge for youth who were reunified or transferred. For children who left by running away, age and prior substance history were associated with faster rates of exit. These results have important public policy implications for improving the application of length of stay variables in planning and treatment.

What is driving increasing child welfare caseloads in Ontario? Analysis of the 1993 and 1998 Ontario incidence studies

Abstract: Rates of substantiated maltreatment documented by the 1993 and 1998 Ontario Incidence Studies of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect doubled between 1993 and 1998. Although increasing public awareness and changes in investigation procedures appear to account for part of this change, the increase also reflects a significant shift in the types of maltreatment agencies are investigating and substantiating. Exposure to spousal violence has increased eightfold, and the proportion of neglect cases has more than doubled, whereas cases of sexual abuse are decreasing. The field requires a differentiated response to address the maltreatment-specific challenges underlying child welfare caseload increases in Canada. Language: en

Enhancing parent-child interaction during foster care visits: experimental assessment of an intervention.

Abstract: Mothers of young children recently placed in foster care participated in an intervention to enhance parent-child interaction during visits. The mothers all reported substantial loss and trauma histories. Immediately prior to the visits, the mothers were coached on strategies for separating from their children at the visit's end. The mothers displayed more behavioral strategies for supporting their children when the visit was over, but were less engaged with their children during the leave-taking sequence and displayed fewer ways of maintaining the child's involvement in mother-child interaction during leave-taking than those in a comparison group. This article discusses consideration of parents' trauma history in designing interventions to enhance parent-child interaction.

Reunification of child and animal welfare agencies: cross-reporting of abuse in Wellington County, Ontario.

Abstract: Institutional change has resulted in the separation of organizations for the protection of animals and children. This project reunites two organizations to examine associations between human violence and animal cruelty. For 12 months, Family and Children's Services (FCS) investigators and Humane Society (HS) investigators in Wellington County, Canada, completed checklists to examine connections between forms of violence. FCS workers found some cause for concern in 20% of 1,485 homes with an animal companion. HS workers completed 247 checklists, resulting in 10 referrals to FCS. The first study of its kind, this project details the findings of cross-reporting in Wellington County and offers suggestions for future replication.

Drug-endangered children need a collaborative community response.

Abstract: The United States is facing an epidemic of the use of methamphetamine drugs. Child welfare has not yet addressed the needs of the children living in so-called "meth homes." These children are endangered not only from the chemicals involved, but also from parental abuse and neglect. Communities are recognizing the need for interagency collaboration to address the consequences of this epidemic. Spokane, Washington, has created a Drug-Endangered Children Project, whose mission is to implement a collaborative response among law enforcement, prosecutorial, medical, and social service professionals to the needs of drug-endangered children. This article presents the findings from the evaluation of the first year of the project, including a baseline assessment of the needs of drug-endangered children and the extent of community-based collaboration achieved. This article makes recommendations for future community-based partnerships to improve the well-being of drug-endangered children.

Coping with parental loss because of termination of parental rights.

Abstract: This article addresses the process by which children and adolescents cope with severe acute stress of parental loss from causes other than divorce or death. Participants were 60 children and adolescents from a residential treatment facility. Most had experienced neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse, and their parents had their parential rights terminated. Measures of symptomatology indicated that children reported low levels of depressive symptoms, whereas caregivers reported the children were experiencing significant psychological problems. Children used avoidant coping strategies more often than emotion-focused coping strategies, which, in turn, were used more than problem-focused coping strategies. Results are discussed in terms of helping children cope with parental loss.

Cultural competence in the assessment of poor Mexican families in the rural southeastern United States

Abstract: Increasing numbers of poor Mexican immigrant families are settling in the rural southeastern United States. Most of these families are from isolated agrarian communities in Mexico and are headed by unskilled laborers or displaced farm workers with little education. Child welfare workers and other service providers in rural communities may be poorly prepared to address the needs of this population. This article provides an overview of the cultural, social, and family dynamics of first generation, working class Mexicans to promote cultural competency among helping professionals. An ecological perspective is used to examine the strengths that poor Mexicans bring from their culture of origin, stresses of the migratory experience and ongoing adaptation, shifts that may occur in family structure and functioning, disruptions in the family life cycle, the role of social supports in family adaptation, and effect of institutional discrimination on family well-being. Suggestions also are made for essential components of adequate in-service education.

Moving mountains together: strategic community leadership and systems change.

Abstract: Traditional leadership practice frameworks to guide systems change often fall short in today's practice environment. Reclaiming Futures is a national initiative to create an integrated, comprehensive, seamless system of care for teens with substance abuse problems involved in juvenile justice. It uses leadership and systems reform strategies to improve public health institutions. The premise is that interruption of the destructive cycle of drugs and delinquency can only be attained through the cultivation of shared strategic leadership. This article presents the limitations of traditional practice frameworks of leadership, describes the theory of this new approach to leadership development, and clarifies collaborative leadership and system change. The article includes an example of the framework in action, a discussion of lessons learned, and recommendations for community leadership development initiatives.

Seeds of change: using peacemaking circles to build a village for every child.

Abstract: Roca, Inc., a grassroots human development and community organization, has adopted the peacemaking circle as a tool in its relationship building with youth, communities, and formal systems. Circles are a method of communication derived from aboriginal and native traditions. In Massachusetts, the Department of Social Services and the Department of Youth Services are exploring the application of the circle in programming with youth and families. By providing a consistent structure for open, democratic communication, peacemaking circles enhance the formation of positive relationships in families, communities, and systems. The outcome is a stronger community with greater unity across truly diverse participants. This article presents the theory and practice of peacemaking circles, the lessons and challenges of implementing circles in formal organizations, and the potential of the circle to support a strengths-based and community-based approach to child welfare.

Bridging refugee youth and children's services: a case study of cross-service training.

Abstract: Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services(BRYCS), a public-private partnership between the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, provides national technical assistance to public child welfare. After a series of "community conversations," BRYCS identified a lack of knowledge among child welfare staff about newcomer refugees, negative stereotypes, and a fear of child protective services among refugees. BRYCS initiated a number of technical assistance initiatives, including a pilot cross-service training project in St. Louis to strengthen collaboration between child welfare and refugee-serving agencies. This article details the lessons learned from this training and recommends changes in policy and practice. Fatima* was one of 12 children of a Muslim Kurdish refugee family from northern Iraq. Since a bomb blast in 1991, she had never been the same, as her eldest brother remembered that day: We were having breakfast out on the patio... it was a beautiful morning, the birds were singing... Suddenly there was a deafening noise and fire. That's all I can remember. We lost our grandparents, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins at that time. We were all so close. After fleeing their hometown and surviving in the wintry mountains with little food or shelter for several months, the family with all of their children arrived at a refugee camp set up by allied military forces and humanitarian organizations on the plains of Northern Iraq. Five years later, they were admitted to the United States as refugees and resettled in the Midwest. At age 16, Fatima began to experience extreme mood swings and became very rebellious. Her parents, who adhered to traditional cultural and religious beliefs about family roles, were not used to this behavior and did not know how to respond. One night, Fatima did not come home and did not let her parents know where she was. When she came home the next day, her father struck her. School staff called child protection services when they noticed a bruise on her arm and Fatima explained what had happened. When child welfare investigated that day, they had no Kurdish interpreter and used Fatima to interpret for her parents. Based on this interview, the social worker removed Fatima, her teenage sister, and the three youngest children from the home. The two teens and younger children were placed in different Christian foster homes, one Anglo and the other African American. The court ordered the parents to have no contact with their children. The children experienced serious adjustment problems in foster care. Used to speaking Kurdish at home, they could not express their feelings and needs as comfortably in English, and thus felt emotionally isolated. The youngest children refused to eat their foster family's meals, especially those that included pork or shrimp, because they were used their family's traditional foods and religious dietary restrictions. Worried about their children's physical and emotional health, the parents agreed to move out of their home and into an apartment, which allowed the youngest children to live with their adult brothers without violating the court order. Their adjustment improved, but in the other foster home, Fatima became severely depressed and attempted suicide. The local Middle Eastern community angrily criticized the child welfare agency for not handling the case in a culturally sensitive manner, increasing an existing division between the agency and local immigrant communities. Despite advocacy by several refugee experts, this family never received the linguistically and culturally appropriate support services they needed, and the two teenage girls were never reunited with the rest of the family. The experience of Fatima's family illustrates the potential for tragic consequences to newcomer refugee families when cultural differences, misunderstandings, language barriers, and a lack of cooperation exist between public child welfare, newcomer refugee families, and refugee-serving agencies. …

Child welfare reform in the United States: findings from a local agency survey.

Abstract: Efforts to improve the public welfare and child welfare system sparked an unprecedented amount of federal legislation in the 1990s, including the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA), the Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994 and Interethnic Adoption Provisions of 1996 (MEPA-IEP), and welfare reform. Such reforms allow an unprecedented degree of flexibility, but little is known about their implementation. Researchers administered the Local Agency Survey to the first national probability sample of public child welfare agencies from 1999 to 2000. Findings indicate that ASFA has had the most effect on child welfare service delivery. Welfare reform has had less effect, and MEPA-IEP seems to have had little effect at all.

Understanding communities of neglectful parents: child caregiving networks and child neglect.

Abstract: This article focuses on family social networks and the community of caregivers of neglected children. If neglect is part of family functioning, who watches over the children? Using a case study approach, this study researched 12 children and their parents. Several concepts, such as multiple caregiving and kin keepers, revealed that study children were cared for by many people. Social network mapping used in this study indicated that families were not isolated from the larger community, had various forms of negative and positive social support, were low income, and were involved in substance abuse and domestic violence. Understanding the patterns that emerge from the complex web of family, friends, social service agencies, and the larger social community in which neglected children live can result in better community building.

Finding the bicultural balance: immigrant Latino mothers raising "American" adolescents.

Abstract: This article discusses the cross-cultural issues that confront immigrant Latino parents living and raising adolescents in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the need for social work practitioners, who, as they aid a family's integration into mainstream society, will listen to the parents' concerns and incorporate their past experiences and traditional culture into the assessment and treatment processes. Implications for practice, programs, and policy are also discussed.

Working Together as Culture Brokers by Building Trusting Alliances with Bilingual and Bicultural Newcomer Paraprofessionals.

Abstract: The authors' reflect on the challenges and rewards of partnering as casework supervisors with bilingual and bicultural newcomer paraprofessionals in resettlement work with refugee youth. Such individuals are generally recruited for their linguistic abilities and cultural knowledge, but they can lack formal clinical training or licensing credentials. Drawing on their own experience as supervisors of bilingual and bicultural newcomer paraprofessionals from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, the authors compare their early attempts to establish trust and communication with insights gained in more recent supervisory experiences. Recommendations are offered that promote mutual understanding between newcomer paraprofessionals and their Western-trained supervisors. Despite broad acknowledgment of the need for cultural sensitivity in international child welfare work, Westerntrained caseworkers and supervisors may contribute their own prejudicial thinking to the service planning process. This article highlights both the promises and obstacles in building trust and clear communication in bilingual and bicultural casework teams. To convey the lessons we learned through our successes and failures in our alliances with bilingual and bicultural newcomer paraprofessionals,* we use an idiographic method of explanation to support our points about casework practice. This method depends on enumerating personal considerations that lie behind given actions or interactions (Rubin & Babbie, 2005). This article draws on our collaborative casework experiences during the late 1980s and early 1990s in a program serving unaccompanied refugee youth from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.** We focus primarily on our team-building experiences with the bilingual and bicultural newcomer paraprofessionals with whom we shared an intense, puzzling, important time in establishing practices that most sensitively served the youth under our supervision. To illustrate the difference between culturally sensitive supervision and our earlier inexperience, we also draw on more recent supervisory experience that reflects deeper dimensions of trust and communication. The practice recommendations we offer owe more to knowledge we gained through accumulated reflections on earlier supervisory mistakes and successes than to insights that were available to us during the earlier moments of casework planning and clinical intervention. When opportunities for shared reflection on the supervisory relationship are absent, hierarchies based on an assumption of the Western-trained and credentialed supervisor's ultimate authority become the default power structure, a point we elaborate on later in the article. Background Before being hired to do program management and casework supervision, we had worked clinically in nonprofit mental health and social service agencies. Carol had substantial experience in working with transracial and transcultural adoptive families, while Meme had worked with at-risk adolescents. In 1989, we began working together at a program contracted with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement to resettle unaccompanied refugee minors within the New England states. At that time, refugee children and youth without surviving family members were arriving with regularity from Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. The majority were survivors of severe and multiple war-related traumas. Those placed in state-approved foster homes and assigned to our program for culturally sensitive case management services were assumed to range in age from 9 to 18.* Working together as program director (Meme) and casework supervisor (Carol), we were responsible for an active caseload of approximately 40 refugee children and youth at any given time. As two U.S.-born white women approaching the age of 40, we supervised a bilingual and bicultural male casework staff in their 20s, hired for their language fluency and common ethnic background with the refugee minors. …

Social work with Bosnian Muslim refugee children and families: a review of the literature.

Abstract: More than two million Bosnian Muslims were ethnically cleansed in the Balkan region; of these, 200,000 were killed while the others were forced to flee their homes and become refugees. This article focuses on the influence of societal and cultural values coupled with wartime experiences on the transition of Bosnian refugee families to their new countries. Consideration is given to culturally competent theoretical frameworks and practice principles social workers can use to assist Bosnian Muslim children and families in their adaptation process within their resettlement communities. Thousands of refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina have fled to the United States to seek protection from the ethno-religious conflicts of the region. To best assist these families, service providers must understand their wartime and migration experiences and their culture. The purpose of this article is to review the literature relevant to working with Bosnian Muslim refugees as well as to understand the unique issues facing this population. The authors' interest in Bosnian Muslim refugees is a personal one. Between 1992 and 2001, nearly 3,500 Bosnian refugees escaping ethnic cleansing and war migrated to Bowling Green, a small city of 50,000 in rural southcentral Kentucky. The Bowling Green International Center has been a part of the local community since 1979 and actively works with the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). For more than 25 years, the center has assisted thousands of refugees of many nationalities in their migration to the United States and the local community. According to the center's director, Marty Deputy, Bosnians make up the largest percentage of refugees that have relocated to Bowling Green (personal communication, February 3, 2005). Deputy also indicated that while Bosnian refugees have adapted well to the local community, they still face many challenges because of their experiences in Bosnia in addition to their integration into a new culture. One of the issues that continue to haunt many Bosnian refugees is post-traumatic stress-a result of war and genocide. Post-traumatic stress is particularly an issue for the adult women, who experienced the trauma of rape and sexual assault as well as witnessing the murder of their children and spouses. According to Deputy (personal communication, February 3, 2005), social workers should approach Bosnian families and children with cultural competence. If visiting a Bosnian home, for example, removing one's shoes when entering is a display of respect and sensitivity. A willingness to drink a strong cup of Bosnian coffee is also appreciated. Social workers also must be sensitive about body language and speech tone. It is also important not to assume that all Bosnians are alike. As with all cultures, there is tremendous variation in the Bosnian culture, along with individual differences in personality and environmental experiences. The Bosnian migration also affected the Department of Social Work at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. One of the authors of this story, Nihada Zulcic, is the first Bosnian social work major in the baccalaureate program. Her experiences in migrating from Bosnia to the local community her presence in the social work program, the broader challenges of Bosnian refugees in Bowling Green, and their effect on shaping the fabric of the local community led the authors to write this article. Method This article will review the literature related to Bosnian Muslim culture to illuminate the theoretical frameworks and practice principles social workers could effectively use, including the following areas of specific interest: the history of the region, the Bosnian Muslim's experiences prior to emigrating, the problems and issues refugee families typically encountered in their resettlement countries, and the Bosnian Muslim's cultural strengths and resiliency factors. In conducting the literature review, three methods were used. …

Rebuilding native American communities

Abstract: The Wellbriety Movement in Native American communities draws on the wisdom and participation of traditional elders Beginning with a basic community teaching called the Four Laws of Change and the Healing Forest Model, the Wellbriety Movement blends Medicine Wheel knowledge with the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to provide culture-specific addiction recovery help for Native Americans The four Journeys of the Sacred Hoop brought the Wellbriety Movement to Native and non-Native people alike from 1999 to 2003

In the best interest of immigrant and refugee children : Deliberating on their unique circumstances

Abstract: Each year, state juvenile courts provide thousands of immigrant and refugee children with access to consistent and reliable caregiving and a stable environment. To examine how courts interpret "the best interests" of immigrant and refugee children, this article examines 24 cases in courts across the United States, which indicate they use a territorial approach when evaluating the best interests standard. Although legal status was not an issue, many related factors were. Consequently, the courts restricted immigrant parents' rights in caring, guiding, and visiting their children; increased the risk of wrongfully terminating parental rights; and intensified the unpredictability of immigrant and refugee children's welfare in the long run. This article suggests an approach that encourages communication between social workers and the courts to address the special needs and circumstances of immigrant and refugee children on three key topics: the material and moral welfare of the child, and social welfare for immigrant and refugee families. Thousands of immigrant and refugee children become mired in the U.S. court and child welfare systems each year. They include asylum-seeking children entering the United States without legal guardians and immigrants' children who land temporarily in the foster care system. Estimates indicate that in 2004, 5,000 unaccompanied minors arriving in the United States were detained in federal custody-a 50% increase from 1997 (Seugling, 2004). The number of unaccompanied minors who are not detained and thus are ineligible or unable to present claims to remain is probably much greater. For instance, Mexican consular authorities report that in 2002 alone, 9,900 unaccompanied minors were returned to Mexico (Thompson, 2003). In addition to unaccompanied children, an increasing number of immigrant and refugee children are put in the foster care system each year as abused, neglected, or abandoned, regardless of their legal status. No statistics are available to tell how many end up in juvenile dependency court proceedings and foster care each year. According to federal data, however, about 1.6 million children under the age of 18 in the United States are undocumented immigrants (AB 1895 Assembly Bill, 2004). Considering that 14 million children were reported living with at least one foreign-born parent in 2002 (approximately 19% of all U.S. children), and that 2.7 million of these were foreign-born (Fields, 2003), the number of immigrant and refugee children in the child protection system should not be underestimated. During the past several years, the plight of the 5,000 or so unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children in federal custody has garnered significant attention from the media, Congress, the legal community, and the public. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been criticized for its poor performance in caring for these children, especially in light of its combined roles of jailer, prosecutor, and guardian (Navarro, 1998). In November 2002, Congress passed the Homeland security Act (HSA), transferring basic care, custody, and placement functions from the USCIS (called the Immigration and Naturalization Servise [INS] until March 2003) to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The department claims it retains the exclusive authority to place detained children in state juvenile dependency proceedings and foster care (Nugent, 2004). Immigrant and refugee children, therefore, depend on state juvenile courts to provide access to reliable caregiving and a stable environment. Although transferring the care and custody of unaccompanied children from the USCIS to DHHS was part of the U.S. government's largest reorganization in the last 50 years (Manns, 2002), the conditions for immigrant and refugee children have not improved because the reorganization did not include necessary, substantive reforms. One critical consideration is the paramount standard in the legal and social welfare fields: in the best interests of the child. …

"Nothing about me without me": leading the way to collaborative relationships with families.

Abstract: This article discusses the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse's CASA Safe Haven(sm), an evidence-based, community-driven intervention program for children and families in child welfare whose lives have been adversely affected by substance abuse, and for staff in the agencies that work with them. CASA Safe Haven(sm) builds collaborative relationships that feature a blend of multidisciplinary teams that share responsibility for helping families; family group conferencing, in which families are equal and welcome participants in designing and driving a service plan; and the influence of family court to hold families and service providers accountable for progress. CASA Safe Haven(sm) is a framework for collaboration. Substance Abuse and Child Welfare In 2002, an estimated 19.5 million Americans (8.3% of the population) were users of illicit drugs, and 14.9 million were dependent on or abused alcohol (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS], 2002). We see the result of this level of illicit drug use and alcohol dependence in all aspects of our society, but the danger it creates for children is possibly most extreme. When parents abuse drugs or alcohol, their judgment and priorities may be impaired and their ability to provide appropriate care for their children may result in instances of abuse or neglect (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse [CASA], 1999; National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, 1998). In 2002, of the 2.6 million reports of abuse and neglect filed with state child welfare agencies, caseworkers determined that an estimated 900,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect (Administration for Children and Families [ACF], 2003). Eighty percent of the perpetrators of the abuse and neglect were parents; women, mostly mothers, comprised 58% of perpetrators (ACF, 2003). Parental substance abuse contributes to or exacerbates at least 7 of 10 child welfare cases (CASA, 1999) and 52% of out-of-home placements (Child Welfare League of America [CWLA], 1998). Other reports estimate that 40% to 80% of families involved with child welfare have substance abuse problems (CWLA, 2004a; Young, Gardner, & Dennis, 1998). Children whose parents are substance involved are three times more likely to be abused and more than four times more likely to be neglected than children whose parents do not abuse drugs and alcohol (Kelleher, Chaffin, Hollenberg, & Fischer, 1994). Parents who have alcohol and other drug problems and who are involved with child protective services are themselves in crisis and have multiple complex problems. Many of them suffer from mental health problems (depression or anxiety), are unemployed or have inconsistent work histories, have health problems like HIV/AIDS, have insecure housing, and are involved in chaotic or violent relationships (DHHS, 1999; Morgenstern et al., 2001; Wells & Tracy, 1996; Woolis, 1998), all of which pose challenges to parenting and family stability. The Problem Complicating the overlap of substance abuse and child maltreatment is that child welfare professionals, those most likely to come into contact with families with serious alcohol and drug abuse, are not equipped to deal with substance-involved clients (CASA, 1999; CWLA, 1998; Dore, Doris, & Wright, 1995; McAlpine, Marshall, & Doran, 2001). Child welfare staff estimate that 67% of the parents involved with their agencies require alcohol and other drug treatment, yet these agencies could provide services for only 31% of those in need (CWLA, 1998). Despite the high level of parental substance abuse in child welfare cases, little collaboration has taken place between child welfare agencies and alcohol and drug treatment programs (CWLA, 2004b). Families involved with child welfare systems and alcohol or drugs often receive services from other public agencies. Because many families who are involved with child welfare agencies also receive benefits from Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), welfare reform and its mandates have a significant effect on child welfare and treatment activities. …

Obstacles to employment among mothers of children in foster care.

Abstract: This article reports on a study of obstacles to employment among mothers with children in foster care. The study relies on standardized measures, has a cross-sectional design, and includes a sample of 158 mothers. The analysis shows a high prevalence of obstacles; identifies three co-occurring obstacles, each involving substance abuse, that are related to a low probability of employment (p ≤ .05); and reveals that employment and access to transportation are related to higher income relative to mothers' needs (p ≤ .05). Most birthparents of children in foster care are poor, unmarried mothers who historically have received cash assistance (Courtney, 1994; Lindsey, 1991). The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (RL. 104-193) restricts access to cash assistance to five years, requires work to receive aid, and sanctions those who fail to comply with policy proscriptions. The law also prohibits families with children in foster care from receiving cash assistance for more than 180 days after children's placements. The Adoption and Safe Families Act (RL. 105-89) promotes the timely return of children to their birthparents by mandating, for example, that states hold a permanency planning hearing for a child no later than 12 months after the child is placed in foster care. The states are free to adopt even more restrictive implementation policies. Under the conditions of these policies, research shows that 39% of mothers with children in foster care are unemployed 18 months prior to their children's placements and that the children of mothers who lose cash assistance after their placement are reunified more slowly than are children whose mothers do not (Wells & Guo, 2004). This research also shows that children with mothers with low incomes are reunified more slowly than are children with mothers with higher incomes the first year of children's placements. Given the centrality of family income to not only family reunification (Wells & Guo, 2003) but also to child well-being (Duncan & Brooks-Gunn, 1997), it is important to understand the obstacles to employment that mothers face. A review of the literature, however, revealed not one empirically based investigation of this issue.* The purpose of this policy-driven study, therefore, is to begin to fill this gap in knowledge. Prior Knowledge Obstacles to Employment A range of problems has been linked to a low probability of employment among low-income mothers who have used cash assistance (Danziger, Corcoran et al., 2000), a small proportion of whom have children in foster care (Needell, Cuccaro-Alamin, Brookhart, & Lee, 1999). These obstacles to employment include: having limited work experience; having low job skills; inadequately understanding workplace norms; having inadequate transportation; perceiving that one is being discriminated against in the workplace; being in fair or poor health; having a child with a health, learning, or emotional problem; experiencing domestic violence; and meeting criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis of major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, alcohol dependence, or drug dependence. The Michigan Women's Employment Study, a large-scale tudy of single-mothers who were recipients of cash assistance at the onset of welfare reform, examined how these obstacles, labeled barriers, might impede the movement of low-income mothers from welfare to work (Danziger, Corcoran et al., 2000). Analyses showed that barriers to employment are common: 85% of the sample had at least one barrier, with the most common barriers being transportation (47%) and education (31%) and the least common being alcohol dependence (3%). Women in the sample reported higher rates of health problems, mental health problems, and domestic violence than women in the national samples with which the researchers compared them. Multivariate analyses also showed that after controlling for demographic variables with which unemployment had been associated in prior research, each of the following barriers was significantly related to not working at least 20 hours a week: having less than a high school education, lacking work experience, having fewer than four job skills, lacking transportation, perceiving four or more experiences of workplace discrimination, meeting the screening criteria for major depression or drug dependence, and having poor health. …

Understanding communities today: Using matching needs and services to assess community needs and design community-based services

Abstract: Matching Needs and Services (MNS) is a practice tool intended to help people who work with vulnerable children use rigorously assembled information on needs as a guide to design, implement, and evaluate more-effective services. To do this, MNS focuses on needs but links them to outcomes and thresholds before dealing with the services to achieve those outcomes. In most jurisdictions, effectively moving away from broad, categorical services and toward more specific, community-based services requires new and different types of information. Administrative data are a powerful source of information for this endeavor, and agencies must maximize their use, but data are not sufficient on their own in the drive toward community-based services. Another important type of information, research from academic institutions, often takes years to come about, and communities may consider it suspect, because from the community's perspective, the findings apply to "other people." Academic research can certainly provide helpful guideposts, but even when coupled with administrative data, it may not be sufficient to drive system change. A third source of information practitioners can draw on is their personal experience and case-specific anecdotes. These too can be quite helpful, but they still provide an incomplete picture because, often, it is the worst-case scenario that is remembered. These anecdotes are thus of limited usefulness because the specific cases, however compelling, may not accurately describe broader community needs. So if none of the individual information sources at their disposal are sufficient to move agencies away from ill-fitting categorical services to a more tailored, community-based service system, what are? This article argues that all these data sources, with the addition of needs-led, community-specific information, are necessary for system transformation. Each type of information described previously has strengths and weaknesses. In combination, the strengths of one can offset the weaknesses of the others to define opportunities, develop a truer picture of community needs, and then develop more effective community-based services. The Dartington Approach Dartington staff have developed an approach that integrates research evidence, information design, and implementation that addresses design challenges; develops this additional type of needs-based information; and is beginning to create more consistent definitions of the terms the field uses. They call this approach the common language. The common language seeks to improve the understanding of children in need and how society responds to their situation. Dartington staff view their progress thus far as a first step and hope that others will pick up the challenge and advance it further. Dartington is, at its core, a research institution interested in the issue of children in need. For the past 35 years, Dartington, which is based in Devon, England, has produced high-quality research on various topics related to needy children, including prevention, residential care, secure care, child protection, foster care, and children's health and development. Dartington has had a special focus over the last 15 years on going beyond the normal publishing scheme (books and academic journals) to get research results into the hands of practitioners, many of whom do not have the time or inclination to read academic journals or books. To do this, Dartington has attempted to create additional pathways through which research methods and findings can be communicated to those in the field. Through an emphasis on information design, Dartington has created structures that embed research evidence in frameworks that managers and practitioners can use to organize their work and interaction with clients. Now known as practice tools, these frameworks allow professionals and community members to gather information to create data that are "true for them. …