Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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A statewide introduction of trauma-informed care in a child welfare system
- Authors:
- KRAMER Teresa L., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 35(1), 2013, pp.19-24.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Most children in the care of the child welfare system have been exposed to multiple traumas in addition to the stressor of being removed from their home. Because the risk for mental health problems following exposure to trauma is high, a critical need exists to introduce trauma-informed practices into the child welfare system. The purpose of this study is to evaluate initial stages of a trauma-informed training program for the Arkansas Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). In Phase 1, 102 (75%) of DCFS area directors and supervisors participated in 10 regional, two-day workshops modeled after the National Child and Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) trauma-informed training for child welfare. Pre- and post-training evaluations demonstrated significant improvements in participants' knowledge of trauma-informed practices. A three-month follow-up with directors and supervisors indicated that use of trauma-informed practices increased significantly and that such changes were correlated with pre- versus post-training improvement in knowledge. Most participants were able to partially implement action steps established at the time of training; however, a number of barriers were cited as preventing full implementation, including time constraints, heavy caseloads, lack of staff, and limited resources. Results are discussed in light of plans under way for Phase II training for all DCFS front-line staff. (Publisher abstract)
Trauma-informed care training in a child welfare system: moving it to the front line
- Authors:
- CONNERS-BURROW Nicola A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 35(11), 2013, pp.1830-1835.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The use of trauma-informed practices in the child welfare system is critically important to prevent system-induced trauma and encourage timely assessment, triage and referral for care when indicated. Ultimately, such measures have the potential over time to decrease the risk for mental health problems in children exposed to a trauma. This study evaluates an initiative in Arkansas to train child welfare front-line staff members in trauma-informed care practices. The impact of the training on knowledge and use of trauma-informed care practices among three types of child welfare staff (caseworkers, program assistants and other front-line staff) was evaluated. Results suggest that this training process was highly successful in improving knowledge of trauma-informed care practices, especially among staff with the least formal education and training. A significant increase in staff use of trauma-informed care practices at the three-month follow-up was also found. Barriers that may prevent staff from full implementation of training concepts are described and strategies to address barriers are proposed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Laying the foundations
- Authors:
- BURTON Sheryl, SAWYER Emma
- Journal article citation:
- Professional Social Work, May 2012, pp.18-19.
- Publisher:
- British Association of Social Workers
The authors consider how the concept of resilience can help social workers support families with complex needs, including those with mental health or severe substance misuse issues. They highlight the benefits that motivational interview training can bring in helping social workers develop their listening skills and engage more constructively with service users. A number of areas that social workers can focus on when building the resilience of children and families are also listed. These are: secure relationships, education, positive social support networks; coping skills and competencies; plans for the future; a confiding relationship in a parent; cohesive parental relationship; parental self-esteem; social life and routines; receiving treatment.
Facilitating mental health service use for caregivers: referral strategies among child welfare caseworkers
- Authors:
- BUNGER Alicia C., CHUANG Emmeline, McBEATH Bowen
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 34(4), April 2012, pp.696-703.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Caregivers involved with the child welfare system are disproportionately likely to have mental health needs. Child welfare caseworkers are well positioned to identify service needs and refer caregivers to treatment. The aim of this study was to examine child welfare caseworkers' use of different referral strategies and the extent to which these strategies are associated with caregivers' receipt of mental health services. The study utilised data from the second cohort of families from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. The sample used for this study comprised 640 caregivers who were assessed by caseworkers as needing mental health services and for whom a referral was made. Analysis suggests that child welfare workers more often use informational strategies for referring caregivers, including suggesting treatment or providing information about treatment options. However, social referral strategies such as providing caregivers with direct assistance in completing applications and making and attending appointments were associated with a greater likelihood of caregivers receiving mental health services. These findings indicate that service use is facilitated by caseworkers' direct support for arranging services. Implications for research and for child welfare managers and administrators are discussed.
Child welfare workers' adoption of decision support technology
- Authors:
- FOSTER Kirk A., STIFFMAN Arlene R.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Technology in Human Services, 27(2), April 2009, pp.106-126.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Child welfare workers must process complex information in deciding to refer clients to appropriate mental health services. This study expanded the process and reaction by child welfare workers' to the adoption of a new decision support system specifically designed to enhance their assessment and referral abilities. Quantitative analysis was used to demonstrate the diffusion of innovation process among a sample of state child welfare workers in the US, while qualitative analysis was used to explain the facilitators and barriers to decision support systems adoption. Results indicate that for decision support systems to be widely adopted in child welfare practice, they should be integrated into the referral system and include workers' knowledge and experiences with referral resources. For successful adoption, decision support systems need to respect the natural logic and flow of worker interaction as well as organizational constraints.
Job-strain and well-being among Finnish social workers: exploring the differences in occupational well-being between child protection social workers and social workers without duties in child protection
- Authors:
- BALDSCHUN Andreas, et al
- Journal article citation:
- European Journal of Social Work, 22(1), 2019, pp.43-58.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Work-related mental distress and its impact on employees’ working life is a mounting issue among Finnish social workers. This article focuses on identifying the factors associated with child welfare social workers’ occupational well-being. The occupational well-being of Finnish child welfare social workers (N = 364) and social workers whose duties do not include child protection work (N = 524) was explored and compared with each other using t-test statistics and logistic regression analysis. The data, collected in 2014/2015, were obtained from an ongoing longitudinal cohort study on work-related well-being among Finnish public sector employees. A multi-dimensional and holistic approach to occupational well-being was used as the outline for the analysis and comparison of the two groups. Child protection social workers reported higher levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress than social workers without child protection duties. Despite these burdens, both groups showed a similar level of general health, compassion satisfaction and overall occupational well-being. Individual and organizational factors associated with high occupational well-being were identified. Supervision was found to be an important supporting element. This study identified multiple determinants related to social workers’ occupational well-being, comprising positive and negative elements with regard to organizational and individual factors. (Publisher abstract)
Stress among child protective service workers: Self-reported health consequences
- Authors:
- GRIFFITHS Austin, ROYSE David, WALKER Robert
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 90, 2018, pp.46-53.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
High levels of stress have been associated with several physical and mental health problems including coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarctions, poor survival from cardiac events as well as changes in the immune and nervous systems. Among stressful professions, social work, with its focus on difficult to serve populations and modest compensation, has received only limited research attention. There is a substantial gap in the literature on how job-related stress among child welfare workers is related to their health and health habits. This study uses self-reported data from a sample of public child welfare workers (n = 511) to explore the impact of job-related stress and its perceived effect on their health and well-being. Qualitatively, participants mentioned 586 unhealthy habits or behaviours that they attributed to the stress of their positions (e.g. unhealthy eating, substance use, disturbed sleep, lack of exercise, irritability, self-neglect, other troubling behaviours). Additionally, these child welfare professionals described mental health (n = 214 mentions), physical health (n = 160 mentions), and work-life imbalance issues (n = 68 mentions) that they associated to the stress of their positions. Using the qualitative mentions of unhealthy habits by person, a ratio level variable was used to test for mean differences. Findings revealed significant differences in the quantity of unhealthy habits and length of employment at the agency, intention to stay, and self-perception of health. This study makes a first step toward understanding the relationship of job stressand health among child protective service workers. Study findings have potential implications for the high rate of turnover in this field. Policy-makers may need to consider workers' stress and ability to practice self-care as they examine ways to improve retention and protective service outcomes. (Edited publisher abstract)
Mental health knowledge gaps in the child protection work with parents: a narrative review of the social work literature
- Author:
- KARPETIS George
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work Practice, 31(3), 2017, pp.353-368.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This is a narrative review of the latest peer-reviewed social work literature on the child protection work with parents. Aiming to identify knowledge gaps, the study researches the mental health aspects of the implicit or explicit theoretical perspectives underpinning the assessment and intervention with parents. An electronic database search extracted 38 peer-reviewed journal articles. It was found that the theoretical perspectives the publications adopted were the managerial, the critical, the humanistic, the psychodynamic and the behavioural. The study identified mental health knowledge gaps in the assessment and intervention work with parents across all theoretical perspectives and stressed the need for process and effectiveness studies on the work with parents, under explicit theoretical perspectives. The study finally highlights the need for the social work profession to increase its mental health literacy through mental health education for students and practitioners alike. (Publisher abstract)
Development and implementation of a child welfare workforce strategy to build a trauma-informed system of support for foster care
- Authors:
- KERNS Suzanne E.U., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Maltreatment, 21(2), 2016, pp.135-146.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Effective strategies that increase the extent to which child welfare professionals engage in trauma-informed case planning are needed. This study evaluated two approaches to increase trauma symptom identification and use of screening results to inform case planning. The first study evaluated the impact of training on trauma-informed screening tools for 44 child welfare professionals who screen all children upon placement into foster care. The second study evaluated a two-stage approach to training child welfare workers on case planning for children’s mental health. Participants included (a) 71 newly hired child welfare professionals who received a 3-hr training and (b) 55 child welfare professionals who participated in a full-day training. Results from the first study indicate that training effectively increased knowledge and skills in administering screening tools, though there was variability in comfort with screening. In the second study, participants self-reported significant gains in their competency in identifying mental health needs (including traumatic stress) and linking children with evidence-based services. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the viability of this approach to increase the extent to which child welfare professionals are trauma informed, aware of symptoms, and able to link children and youth with effective services designed to meet their specific needs. (Publisher abstract)
Social work with children
- Authors:
- JACK Gordon, DONNELLAN Helen
- Publisher:
- Palgrave Macmillan
- Publication year:
- 2013
- Pagination:
- 256
- Place of publication:
- Basingstoke
When working with children to promote their welfare and safeguard them from harm, the best course of action is not always clear. This guide to social work with children is for students and practitioners in the field, and is based on two of the most important organising frameworks: human ecology and child development. Divided into two parts, the book explores interactions between children's development, their relationships and the environments in which they are brought up. Part 1 covers child development to adolescence. Part 2 has chapters on working with children in need and their families; working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; working with children looked after away from home, placed for adoption, or leaving care; working with disabled children and their families; working with young offenders; and working with children with mental health problems. The book demonstrates how up-to-date legislation and policy across the UK shapes practice with different groups of children. It considers the expectations and requirements of social workers, and how this influences the development of professional identity. It encourages readers to reflect on their own skills, knowledge and experience by providing practice pointers throughout. (Edited publisher abstract)