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Articles 1 - 30 of 182
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Client Perpetrated Violence And Safety Culture In Child Welfare: A Systematic Literature Review, Amber Castro
Client Perpetrated Violence And Safety Culture In Child Welfare: A Systematic Literature Review, Amber Castro
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
Interpersonal client and workplace violence pose significant challenges in contemporary society, particularly within health care and social service sectors. Social workers, dedicated to supporting vulnerable populations, face heightened risks of client perpetrated violence (CPV) due to the nature of their work. Despite being a global issue, CPV remains underreported and often normalized within social work practice, specifically in child welfare. This paper explores the prevalence and impacts of CPV on child welfare social workers, aiming to identify key risk factors and promote a culture of safety within child welfare agencies. Utilizing a systematic literature review encompassing quantitative and qualitative data, …
Protestant Church Workers' Knowledge Of Child Abuse Reporting And Reporting Behavior, Rachel Juedes
Protestant Church Workers' Knowledge Of Child Abuse Reporting And Reporting Behavior, Rachel Juedes
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
Child abuse is a prevalent problem on many levels. Mandated reporting laws exist to promote earlier intervention. Studies have shown that mandated reporters are more likely to report if they receive effective training. Protestant church workers interact with many children and need to have enough knowledge to detect and report child abuse. This study utilized a quantitative online survey to answer the question: What are Protestant clergy and church workers’ knowledge about child abuse reporting? Child abuse reporting knowledge was measured in categories of victimization, detection, and reporting. A convenience sample was obtained from attendees at a church conference. Correlational …
Toolkit On Self-Determination And Decision-Making Supports, Johnny Hanson
Toolkit On Self-Determination And Decision-Making Supports, Johnny Hanson
MSW Capstones
This project is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. Adult guardianship is being disproportionately assumed and utilized by social workers, and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), when DCYF dependent youth transition into adult services with the Developmental Disability Administration (DDA). A meta-analysis of research shows a positive correlations between increased self-determination (choice) and increased short and long-term health. Additional research shows the negative impacts of guardianship on self-determination, and the growing support for less restrictive alternatives to guardianship, like supported decision-making (SDM). Self-determination is increased, the less restrictive a decision-making arrangement …
Reforming Egypt’S Alternative Child Care System Through Deinstitutionalization: An Assessment Of The Current Status And Readiness To Change In The Residential Care Sector, Dina Elbawab
Theses and Dissertations
The main objective of this study was to assess the current status and readiness of the sector of residential care institutions for children to take part in the deinstitutionalization of children in alternative care in Egypt. The assessment was carried out using an adapted version of the Community Readiness Model (CRM), a tool developed by the Tri-Ethnic Center at Colorado State University. Accordingly, the assessment comprised semi-structured interviews with fourteen key informants to assess the following six readiness dimensions: efforts, knowledge of the efforts, leadership, community climate, knowledge of the issue, and resources related to the issue. The study briefly …
Relational Permanence For Individuals Adopted From Care, Darci Nelsen
Relational Permanence For Individuals Adopted From Care, Darci Nelsen
Expressive Therapies Dissertations
This qualitative study explored how individuals adopted from foster care experience the concept of relational permanency using an arts-based storytelling process. Participants were eight young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 who were adopted from foster care as youth. All participants identified as cisgender women, 75% identified as Black/African American (n = 6) and 25% as white (n = 2). Participants completed a demographic survey and engaged in a single 60-to-90-minute interview session. The interview was comprised of three main components, a semi-structured interview regarding participant understanding of relational permanency, an embodied check-in focused on physiological …
Qualitative Study Exploring The Risk Factors Of Burnout: Pennsylvania Social Work Professionals In Child Welfare, Nicole Ukaegbu
Qualitative Study Exploring The Risk Factors Of Burnout: Pennsylvania Social Work Professionals In Child Welfare, Nicole Ukaegbu
Social Work Doctoral Dissertations
Burnout is a concern that impacts many professionals in the workplace. This study focused on the risk factors of burnout for social work professionals in Pennsylvania’s child welfare industry. The study was conducted with 10 professionals at children and youth services (CYS) agencies in Pennsylvania, where each of the professionals were interviewed to gain perspective on the problem of burnout. This study used a qualitative approach and was rooted in grounded theory to unravel the findings.
Four risk factor themes, nine risk factor subthemes, and two additional findings themes were generated during the data analysis process. Findings from the 10 …
Investigating The Relationship Between Foster Care And Sex Trafficking: What Factors Are Maintaining The Cycle Of Abuse, Shannon M. Budgell
Investigating The Relationship Between Foster Care And Sex Trafficking: What Factors Are Maintaining The Cycle Of Abuse, Shannon M. Budgell
Student Theses
Sex trafficking is a global crime and human rights issue that benefits abusers at the detriment of vulnerable groups, including children involved in the United States welfare system. This meta-synthesis explored the risk factors present within the United States foster care system that expose children to potential victimization. Using qualitative research, the purpose of this study was to review sex trafficking exploitation and analyze the current policies creating this vulnerability in the nation’s child welfare services. Upon completing a systematic literature search, nine studies were included by meeting the following criteria: qualitative or quantitative research studies published in English any …
Analysis Of Trauma Screening As A Potential Predictor Of Congregate Care Placement As A Key Factor In Caseworker Decision Making, Amy Louise Perricone
Analysis Of Trauma Screening As A Potential Predictor Of Congregate Care Placement As A Key Factor In Caseworker Decision Making, Amy Louise Perricone
Dissertations
The placement of foster care children into congregate care (CC) facilities has been debated regarding whether CC can provide safety and healing, or if it is harmful and retraumatizing to children. In recent years CC has come under scrutiny due to high per diem costs and increasing reports of abuse and even death of children. In response, the federal Families First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) was enacted in 2018 with a goal of reducing the number of children in CC. Since then, efforts have been implemented nationwide to achieve this goal. This study explored the value of statewide trauma screening …
Prosecutors Or Helpers: An Institutional Ethnography Of Child Protective Services Casework, Anna Maria Rockhill
Prosecutors Or Helpers: An Institutional Ethnography Of Child Protective Services Casework, Anna Maria Rockhill
Dissertations and Theses
Millions of families come into contact with child welfare every year (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2020). The mission of child welfare is to strengthen the ability of families to care for their children and to protect children and provide aid, services, or referrals to families where maltreatment is said to have occurred (Congressional Research Services, 2020). The vast majority of the families who become involved with child welfare are multiply disadvantaged (e.g., Mersky et al., 2009; Sedlak et al., 2010; Testa & Smith, 2009) and child welfare is a key feature of the array of public supports …
Family First: Kinship Care As A Gold Standard, Ava Cloghessy
Family First: Kinship Care As A Gold Standard, Ava Cloghessy
Washington Semester Program
This thesis seeks to address how kinship care can produce higher permanency outcomes for children. Building on selected sources, the author will introduce testimony and illustrations from three key stakeholder perspectives involved in kinship care: children, their caregivers and caseworkers in the Child Welfare system. Finally, the proposed rule from the Administration for Children and Families will be evaluated as a policy recommendation.
Prolonged Exposure To Congregate Care And Foster Youth Outcomes, Tiffany Acklin
Prolonged Exposure To Congregate Care And Foster Youth Outcomes, Tiffany Acklin
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
Long-term exposure to congregate care settings can place foster children at greater risk for negative life outcomes in adulthood such as homelessness, incarceration, and substance use. The significance of this quantitative study is found in the benefits to both the micro and macro fields of social work as well as the practical applications to child welfare practices regarding placing children in congregate care settings. These findings are essential for guiding and improving the already existing child welfare policies and practices regarding the length of stay in congregate care settings as well as providing supportive services to children who are already …
Impact Of Employee-Supervisor Attachment Styles On The Prevalence And Symptomatic Expression Of Secondary Traumatic Stress In Public Child Welfare Workers., Lisa Purdy
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Child welfare organizations throughout the nation grapple with turnover rates estimated to be as high as 65% (e.g., CWLA, 2016; Edwards & Wideman, 2018). Turnover contributes negatively to client outcomes, organizational financial shortages, and to perpetuating stressful conditions for the child welfare workforce. One factor found to contribute to turnover within child welfare is that of secondary traumatic stress (STS). Child welfare workers are known to experience higher rates of STS than any other helping professional (Brady, 2017). However, while many risk and protective factors for secondary traumatic stress have been evaluated, there remains a gap in the literature as …
Crossing Over: A Description Of Dual Status Youth In Taylor County, Texas, Kimberly S. Putnam
Crossing Over: A Description Of Dual Status Youth In Taylor County, Texas, Kimberly S. Putnam
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This study explores and describes the experiences of ten dual status youth in Taylor County, Texas by examining the factors of race, sex, child welfare allegation, and juvenile justice offense. A review of the literature suggests that this population has unique challenges in and outside the courtroom, including being at increased risk for disparate outcomes in later adolescence and adulthood. This study compared single-system child welfare and juvenile justice data from Texas DFPS Region 2 and Taylor County to raw data provided on a sample of ten dual status youth identified in Taylor County from 2017–2021. Findings included a disproportionately …
Social Workers Perspective On Barriers To Family Reunification, Laura Velasquez, Annamarie C. Merrill
Social Workers Perspective On Barriers To Family Reunification, Laura Velasquez, Annamarie C. Merrill
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
The focus of this study is social worker’s potential perspective on barriers to family reunification in a child welfare services agency located in Central California. A constructivist research paradigm was applied to this study as it permitted the researchers to use a subjective methodology for collecting qualitative data. The study gathered data using interviews with child welfare social workers to construct a joint understanding of social workers perspective on barriers they face when reunifying child welfare families. Child welfare social workers identified numerous barriers to effective social work both in practice and in policy. The barriers found were a lack …
Exploring Permanency Rates Within The Southern California Counties Of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino And San Diego, Karrene Turner
Exploring Permanency Rates Within The Southern California Counties Of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino And San Diego, Karrene Turner
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
The term permanency within child welfare is the right for all children to have a childhood with a nurturing and permanent family. For children within foster care, it means a permanent family-based living situation with one of the following: parents, permanent placement with relatives, reunification with parents or adoption (Freundlich et al., 2006). The purpose of this study is to examine the perceived differences in permanency rates within 12 months of entry in child welfare within the Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego within a 10-year time span. The study will use pre-existing data …
The Investigation Of Knowledge And Practice Of Child Welfare Workers Providing Case Management To Children With Disabilities, Giselle Cruz
The Investigation Of Knowledge And Practice Of Child Welfare Workers Providing Case Management To Children With Disabilities, Giselle Cruz
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
This study examined the knowledge and practice of child welfare workers providing case management to children with disabilities. The study explores three areas of interest with regard to child welfare workers’ knowledge and practice: identification of disabilities, identification of proper services and resources for children with disabilities, and collaboration among multidisciplinary team members. Past literature has focused on the challenges child welfare workers experience when providing case management services to children with disabilities. This study used an exploratory quantitative design, using a cross-sectional survey to collect data from participants from two Children and Family Service Agencies. The results of this …
Professional Discretion Of Child Protective Services Investigators In Foster Care Placements, Leonard Fikes
Professional Discretion Of Child Protective Services Investigators In Foster Care Placements, Leonard Fikes
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Families of color in North Carolina have been disproportionately affected in the child welfare system, particularly in the foster care system. The purpose of this qualitative research study examined the discretionary powers of Child Protective Services (CPS) investigators and how they interpreted and applied child welfare policies that disproportionally impacted African American families from marginalized, underrepresented communities. Guided by Wallander and Molander’s professional discretion as the framework, this research expanded the current literature and increased awareness of racial disproportionality and the continued disproportionality of African American children in the child welfare system, especially foster care placements. The central research question …
Adult Attitudes And Adverse Childhood Experiences: Implications For Child Maltreatment, Carla M. Santana
Adult Attitudes And Adverse Childhood Experiences: Implications For Child Maltreatment, Carla M. Santana
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
In the United States, approximately $124 billion is spent annually on mental health and medical diagnosis as a result of the negative effects of adverse childhood experiences. These experiences can result in both mental and physical illness as well as a pattern of instability across the lifespan, which may affect adult attitudes toward child maltreatment and perpetuate the cycle of abuse. The purpose of this quantitative regression study was to examine any association between a person’s adverse childhood experiences and attitudes of what defined child maltreatment. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was the framework. A total of 98 participants took part …
Preferred Practices To Retain Black Female Caseworkers Employed In Child Welfare, Anna Koehle
Preferred Practices To Retain Black Female Caseworkers Employed In Child Welfare, Anna Koehle
Theses and Dissertations
The problem addressed by this study was that the turnover rate among social workers has been highest for Black female child-welfare caseworkers. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of Black female child-welfare caseworkers and effective strategies for retention. Ten experienced Black female caseworkers in child welfare were interviewed; participants represented five U.S. states. Participants were asked about mentorship programs, preservice training, financial incentives, major concerns related to retention, and recommendations for retention initiatives to specifically address the needs of Black female caseworkers. Themes emerged related to Black female caseworkers in child welfare. Mentorship programs …
Child Welfare And The Opioid Crisis In The Bluegrass State, Irina Mohler
Child Welfare And The Opioid Crisis In The Bluegrass State, Irina Mohler
Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects
This brief discusses the challenges facing Kentucky's child welfare system, particularly due to the opioid epidemic, childhood adversity, mental health needs, and limited social services. Kentucky has one of the highest child neglect rates and opioid dispensing rates in the nation. The state's child welfare system includes services like the Child and Family Services Plan, Independent Living Program, and Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Team (START), but it faces issues such as high caseloads and data gaps. It aims to emphasizes the importance of providing the highest standard of care for children in Kentucky and seeking effective recommendations by examining similar …
A Typology Of Foster Home Quality Elements In Relation To Foster Youth Mental Health, Paul Sorenson
A Typology Of Foster Home Quality Elements In Relation To Foster Youth Mental Health, Paul Sorenson
Dissertations and Theses
Foster care has been one of the primary interventions in society's efforts to address child maltreatment. The foster parents and foster homes follow a process of certification intended to ensure that maltreated children be placed in substitute care that supports and encourages positive outcomes. One of the outcomes of principle concern is mental health. Few studies have been conducted that explore the makeup of certified foster homes with respect to the cumulative impact of multiple indicators of quality on mental health outcomes of foster youth.
This study sought to identify a typology of foster homes based on theorized indicators of …
Foster Care Experience, Group Support, And Life Outcomes: A Qualitative Study, Alameta James
Foster Care Experience, Group Support, And Life Outcomes: A Qualitative Study, Alameta James
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
This research study utilizes the perspectives of foster care alumni to explore the effectiveness of the child welfare system. Based on experiences with general and peer related services while in foster care, participants were asked to evaluate and discuss how interventions they received contributed to areas of their life, including adult independent living. The study used an exploratory method with a qualitative approach to search for categories and themes related to the services, interventions, and activities implemented with foster youth and the effect that had on their lives. Interviews were deduced into six categories: demographics, therapeutic services, education, social support, …
Child Protection Policy Dimensions Across Catholic Archdioceses And Civil Statutes : A Comparative Content Analysis, Jeffrey Trant
Child Protection Policy Dimensions Across Catholic Archdioceses And Civil Statutes : A Comparative Content Analysis, Jeffrey Trant
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Since 2002, the Catholic Church in the United States has enacted a national child protection framework to address child sexual abuse. However, child protection policies within the context of the Catholic Church are currently not well understood. This study was guided by the following questions: (1) How do child protection policy dimensions differ in Catholic archdioceses in the United States? (2) How do child protection policy dimensions differ across and between Catholic archdioceses and civil statutes? The present study utilized a generic qualitative methodology employing comparative content analysis to conduct a policy analysis using publicly available child protection policies from …
The Caregiver-Biological Parent Relationship’S Impact On Reunification, Karol Valencia Reynoso
The Caregiver-Biological Parent Relationship’S Impact On Reunification, Karol Valencia Reynoso
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
Child welfare cases that require the removal of children from the parents require court involvement. Children in foster care are placed in a foster home. Foster caregivers are responsible for the daily care of the court Dependent meanwhile their parent(s) is participating in Family Reunification services.
Interviewing social workers with family reunification case work experience allowed for identification of common barriers or commonalities caused by the relationship between foster caregivers and biological parents. Visitations between the children and bio-parents are a great indicator of reunification likelihood based on the child-parent bond. The study was centered on child welfare social worker’s …
The Impact Of Religion And Spirituality On County Child Welfare Workers, Celeste Ramos, Sonia Magdaleno Ayamel
The Impact Of Religion And Spirituality On County Child Welfare Workers, Celeste Ramos, Sonia Magdaleno Ayamel
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
This study aims to identify and analyze how county child welfare workers can utilize their own religious and spiritual beliefs to alleviate some of the work-related stress. In addition, the study will examine how participating in religious or spiritual support groups will benefit county child welfare workers. The findings may encourage social workers to rely on their respective religious and spiritual beliefs while dealing with difficult situations.
Working Effectively With Immigrant Families In The Child Welfare System, Angeles J. Tovar, Yvette Robles
Working Effectively With Immigrant Families In The Child Welfare System, Angeles J. Tovar, Yvette Robles
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
The purpose of the study was to examine what social work students and early career professionals need from their agencies, supervisors, and colleagues to work effectively with immigrant clients in child welfare. The literature on social work with immigrants suggests that this work is challenging due to a plethora of barriers related to language, culture, citizenship, eligibility, and organizational environment. The study uses in-depth, qualitative interviews with seven social work students and early career social workers who work in child welfare settings in Southern California, either as interns or full-time employees. These interviews were conducted by the researchers from Fall …
Perception Of Parentification: A Qualitative Study Of Hispanic Families In Southern California, Kaylin Lopez
Perception Of Parentification: A Qualitative Study Of Hispanic Families In Southern California, Kaylin Lopez
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
Previous research has not thoroughly studied parentification in California. This study seeks to fill this gap by exploring how is child parentification is perceived among Hispanic families in the High Desert region of California. Guided by the premises of Bowlby’s Attachment Theory and Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory and utilizing a qualitative approach, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with six Hispanic Americans residing in California’s High Desert area (N = 6). Thematic analysis of the data generated six major themes: (1) children as a resource in the household, (2) parentification requires parental consent, (3) parentification depends on child’s age, (4) parentification …
Self Care And Burnout Among Child Welfare Workers During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Stephanie Carranza, Claudia Castillo
Self Care And Burnout Among Child Welfare Workers During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Stephanie Carranza, Claudia Castillo
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
The study was designed to explore associations between burnout and self-care practices among child welfare social workers and how they were impacted during the Coronavirus pandemic. The researchers completed a qualitative study with research participants by completing interviews via Zoom. All research participants composed of current and former child welfare social workers. Through the data gathered, the researchers found that there were no associations between burnout and self-care practices during the pandemic. It was concluded that burnout has remained consistent regardless of self-care practices prior and during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Former Foster Youth Who Become Child Welfare Workers, Candace Watts, Shantel Ortega
Former Foster Youth Who Become Child Welfare Workers, Candace Watts, Shantel Ortega
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
Former foster youth who become child welfare workers are an asset to the child welfare system because of the combination of their lived experience and professional experience in child welfare, which allows them to understand the circumstances of their clients on a deeper level. This study seeks to uncover the reasons why former foster youth become child welfare workers. There are three main questions that our study seeks to know: What factors lead former foster youth to become workers in child welfare? Do these workers have any advantages because of their past personal experiences with child welfare? And do child …
The Perceptions And Practices Of Child Welfare Caseworkers And Decision-Making Related To Reunification, Sonja D. Ulrich
The Perceptions And Practices Of Child Welfare Caseworkers And Decision-Making Related To Reunification, Sonja D. Ulrich
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
The child welfare system exists to support safe and healthy families. When children cannot remain safely with family, they are removed and often placed with nonrelatives. Only half of all of the children removed from their homes achieve reunification. In the current study, research questions examined the perceptions of caseworkers in determining whether or when a child could reunify with their family of removal, and how the perceptions of the caseworker affected their practice regarding reunification. Using social learning theory as a framework, a caseworker’s decisions were viewed as a balance between their work environment and their personal perceptions. Following …