Social Work Commons^™

Behavioral Health Services Needs And Availability For Young Children Involved In The Child Welfare System, Jill Hoffman, Alicia Bunger, Hillary Robertson, Scottye Cash

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purposes of this presentation are to:

• Identify key characteristics of young children (0-5 years old) involved in child welfare
• Learn about the prevalence of behavioral health service needs and use among children 0-5 years old involved in child welfare
• Learn about the availability of behavioral health services targeted toward children aged 0-5 years old
• Have the opportunity to engage in a discussion on this study’s findings and trends they have seen in the populations they serve

Economic Equity In Communities Of Color: The Effectiveness Of Minority Contracting Initiatives, Matthew Chorpenning, Ann Curry-Stevens, Greg Schrock, Nathen Lamb

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

As the movement for racial equity takes hold in Portland, Oregon, we look for examples of where the living conditions of communities of color are improving. One concrete initiative that many point to is the array of minority contracting efforts whereby minority-owned businesses are supported by various levels of government in ways that are entrenched in both policy and practice. This report looks at the most recent data on minority contracting, as well as minority hiring policies, research-based best practices and a case study of the Sellwood Bridge project and determines that much more can and should be done to …

Child And Maternal Health In The Slavic Community: Insights On Assets And Priorities, Marie-Elena Reyes, Ann Curry-Stevens

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

The Slavic community’s health is impacted by race and ethnicity, and also by issues that flow from being a newcomer community, and also from their status as refugees. They also bring to the U.S.A. cultural orientation that is collectivist, and shared experiences of persecution and deep distrust of the government. As is detailed in this report, these experiences have an impact on health and wellbeing, and simultaneously have a detrimental effect on the economic stature of the community.

This Community Needs Assessment on the Health of Slavic Children (ages 0-5 years) was conducted to produce a “needs assessment” report outlining …

Focal Point, Volume 28, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

Between one–third and one–half of young adults with mental health challenges have co-occurring substance use issues. This issue of Focal Point examines treatments and supports for this population.

Examining Racial Disparities In Beaverton, Alexis D. R. Ball

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

Examining Racial Disparities in Beaverton aims to assist the City of Beaverton’s Diversity Advisory Board in understanding the current state of Beaverton’s communities of color as they work to create a “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan.” It synthesizes and analyzes available data to describe racial disparities in Beaverton, Oregon through the use of raw data and secondary analysis, reports and communications from the City of Beaverton, and expert interviews. The presentation of data emphasizes a comparison of outcomes for communities of color and the white community with the purpose of highlighting common experiences across communities of color and demonstrating urgency …

Under What Conditions Does Caseworker-Caregiver Racial/Ethnic Similarity Matter For Housing Service Provision? An Application Of Representative Bureaucracy Theory, Jennifer E. Blakeslee, Emmeline Chuang, Alicia Bunger, Bowen Mcbeath

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this article, we examine child welfare caseworkers’ housing-related service strategies when they serve culturally similar versus culturally dissimilar clients. Testing hypotheses drawn from representative bureaucracy theory and using data from the second cohort of the National Survey of Child and AdolescentWell-Being, we find that when non-Caucasian caseworkers share the same racial/ethnic background as caregivers, caseworkers use more active strategies to connect caregivers to needed housing services. The relationship between racial/ethnic matching and frontline workers’ repertoire of service strategies is most pronounced when the need for housing has been registered formally via referrals and case plans and thus legitimated institutionally. …

How Disparities Research Can Influence Public Policy, Ann Curry-Stevens

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Presentation providing a overview of the partnered research between the Coalition of Communities of Color and Portland State University.

Resident And Community Characteristics Report 2014: Assisted Living, Residential Care, Memory Care, Paula C. Carder, Jacklyn Nicole Kohon, Aubrey Limburg, Maximilian West, Amanuel Zimam, Kenneth Gordon Neal

Institute on Aging Publications

This report provides an overview of community-based care settings in Oregon. The results presented here are derived from surveys completed by 243 facilities serving 9,485 residents. Key changes between the 2008 OOHPR survey and 2014 include:

• Compared to 2008, the number of facilities increased by 13%, with the largest growth in MCCs (41%).
• The proportion of for-profit facilities and facilities managed by a third party increased from 2008 by 8%.
• The acuity level of residents increased on most measures compared to 2008.
• Compared to 2008, residents across all three community types required more assistance with ADLs and used more health …

Protocol For Culturally Responsive Organizations, Ann Curry-Stevens, Marie-Elena Reyes, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

Communities of color have long been marginalized in mainstream service delivery – invisible in terms of their access to resources and services, the adequacy of such services, and in the types of interventions available to members of the community. When available, organizations have been ripe with inequitable outcomes. Today, greater attention to racial equity exists, with local leaders of color having been able to leverage influence to ensure that stronger accountability exists among mainstream organizations in terms of how well communities of color are served, with heightened emphasis on the cultural responsiveness of the entire organization. At the request of …

Focal Point, Volume 27, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This special issue of Focal Point focuses on best practices for helping youth and young adults with mental health challenges reach their educational and employment goals, by highlighting preliminary results from some of our research at Pathways to Positive Futures as well as some of the work being done at the Transitions RTC at the University of Massachusetts.

The African Immigrant And Refugee Community In Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, Ann Curry-Stevens, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since 1975, African immigrants, refugees and secondary migrants have been relocating to Multnomah County and now represent the fourth largest immigrant community after Latino, Asian, and Slavic immigrants. The African community here is incredibly diverse in its make-up, with over 28 different African countries and numerous ethnic groups represented. Estimates from 2003 suggest that African immigrants make up 2% of the foreign-born population in the Portland Metro (tri-county) area. Nearly half (45%) of the tri-county area’s African foreign-born population is from eastern Africa, including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Other countries of origin include Sudan, Sierra …

Policies To Eliminate Racial Disparities In Education: A Literature Review, Ann Curry-Stevens, Analucia Lopezrevoredo, Dana Peters

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

In response to an increasing need to understand the reach of the literature and the research undertaken on initiatives to eliminate racial disparities, a literature review was initiated in 2012 for the Eliminating Racial Disparities Collaborative within the All Hands Raised initiative to improve academic outcomes for students in Multnomah County. This was an expansive undertaking – and at the end, we have drawn upon about 160 different articles, some of which were meta-analyses of an array of publications in a particular field.

The first section in this report is a summary document that details each policy-based recommendation in this …

Oral Care & Asian And Pacific Islander Communities In Oregon, Amira Caluya

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

This report attempts to describe the current knowledge of oral health care access within Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in Oregon based on secondary data from the Oregon Health Authority’s Smile Survey 2007, Smile Survey 2012; and the Coalition of Communities of Color’s 2012 report, The Asian and Pacific Islander Community in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile. To be clear, the 2012 survey report draft is cited most, as the 2012 survey reported more data on children of color compared to the 2007 survey. This paper also attempts to highlight the multifaceted aspects of access to care …

Focal Point, Volume 26, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This issue of Focal Point focuses on the recognition that mental health and physical health should not be considered separately. It addresses how the mind and body impact each other, and how we can strive to achieve balance within ourselves.

The End Of The Honeymoon: Cbpr, Positional Privilege And Working With Community Coalitions, Ann Curry-Stevens

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This chapter tells a story about the CBPR research project, "Making Communities of Color Count" which partners researchers at the School of Social Work with the Coalition of Communities of Color in Multnomah County. It is not the only story about this project, as the voices of community partners and the rest of the research team are quiet in this retelling, but it is the one that centers the experience of the lead academic in this partnership. I center the joys and challenges of CBPR research, and the avenues that such opportunities offer for academically-based researchers, replete with avenues for …

The Latino Community In Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, Ann Curry-Stevens, Amanda Cross-Hemmer, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our report, "The Latino Community in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile" uncovers an array of racial inequities across the systems of income, employment, education, juvenile justice, corrections, child welfare, philanthropic giving, housing, immigration, research practices (particularly population measurement), wealth, health, health insurance coverage, racial harassment, public service and voter registration. These systems maintain our second-class status and serve to limit our current well being and the prospects for a bright future for our children.

The Asian And Pacific Islander Community In Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, Ann Curry-Stevens, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report builds on the Communities of Color in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile publication in 2010, that provided a comprehensive and comparative study of the inequities facing communities of color, immigrants and refugees. The findings, backed up by accurate and extensive data, are indeed unsettling, highlighting the persistent and in some cases growing disparities facing our communities. We see this as a wake-up call for public officials and policy-makers, and an opportunity for increased partnership and collective action for the advancement of racial equity.

One key recommendation in this report is to improve standards that ensure the disaggregation of …

The Politics Of Data: Uncovering Whiteness In Conventional Social Policy And Social Work Research, Ann Curry-Stevens, Amanda Cross-Hemmer, Nichole Maher, Julia Meier

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The implementation of a robust community based participatory research (CBPR) study in Multnomah County, Oregon, has detailed broad and deep racial disparities across 27 institutions and systems. The process of this research has led to the identification of numerous practices that misrepresent and negate the experiences and very identity of communities of color. The research draws from engagement with numerous databases from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and various administrative databases. The core issues at hand are population undercounts, understudy of the unique characteristics of these communities, inaccuracies in …

Focal Point, Volume 25, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This issue of Focal Point is about Healthy Relationships and their effects on young adults with mental health conditions. While most of the articles focus on the positive aspects of relationships, others highlight more negative experiences and their impacts.

The Native American Community In Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, Ann Curry-Stevens, Amanda Cross-Hemmer, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report is the result of three years of work of true partnership between the Native American community, the Coalition of Communities of Color and Portland State University. The Portland Indian Leaders’ Roundtable, an alliance of 28 local Native American organizations, tribal organizations and Native focused programs within larger institutions, took a lead role in the implementation of the Native American research. Elders of the community reviewed the work and provided invaluable knowledge and historical context.

Our main priority is to advocate for policy decisions that improve outcomes for the Native American community. We hold institutional reform and the formation …

Failure Of Intimate Partner Violence Screening Among Patients With Substance Use Disorders, Esther K. Choo, Christina Nicolaidis, Robert H. Jenkinson, Jessi M. Cox, Kenneth J. Mcconnell

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives: This study examined the relationship between substance use disorder (SUD) and intimate partner violence screening (IPV) and management practices in the emergency department (ED). Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of adult ED patients presenting to an urban, tertiary care teaching hospital over a 4-month period. An automated electronic data abstraction process identified consecutive patients and retrieved visit characteristics, including results of three violence screening questions, demographic data, triage acuity, time of visit, and ICD-9 diagnosis codes. Data on management were collected using a standardized abstraction tool by two reviewers masked to the study question. Multivariate logistic regression …

Focal Point, Volume 24, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

The articles included in this inaugural issue of the "new" Focal Point address "Transitions to Adulthood" from the perspectives of researchers, youth, family, and professionals. [This is the first issue of Focal Point as published by the Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures; previous issues had been published under the preceding RTC for Family Support and Children's Mental Health.]

Solving The Childcare And Flexibility Puzzle: How Working Parents Make The Best Feasible Choices And What That Means For Public Policy, Arthur C. Emlen

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

This monograph’s contribution to knowledge was two-fold: 1) reliable measures of the quality of childcare as perceived and assessed by the parents themselves; and 2) discovery that the quality of the care chosen by working parents depends upon the amount of flexibility they can muster from their immediate environment at work, at home, or from accommodating childcare providers. It doesn’t matter which source of flexibility works best for them. It’s the flexibility that allows optimum choice. The findings suggest that public policy should recognize the vast diversity of parental choices and the flexibility needed to improve their choices. That means …

Communities Of Color In Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, Ann Curry-Stevens, Amanda Cross-Hemmer, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Existing data that informs decision making in Multnomah County inadequately captures the lived experiences of communities of color. Rarely do existing reports include dimensions of race and ethnicity. Much research has been undertaken without the involvement of those most affected by the decisions guided by the research. The impact is that communities of color are rarely visible at the level of policy. Data has been used to obscure and oppress rather than to empower communities and eliminate disparities. This is not acceptable, and leads to inequitable policy and devastating outcomes for people of color.

"Communities of Color in Multnomah County: …

Focal Point, Volume 23 Number 02, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This issue of Focal Point highlights a number of successful and innovative efforts to promote youth voice and youth empowerment. Many of the articles are authored by or include contributions from youth who are directly involved in the featured programs.

Focal Point, Volume 23 Number 01, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

Stigmatization can result in exclusion of and discrimination against the stigmatized individual. This issue of Focal Point provides state-of-the-art information about stigmatization, its causes and consequences, and strategies and programs for alleviating it.

Focal Point, Volume 22 Number 02, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This issue of Focal Point—through a consideration of personal, lived experience as well as practice and research—examines the mutual impact of caregiver and child mental health, and highlights practical strategies to promote positive outcomes for children and caregivers who experience mental health difficulties.

Accessing Substance Abuse Treatment: Issues For Parents Involved With Child Welfare Services, Anna Rockhill, Beth L. Green, Linda Newton-Curtis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The complex issues associated with barriers to treatment entry for parents who are involved with child welfare has not been well explored. Accessing timely treatment is now critical for these parents since the introduction of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, limiting the time until a permanency decision is made. Using a longitudinal, qualitative approach, substance-abusing parents from 15 families, their relevant family members, and service providers were interviewed approximately every 3 months over an 18-month period. The experiences of these parents add to our knowledge of the unique barriers this population faces, and expands our understanding of …

Focal Point, Volume 22 Number 01, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This issue of Focal Point explores how the increasing emphasis on using evidence–based practices and a "system of care" approach is driving changes in jobs and roles related to children's mental health. Articles in the issue describe how agencies and providers of services and supports have responded to these changes by creating new types of positions or by redefining existing roles. The articles also focus on training and other workforce development activities that are required to support these kinds of changes in the workforce.

The Role Of Interagency Collaboration For Substance- Abusing Families Involved With Child Welfare, Beth L. Green, Anna Rockhill, Scott Burns

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Meeting the needs of families involved with the child welfare system because of a substance abuse issue remains a challenge for child welfare practitioners. In order to improve services to these families, there has been an increasing focus on improving collaboration between child welfare, treatment providers, and the court systems. This paper presents the results from qualitative interviews with 104 representatives of these three systems that explore how the collaborative process works to benefit families, as well as the barriers and supports for building successful collaborations. Results indicate that collaboration has at least three major functions: building shared value systems, …