Digital Commons Network^™

Ms 179 Guide To Irvin A. Kraft Papers (1939-2010), Irvin A. Kraft (1921-2010)

Manuscript Finding Aids

Printed paper is the predominant format in the collection though there are numerous black and white and color photographic prints, some objects and other ephemera and an 8mm sound film. A large portion of the collection is comprised of various scrapbooks. See more at MS 179.

Using Strengths-Based Leadership To Improve The Child Welfare System, Kimberly M. Giardina

Journal of Family Strengths

The child welfare system has primarily focused on the safety of children even though the goals of the system are to improve safety, well-being, and permanency. Through an innovative use of strengths-based leadership and the restructuring of service delivery, the Neighborhoods for Kids program has demonstrated how to effectively achieve all three goals for children in the child welfare system. The unique infusion of strengths-based leadership into the child welfare system allowed staff to creatively meet the outcomes without any additional funding needed. The goal was to strengthen the leadership in East Region and increase staff engagement, which would in …

Commentary On "Using Strengths-Based Leadership To Improve The Child Welfare System", June C. Lloyd

Journal of Family Strengths

This commentary reviews the design features and methods by which the Strengths Based Leadership model of the East Region of a county child welfare agency provides antidotes to the dilemmas typically faced by public agency street-level staff. Identifying worker strengths, increasing worker engagement in agency design, and clearly articulating goals and expectations—all features of productive relationships with client families, when employed by agency leadership—provide both the atmosphere and key supports for direct service staff to obtain positive outcomes for the children and families served.

An Innovative Collective Parent Engagement Model For Families And Neighborhoods In Arrival Cities, Tania Alameda-Lawson, Michael A. Lawson, Hal A. Lawson

Journal of Family Strengths

Arrival Cities are special urban places. Amid the largest migration in human history, they provide homes for large numbers of mobile, low-income, immigrant families. These families need new human service and child welfare service models. Collective parent engagement (CPE) is one such model. CPE is designed to build on the strengths and meet the needs of immigrant families living in Arrival City neighborhoods. In contrast to interventions focused on individual parents, this CPE model mobilizes groups of parents; and with a dual agenda. CPE develops much-needed “anchoring supports” for mobile, vulnerable families, at the same time that it positions local …

Family Roots: Sustenance For Samoan And Tongan American Elders, Halaevalu F.O. Vakalahi, Emily S. Ihara, Moana P. Hafoka

Journal of Family Strengths

This article discusses the centrality of the family in supporting cultural responsibilities and in the well-being of Samoan and Tongan-American elders. Informed by the Ho’okele model, this grounded theory study was conducted in the State of Hawaii, the port of entry for most Pacific Islander-Americans migrating to the U.S. and the state in which a majority of Samoans and Tongans reside. Qualitative data was collected from 10 Samoan and 10 Tongan elders, and analysis was conducted by immersion in the data and reading for natural emergence of themes, patterns and categories. Cultural foundation of family relationships, expectations of the keepers …

Family-Directed Structural Assessment: Facilitating Strengths-Based Family Assessment And Engagement, Tara Mclendon

Journal of Family Strengths

This article provides a brief overview of the Family-Directed Structural Assessment Tool which is a strengths-based, family-driven assessment tool that has been developed during the last 10 years. A discussion of its application in a therapeutic family camp setting, a traditional outpatient clinic, a residential treatment environment, and a child welfare setting follows. Finally, implications for strengths-based family work and current projects are addressed.

Using State Wide Child And Family Services Review Data To Analyze Policies To Improve Educational Outcomes Of Children In Foster Care, Corie G. Hebert

Journal of Family Strengths

The poor educational outcomes of foster children is recognized as a national problem. The literature is reviewed to define and illustrate the magnitude of the problem. Steps have been taken to improve the problem with passage of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008; it requires states to ensure the educational stability of foster youth. A description of utilizing state level Child and Family Service Review data to analyze a state’s ability to comply with the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 is provided.

Strengths-Based Supervision: Supporting Implementation Of Family-Centered Practice Through Supervisory Processes, Cynthia A. Lietz

Journal of Family Strengths

Strengths-Based Supervision (SBS) is a model of supervision that was developed for child welfare settings. The model integrates several supervisory processes that are conducted with the primary focus of supporting effective implementation of Family-Centered Practice (FCP). The model was developed in one southwestern state in 2008 and has since been adopted by other public child welfare systems and by private, non-profit settings. The purpose of this article is to describe the model and offer implications for practice.

Moving Beyond Lip Service: The Clinical Reasoning Behind Practicing Strengths, Lynn M. Mayer, Barbara P. Early, Aidan H. Bohlander

Journal of Family Strengths

Social work has a long tradition of advocating for practice from the strengths perspective. However, it is unclear whether schools are truly preparing students for strengths based practice or whether they are simply teaching them to use the vocabulary of strengths without the clinical reasoning skills to switch paradigms from deficits to strengths, moving beyond lip service to real strengths-based practice. To explore this issue, data from an exercise in an MSW course was explored using qualitative methodology. The findings support that in addition to using a strengths vocabulary, other components are necessary for true implementation of a strengths approach. …

Commentary On "Using State Wide Child And Family Services Review Data To Analyze Policies To Improve Educational Outcomes Of Children In Foster Care", Jacquelyn Mccroskey

Journal of Family Strengths

“Using State Wide Child and Family Service Review Data to Analyze Policies to Improve Educational Outcomes of Children in Foster Care” suggests that States could use data from their Child and Family Services Review processes to focus attention on the changes needed to improve educational outcomes for foster youth. This is an interesting idea that deserves further deliberation.

The Familial Union Between Caregivers And The Juvenile Justice System, Joshua T. Baldwin, Wesley Church, Tracy Wharton

Journal of Family Strengths

This research describes an initial exploration of the phenomenon of caregivers’ learning of their child’s detention, an area of exploration that has little previous attention in the literature. This initial exploration was rooted in a desire to gain an understanding of the caregiver’s experience with both their family member (adjudicated juvenile) and the criminal justice system. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used in this study to gain rich understanding into the lived experiences shared by twelve caregivers of youth being adjudicated in the juvenile justice system. Two overarching themes emerged from the data: 1) the system, with communication, fairness, and …

Commentary On "Family-Directed Structural Therapy: Ten Years Of Building On Family Strengths", Roger S. Friedman

Journal of Family Strengths

This is an original and ground-breaking article because the authors have operationalized important concepts in family-centered thinking and practice, developed assessment tools that can be used for testing the validity of these concepts and then collected data from control and treatment groups of families in four very different service areas.

Nevertheless, the use of 'structural family therapy' in the title and design of instruments without grounding this research in the non-linear systems assumptions that are the hallmark of the literature on structural family therapy, obscures some of the theoretical and practice problems that are faced in family treatment today.

Related Resources

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Related Resources for Accountable Communities.

Artifacts Of Schooling, Frank S. Kelly

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

The paper explores important issues in today’s education, not by analyses and statistics, but by projecting readers into the future and then asking them to look back on today’s schools and to act like archaeologists—to surmise from all sorts of things they can observe, what was really important to us, what we really valued, how we treated kids, how our schools related to the communities they serve, how we used funds and time, how we used the ideas and technology available to us. Readers may find themselves amazed, amused or angered by their own answers.

What We Owe Our Children: Building A Healthier Houston Region, Jay Blazek Crossley

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

The mission of Houston Tomorrow is to improve the quality of life for all the people of the Houston. However, we have an overarching concern for protecting the futures of the children of the Houston region.

The Houston region needs to grow more connected by transit, walking, and biking with a focus on access to our major centers and attractions. We need safer streets, better access to healthy food options, and options for low-carbon lifestyles in walkable, urban, mixed-use areas. We need more people involved in regional planning and major decisions that will dictate the options of future generations.

Children Are Natural-Born Urban Planners!, James Rojas

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Every child is capable of becoming an urban planner because they use their minds and bodies to understand the places they habituate. My interactive method taps into their experiences, emotions, and imagination through play to bring out the city planners in them.

Children have an intuitive sense of the environment around them and this knowledge needs to be developed in allowing them to learn how the participate in civic matters and shape cities in the future.

Solvitur Ambulando: It Is Solved By Walking, Megan Dickerson

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Though a significant portion of the conversation around “play provision” focuses on the quality and availability of community playgrounds, the majority of children’s play occurs in transitional spaces: sidewalks and other spaces not designed for children but used by children daily. This Perspective from the Field briefly reviews the late 19^th century roots of the American playground and argues that though a focus on playground provision may draw attention to the importance of safe play spaces, a focus on playgrounds alone is limiting. Given playgrounds’ historical rootings, the omnipresent KFC (Kit, Fence and Carpet) playground begins to seem a …

Real School Gardens Program: Learning Gardens And Teacher Training To Improve Student Engagement And Academic Performance In Low-Performing Elementary Schools, Jeanne Mccarty

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Children who grow up in poverty are less likely to graduate high school, enter college and find economic stability. REAL School Gardens believes the right educational opportunities – ones that engage and motive children to learn – can break this cycle. The REAL School Gardens Program builds learning gardens and offers teacher training to improve academic engagement and performance in low-income elementary schools. Since its launch, REAL School Gardens has partnered with 92 low-income schools, and preliminary findings show that 84% of students experiencing hands-on academic lessons in a REAL School Garden report high levels of engagement, specifically in math …

Report From The Field: The Results Of A Community Needs Assessment For Parent Education In Houston, Texas, Nancy P. Correa, Christopher Greeley, Angelo P. Giardino

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Introduction: An evolving body of research has demonstrated that parent education has a positive impact on children, parents, and the community. CHILDREN AT RISK conducted a needs assessment of parent support programs in Houston, Texas to determine if there was perceived need and community support for a community-wide approach to evidence-based parent education.

Setting: The needs assessment was conducted by a research and advocacy non-profit that had the support of academic advisors in Houston, Texas.

Methodology: The needs assessment included 70 key informant interviews, 3 focus groups, data collection, a literature review, and a participating stakeholder survey from 28 organizations. …

Enhancing Communities Through The Design, Development And Dissemination Of Positive Parenting Interventions, John A. Pickering, Matthew R. Sanders

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Positive, healthy and happy families are the cornerstone of any healthy community. Parenting programs which address multiple aspects of family functioning are potentially the most effective means of creating positive family environments. However, the various constituents who “consume” parenting support and intervention often are not engaged to help shape program design and development. Using the challenge of parenting siblings as a case example, this paper describes a conceptual framework for enhancing the health and well-being of communities through the iterative development of empirically supported parenting interventions. A model of program development involving enhanced consumer involvement is presented to illustrate how …

Making A Community Ready For Oral Health, Paul Casamassimo, Catherine M. Flaitz

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

The challenges of resolving the oral health disparities among children and other vulnerable populations requires a well-organized community safety net, along with a sincere commitment to prioritize the elimination of this common, but preventable, dental disease. Adequate funding for basic health needs, while incorporating oral health care into a comprehensive primary care model in our neighborhoods provides the best chance for a successful outcome. In order to build better communities for our children, improvement in the access and delivery of dental care must be part of the equation.

Understanding Perceptions About Contraceptive Responsibility Among Adolescents, Silvia T. Linares, Lisa M. Hollier

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Invited Commentary on "Attitudes Surrounding Contraceptive Responsibility: Do Latino Adolescents Differ From Other Groups?"

Increasing Young People’S Active Modes Of Transport: An Urgent Review Of The Child-Friendliness Of Multi-Sector Policies Required, Billie Giles-Corti

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Invited Commentary on "Correlates of Active School Transport Immediately Before and After the Transition from Primary to Secondary School: A Pilot Study".

Commentary On "Trends In Child Health Insurance Coverage: A Local Perspective", Claire Elizabeth Bocchini

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Purpose: To provide commentary on the original research article, “Trends in Child Health Insurance Coverage: A Local Perspective,” by Jean Rapahel, Richard R. Batsell, Marc A. Kowalkowski, Aileen Beltran, Angelo P. Giardino, and Charles G. Macias.

Findings: The authors clearly show that in Houston, TX, over the past eight years, fewer children have employer-sponsored health insurance coverage and more children, especially low-income and minority children, are enrolled in public health insurance programs. These findings underscore the critical importance of preserving and strengthening our existing public insurance safety-net programs.

Conclusion: All children should have access to high quality health care and …

Pediatric Tropical Diseases And The World’S Children Living In Extreme Poverty, Peter J. Hotez

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Enormous strides have been made in reducing the number of global under-five child deaths through expanded development and use of vaccines under the auspices of the GAVI Alliance. However such successes have left behind a significant burden of child morbidity and mortality in developing countries from six major tropical diseases, ie, dengue, malaria, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminth infections, trachoma, and visceral leishmaniasis. Approximately 1.7 billion infections occur from these six diseases that result in disability-adjusted life years that exceed HIV/AIDs and result in 700,000 to 1.2 million deaths annually. International efforts are in place to reduce the disease burden of several …

Sexual Violence Against Girls In Schools: Addressing The Gaps Between Policy And Practice In Awaso, Ghana, Geneviève M. Proulx, Andrea Martinez

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Despite the established relationship between girls' education and several social development outcomes, gender disparities in education remain particularly concerning. Among the many obstacles that still hinder girls’ access to quality education, sexual violence against girls in schools (SVAGS) is one of the most worrying but also one that has received the least attention in light of recent efforts to increase girls’ attendance in school. This article explores the interface between the seemingly solid Ghanaian legal and policy framework to protect children in educational institutions and the high incidence of SVAGS in such institutions. Its purpose is twofold: to identify the …

Attitudes Surrounding Contraceptive Responsibility: Do Latino Youth Differ From Other Groups?, Kari White, Kristine Hopkins, Emily Schiefelbein

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Latina teens have lower rates of contraceptive use and higher rates of pregnancy compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Differences in attitudes about contraceptive responsibility have been suggested as reasons for these disparities. We conducted 36 gender- and race/ethnicity-specific focus groups with young women aged 15 to 21 years and young men aged 18 to 24 in four large Texas cities. To explore youths’ attitudes about contraceptive responsibility, we analyzed transcripts using thematic analysis and compared themes across race/ethnicity and gender. Across all groups, youth often reported that young women were primarily responsible for contraception because of the physical implications of …

Socioeconomic And Cultural County-Level Factors Associated With Race/Ethnic Differences In Body Mass Index In 4th Grade Students In Texas, Jennifer J. Salinas, Manasi S. Shah, Jennifer L. Gay, Ken Sexton, Eileen Nehme, Dorothy Mandell, Deanna M. Hoelscher

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between county-level socioeconomic environment and the propensity to be overweight or obese by race/ethnic group in a sample of fourth grade children the Texas public school system.

Methods: The data used come from the School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) surveillance study – a surveillance study of school-aged children in Texas. The outcome variable used was Body Mass Index (BMI) categorized as underweight/normal/healthy, overweight, and obese. Exposure variables were derived from county-level Hispanic and Black concentration and socioeconomic data using the Human Security Index (HSI) as a framework. We made comparisons between Non-Hispanic White, Black …

Memory Functioning For Personally Experienced And Witnessed Events In Children With Autism And The Implications For Educators, Mental Health Professionals, And The Law, Kelly A. Cornett, Deborah S. Miora, Tracy Fass, Dennis Dixon

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Several researchers have hypothesized a deficit in memory processing to exist in children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This hypothesis has been supported by findings of deficient recall and recognition ability in children with ASD. Specifically, research has pointed to greater deficits in their ability to recall events related to the self as opposed to others. However, such research has not explored how memory functioning would be impacted when an event with an emotional tenor was used and when a forced choice yes/no paradigm was used to extricate what was remembered from the event. The current study …

Injury And Illness Benchmarking And Prevention For Children And Staff Attending U.S. Camps: Promising Practices And Policy Implications, Barry A. Garst, Linda E. Erceg, Edward Walton

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Background: Camp experiences contribute to a range of positive developmental youth outcomes, but camp experiences also pose a risk for youth because of potential exposure to injuries and illnesses. The camp community has lacked both a methodology and effective benchmarks for injury and illness monitoring. Furthermore, camp-related policy recommendations have lacked the support of generalizable data addressing the risk of injuries and illnesses at camp. The need for systematic exploration of when, where, and how injuries and illness occur in camps created an opportunity for administrators and healthcare providers to improve camp safety by understanding injury and illness trends and …