Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Theory Of Change For One-On-One Peer Support For Older Adolescents And Young Adults, Janet S. Walker, Vanessa V. Klodnick, Brianne Lapelusa, Shannon M. Blajeski, Alex R. Freedman, Shannon Marble

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Peer support has become increasingly available as a formal mental health service. However, high quality research and implementation of peer support has been hampered over the years by the lack of theory that clarifies peer support roles and explains exactly how these roles foster positive outcomes for peer support users. Observers have noted that theory is particularly sparse in regard to peer support for older adolescents and young adults, and they have called for theory that not only clarifies roles and mechanisms of impact, but also identifies how peer support for young people might differ from peer support for …

Organizational Supports For Evidence Use In Child Welfare, Emmeline Chuang, Crystal Collins-Camargo, Bowen Mcbeath, Monica Perez Jolles

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite its importance to achieving positive outcomes for vulnerable children and families, use of evidence by child welfare managers and practitioners remains limited. This study describes four types of organizational supports that child welfare agencies may use to facilitate evidence use. Data collected in 2016 from a six-state sample of private child welfare agencies are used to examine agency investment in different supports for evidence use and their association with managerial evidence use. We also identify contextual, organizational, and managerial factors associated with agency investment in these supports. Findings suggest that technical infrastructure is necessary but not sufficient for promoting …

Youth-Reported School Connection And Experiences Of A Middle Schoolebased Screening, Brief Intervention, And Referral To Treatment Initiative: Preliminary Results From A Program Evaluation, Maria Stepanchak, Kate Katzman, Margaret Soukup, Evan Elkin, Kathryn Choate, Allison Kristman-Valente, Carolyn A. Mccarty

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

This study aimed (1) to evaluate the feasibility of a school-based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program that expands on traditional SBIRT to support the mental health and well-being of middle school students and (2) to assess its effects on students’ connection with adults at school.

Methods

Focus group discussions were conducted with 26 students in grades 6–8 to understand student perspectives about an innovative school-based SBIRT program. A subset of middle school students from the SBIRT program who received a brief intervention (BI) after screening (n = 116) were asked to rate their experience meeting …

When Families, Organizational Culture, And Policy Collide: A Mixed Method Study Of Alternative Response, Stacey L. Shipe, Mathew C. Uretsky, Catherine A. Labrenz, Corey S. Shdaimah, Christian M. Connell

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective Alternative response (AR) is a family-centered, preventative approach for child protection systems. This study first examined what family and case factors predicted re-investigation and then explored which organizational factors influence caseworker and agency implementation of AR. Method Using administrative data from child protection reports, AR families (N = 9,959) and traditional response (TR) families (N = 13,974) were followed for 18 months to determine re-investigation rates using multilevel modeling where families were nested in county of residence. Four focus groups with 14 participants were conducted to discuss the quantitative findings, organizational culture, and implementation of AR. Results AR families …

Study Guide: How Youth Partners Can Collaborate With Family Partners In Wraparound, Research And Training Center For Pathways To Positive Futures, Portland State University

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

It is our hope that this study guide can be a helpful training, coaching, and conversational tool to help supervisors and staff think through the nuances of this particular working relationship. It can be used when onboarding new staff, when a family partner is working alongside a youth partner for the first time (or vice versa), when addressing challenges that come up, or simply to check in on and refresh staff skills. In addition, it can be used during one-on-one supervision as well as in a group training or coaching session. This tool also may be useful for colleagues who …

It’S About Time: Staff Support Contacts And Mentor Volunteer Experiences, Thomas E. Keller, Alison Drew, Hyuny Clark-Shim, Renee Spencer, Carla Herrera

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Formal youth mentoring programs typically rely on volunteers to serve as mentors to young people, with training and guidance from agency staff. A fundamental program practice is to provide ongoing support and supervision to volunteer mentors by engaging in regular contact to monitor the progress of the mentoring relationship and offer guidance and encouragement. Using data from mentors (n = 504) in multiple mentoring programs (n = 55), the current study investigated how the amount of time devoted to these match support contacts was associated with mentor perceptions regarding the nature of their volunteer experience, specifically: the quality of supervision …

Exploring Fit For The Cultural Adaptation Of A Self-Determination Model For Youth Transitioning From Out-Of-Home Care: A Comparison Of A Sample Of Swedish Youth With Two Samples Of American Youth In Out-Of-Home Care, Tina M. Olsson, Jennifer E. Blakeslee, Martin Bergström, Therése Skoog

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Prior research has established evidence for self-determination enhancement as a promising intervention for youth transitioning from out-of-home care. Understanding how participants in these prior trials compare to adolescents in target contexts may inform practice by highlighting the extent to which such models are expected to benefit young people.

Objective

To assess the extent to which self-determination enhancement is a promising strategy for the Swedish context.

Design

Cross-sectional study comparing a sample of Swedish youth (n = 104) in out-of-home care aged 15+ on a range of outcomes with two archival data sets (My Life; Better Futures) of youth …

Determinants Of Motivation For Mentoring Among Adults Volunteering To Mentor Youth, Miriam Miranda-Díaz, Hyuny Clark-Shim, Thomas E. Keller, Renee Spencer

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most youth mentoring programs rely on volunteers to serve as mentors to youth. This study investigates factors associated with motivations for volunteering in this capacity, specifically altruistic and self-oriented reasons for becoming a mentor. Because adults who volunteer as mentors and youth mentees typically come from different socio-cultural backgrounds, the study examines demographic characteristics associated with these different motivations. In addition, the study addresses the empathy-altruism hypothesis suggesting that individuals with higher levels of empathy exhibit greater altruistic tendencies. For this analysis, the focus is on ethnocultural empathy and its association with volunteer motivations. The sample consisted of 1,000 volunteers …

Understanding Support Network Capacity During The Transition From Foster Care: Youth-Identified Barriers, Facilitators, And Enhancement Strategies, Jared Best, Jennifer E. Blakeslee

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study explores how foster care experiences can impact support network functionality as young people exit the foster care system. This can be conceptualized as a function of both network member capacity to provide adequate support to address young adult needs, and network stability, which reflects cohesion within and across relationships to facilitate consistent support over time. We conducted support network mapping and semi-structured interviews with youth in foster care aged 16–20 (N = 22) and used theoretical thematic analysis to explore support barriers and facilitators in relation to the organizing concepts of support capacity and network stability. Overall, support …

Editorial: Disconnection And Mattering, Grant Charles, Ben Anderson-Nathe

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Editorial. The article offers information on how the disconnection may affect the lives of children and youth and role of mattering to other people in overcoming the loneliness. Topics discussed include information on the empowering child and youth care; discussions on the intentional relationships and connection between children and youth; and the how engagements with young people reduces the loneliness.

Achieving Cross-System Collaboration To Support Young People In The Transition Years: A Tip Sheet For Service Providers, Pauline Jivanjee, Eileen Brennan, Claudia Sellmaier, Maria Carolina Gonzalez-Prats, Pathways Transition Training Collaborative

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This tip sheet advises service providers on how to reach across fragmented services and systems to assist young people to achieve their goals.