Social Work Commons^™

Title Iv-E Child Welfare Education Program Evaluation, Jeffrey David Waid, Lea Ann Holder, Marty Lowrey, Katharine Cahn

Child Welfare

The Child Welfare Education Program (CWEP) is a partnership between Portland State University’s School of Social Work and Oregon’s Department of Human Services (DHS), Child Welfare Agency. The mission of the program is to improve outcomes to children and families who come in contact with State or Tribal Child Welfare by strengthening the child welfare workforce.The program assists state and tribal child welfare employees and recruits in pursuing a Bachelor or Master of Social Work degree with a focus of study in child welfare, providing tuition assistance, specialized course work and educational support.The current CWEP evaluation focuses on providing formative …

Persistence In Higher Education: A Qualitative Study Of Student Perceptions, Beliefs, Outlook And Context In Qatar, Batoul Khalifa, Ramzi Nasser, Atmane Ikhlef, Janet S. Walker, Said Amali

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

This study attempts to address the challenges of students in higher education in Qatar. The study draws on student perceptions, beliefs, outlook, and context; we approach the study through grounded means by posing leading interview questions with the aim of exploring and probing. The approach is grounded in that no specific theory drives the questions; rather, the responses from the interview often require interpretation through theory to justify the findings. The sample comprised 35 students who were interviewed through probing and questioning techniques. The questions led to converging responses, which were segregated into themes. A large majority of students felt …

North Douglas County Community Needs Health Assessment (Phase 1), Callie H. Lambarth, Diane Reid, Beth L. Green

Early Childhood

Beginning in February 2016, the North Douglas County (NDC) communities of Drain, Elkton, and Yoncalla, Oregon engaged in a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) planning process, focusing on children ages birth-to-8 and their families. The purpose of this process was to explore, understand, and integrate linkages between early learning and young child and family health; identify health-related resources currently available and accessible to NDC families; and prioritize health areas of interest to be explored during the CHNA.

The North Douglas County CHNA builds on community partnerships already established in the region through initiatives that aim to coordinate and align early …

The Importance Of Online Peer Relationships During The Transition To Motherhood: Do They Decrease Stress, Alleviate Depression And Increase Parenting Competence?, Bobbie Sue Arias

Dissertations and Theses

This research addressed the challenges faced by women in today's society during the transition to motherhood, and explored the possible benefits of an online natural helping network of blogging peers. Given the content of the literature describing the transition to motherhood and the many hardships that pose possible obstacles for an ideal transition, this research attempted to uncover the reasons why mothers blog and what benefit, if any, they experience as a result of blogging. This study explored the following questions: Why do women blog during the transition to motherhood? What is the relationship among the seven identified variables: blogging …

Chronic Absenteeism Report, Ann Curry-Stevens, Connie Kim-Gervey, Chief Education Office Research Team

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

The Chief Education Office (CEdO) has commissioned this report on chronic absenteeism in Oregon schools to better understand this problem in general, to specifically hear from students and families most likely to be chronically absent, and to present recommendations for the State and local communities. This report is a result of collaboration between CEdO, Portland State University (PSU), and the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC). Researchers from PSU conducted all of the original research. This report builds on previous work in Oregon and around the country, but it is not a duplication of existing research. Instead, the research is …

The Development And Validation Of The Social Recovery Measure, Casadi "Khaki" Marino

Dissertations and Theses

Mental health recovery is a complex phenomenon involving clinical, functional, physical, and social dimensions. The social dimension is understood to involve meaningful relationships and integration with supportive individuals and a wider community. While the recovery model developed from a movement led by consumers and survivors of the mental health system to promote hope, self-determination, and social inclusion, the clinical aspects of recovery have dominated mental health research and practice. The under-investigated area of social recovery calls for psychometrically sound measurement instruments. The purpose of the current study was to develop and validate the Social Recovery Measure (SRM). The study was …

Factors Associated With Managerial Innovation In Public Human Service Organizations, Monica Perez Jolles, Bowen Mcbeath, Sarah Carnochan, Michael J. Austin

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Contextual changes affecting human service organizations have challenged human service managers to adapt through innovation. Yet no research has examined innovation along the spectrum of lower- to upper-level managers in public human service organizations. This study analyzed survey data of 466 public human service managers to examine the relationship between individual characteristics and managerial innovation. Results showed that 38% of managers took an innovative approach to their work, and characteristics of perceived responsiveness to change and evidence-informed practice network involvement were significantly associated with managerial innovation. Managerial innovation could be promoted through the development of evidence-based networks and communities of …

Oregon Community-Based Care Survey 2016: Adult Foster Homes, Paula C. Carder, Jacklyn Nicole Kohon, Aubrey Limburg, Amanuel Zimam, Megan Rushkin, Margaret B. Neal

Institute on Aging Publications

This report describes adult foster homes in Oregon. An adult foster home (AFH) is a type of licensed community-based care (CBC) setting that provides residential, personal care, and health-related services, primarily to older adults. The study collected information from adult foster homes to achieve the following four main goals.

1. Describe adult foster home characteristics, including staffing types and levels, policies, and monthly charges and fees
2. Describe current residents’ health and social characteristics
3. Compare current results to prior Oregon surveys and to national studies of similar setting types to identify changes and possible trends
4. Compare setting types for differences that might …

Oregon Community-Based Care Survey: Assisted Living, Residential Care, And Memory Care, Paula C. Carder, Jacklyn Nicole Kohon, Aubrey Limburg, Amanuel Zimam, Megan Rushkin, Margaret B. Neal

Institute on Aging Publications

This report, prepared by the Institute on Aging (IOA) at Portland State University (PSU) in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Human Services, describes community-based care (CBC) settings that provide residential, personal care, and health-related services, primarily to older adults. The study collected information from assisted living, residential care, and memory care communities to achieve the following four main goals.

1. Describe assisted living, residential care, and memory care community characteristics, including staffing types and levels, policies, and monthly charges and fees
2. Describe current residents’ health and social characteristics
3. Compare current results to prior Oregon surveys and to national studies of …

Salem Keizer Prenatal-Grade Three Evaluation & Technical Assistance, Center For Improvement Of Child And Family Services

Early Childhood

The purpose of this document is to provide information and resources to schools, early childhood programs, and others who are seeking to improve school readiness, family engagement, and school success within a Prenatal-Grade 3 framework. While the information presented is not a comprehensive list of programs and strategies, the list reflects resources that have been identified as potentially useful within Oregon and/or strategies that have been used in Oregon to strengthen child and family outcomes. This document is one of three compilations of programs, activities, and resources. This document includes resources related to (1) Children’s Kindergarten Readiness and Transition to …

Prenatal To Grade 3 Alignment Initiative, Callie H. Lambarth, Beth L. Green, Diane Reid

Early Childhood

The purpose of this project is to create stronger connections between elementary schools & providers of early childhood care/education programs; and between schools & parents of young children in 10 grantee communities across Oregon. The evaluation team developed data collection tools and is currently providing data collection and utilization training and technical assistance, and conducting systems evaluation data collection and analysis.

In Defense Of Culturally-Specific Organizations: Understanding The Rationale And The Evidence, Ann Curry-Stevens, Jennifer Sita Muthanna

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Racial disparities abound in human services, with communities of color facing grave impediments to positive progress. Mainstream institutions move painstakingly slowly on reforms—movement too slow to offer this generation prospects for real hope in equity. This paper builds the rationale for expanding funding for culturally-specific organizations, detailing the ways that the literature and the tacit knowledge of culturally-specific organizations improve outcomes for clients and communities of color. The article identifies the service benefits in terms of client outcomes, accountability practices, community benefits, cultural affirmation and inclusion, building community and political capital, and lessening investments in white-centric services. We also identify …

In Need Of A Long Welcome: Supporting The Integration Of Newcomers To Portland, Ann Curry-Stevens, Anne Sinkey

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

Portland’s newcomer communities bring considerable assets to the region. Their legacy is one of potential untapped, as they face significant exclusion from economic and civic life, and an environment that is full of challenges without sufficient supports to help them navigate forwards into the fabric of Portland. This report, prepared in partnership with the New Portlander’s Policy Council, surfaces the history of newcomer conditions in the region, including a policy history, alongside a literature review on best practices for newcomer integration, new quantitative data on the patterns of newcomer experiences, a chapter on myths and myth-busting, and insights into five …

Testing The Effectiveness Of Healthy Start-Healthy Families Oregon: Outcomes And Cost-Benefits, Beth L. Green, Jerod Tarte, Mary Beth Sanders, Mark S. Waller

Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention

Objectives. This study was designed to achieve several specific objectives: (1) to conduct a large-scale randomized study of the impact of the Healthy Families Oregon (HFO) program, a home visitation program using the Healthy Families America model, on child welfare system involvement, access to self-sufficiency resources, and use of preventive and other medical services; (2) to conduct a comprehensive and detailed cost-benefit study of the HFO program; and (3) to develop and disseminate a web-based tool to support home visiting program managers, funders, and others to better understand and develop readiness for conducting program cost analysis and cost-benefit research.

Approach. …

Iv-E Waiver Evaluation – Leveraging Intensive Family Engagement (Life) Program Evaluation, Carrie Jeanne Furrer, Thuan Duong, Amanda Cross-Hemmer, Beth L. Green

Child Welfare

In partnership with Oregon’s Department of Human Services, we are conducting qualitative and quantitative research to document the implementation and outcomes of the LIFE program. LIFE is an innovative approach to reducing time in out of home placement by providing intensive, multi-modal interventions that integrate Family Finding, Family Meetings, Parent Mentors, and a focus on family and youth voice in reducing the time spent in care for youth at high risk for long term foster care placements.

Re-Envisioning Macro Social Work Practice, Bowen Mcbeath

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article presents 10 recommendations supporting a re-envisioning of macro practice for the 21^st century. These strategies are needed to counter a generational trend of disinvestment in macro social work practice and to support the historic vision of the social work profession as equally responsive to the needs of at-risk, disadvantaged populations and the organizational, community, and policy roots of social injustice. Before describing these recommendations and discussing their implications for the social work profession, I first briefly review the challenges facing macro practice and current initiatives promoting its renewal. The goal of this analysis is to define the …

Autism, Tara Crapnell, Lynette Lau, Christopher D. Hanks, Christina Nicolaidis, Alice Kuo

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex, lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that is marked by deficits in social communication and interaction, and repetitive or restrictive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These symptoms can create challenges for individuals on the autism spectrum and their parents during the transition to adulthood, which may interfere with their ability to access and receive adequate and appropriate health care. Awareness of how the challenges associated with ASD may translate to healthcare barriers can help primary care providers address the complex needs of individuals who are on the autism spectrum and mitigate the risks of additional …

Helping Young Adults From Foster Care Succeed In College, Heidi Feight, Breanna Bell, Ashley Conway, Shannon Turner, Neal Naigus, Laurie E. Powers

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

A major barrier experienced my many youth and young adults from foster care is life instability associated with living in multiple foster homes and changing schools, all of which requires repeatedly adjusting to new environments and expectations. This instability can hinder development, learning in high school, and higher education engagement and academic success. Additionally, many young adults from foster care do not have consistent adult support in their lives, which can make succeeding at college even more difficult.

Advice To Young Adults From Young Adults: Helpful Hints For Policy Change In The Mental Health System, Nancy Koroloff, Barbara J. Friesen, Nicholas Buekea

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This tip sheet is designed for use by youth and young adult led organizations that include young people with lived experience in the mental health system in their membership. Organizations that have a history of working together collectively, have clear leadership roles and are ready to move into policy change are most likely to find these tips useful. The recommendations and the quotes contained in this tip sheet came from a series of interviews with young adult leaders from advocacy groups that focus on mental health challenges or living in foster care. Each organization was selected because of its work …

Building Community Supports For Young People In The Transition Years: A Tip Sheet For Service Providers, Pauline Jivanjee, Eileen Brennan, Maria Carolina Gonzalez-Prats, Pathways Transition Training Partnership

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social support is vital for the well-being of children and adults of all ages. Social support includes information, advice, or practical help from others that has positive effects on the young people receiving it (Munson et al., 2015). Since formal support ends when a young person transitions out of services, providers can assist young people to strengthen their existing informal supports and/or to connect them with other supports.

Social support is particularly valuable during times of difficulty or stress. Support from family members, friends, romantic partners, neighbors, mentors, and other community members may be given during a single event or …

Margaret’S Family Tree: A Story Of Hope And Belonging [Simulizi Ya Familia Ya Margareta: Hadithi Ya Matumaini Na Jumuiya], Susan Halverson

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Margaret’s Family Tree: A Story of Hope and Belonging (2016), is a coloring book designed to help children work through their grief in a constructive way and to help them acknowledge feelings about their lost loved ones. The book is written in both English and Swahili. It is illustrated in black and white by Oregon artist Edna M. Kennel. Halvorson-Westerberg is offering it free for duplication to anyone working with children, especially in African countries.

Adjustment To College In The United States: Perceptions Of Qatari Students, Janet S. Walker, Jennifer E. Blakeslee, Batoul Khalifa, Ramzi Nasser, Atmane Ikhlef

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This qualitative study is part of a collaborative research effort undertaken by investigators based in the United States and Qatar to better understand Qatari student perspectives on their post-secondary adjustment and success. Here, we report findings from structured interviews with Qatari nationals studying abroad in the US, all of whom were males who were, or had recently been, undergraduates at state universities and/or community colleges in Oregon (n=21). Approximately two-thirds were in business or economics programs and about a third in STEM programs (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics). Most of the interviews were conducted in Arabic and translated into English …

Psychometric Properties Of The Centrality Of Pain Scale, Benjamin J. Morasco, Dennis C. Turk, Christina Nicolaidis

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

The Centrality of Pain Scale (COPS) is a recently developed patient-centered, 10-item self-report measure designed to assess how central, or dominating, in their lives individuals with chronic pain perceive pain to be. The COPS underwent initial development and validation previously; preliminary results suggested that the measure had excellent psychometric properties and that COPS scores were associated with important clinical factors. The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the COPS in a sample of individuals with mixed chronic pain diagnoses (N = 178) being treated at a U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Principal components analysis …

Staying Off The Megaphone And In The Movement: Cultivating Solidarity And Contesting Authority Among White Antiracist Activists, Amie Thurber, Kelley Frances Fenelon, Leah Marion Roberts

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the last two years, Black Lives Matter (BLM) emerged as a multiracial movement which foregrounds the experience, leadership, and values of Black people in the United States while suggesting distinct roles for White people to participate. Among these suggestions is the compellingly illustrative to “stay off the megaphone.” This exploratory, participatory case study traces how a group of White activists grapple with the literal and figurative megaphone in their antiracist activism. We focus on three key dimensions of engagement: content (how do White activists engage the megaphone—literally and figuratively?), subject positions (how are White activists positioning themselves within the …

Social Justice Education With Law Enforcement: Reflections From The Field, Amie Thurber

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The systemic racism embedded in and embodied by law enforcement has resulted in nationwide protests, sparking a call to action that has particular resonance and urgency for social justice educators. While the need for transformed education of police officers is critical, educators may ask: What pedagogic tools are most effective in police departments? How might educators respond to officers’ resistance to learning about inequality? And what obstacles might educators have to overcome in order to do this work? In this case study, I draw from 11 years of experience providing consulting and training to a city police department, sharing key …

Fathers Caring For Children With Special Health Care Needs: Experiences Of Work-Life Fit, Claudia Sellmaier

Dissertations and Theses

Research about employed fathers of children with special health care needs (SHCN) is still limited, leaving fathers without the necessary workplace and community supports to better integrate work and life. Caregivers with exceptional caregiving responsibilities report greater levels of work-family conflict and considerable caregiver strain, as well as negative employment and financial consequences related to their caregiving responsibilities. These caregivers often struggle to access community supports such as childcare, after-school care, and support from friends and neighbors.

This study provides insights into the types of job, home, and community resources that are relevant for fathers of children with SHCN in …

Lifelong Learning In Social Work: A Qualitative Exploration With Social Work Practitioners, Students, And Field Instructors, Pauline Jivanjee, Kimberly D. Pendell, Laura Nissen, Charlotte Goodluck

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

In the context of rapid change in social work practice related to policy, research findings, and theoretical developments, faculty are challenged to prepare students to engage in lifelong learning, a concept that has not been well-articulated in social work education. This article reports on an exploratory study of students,' social workers,' and field instructors' perspectives and experiences of lifelong learning. Based on focus group discussions, findings reveal the multi-faceted nature of lifelong learning, the personal characteristics and motivations of lifelong learners, and the roles of social work faculty and workplace environments in supporting learning. Implications address the roles of instructors …

Who Am I? Who Do You Think I Am? Stability Of Racial/Ethnic Self-Identification Among Youth In Foster Care And Concordance With Agency Categorization, Jessica Schmidt, Shanti Dubey, Larry Dalton, May Nelson, Junghee Lee, Molly Oberweiser Kennedy, Connie Kim-Gervey, Laurie E. Powers, Sarah Geenen, The Research Consortium To Increase The Success Of Youth In Foster Care

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

While it has been well documented that racial and ethnic disparities exist for children of color in child welfare, the accuracy of the race and ethnicity information collected by agencies has not been examined, nor has the concordance of this information with youth self-report. This article addresses a major gap in the literature by examining 1) the racial and ethnic self-identification of youth in foster care, and the rate of agreement with child welfare and school categorizations; 2) the level of concordance between different agencies (school and child welfare); and 3) the stability of racial and ethnic self-identification among youth …

Assessing The Impact Of Restrictiveness And Placement Type On Transition-Related Outcomes For Youth With And Without Disabilities Aging Out Of Foster Care, Jessica Danielle Schmidt

Dissertations and Theses

Nearly 23,000 youth age out of the foster care system between the ages of 18 and 21 each year in a transition fraught with challenges and barriers. These young people often lack developmentally appropriate experiences and exposure to necessary knowledge, role modeling, skill building, and long-term social support to promote positive transitions to adulthood while in foster care. As a result, young people who exit care face an array of poor adult outcomes. Nearly 60% of transition-aged foster youth experience a disability, and as such, face compounded challenges exiting foster care. While the examination of young adult outcomes for youth …

A Queer Liberation Movement? A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Queer Liberation Organizations, Investigating Whether They Are Building A Separate Social Movement, Joseph Nicholas Defilippis

Dissertations and Theses

In the last forty years, U.S. national and statewide LGBT organizations, in pursuit of "equality" through a limited and focused agenda, have made remarkably swift progress moving that agenda forward. However, their agenda has been frequently criticized as prioritizing the interests of White, middle-class gay men and lesbians and ignoring the needs of other LGBT people. In their shadows have emerged numerous grassroots organizations led by queer people of color, transgender people, and low-income LGBT people. These "queer liberation" groups have often been viewed as the left wing of the GRM, but have not been extensively studied. My research investigated …