Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Child And Family Welfare In Sweden, Gunvor Andersson

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Sweden has no special Children’s Act because regulations on children are included in the Social Services Act from 1980, supplemented by an act regulating compulsory care. Child and Family welfare has a family support orientation rather than a child protection orientation. No time limit provided by the law put an end to family support or out-of-home care, but interventions are reviewed every six months. The paper presents some facts about Sweden, gives and overview of the legal framework, family maintenance services and out-of-home care. Further details are given about contact person/family as one of the most frequently used statutory support …

First Nations Child And Family Services And Indigenous Knowledge As A Framework For Research, Policy And Practice, Marlyn Bennett, Cindy Blackstock

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

This paper provides an overview of the exciting national developments in First Nations child and family service delivery in Canada with a focus on progressive research, policy and practice. Examples of how traditional concepts of interdependence and the holistic worldview inform program design and delivery within First Nations communities are reviewed. In addition, the paper introduces the mandate, strategic directions and services of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. This national organization brings together the 105 First Nations Child and Family Service Agencies in Canada to share best practices, develop professional development programs and conduct research. …

The Plight Of Paternalism In French Child Welfare And Protective Policies And Practices, Alain Grevot

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

For 40 years, the French child protection system has been based on a structure set up at the dawn of the Fifth Republic, giving a strong role, and a monopoly to the State to support families in trouble. The role of Children’s Judges has been designed to personify the constitutional duty of the State to control and support the role of parents as defined by the civil code. The evolution of the structure of French society (family models, multicultural communities), the impact of more liberal economic and social policies (in a country strongly characterized by centralization and Jacobinism), the growth …

Learning From Difference: Comparing Child Welfare Systems, Rachael Hetherington

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Child welfare and child protection are integral aspects of the welfare regimes of all post-industrial societies. However, although the needs of children and the dangers of child abuse are so widely acknowledged, the ways in which these needs and risks are met varies considerably, even between countries with similar structures. By studying the ways in which other countries deal with similar problems, we can learn about new ways of responding and may find ideas that we can adapt for use in our own context. But we can do much more than this. By looking at differences, and using the power …

Maori Perspectives On Collaboration And Colonisation In Contemporary Aotearoa/New Zealand Child And Family Welfare Policies And Practices, Catherine Love

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Colonization involves the appropriation and disfigurement of resources, the most valuable of these being people. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, indigenous Maori experiences of colonization parallel those of indigenous peoples around the world. The British modelled child welfare system in particular has been held responsible for the fragmentation of Maori families/whanau and communities. In 1989, new legislation was heralded as a radical departure from the previous legalistic, coercive and punitive system. The ‘Children, Young Person’s and their Families Act’ (CYP&F, 1989) signalled a partnership approach whereby Western welfare authorities and indigenous Maori communities would collaborate to protect ‘the best interests of the …

Problems And Potential For Canadian Child Welfare, K. Swift, M. Callahan

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Canadian child welfare is not one single system, but more than 13 systems overseen by provincial and territorial governments and First Nations jurisdictions. However, there are many similarities among systems and general trends and directions common to them. One of these is a tendency for child welfare to become isolated from communities and related services because of its increasingly complex legislation and investigative mandates (Swift, 2001). Another is the challenge of serving peoples of diverse cultural and racial backgrounds, including First Nations peoples. Of course, each jurisdiction also responds to its particular social and political context in unique ways. In …

Promoting Change From ‘Child Protection’ To ‘Child And Family Welfare’: The Problems Of The English System, Rachael Hetherington, Tracey Nurse

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

In England, the system for children and families in need of state intervention has developed in response to a series of political changes and to high profile and highly publicised child welfare ‘cases’. This has led over the past 20 years to a focus on child protection as the most important aspect of the work. For the last 5-8 years, attempts have been made at many levels to redress this imbalance and put more emphasis on family support. However, there are barriers to change, in the existing structures, in the distribution of resources and in anxieties about public responses to …

Transracial Adoption (Tra) And The Development Of Ethnoracial Identity, Mairi Mckenna

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research on the experience of transracial adoption and the development of identity has indicated that supports for this process are required. Research that has not named transracial adoption as negatively impacting on identity has also recommended these kinds of family supports. There has, however, been a disquieting absence of such support programs. It is for these reasons that I have set out to start the process of identifying the best practices for such supports and begin the process of creating such a program. The methodology is influenced by a number of different theories: participatory action research (PAR), needs assessment, capacity …

Getting Over The Magical Hump: Placement Decisions And Emotional Survival For Child Welfare Workers, Nancy Colleen Freymond

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

This paper explores the crown wardship process from the perspective of the child welfare worker. It is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with child welfare workers who have been involved in the process of identifying children for crown wardship, in giving chances to mothers to demonstrate parenting ability, and finally, in negotiating and formalizing crown wardship agreements. The paper also explores how workers construct identities which allow them to cope with the emotional strains of this work.

Using Intermediary Structures To Support Families: An International Comparison Of Practice In Child Protection, Nancy Colleen Freymond

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Responses to child maltreatment can be conceptualized as a continuum, ranging from a welfare-oriented approach on one end, to a legalistic emphasis at the other end. By shifting attention to structures existing at the welfare end of the continuum, this paper endeavours to look beyond the approaches of investigation and legal processing, currently emphasized in Ontario’s approach to child welfare. This paper examines how intermediary structures and roles in various international settings are constructed to offer support to families and children. Intermediary judicial and professional roles found in European child welfare systems will be discussed. In addition, the paper will …

Service Participant Voices In Child Welfare, Children's Mental Health, And Psychotherapy, Marshall Fine, Sally Palmer, Nick Coady

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Service providers are becoming increasingly interested in hearing the views of service participants regarding issues of service delivery. This trend is viewed as progressive and sensitive to the many complex issues facing a diverse service participant population. In order to understand what is known related to this trend, the paper reviews the literature in child welfare, children’s mental health, and psychotherapy where service participant feedback regarding aspects of service delivery has been studied. The findings from the three areas of service delivery are organized into a number of tangible themes. Suggestions for future research in the area of participant voice …

Positive Possibilities For Child And Family Welfare: Options For Expanding The Anglo-American Child Protection Paradigm, Gary Cameron, Nancy Colleen Freymond, Denise Cornfield, Sally Palmer

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

The creation of the ‘problem of child maltreatment’ and how we deal with it are best understood as particular discourses which grow out of specific histories and social configurations. The Anglo-American child protection paradigm can be viewed as a particular configuration rooted in our vision for children, families, community, and society. However, other settings have constructed quite different responses reflecting their own priorities and desired outcomes. This paper is an effort to understand the choices made in Ontario’s child protection system by examining its history and the underlying beliefs and values which have fostered its development. In addition, the paper …

Treatment Of Choice Or A Last Resort? A Review Of Residential Mental Health Placements For Children And Adolescents, Karen Frensch, Gary Cameron, Gerald R. Adams

Partnerships for Children and Families Project

Residential treatment is often regarded as a treatment of ‘last resort’ and, increasingly, residential treatment programs are being asked to address the needs of very troubled children and adolescents. This paper is an effort to summarize what is currently known about the effects of residential treatment for children and adolescents. The review is organized into two sections: studies of the effectiveness of group home residential treatment and studies of the effectiveness of residential treatment delivered in residential treatment centres. In both areas, we attempt to identify trends within treatment, as well as patterns found in the literature that characterize post …

Emerging Strong From A Difficult Adolescence: A Qualitative Study Of Resilience, Vivian Horovitch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight, second and third year university students who self-identified as having emerged intact from a difficult adolescence. Questions were asked with regard to stress, protective factors, resources, and coping strategies during adolescence, as well as about how they achieved a sense of well-being. Themes derived from qualitative analysis are highlighted in a chronological life story for each participant. Common themes for participants’ coping during adolescence included distraction and avoidance strategies, such as keeping active with sports, extracurricular activities, religion, or arts. More “mature” coping strategies emerged as participants neared early adulthood. These included strategies …

Adolescent Development In The Context Of Canadian-Chinese Immigrant Families, Ching Man Lam

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study investigates the developmental processes and outcomes of Canadian-Chinese adolescents in families who had immigrated from Hong Kong to the Toronto, Canada area between seven and fifteen years previously. In-depth qualitative interviews with nineteen adolescents, between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, and ten parents were conducted between February and August 1997. The study's results describe the dynamic interplay of culture and migration that shapes the developmental processes and outcomes of adolescence in Canadian-Chinese Hong Kong immigrant families. The results also address the meanings constructed by the parents and the adolescents as a result of their experiences. Studies show …

Professional Interventions With Parents At The Time Of The Sudden Death Of A Child, Linda Susan Charlotte Maxwell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The sudden death of a child is likely the most traumatizing event a parent can experience. Traumatic death, and particularly the death of a child, increases the risk of a complicated grieving process in mourners. Little has been written with respect to the interventions of professionals with parents at the time of a sudden death of a child. The present study examines the experiences of parents with a variety of professionals from the time of death notification through the funeral. Twenty parents who were involved in Bereaved Families of Ontario participated in this study. The purpose was to examine the …

A Healing Story: A Family Systems View Of The Intertwining Of Family Stories With The Biblical Narrative, John Frederick Nunns

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

God's covenant with Abraham embodied a promise of a great family beginning with a son being born to Sarah in her old age. Abraham is considered a man of great faith. What drove Abraham's faith? Was it an altruistic desire to serve God or was it a strong desire to have a family or an intertwining of both‘? This thesis proposes to examine how emotional family process shapes our faith and how faith development shapes our ‘families’. Every family has a story to tell. ln the introduction I share my family story. The focus of chapter one is how God's …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between School Setting And The Self-Esteem Of Grade-Six Girls, Maureen Thoroughgood Kropf

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study had three purposes: 1) to explore the relationship of school setting and the self-esteem of grade-six girls, with setting defined in terms of elementary (K-6), middle (6-8) and combined (K-8); 2) to explore the relationship of school setting and the self-esteem of grade-six girls, with setting defined in terms of urban and rural; 3) to contribute Canadian knowledge to the predominantly American research on the relationship between self-esteem of students and school settings and transitions. Two major theories from this literature emerge. The first, a cumulative change theory, suggests that the cumulative effects of developmental changes and the …

Impact Of Gender And Culture: Contributing Factors To Satisfactory Long-Term Marriages, Maria Yip Ling Cheung

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The constructs of gender and culture have been neglected in our understanding of marital relationships. With the recent upsurge of postmodernism, the two constructs have come into focus as essential to furthering our understanding of these relationships. My doctoral dissertation research is a cross-cultural comparative study of five Hong Kong Chinese immigrant couples in Canada and five Euro Canadian couples who were born in Canada I used a social construction perspective to examine the gender and cultural processes that evolve in the long-term satisfactorily married couples. Couples who have been married for thirty to thirty-six years were under study.

I …

Restaging The Welfare Diva: Case Studies Of Single Motherhood And Social Policy, Iara Lessa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The single mother has been an enduring and representative character in the development of social welfare. Casted as the embodiment of the various crises of the family which Western democratic nations have experienced throughout the twentieth century, she is the representative of what is outside the foundation of a desirable life: an economically dependent family unit without a male head. Nevertheless, the single mother is also an actual woman raising children alone struggling for survival under very adverse circumstances. In its materiality, it is this body, not the allegorical character, who is the subject of studies and interventions concerned with …

What Is The Unique And Direct Effect Of An Uninvolved Father On His Son's Self-Concept As An Adult Man? A Dialogue Between Samuel Osherson's 'Finding Our Fathers,' Social Scientists And Christian Theology, Christopher Stephen Beausoleil

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Though trends are slowly changing, fathers in our society continue to be considerably less involved than mothers in the care and nurturing of their children. Samuel Osherson's theory about the negative effect of father uninvolvement on the self-concept of sons once they become adult men is used as a starting point for discussion between the social sciences and Christianity. The discussion is limited to the effect on gender role identity and self-esteem, two elements of self—concept which can be isolated in Osherson's publication Finding Our Fathers. With a few exceptions, research and scholarly writing in the field of social science …

Level Of Adaptive Behaviour According To The Occupational Status Of Foster Adolescents In Independent Living, Marissa Dionne Amoroso

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This is a quantitative study that describes the profile of adolescents in independent living in Halton Region by their occupational status. Occupational status is a variable that ranges along a continuum, from adolescents who are in school fulltime & working part-time, in school fulltime, working fulltime, in school part-time & working part-time, in school part-time, working part-time, and not in school or working. Information for adolescent profiles was obtained from case files, as well as from the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scale which was completed by adolescents’ social workers. It is expected that these profiles will assist social workers in identifying …

As If Born To: The Social Construction Of A Deficit Identity Position For Adopted Persons, Lise M. Beauchesne

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Many adopted persons report experiencing ongoing problems with identity, often resulting in feelings of personal deficiency to imprison their sense of self. The dominant position of the literature eon adoption individualizes and problematizes “identity” issues by locating the source of difficulties to individual traits of the adopted person and his/her adoptive family. Consequently, the struggle associated with the identity “adopted” is typically constructed as an individual struggle.

Drawing on my own lived experience as an adopted women, I have been engaged in a critical inquiry of the traditional view of adoption in order to understand the problem of identity not …

Being There: A Qualitative Study Of How Fathers Overcome Obstacles To Intimacy With Their Children, Bradley Thomas Morrison

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The researcher uses a qualitative research methodology to answer the question: “What helps and hinders a man’s relationship with his children?” Men, their partners, and their children are interviewed using a semistandardized interview. Transcribed interviews are coded and data are divided into general categories. The theme “being there” emerges as the descriptive phrase used by men, women and children to describe the task of fathering. “Being there” is contrasted to the parental “otherness” that characterizes unhealthy fathering practices. The researcher presents an understanding of reconciliation as “Downing the Otherness,” the process necessary to nurture intimacy between fathers and their children. …

Supervised Access: A Qualitative Programme Evaluation, Bonnie Ann Gagne

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative evaluation examined the custodial and noncustodial parents' and children's experiences of using a supervised access programme. There were a total of forty-three interviews completed using open-ended questions. Both custodial and noncustodial parents clearly reported that if supervised access was not available, the child(ren) would not have contact with the noncustodial parent. In general, parents were grateful for the service being offered. Unfortunately, in some cases, the parents stated that the programme acted as an obstacle in allowing the family to progress. With respect to the children, even though custodial and noncustodial parents attempted to lessen the impact of …

Negative Affect, Explanatory Style, And Stressful Life Events In An Elementary School Population, David Taylor Johnston

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The prevalence of childhood depression is largely unknown due to widely discrepant methods, different assessment instruments, varying definitions of childhood depression, and different populations under investigation. Theoretical arguments have been made to suggest that gifted children are a population at risk for emotional and psychological disruption. Specifically, their advanced cognitive abilities are considered an emotional liability that could increase the chances of a depressive episode or even suicide. In addition, there have been theoretical articles to suggest that two correlates of depression are stressful life events and explanatory style. Students who experience more stress in their lives are more likely …

Living With A Memory-Impaired Spouse: (Re)Cognizing The Experience, (Re)Storying Support, Deborah Lynn O'Connor

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Dementia, of which Alzheimer's Disease is the most common, results in severe cognitive deterioration and the victim will become increasingly unable to manage his or her own care needs. Someone else will be required to take on responsibility for attending to these needs. If married, the person most likely to be implicated is the spouse. Research has documented that these spouses are at high risk in the caregiving role, yet are the least likely of all caregivers to utilize formal support. To date, this low use of services has been poorly understood despite concerns that without assistance, these spouses may …

In Mom And Dad's Shadows: An Exploration Of Family Of Origin Influence On Parenting Styles, Gregory Allan Bassett

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis studies the influence that family of origin upbringing has on current parenting practice. Eight adult children were interviewed, and their experience, past and present, is interpreted within the literature review frame of two broad parent-child interactions: emotional support and parental control. Interviewees' current parenting behaviors are also examined within the literature review discussion on continuity of behavioral patterns between generations. Research findings are then discussed within a theological and pastoral focus on differentiation in family.

The Family System Grief Process As A Communicated Process: Understanding Grief Through Virginia Satir's Growth Model, Glenn Vincent Breen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis argues that the family system grief process can be understood as a communicated process. Through using Virginia Satir's communication stance theory, and applying it to a case study, this thesis found that when a family member dies, the family system enters a period of chaos. During the chaos time family members may rely on incongruent communication stances to cope with their loss. This incongruent chaotic period families experience is a congruent part of the grief process. Care-givers can help families through appropriately working with them in the chaos and coaching the families to recreate a new harmony and …

Toward Developing A Model Of Responsive Pastoral Care For Adult Children Of Divorce, Betty Joanne Scott

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Reports on consequences of parental divorce identify a crucial need for involvement with caring adults in recovery and healing. The literature review includes reports of research and anecdotal surveys of "adult children of divorce." The literature review stimulates questions for qualitative research with a pastoral care focus. The thesis incorporates discussion about the church's role in helping individuals recover from divorce pain. It addresses contemporary concerns in group function, particularly in issues of pastoral care. An underlying assumption is a personal understanding that providing a healing community and participating in healing process is at the core of Christian mission. The …