University-State Child Welfare Training Partnerships: The Challenge of Matching Dollar Contributions

Universities are uniquely positioned to provide the very best training opportunities to public child welfare workers. However, university–child welfare agency training partnerships require a significant commitment of time and resources by university personnel at a time of extensive state cuts to public higher education. This national survey of university partnership administrators found significant differences among university respondents involving length of the contractual relationship, matching dollar requirements, and overall satisfaction with the training partnership

Out-of-home care by state and place: higher placement rates for children in some remote rural places

This fact sheet examines out-of-home placement rates for children removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. The data finds that children in remote rural areas have overall higher rates of out-of-home placements. It also provides data on placement rates by rural or urban status to help inform policy makers as they discuss the child welfare system

Law enforcement dilemmas in the investigation of Internet sex crimes against minors

This study examines dilemmas associated with the investigation of Internet sex crimes against minors. Data collected from a national sample of law enforcement agents provide insights into complications of three types of cases: (1) Internet crimes against identified victims, (2) Internet solicitations to undercover law enforcement, and (3) Internet child pornography crimes. A mail survey of United States law enforcement agencies identified two samples of Internet sex crimes against minors. The first sample consisted of 464 investigations in which an arrest was made, and the second sample included 68 cases in which no arrest was made. Telephone surveys were used to collect case-specific data on both samples, and in addition, data were collected on dilemmas in the investigations in which law enforcement made no arrest. An exploratory analysis found that law enforcement investigators reported challenges related to defining child pornography, identifying offenders, determining the criminality of preparatory acts (including online grooming of minors), some victim characteristics (such as victim cooperation), and collaboration between law enforcement agencies. Remedies exist for some of these dilemmas, and others may require innovative efforts, policy development, or additional research. To examine predictors of legal action taken in these cases, a second analysis compared the sample of cases in which an offender was arrested to those in which law enforcement made no arrest. Those findings provide some support for sociological theories that social structural characteristics predict law enforcement action if legal context factors are held constant, but also suggest some contradictions. Logistic regression was used to test the relationship between social and legal structure of cases and law enforcement action taken in these Internet sex crimes against minors. These findings suggest that when the legal context of cases was controlled, cases were most likely to receive legal attention if they involved adult offenders and if the parties had a relationship prior to any Internet communication. The latter finding is not consistent with sociological theories, which suggest that cases between strangers are more likely to attract legal attention. However, these findings may be related to gaps in social information, which present significant challenges in these investigations

Parenting Classes for ACEs Prevention

This presentation will be an in progress report of my Spring 2019 URCO grant project Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can impact a person\u27s life dramatically. However, the number one protective factor for preventing negative outcomes of trauma is by having a stable trustworthy adult in a child\u27s life. The purpose of this study is to help local parents in Richmond, UT learn additional effective parenting strategies that support bonding ties and parent success in interacting with their children as well as prevent unnecessary stress in the family. In addition, we are looking for recurring patterns that indicate which parenting strategies are needed the most in our community. Our purpose is to provide parents with the best parenting tools possible to help children to have stable trustworthy adults in their lives

Critical Coaching: Approaching Literacy Coaching through a Critical Lens

Based in critical theory, this qualitative case study explored how a new genre of literacy coaching, called critical coaching, developed and what outcomes it produced. The researcher (a literacy coach) built a critical coaching partnership with an early childhood teacher, and two findings emerged: (1) self-reflection occurred through defining educators’ identities as cultural beings, as well as by naming and challenging assumptions; and (2) taking action occurred through critical networks, advocacy in public spaces, and planning culturally relevant pedagogy. Implications include seven essential conditions for building critical coaching partnerships

Melissa Wells, Associate Professor of Social Work, COLA travels to Sweden

Prof. Wells traveled to Sweden in summer 2016 to enhance her research collaboration, to add an international component to a child welfare elective that she is developing, and to pursue study abroad possibilities for Social Work students

Gender, Power, and Trust Issues in Couple Therapy with Adult-Survivor Couples

Although one-third of partners in couple therapy have experienced childhood abuse, our field has developed few specific interventions that address the lingering effects of child abuse on current couple dynamics. A common impact on adult survivors is the struggle to trust their intimate partner. Furthermore, asymmetrical gendered power processes often erode trust. Given the propensity for adult-survivor couples to experience a distrusting emotional culture, this dissertation studied the effect of gendered power dynamics on trust in partner interactions, as well as identified clinical processes of Socio-Emotional Relationship Therapy (SERT) that helped adult-survivor couples change power disparities to a mutually supportive and trusting emotional culture. This dissertation includes two publishable papers. The first article articulates relational trust theory, which integrates feminist, social constructionist views with relational ethics. This theoretical conceptualization describes how the intermingling of gendered power interactions and adult-survivor power responses negatively impact emotional connection. The second article presents the results of a longitudinal grounded theory study of video and transcripts of 40 SERT sessions with four heterosexual adult survivor couples. The findings from the research were applied to an additional four couples to refine the final grounded theory on how to work with the intersection of trust, gender, and power issues of adult-survivor couples. Three key themes on gendered power processes emerged: 1) gendered fear of being vulnerable, 2) unique gendered power approaches, and 3) distrustful reactions. The analysis identifies five key clinical processes to enhance trust: 1) recognize gendered power’s effects on relational safety, 2) comprehend the socio-emotional experience of partners, 3) accentuate relational needs, 4) initiate partners sharing power, and 5) identify trustworthiness of partners. The study also delineates components of relational vulnerability that augment trust. The final dissertation chapter compares the findings from the grounded theory analysis to current CFT models with adult-survivor couples and discusses clinical implications for addressing the complex interplay of gender, power, and trust in partner interactions. A significant contribution of this dissertation is a better understanding of the link of trust with gender and power dynamics in adult-survivor intimate relationships and how to sensitively address relational processes interfering with trust

Index of Problematic Online Experiences: Item Characteristics and Correlation with Negative Symptomatology

This exploratory study aimed to develop and test a quick, easily administered instrument, the Index of Problematic Online Experiences (I-POE). The goal of the I-POE extends beyond assessing for Internet overuse to broadly assess problematic Internet use across several domains and activities. Data was collected from 563 college students from a Northern New England university using an online survey methodology. Results indicated the I-POE has adequate construct validity and is highly correlated with a variety of relevant constructs: depression, anger=irritability, tension-reduction behavior, sexual concerns, and dysfunctional sexual behavior as measured by the Trauma Symptom Inventory; as well as amount of Internet use and permissive attitudes toward engaging in a variety of sexual activities. Early flagging of online experiences could mitigate the negative effects associated with problematic use. The I-POE, as an easy-to-administer, short screening index, holds promise in this regard. Initial testing of the instrument points to its utility in identifying persons who are experiencing a broad range of Internet-related problems

Online mental health treatment: Concerns and considerations

Concerns and considerations have emerged as mental health professionals contemplate the provision of mental health treatment over the Internet. This paper identifies perceptions of online mental health treatment among a national sample of 2,098 social workers, psychologists, and other professionals. These professionals were unlikely to provide online mental health treatment, although some used the Internet as an adjunct to clinical practice. They noted specific concerns related to the provision of mental health treatment online, including confidentiality of client information and liability issues. We explore these issues and discuss implications for professionals who provide mental health treatment

Special Education Teachers\u27 Sense of Efficacy and Reading Achievement of Students with Severe Disabilities

Assessment scores indicated students with severe disabilities (SWSD) have not been performing to their maximum potential, which may lead to lower quality of life after graduation. Teacher efficacy has been shown to impact student achievement; thus, this study involved exploring the teacher efficacy of the teachers of SWSD. Tschannen-Moran, Woolfolk Hoy, and Hoy\u27s teacher efficacy conceptual framework guided this nonexperimental correlation study to investigate if levels of self-efficacy, years of overall teaching experience, and years of teaching experience with Grade 3 to 8 SWSD were predictors of student reading achievement in a New York City school district. Two open-ended questions were added to explore challenges teachers of SWSD encounter. Student New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) scores were collected from all classroom teachers of students who participated in the 2014-2015 NYSAA at the study site. A regression analysis indicated no significant relationship between teachers\u27 sense of efficacy and the achievement of SWSD in the area of literacy. TSES responses were triangulated using data from 2 open-ended questions, which revealed that teachers face specific challenges when educating students with severe disabilities. At the organizational level, changes to address the needs of teachers could be made to address the challenges found in this study. Positive social change will occur by helping to inform new policies that will reduce challenges indicated by teachers of SWSD and address the needs of teachers to improve the education of SWSD