Group Leaders’ Perceptions of Interventions with Grandparent Caregivers: Content and Process

Nineteen (Mage = 45, SD = 12.8) professionally trained group leaders were surveyed regarding their experiences in leading a 10-week program with one of three RCT conditions (cognitive behavior training, parenting skills training, information only support). While a high percentage indicated that the intervention led by them was beneficial, leaders nevertheless felt that some participants benefited more so than others. Perceived program benefits were seen as being linked to regular attendance and the completion of weekly homework. The major benefits to participants were gaining personal insight, receiving and providing support to others, successfully applying learned skills and knowledge to everyday life, and feeling empowered and hopeful about the future. Peer leaders were viewed positively as was the provision of food and childcare. Group leaders faced numerous practical challenging in conducting group interventions: ensuring regular attendance, keeping participants focused and on track, and dealing with participants who dominated discussion. These unprecedented findings not only allow us insight into the dynamics of leading group interventions with grandmother caregivers, but they may also have implications as influences on the measured efficacy of such programs

Replication of Family Connections: Lessons Learned from Grandparents

This is an article published in Protecting Children by American Humane in 2009. Reproduced with written permission from the publisher.Grandparents as the sole primary caregivers are one of the fastest growing family types in the United States, representing a growing phenomenon in child welfare (Bowers & Myers, 1999; Jooste, Hayslip, & Smith, 2008; Kelley, Yorker, Whitley, & Sipe, 2001; Sands & Goldberg-Glen, 2000). Between 1990 and 2006 the number of children living in households maintained by grandparents increased by 44%. This roughly translates into more than 2.5 million children living with grandparents who were responsible for meeting the basic food, shelter, and clothing needs of their grandchildren (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). Census Bureau data indicate that there are now more than 6.7 million children across the nation growing up in these unique “grand families,” representing 9% of the nation’s children living in familiesDevelopment of this paper was partially supported by Cooperative Agreement 90-CW-1126 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, to Diane DePanfilis, principal investigator, with a matching grant provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundatio

Child Attributions Mediate Relationships Between Violence Exposure and Trauma Symptomology

Violence and trauma exposure have been increasingly investigated as contributing to a range of negative outcomes in child physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and psychological functioning, particularly among youth who are racial/ethnic minorities. This study presents findings related to children's attributions of their violence and trauma exposure. Attributions are inferences made about the cause of an event, situation, or action, with internal, stable, and global attributions most likely to lead to negative psychological outcomes. Data were drawn from an on-going clinical intervention study with families at risk for child maltreatment and/or neglect residing in a large metropolitan city on the East Coast. Mediation models provide evidence for a mediated relationship between violence exposure and PTSD through child attribution. Children develop their definitions of violence, formulate reasons why the violence occurs, and react to violence based on interpreting and developing cognitive attributions and schema about their experiences with violence in order to adaptively cope

Evidence-based practice at a crossroads: The timely emergence of common elements and common factors

Social work is increasingly embracing evidence-based practice (EBP) as a decision-making process that incorporates the best available evidence about effective treatments given client values and preferences, in addition to social worker expertise. Yet, social work practitioners have typically encountered challenges with the application of manualized evidence-supported treatments. For social work, the path to implementing the delivery of science-informed practice remains at a crossroads. This article describes two emergent strategies that offer a plausible means by which many social workers can integrate an EBP model into their service delivery-common factors and common elements. Each strategy will be presented, and related evidence provided. Tools to implement a common elements approach and to incorporate client feedback consistent with a common factors perspective will also be described. These strategies will be placed in the broader context of the EBP framework to suggest possible advances in social work practice and research. © SAGE Publications 2012