Hard times made harder: struggling caregivers and child neglect

Poverty is only one of many challenges tied to a report of child neglect. The analysis in this brief finds that neglected children whose caregivers struggle with substance abuse and mental health problems are at significant risk for out-of-home placement. Risk factors for out-of-home placement for neglected children are discussed, as well as a multifaceted approach to services to prevent neglect and out-of-home placement

Psychotropic medication use among children in the child welfare system

Prior research demonstrates that children in the child welfare system are given psychotropic medication at rates approximately three times higher than children and adolescents in the general population. Using data from the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, authors Wendy Walsh and Marybeth Mattingly report that among children age 4 and older with a report of maltreatment, rates of psychotropic medication use are significantly higher in rural (20 percent) than urban areas (13 percent). Children age 4 and older with a maltreatment report in rural areas were significantly more likely to take more than one medication than children in urban areas. The significantly higher rates of psychotropic medication use among children in rural areas and the significantly higher rates of taking multiple medications point to the need among child welfare professionals in rural areas to closely monitor use. The results of the current analysis indicate that more information is needed about the complex decision-making process regarding medication use. This includes a need to better understand how pediatric clinicians make decisions, and the impact of community norms on medication use

Related Foster Parents Less Likely to Receive Support Services Compared With Nonrelative Foster Parents

This brief identifies gaps in support services among foster parents using data from a nationally representative survey of children involved in the child welfare system (the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being). Authors Wendy Walsh and Marybeth Mattingly report that the percentage of foster parents who received recent support services (within a six month timeframe) varies dramatically by foster placement and support service type. Kinship foster parents (both formal and informal) in all households regardless of poverty status are less likely to have received training, used respite care, or participated in peer support groups in the past six months compared with nonrelative foster parents. The authors conclude that even in this era of limited resources, it is important to make sure that all foster parents (those in poor and nonpoor households), and particularly kinship foster parents, have access to adequate support services to help ensure that children in out-of-home placements are nurtured and that foster parents receive the support they need to continue their important work

Rural families with a child abuse report are more likely headed by a single parent and endure economic and family stress

This brief, which is based on data from the Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, finds that rural families who have been reported to Child Protective Services are more likely than urban families to have financial difficulties and high family stress, as well as grow up in single-parent households. To effectively address these issues, the brief urges policy makers to look at the lack of accessible and adequate services for struggling rural families

Child Protective Services May Link Families to Needed Income Supports

A number of public safety-net programs exist to help improve the economic well-being of vulnerable children, but little is known about the extent to which families with a child maltreatment report receive these services over time. In this brief, we examine the incidence of receiving four types of income support both immediately after the child maltreatment report and eighteen months following. The data for this analysis come from the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II), a national sample of children who had a maltreatment report that resulted in an investigation by CPS within a 15-month period beginning in February 2008. Authors Wendy Walsh and Marybeth Mattingly report that the child protective system, especially in rural areas, may link families to needed supports. Among families who did not initially report safety net receipt and reported financial challenges, more rural (51 percent) than urban (38 percent) received at least one safety net program eighteen months later. Among families who did not initially report safety net receipt and reported financial challenges, more rural (38 percent) than urban (7 percent) families said they were managing to “save a little money each month” eighteen months after their encounter with the child protective system

LIVING IN THIS BODY: HEARING THE VOICES OF WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES

This research explored factors associated with self-determination among university-educated women with physical disabilities. Autoethnography and case study methods were employed. Participants were the researcher and five other women. Semi- structured interviews were conducted and the researcher also responded to the interview questions. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and transcripts were analyzed using a content analysis procedure. Journal entries by the researcher were analyzed as part of the autoethnographic data. Themes from the researcher data were compared to themes from the participant data at four levels: identical themes, similar themes, overlapping themes and unique theme. Themes were also compared to available literature concerning the experiences ofpeople with disabilities. Implications for educators and counsellors were presented

Breaking the norm: Family characteristics associated with the avoidance of corporal punishment

Corporal punishment (CP) is an acceptable and frequently used discipline tactic, with 94% of parents of 2- to 4-year-olds using it (Straus, 2001). Much of the parenting literature indicates that there are more positive ways to discipline a child (May, 2000; Sears & Sears, 1995; Spock & Parker, 1998). Yet, only a minority of parents raise children without CP. Using Belsky\u27s (1984) model of parenting, this study analyzed the 1985 National Family Violence Survey to compare this minority group of parents with those who use CP in order to understand the experiences and context associated with avoiding it. The extent to which parents rely on non-punitive discipline tactics was also investigated. The sample included 824 parents of 2-to-6-year-olds. The categories for the dependent variable were CP avoidance, mild CP (spanking), or severe CP (hitting with an object). Parents who had physically abused their child were excluded. The results indicated more Hispanics, more parents of other ethnicities, and more African Americans avoided CP as compared to Euro-Americans. Euro-Americans had the largest percentage of parents who used mild CP. African Americans had the largest percentage of parents who used severe CP. More parents with less perception of stress, depression, and alcohol use avoided CP. More parents with low couple verbal aggression, low couple conflict and no couple violence avoided CP. A multinomial regression analysis found that low couple verbal aggression and the absence of parent to child verbal aggression were associated with an increased likelihood of avoiding CP. The absence of couple violence increased the probability of avoiding CP as compared to mild CP. Low alcohol use increased the probability of avoiding CP as compared to severe CP. Parents who avoided CP used a greater proportion of reasoning and a smaller proportion of verbal aggression as compared to parents who used mild or severe CP. The results suggest that addressing marital conflict resolution tactics and the extent to which parents rely on positive discipline strategies could help to increase the percent of parents who avoid CP. The results add to the body of knowledge on the theoretical conception of discipline by highlighting the importance of CP avoidance as a discipline tactic