Strengthening Families to Keep Children Safe from Harm

1. Strengthening Families to Keep Children Safe from Harm Diane DePanfilis, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Social Work Co-Director, University of Maryland, Baltimore Center for Families In Harm’s Way: Breaking the Cycle of Drugs and Violence against Children and Families Community Issues Forum November 9, 2001

2. Key Points • Strong association between substance abuse and child maltreatment • Strengthening families in their communities will increase protective and decrease risk factors

3. Why is this important? • Established connection between substance abuse and child maltreatment. • Children of substance abusing parents more likely to be maltreated. • Maltreating parents are more likely to abuse alcohol or other drugs. • Children of substance abusers, particularly maltreated children, are at high risk for abusing drugs, school problems, behavioral problems.

4. What harm do children face in West Baltimore?* • Poverty – up to 58% of children live in poverty. • Truancy – 39% miss > than 20 days/year. • Child abuse & neglect – 39 per 1000 children • Juvenile arrest rates – 130 per 1000 children • Teen pregnancy – 16% of females ages 10-17 *Baltimore City Data Collaborative, 2001

5. Consensus • Targeting single risk factors not likely to be as effective as an ecological perspective. • Intervention and prevention programs for this population must be individualized and offer multiple services. • Services must empower families, build on strengths, and respect cultural diversity.

6. Goals of Family Strengthening Programs • To increase protective factors • To decrease risk factors

7. Protective Factors • Supportive caregiver-child relationships • Positive discipline methods • Close monitoring & supervision of children • Coping strategies by adults & children • Social support & community connections • Spirituality • Cultural roots • Economic stability

8. Risk Factors • Family conflict, chaos, stress • Caregiver mental & physical health problems • Child behavioral, mental and physical health problems • Poor caregiver-child relationships • Social isolation • Poverty & community violence

9. Strengthening Families in West Baltimore

10. Overview of Program • Family Connections, Baltimore, Maryland • Promotes the safety and well being of children and families through family and community services, professional education and training, and research and evaluation. A program of the University of Maryland, Baltimore Center for Families

11. Target Population • Screen for: • Demographics • Risk Criteria • Motivation to change

12. Target neighborhoods Serve children and families who live or go to school in the following zip codes: 21201, 21216, 21217, 21223, and 21230

13. Intervention • Social work services geared to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors.

14. Philosophical Principles • Community outreach • Family assessment and tailored interventions • Helping alliance • Empowerment approaches • Strengths perspective • Cultural competence • Outcome driven service plans

15. Intervention Services • Crisis intervention • Emergency assistance • Individualized outcome based services • Individual and family counseling • Strengthening multi-ethnic families and communities parent groups • Child therapeutic activity groups • Client advocacy • Service coordination and management

16. Preliminary selected findings • Based on 154 families with 473 children who have completed the program and research interviews at baseline, closing, and six-month follow-up.

17. Significant changes in: • Caregiver well being • Family well being • Safety • Child well being Most effects endure six months after services are terminated.

18. Caregiver well being Depression

19. Caregiver well beingParenting Stress

20. Family well beingParenting Attitudes

21. Family well beingPerceptions of Neighborhoods *significant increase in satisfaction with neighborhood (Perceived Neighborhood scale).

22. Family well beingDaily hassles

23. Family well beingFamily Conflict *Self-Report Family Inventory—Conflict Subscale

24. SafetyHousing conditions % without problems

25. Child well beingChild Behavior

26. To find out more about Family Connections in West Baltimore, go to http://family.umaryland.edu

27. Selected references • Alvarado, R., & Kumpfer, K. (2000). Strengthening America’s families. Juvenile Justice, VII(3), 8-18. • Ashery, R.S., Robertson, E.B., & Kumpfer, K.L. (Eds.). (1998). Drug abuse prevention through family interventions. Rockville, MD: U.S. DHHS, National Institute on Drug Abuse. • Baltimore City Data Collaborative (2001). Baltimore City Neighborhood Profiles, 1997. Available: http://www.baltimorekidsdata.org