PATHWAYS TO STRENGTHENING

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• PATHWAYS TO STRENGTHENING
• AND SUPPORTING FAMILIES IN ILLINOIS

Module 1B Historical Perspective of DR
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Differential Response

• WALL OF CHILD WELFARE
• 1850 1964
  2010
• Child Welfare League of America

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Differential Response

• WALL OF CHILD WELFARE (Contd)
• 1909 1964
  2010
• Child Welfare League of America

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Child Welfare in Illinois The Early Years

• Public Policy regarding Child Welfare Services in
  Illinois results from the historical foundation
  laid from the 1800s, starting with Orphan
  Trains and embodied by Jane Addams founding of
  Hull House.
• It is a policy that recognizes the need to
  strengthen and preserve the family, while
  protecting the safety, and providing for the
  well-being and permanency of children, who
  otherwise cannot protect and provide for
  themselves.

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History of Child Welfare in Illinois - POC

• Settlement Houses responses to People of Color
• Provided services
• Developed separate, segregated services
• Refused to serve People of Color equitably
• Charity Organizations responses to People of
  Color
• Conducted investigations of acts of
  discrimination against People of Color
• Trained African American friendly visitors
• Paternalist and patronizing views of families of
  color

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Mutual Aid

• Collective responsibility
• Self-development
• External community involvement
• Interracial cooperation

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Summary How did we get to where we are today?

• Private agency services
• Juvenile Court Act 1899
• ANCRA
• Procedures 300
• County Welfare Dept.
• IL Dept. Public Welfare
• DCFS / Private Agency-Public Partnership

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Differential Response
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Disproportionality

• Disproportionate representation (also referred
  to as disproportionality) refers to a situation
  in which a particular racial/ethnic group of
  children are represented in foster care at a
  higher or lower percentage than their
  representation in the general population
• - Casey Family Programs

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Disparate Treatment

• Disparate treatment refers to the unequal
  treatment or services provided to minority
  children as compared to those provided to
  similarly situated white children
• - Robert B. Hill

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Racial Disproportionality in Substantiations

• More likely indicated if
• Professional made the report
• Prior reports exist
• Physical abuse rather than neglect
• African American or Latino

April 5, 2010
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Children in Care By Placement Statewide (FY 2004)
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What are you willing to do to help end the
dissolution of families?
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Six Stages of Cultural Competency

• Can someone provide an example of cultural
• Destructiveness?
• Incapacity?
• Blindness?
• Pre-competence?
• Competence?
• Proficiency?

Trail of Tears
April 5, 2010
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Cultural Anxieties

• What are some of the issues you anticipate in
  working with families of a different culture than
  your own?

April 5, 2010
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Working with Families Whose Primary Language is
not English

• Burgos Consent Decree (See Proc. 300, Appendix E)
• Services documents in Spanish
• Bilingual workers
• Spanish speaking foster homes

April 5, 2010
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Disproportionate Representation of Children of
Color in CW Agree or Disagree

• Disproportionality is Appropriate POC have more
  poverty, single parents, joblessness, etc

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Disproportionate Representation of Children of
Color in CW Agree or Disagree (Contd)

• Disproportionality is a Problem
• POC dont maltreat more than Caucasians

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Things You Can Do to Learn About Other Cultures

• NASW Code of Ethics (1.05) Cultural Competence
  and Social Diversity
• Recognize strengths
• Provide culturally sensitive services
• Learn about social diversity oppression

April 5, 2010
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Preparation

• Recognize that everyone has behaviors, habits,
  customs and beliefs that are culturally based.
• Conduct a self-evaluation.
• Develop a working knowledge of the clients
  culture.
• Get in touch with your own biases.

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Developing a Safe Environment

• Keep an open mind.
• In the first session, address the different
  racial or cultural differences directly.

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Developing a Safe Environment (Continued)

• Ask your client the meaning, significance, and
  importance his or her cultural heritage plays in
  his or her life.
• Allow your client to be the expert storyteller of
  his or her life.

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Developing a Safe Environment (Continued)

• Help create for your client a natural pathway for
  change.

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Why DR is needed?

• Fewer substantiated investigations result in
  service provision
• Recurrence of maltreatment
• Strength-based approach to helping families heal
• Family-centered (mutual aid) approach to
  improving outcomes for children and families
• Promotes community well-being
• Addresses disproportionality

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Differential Response
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Summary

• Majority of reports to the hotline are
  unfounded
• Low to moderate risk families better served using
  strength-based, family-centered assessment
• Illinois enacted the Differential Response
  Program Act (Public Act 096-0760) into law on
  August 25, 2009