Introduction to the Child Welfare System

1
Introduction to the Child Welfare System

• Angela Mollette, MSW, LCSW-C
• Lecture 1
• August 31, 2007

2
Burnout

• A state of physical, emotional, and mental
  exhaustion caused by long term intervention in an
  emotionally demanding situation.
• What makes you vulnerable?
• Reduce risk and increase response time to client
  symptomotology.
• Develop coping strategies and hobbies
• Change jobs or positions ever so often

3
Framework

• Attachment and resilience
• Cultural considerations
• Long term sequelae of Child Maltreatment
• Vicarious traumatization

4
Attachment and Resilience

• Fill in the blank Mothers ______, Children
  _______.
• Whats the difference?
• What do children need from a parent?
• Who developed and expanded on Attachment Theory?
• Attachment begins in infancy through 6 years of
  age.
• Attachment is an ongoing developmental process,
  thus it is constantly changing.

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How Attachment Develops
6
Forms of Attachment and Exhibited Behaviors

• Secure Attachment
• Anxious-Ambivalent
• Avoidant
• Disorganized

7
Trauma Bonding

• Bonding with ones perpetrator
• Susan Silverman
• Highly untrustworthy and destructive relationship
  that is considered normative

8
Culturally Competent Intervention

• What does cultural competence mean?
• Attempting to understand the clients world and
  point of view
• A street, traditions, era the abuse occurred
• Jennings, David, Susan
• Research, acceptance, respect, and celebration of
  cultural differences
• Engaging in ongoing self-assessment

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Cultural Competence Continued

• Be aware of what issues can cause conflicts
• Cures, voodoo, medicine men (medical neglect)
• Inability to read (educational neglect)
• Discipline and punishment (physical abuse)
• Children are to be seen and not heard
  (psychological abuse)

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Treatment Considerations Roche and Maxie (2003)

• First address the most important cultural issues.
• How is this decided?
• Address similarities as a bridge to discussing
  cultural differences
• Engagement and building rapport
• Let the clients level of distress guide when and
  if cultural differences need to be addressed.
• Why is this important?

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Treatment Considerations Continued

• Address cultural differences as assets
• Take a history/assessment of cultural and racial
  identity development to help conceptualize the
  problem and develop an appropriate treatment
  plan.
• Seek out supervision, persons of the same
  culture, race, or ethnicity who work with you,
  other clinicians who have worked with your
  client, etc

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Long Term Sequelae of Child Maltreatment
13
Adverse Childhood Effects Throughout the Life Span
14
Worker Trauma

• Vicarious Trauma
• Therapy
• Trauma Narrative
• Compassion Fatigue
• 911
• Katrina

• Behaviors and emotions from knowing about a
  traumatizing event expressed by a significant
  other
• Stress resulting from helping or wanting to help
  a traumatized person