Promising Practices in Chronic Neglect

1
Promising Practices in Chronic Neglect

• Dee Wilson, MSW
• Northwest Institute for Children and Families,
  University of Washington
• June 18, 2008
• Neglect The Hidden Cost of Meth and Other
  Substance Abuse
• Deschutes County Summit

2
Parents

• Concern Parents with substance abuse and mental
  health problems have low rates of initial
  engagement in treatment.
• Promising practices Motivational Interviewing

3
Parents

• Concern Parents drop out of treatment or
  relapse, lose hope of overcoming obstacles to
  getting children back.
• Promising practices
• Parent mentors for support and encouragement

4
Parents

• Concern Convincing decision makers to return
  children to their custody progress in treatment
  is rarely smooth and without setbacks, and
  families usually have a variety of serious
  problems apart from substance abuse.
• Promising practices
• Family Treatment, or Dependency Drug Courts

5
Parents

• Concern Parents completing treatment programs
  often return to the same living arrangements and
  same neighborhoods
• Promising practice
• Transitional Housing

6
Parents

• Concern Parents in recovery with low levels of
  education are destined for lengthy welfare
  dependence or a struggle for survival in the low
  wage economy.
• Promising practice
• Education and Job Training Programs, partnerships
  with business sector to hire and support parents

7
Parents

• Concern The problems and stresses associated
  with reunification may overwhelm a parents
  ability to cope.
• Promising practice
• Intensive Support (ex Respite Care) for
  reunified families for at least one year.

8
Children

• Concern Substance abuse and mental health
  problems interfere with emotionally sensitive
  responsive care-giving.
• Promising practice
• Parenting Programs and visitation that promote
  attachment.

9
Children

• Concern Chronic neglect and chronic maltreatment
  have a powerful cumulative effect on childrens
  cognitive development and social development and
  the capability to regulate emotions.
• Promising practice Therapeutic Child Development
  Programs

10
Children

• Concern Chronically neglectful parenting often
  leads to children who engage in non-stop negative
  attention getting behavior with parents and to be
  oppositional with childcare staff and teachers as
  well.
• Promising practice
• Parenting Programs that teach how to reduce such
  behaviors

11
Children

• Concern Neglected childrens reduced ability to
  calm themselves when experiencing negative
  emotional states mimics the difficulties
  traumatized children experience with affect
  regulation.
• Promising practice
• Trauma Treatment Techniques for Children

12
Children

• Concern Hopeless/ helpless attitudes of youth
  that can become self-fulfilling.
• Promising practice
• Resiliency Based Youth Programs

13
Community/Professional

• Concern Ive called and called. Why dont they
  open this case? Tensions between child welfare
  and community partners re when to open a case.
• Promising practice
• Clear protocol, shared with community, for when
  child welfare is best approach, and when
  voluntary community based services are best.

14
Community/Professional

• Concern Limited funding for early intervention
  and prevention leads to over-reliance on child
  welfare.
• Promising practice
• Develop funding for family support programs that
  engage vulnerable families in a supportive,
  non-stigmatizing setting.

15
Community / Professional

• Concern Families have many needs, many
  providers, many mandates and dueling case
  plans.
• Promising practice
• Develop teams around and with families to
  coordinate services and plans.

16
Community/Professional

• Concern Working with such families can be
  exhausting and burn out even the most
  idealistic helpers.
• Promising practice
• Build teams, so that helpers from different
  agencies or faith/community groups can take the
  lead at different times.