Over the decades Freudian ideology has influenced social service practice, not always directly, but sometimes indirectly, in ways that often do not noticeably embody psychoanalytic tenets. This can be seen in the underlying rigidity in the day to day rules and procedures expected of various helpers. And, usually, its only unspoken rationale has been its self-reinforced repetition over many years. We can pretty much guess that much of the focus on what to say, what not to say, when to say it or not say it, etc., has had, at least, somewhat of a Freudian genesis.
Even in the age of so-called evidence based practice, have we really given careful thought to much of what has been accepted as practice gospel? In the child welfare field, where decades of family intervention has overwhelmingly failed to produce enduring, improved behavioral change and better lives for parents and children, taking that step is long overdue. Rather than focus on specific rules and rigid techniques, we had better begin to think about the kinds of things caseworkers and parents should be doing together to alleviate child maltreatment and create more satisfying lives for child welfare involved families. So let's continue the discussion we began in earlier blog articles as we try to stretch the imagination and consider some of the things that can produce real and substantial change.
Suppose that one day during a home visit you, the caseworker, ask the parents what major life change or changes they would like to make, or perhaps one of the parents raises that issue. Perhaps one of them expresses a wish to have had a certain career or to have pursued a particular course of college study. Rather than pursuing this issue through discussion alone, as would occur in traditional practice, the parents and caseworker should begin the exploratory journey that will help the parents work toward achieving their wish. The following examples only begin to address the innumerable possibilities of what can be accomplished within a context where caseworker support, of various kinds, is usually of the utmost importance.
Ways by which parents will learn more about their educational and vocational interests and goals as well as what they and the caseworker will do to achieve those objectives include:
The previous list does not seem, at first glance, to look like something that would concern the child welfare system. But, oh, had it better. As we have discussed in earlier blog articles, most parents whose lives have been dominated by hopelessness and feelings of despair and alienation from mainstream American ideals and opportunities, and who believe that the future holds no chance for improvement for themselves or for their children, will usually have difficulty working toward behavioral change. And this is what decades of child welfare intervention has indeed shown. This is a generalization and as such cannot address every possible scenario. But while it's true that child welfare's intervention is allegation based, the road toward parents' real and substantial behavioral improvement must begin to usually take a broader approach.
The fact that this approach may presently seem impractical or naïve to some does not negate its logic, nor the urgency for its implementation. Just as there has been a dearth of thought into the rationale behind much of accepted social service practice, there too seems to continue to be a complete blindness about the various etiological aspects of the multitude of child maltreatment allegations within America's impoverished communities. But it's just such an investigation that will almost certainly reveal how lives dominated, very often over generations, by the far-reaching stifling and suffocating consequences of poverty set the stage for both problematic parenting and, often, merely the mistaken appearance of such.
An empathic and in-depth understanding of the magnitude of what this kind of life can wrought must inevitably lead us to the realization that the very scourge that has so stubbornly touched and influenced so many aspects of one's existence will very likely continue to do so even in the wake of superficial child welfare intervention. On the other hand, substantial intervention that gets to the source of the problem, and that does so in a kind, persistent and humane manner, has every chance of succeeding.
Even in the age of so-called evidence based practice, have we really given careful thought to much of what has been accepted as practice gospel? In the child welfare field, where decades of family intervention has overwhelmingly failed to produce enduring, improved behavioral change and better lives for parents and children, taking that step is long overdue. Rather than focus on specific rules and rigid techniques, we had better begin to think about the kinds of things caseworkers and parents should be doing together to alleviate child maltreatment and create more satisfying lives for child welfare involved families. So let's continue the discussion we began in earlier blog articles as we try to stretch the imagination and consider some of the things that can produce real and substantial change.
Suppose that one day during a home visit you, the caseworker, ask the parents what major life change or changes they would like to make, or perhaps one of the parents raises that issue. Perhaps one of them expresses a wish to have had a certain career or to have pursued a particular course of college study. Rather than pursuing this issue through discussion alone, as would occur in traditional practice, the parents and caseworker should begin the exploratory journey that will help the parents work toward achieving their wish. The following examples only begin to address the innumerable possibilities of what can be accomplished within a context where caseworker support, of various kinds, is usually of the utmost importance.
Ways by which parents will learn more about their educational and vocational interests and goals as well as what they and the caseworker will do to achieve those objectives include:
- visits to various work sites
- discussions with friends, neighbors and others from inside and out of the community who work in certain fields or who are knowledgeable about them
- printed and internet material and DVD's about occupations
- ongoing perusal of the Occupational Outlook Handbook
- volunteer, observation and internship opportunities
- expanded research into related and other occupations
- keeping of a diary with notes on information gathered, on the progression and development of ideas related to this information and on thoughts and feelings about the newly acquired knowledge
- identification of college programs, GED courses, and occupational training schools
- school and employment practice interviews with caseworker, family members and friends
- meetings with college, vocational school and GED personnel and advisors
- learning CBT/REBT techniques and philosophy that will help along the way
- ongoing support and concrete assistance as parents engage in their educational and occupational pursuits
- child care arrangements for times when parents are away
- identification of tutoring services
- discussions with caseworker and individual reading about good study skills
- periodic discussions with caseworker and, sometimes, others to review progress
- visits to libraries
- establishment by parents of group whose members are other parents who meet to discuss vocational and educational issues
- ongoing brainstorming discussions with caseworker and others about ideas related to the parents' occupational and educational efforts
- parents' and caseworker's discussion about the connection between general life-satisfaction and child maltreatment and the concurrent improvement in both
The previous list does not seem, at first glance, to look like something that would concern the child welfare system. But, oh, had it better. As we have discussed in earlier blog articles, most parents whose lives have been dominated by hopelessness and feelings of despair and alienation from mainstream American ideals and opportunities, and who believe that the future holds no chance for improvement for themselves or for their children, will usually have difficulty working toward behavioral change. And this is what decades of child welfare intervention has indeed shown. This is a generalization and as such cannot address every possible scenario. But while it's true that child welfare's intervention is allegation based, the road toward parents' real and substantial behavioral improvement must begin to usually take a broader approach.
The fact that this approach may presently seem impractical or naïve to some does not negate its logic, nor the urgency for its implementation. Just as there has been a dearth of thought into the rationale behind much of accepted social service practice, there too seems to continue to be a complete blindness about the various etiological aspects of the multitude of child maltreatment allegations within America's impoverished communities. But it's just such an investigation that will almost certainly reveal how lives dominated, very often over generations, by the far-reaching stifling and suffocating consequences of poverty set the stage for both problematic parenting and, often, merely the mistaken appearance of such.
An empathic and in-depth understanding of the magnitude of what this kind of life can wrought must inevitably lead us to the realization that the very scourge that has so stubbornly touched and influenced so many aspects of one's existence will very likely continue to do so even in the wake of superficial child welfare intervention. On the other hand, substantial intervention that gets to the source of the problem, and that does so in a kind, persistent and humane manner, has every chance of succeeding.
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