Tour guide books, foreign language tutorials, months of preparation spent looking into several potential destinations, all part of the careful vacation planning with which many of us are familiar. We plan for months for vacations that may last but a week. We try to familiarize ourselves with different and sometimes novel customs so we can relate well to the natives. Can we find comparable diligence in the manner in which child welfare professionals prepare for their work with families?
No one would dispute the merits of the perpetual calls for child welfare reform and yet in the end the basic problems continue. So what would constitute real reform? What would then be different? And, how do we get there?
We get there slowly. Slowly and carefully. Very carefully.
Caseworkers' and investigators' first step when meeting with family members must be to gain an understanding of the nature of the maltreatment allegations. This usually takes time and if rushed can lead not only to an inaccurate understanding of what has been going on but can also result in actions with detrimental consequences for children and parents. The problem is that caseworkers and investigators arrive at conclusions believing that they in fact understand the nature of the allegations and what has been going on. But so often they just don't know what they are looking at. In addition to inadequate preparation for this work, they can be pressured by mandated timelines and fear of making a wrong decision that can effect their employment.
It is not merely a matter of asking the right questions. The caseworker's very mind-set is crucial. First, maltreatment may not have occurred. But even when it has been determined that it may have happened, viewing the parents as violators, or worse, criminals, or for that matter even a disdainful attitude about them, will contribute to the parents' view of the intervention as being adversarial. And it will certainly influence the caseworker's work with the family. Essential is a gentle, compassionate approach that views parents as people who may lack adequate parenting knowledge and/or whose problems have led to some aspects of substandard parenting. This is where empathy---sometimes a lot of empathy--- comes in.
But the right questions do need to be explored. To do so a store of knowledge is required which encompasses a broad understanding of the immense complexities of human behavior. Not just facts, but the ability to place those facts into a context together with the, often, many resulting ambiguities. This, I believe, is one of the most crucial aspects of child welfare work and one that is usually not present. Much of the infamous mess that child welfare is well known for is the result of the absence of this critical ability.
What follows is some of what usually may need to be looked into:
Under what circumstances did the maltreatment occur? Was it the first time? How often has it occurred? What happened before it occurred? How old was the child? What did the child do before it occurred? What is the parent's explanation of what happened? What is the parent's understanding about what happened? What is the parent's understanding of the child's interpretation of what happened? What is the child's understanding about what occurred? What does the parent think he/she should do about what occurred? What factors and difficulties are present that may have influenced the parent's behavior? What does the parent do throughout each day? How does the parent describe his/her life satisfaction? What are the
parent's aspirations? How long will it take to gain an understanding of what's going on? What is the severity level of the maltreatment? Is there in fact maltreatment or is it merely poor
parenting? Is it even poor parenting or can it be a chaotic situation caused by economic, social, familial relations, parental--and/or child--behavioral patterns, chronic hopelessness, feelings of alienation, and more.
These and an array of additional questions can not be answered by checking off boxes on a risk factor assessment list. The checklist approach tempts one to consider isolated behaviors or a combination of several behaviors without an in depth understanding of the context. Looking at the context can occur through give and take between the parties. Rather than gathering
information as a reporter would, or worse, a cop, inherent in the interaction had better be the mutual understanding that the goal is to help the family do better. When real problems are present they will work together, if possible, to find a way to alleviate the harmful conditions, always with the least disruption to the family. This can sometimes become a lengthy
process. But if the goal is to prevent harm to the child, then all manner of harm must be considered. And that means that removal of a child from the parents' custody is a grave matter that should only occur if there is no other way.
.
No one would dispute the merits of the perpetual calls for child welfare reform and yet in the end the basic problems continue. So what would constitute real reform? What would then be different? And, how do we get there?
We get there slowly. Slowly and carefully. Very carefully.
Caseworkers' and investigators' first step when meeting with family members must be to gain an understanding of the nature of the maltreatment allegations. This usually takes time and if rushed can lead not only to an inaccurate understanding of what has been going on but can also result in actions with detrimental consequences for children and parents. The problem is that caseworkers and investigators arrive at conclusions believing that they in fact understand the nature of the allegations and what has been going on. But so often they just don't know what they are looking at. In addition to inadequate preparation for this work, they can be pressured by mandated timelines and fear of making a wrong decision that can effect their employment.
It is not merely a matter of asking the right questions. The caseworker's very mind-set is crucial. First, maltreatment may not have occurred. But even when it has been determined that it may have happened, viewing the parents as violators, or worse, criminals, or for that matter even a disdainful attitude about them, will contribute to the parents' view of the intervention as being adversarial. And it will certainly influence the caseworker's work with the family. Essential is a gentle, compassionate approach that views parents as people who may lack adequate parenting knowledge and/or whose problems have led to some aspects of substandard parenting. This is where empathy---sometimes a lot of empathy--- comes in.
But the right questions do need to be explored. To do so a store of knowledge is required which encompasses a broad understanding of the immense complexities of human behavior. Not just facts, but the ability to place those facts into a context together with the, often, many resulting ambiguities. This, I believe, is one of the most crucial aspects of child welfare work and one that is usually not present. Much of the infamous mess that child welfare is well known for is the result of the absence of this critical ability.
What follows is some of what usually may need to be looked into:
Under what circumstances did the maltreatment occur? Was it the first time? How often has it occurred? What happened before it occurred? How old was the child? What did the child do before it occurred? What is the parent's explanation of what happened? What is the parent's understanding about what happened? What is the parent's understanding of the child's interpretation of what happened? What is the child's understanding about what occurred? What does the parent think he/she should do about what occurred? What factors and difficulties are present that may have influenced the parent's behavior? What does the parent do throughout each day? How does the parent describe his/her life satisfaction? What are the
parent's aspirations? How long will it take to gain an understanding of what's going on? What is the severity level of the maltreatment? Is there in fact maltreatment or is it merely poor
parenting? Is it even poor parenting or can it be a chaotic situation caused by economic, social, familial relations, parental--and/or child--behavioral patterns, chronic hopelessness, feelings of alienation, and more.
These and an array of additional questions can not be answered by checking off boxes on a risk factor assessment list. The checklist approach tempts one to consider isolated behaviors or a combination of several behaviors without an in depth understanding of the context. Looking at the context can occur through give and take between the parties. Rather than gathering
information as a reporter would, or worse, a cop, inherent in the interaction had better be the mutual understanding that the goal is to help the family do better. When real problems are present they will work together, if possible, to find a way to alleviate the harmful conditions, always with the least disruption to the family. This can sometimes become a lengthy
process. But if the goal is to prevent harm to the child, then all manner of harm must be considered. And that means that removal of a child from the parents' custody is a grave matter that should only occur if there is no other way.
.
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