Amy Chanmugam

Youth participation in qualitative research: Challenges and possibilities

Research often excludes youth participants, omitting their social and psychological realities, undermining their rights to participate and benefit from research, and weakening the validity of research. Researchers may be discouraged from including youth due to logistical (e.g. gaining access) or ethical (e.g. coercion risks based on developmental level) concerns. Increased discussion is needed around appropriate methods to use with child and youth participants that manage challenges related to developmental capacities, legal status, power differentials, and unpredictable aspects of qualitative research. This paper pools experiences of six researchers, describing solutions we have developed in studies employing varied qualitative methodologies with varied vulnerable youth subpopulations. We detail successful approaches to access, compensation, consent, assent, and confidentiality. Social work researchers are wellsuited to navigate the challenges, and we share our examples with the aim of facilitating increased youth participation in research.

Safety planning with children and adolescents in domestic violence shelters.

This exploratory mixed methods survey yielded a comprehensive picture of safety planning practices with children and adolescents in Texas emergency domestic violence shelters. Shelter personnel described safety planning goals, methods, timing, and contents and views of best practices, barriers, and risks. The study’s approach was guided by Proctor’s (2005) recommendations for developing the research base for an understudied intervention. Results indicate that the practice is widespread. Shelters consider developmental differences and use multiple methods and timing strategies. Views on goals and risks varied. Findings are contextualized with information on overall child/youth services. This article discusses implications for shelter practices and future research, such as outcome studies and the feasibility of children/youth implementing commonly recommended safety strategies.

Perceptions of Empowerment Within and Across Partnerships in Community-Based Participatory Research A Dyadic Interview Analysis

Although the concept of empowerment is a key principle of community-based participatory research (CBPR), little is known about how academic and community partners perceive empowerment during a CBPR process. CBPR partners’ perceptions of the process were explored using semi-structured interviews with both partners in 10 CBPR partnerships that had completed projects addressing social determinants of health. Dyadic interview analysis was employed to understand dynamics within and across partnerships. Five partnerships showed no differences in perceptions of empowerment. Four had minor discrepancies. Only one partnership varied considerably between partners, where the community partner perceived less empowerment regarding determining the study topic and overall control, influence, and respect throughout the process. This article discusses implications of findings for CBPR. Evaluating partners’ perceived empowerment throughout a CBPR project might reveal areas to adjust, as not all projects with quantifiably successful outcomes involve processes that are successful in terms of empowerment.

Got One Another's Backs: Mother-Teen Relationships in Families Escaping Intimate Partner Violence

This Life Story study gained a comprehensive picture of experiences of young adolescents (ages 12–14) accompanying mothers in emergency domestic violence shelters. A holistic, chronological approach in interviews with an ethnically diverse sample of youth and their mothers (N = 27) yielded insights into perspectives on relationships. This article focuses on the complex thematic finding “interconnected family boundaries,” a central dynamic in mother-youth relationships characterized by emotional closeness, highly cohesive boundaries, and interdependence in problem solving regarding family issues. Participants identified this dynamic as essential for adaptation yet entailing losses. Discussion considers theoretical triangulation and implications for research, intervention, and practitioner education.

School Social Work

This chapter defines the practice of school social work and provides an overview of the profession of school social work, including its history and important contributions to school programs. It highlights the growth of school social workers as a unique profession among social workers, and identifies organizations and professional associations that support school social workers within the United States. It also highlights the role of social workers in providing school-based social and mental health services and describes current models of school social services delivery. It further discusses the adaptations that school social workers have made in the past to meet changing demands and offer suggestions for continuing to serve the complex needs of children in the schools. Although there are many tasks that school social workers perform, four core tasks are assessments, system-wide- consultations, direct intervention with individuals, families and groups, and program development. The specifics of school social work practice has adjusted to trends in the field and in education reform, the basic charge to help all students successfully receive an education and to help remove learning barriers for vulnerable students are the same for all school social workers. Keywords: school social work; school-based practice; school-services profession

Agency-Related Barriers Experienced by Families Seeking to Adopt From Foster Care

ABSTRACT Although about 100,000 children in foster care await adoption, families approved to adopt encounter obstacles in the adoption process. This nationwide longitudinal study identified agency-related barriers faced by prospective adoptive parents. A pur-posively recruited sample of 300 families seeking to adopt from foster care completed an in-depth, semi-structured telephone interview and quarterly follow-up surveys until they either finalized a foster care adoption (n = 98) or discontinued (n = 102) the process, followed by an exit interview by telephone. Findings revealed the top barriers encountered were adoption process logistics (n = 185, 92.5%), agency communication and responsiveness (n = 159, 79.5%), agency emotional support (n = 130, 65%), availability of services (n = 65, 32.5%), and juris-dictional and interjurisdictional issues (n = 52, 26%). Policy and practice implications are provided with recommendations for improving procedures, services, support, and communication to better retain prospective adoptive parents and improve adop-tion outcomes.