Haksoon Ahn

Child Welfare Worker Perception of the Implementation of Family-Centered Practice

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of Family-Centered Practice (FCP) among child welfare workers who are expected to use FCP principles in their work with children and families. Method: Nine focus groups were conducted among child welfare workers across seven different regions within one state to assess caseworker’s experiences with FCP. Results: Themes related to time, resources and opportunities, work climate, and engagement emerged from the analysis in relation to the implementation of FCP. Conclusions: Implications of the implementation of the FCP framework for social work policy and practice are discussed.

Evaluation of the performance of national health systems in 2004-2011: An analysis of 173 countries

In an effort to improve health service delivery and achieve better health outcomes, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for improved efficiency of health care systems to better use the available funding. This study aims to examine the efficiency of national health systems using longitudinal country-level data. Data on health spending per capita, infant mortality rate (IMR), under 5 mortality rate (U5MR), and life expectancy (LE) were collected from or imputed for 173 countries from 2004 through 2011. Data envelopment analyses were used to evaluate the efficiency and regression models were constructed to examine the determinants of efficiency. The average efficiency of the national health system, when examined yearly, was 78.9%, indicating a potential saving of 21.1% of health spending per capita to achieve the same level of health status for children and the entire population, if all countries performed as well as their peers. Additionally, the efficiency of the national health system varied widely among countries. On average, Africa had the lowest efficiency of 67%, while West Pacific countries had the highest efficiency of 86%. National economic status, HIV/AIDS prevalence, health financing mechanisms and governance were found to be statistically associated with the efficiency of national health systems. Taking health financing as an example, a 1% point increase of social security expenses as a percentage of total health expenditure correlated to a 1.9% increase in national health system efficiency. The study underscores the need to enhance efficiency of national health systems to meet population health needs, and highlights the importance of health financing and governance in improving the efficiency of health systems, to ultimately improve health outcomes.

Participants’ Satisfaction With Family Involvement Meetings Implications for Child Welfare Practice

Purpose: Bivariate and logistics regression analyses were conducted to examine the effectiveness of child welfare agencies’ Family Group Decision-Making (FGDM) practices focused on strengthening families and positive outcomes for children. This study evaluates one mid-Atlantic state’s implementation of a FGDM called family involvement meetings (FIMs) to improve family strengths and their active engagement in the service planning process. Methods: Through use of a FIM Feedback Survey, participants provided satisfaction feedback on the general FIM process and what factors are associated with their satisfaction and decision-making at the meeting. Results: Multiple factors of participant’s engagement, incorporating family strengths, and the FIM facilitator’s knowledge and skills had significant impacts on the participant’s decision-making and overall FIM satisfaction score. Discussion: This study will contribute to examining FGDM facilitators’ practices and effective outcomes of FIMs to improve the well-being, safety, and permanency outcomes for children and their families.

Development of a Quality Assurance and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Model in Public Child Welfare Systems

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to review the development and implementation of a revised quality assurance and continuous quality improvement (CQI) model for the child welfare system in one Mid-Atlantic state, and the contribution of this new process to measuring the quality of child welfare practices. This revised CQI model in the state includes a broader scope of assessing practice and outcomes, as well as compliance, and engages internal and external partners in the process. This study is the first to describe the state’s revised CQI implementation process and examine preliminary outcomes in a statewide child welfare system. Findings indicate that the revised model was able to identify the factors that contributed to improving outcomes for children and families and to develop a greater understanding of the aggregate data across the state. This study will contribute to the comprehensive understanding of the model and provide implications for future quality assurance practices.

Moderating Effects of Immigrant Status on Determinants of Job Satisfaction Implications for Occupational Health

Despite an increased reliance on immigrants to fill important jobs within the United States, research is lacking with regard to job satisfaction among immigrant employees. Using data from the 2002 and 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce (n = 559), the authors examined how immigrant status affects determinants of job satisfaction. Hierarchical linear regression was used to uncover whether income satisfaction, autonomy, learning opportunities, supervisor, and coworker support predict U.S.-born and immigrant workers’ job satisfaction and how immigrant status moderates the relationship between each predictor and job satisfaction. Results showed the moderating effects of immigrant status for income satisfaction and autonomy on the job. The relationship between income satisfaction and job satisfaction was stronger for immigrants and the relationship between autonomy on the job and job satisfaction was negative for immigrants who lack English proficiency. These results add to the limited knowledge about the ever growing immigrant workforce within the United States.

Developing a Measurement of Child Welfare Policy and Practice: Local Supervisory Review Instrument

As child welfare systems move toward evidence-based practice, one state implemented a statewide program to amass data on child welfare outcomes and child welfare workers’ performance. This measurement tool, called the Local Supervisory Review Instrument (LSRI), was used on the individual level to provide feedback to case workers as well as on a county and statewide basis to monitor trends on select indicators of child safety, permanency and well-being. The purpose of this study is to review the design and development of the LSRI, including data from throughout the state and to examine a reliability analysis of the instrument. For the differing program areas of the LSRI, descriptive statistics were used to assess response rates and mean rating score. Cronbachs alpha (α) for internal consistency was used to assess the reliability of the LSRI. The results indicate that the reliability of the LSRI is moderate or high, although there are significant exceptions as well. With revisions of some items, the LSRI can contribute to building a model for other states to increase data driven outcomes and workers’ assessments in the field of child welfare.

Predictors of Mental Health and Developmental Service Utilization Among Children Age Birth to 5 Years in Child Welfare: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT Children from age birth to 5 years in the child welfare system who experience trauma are at risk for mental health problems and developmental delays but often do not receive the service they need. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify research studies examining the prevalence of mental health and developmental needs among these children and the factors predicting mental health and developmental service use. Of the 1,147 studies screened, 38 were retained for full review with eight selected for systematic review. The results suggest that mental health need, developmental need, and child welfare placement are significant predictors of mental health and developmental service use. This study will contribute to developing implications for child welfare practice and research for early childhood development.