Javier Pérez Padilla

Assessing the level of risk of families supported by Child and Family Protection Services: Practitioners and mothers as informants

Summary The evaluation of the specific level of family risk is a central topic to better understand the diversity of families assisted by Child and Family Protection Services, and also to design and address effective social interventions. Professionals of these services tend to have a great amount of knowledge and experience that has been rarely taken into account in research about at-risk families. In this study the level of family risk, according to data reported both by practitioners and mothers receiving family preservation intervention, is analyzed in a sample of 106 mothers assisted by state Child and Family Protection Services in Huelva, Spain. Findings A frequent profile of poor and multi-assisted families was found, but there was also an important level of heterogeneity in the level of risk, suggesting that these families are not a homogeneous group. The global valuation of family risk informed by professionals was significantly related to data reported by mothers using a standardized tool of family risk factors. Analyses presented also show significant relations with both the family socio-demographic profile and data of the case history involving protection services: higher levels of family risk were mainly associated with higher levels of economic, educational, and labor precariousness, and with more complex and complicated case indicators. Applications Implications of these results concerning both the importance of incorporating systematic evaluations of family risk by means standardized tools to practice and considering practitioners as a relevant source of information in family research are discussed.

Diversidad familiar : una experiencia docente en el Grado de Trabajo Social

The study about family change, family diversity, and the implications for care and Social Services fields, are central topics in the academic training of Social Workers. The present paper shows an innovative educational experience characterized by an interdisciplinary and cross-curricular approach. The main purposes of this paper are: (1) to describe an educational and research activity carried out in the Social Work Degree; and (2) to present the research results obtained in the activity. A group of 216 university students collected data about a sample of 258 subjects (age range: 22 to 85 years) using a questionnaire focused on the concept of family and the acceptance of new models of families. Results obtained showed that the concept of family was mainly based on both functional and relational criteria, and also a high level of acceptance of the different types of families, but with differences associated to the subjects’ profile. For students, this activity promotes the awareness of both the importance of social research for the practice and the existence of prejudice about nonconventional families.

Un análisis tipológico del estrés parental en familias en riesgo psicosocial

SUMMARY The aim of this study was to explore the level and type of both parental stress and coping strategies in a sample of 109 mothers from at-risk families attended by Social Services. A cluster analysis revealed three groups: Adapted-Strategic, Clinical-Avoidant, and Extreme-Passive. A multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that parental sense of competence, parental locus of control and family cohesion influenced the probability of inclusion of the mothers in each group. Implications for intervention strategies are discussed.