Mary Elizabeth Rauktis

Youth Expectations about Therapeutic Alliance in a Residential Setting

SUMMARY This exploratory study used qualitative methods to better understand how youths in a residential setting perceive their relationships with the counselors. Using focus group methodology, the study focused on how youth describe the relationship, what staff qualities the youth are able to identify as important in engaging and maintaining the relationship, and who they see as primarily responsible. Youth perception of the counselors seems to be dependent on three aspects—feelings about the counselor and qualities and behaviors of the counselor. Adults are viewed as primarily responsible for the relationship and for managing ruptures. Implications for residential practice as well as supervision and hiring are discussed.

Measuring the Restrictiveness of Living Environments for Children and Youth Reconceptualizing Restriction

The Restrictiveness of Living Environment Scale has long been the primary way to conceptualize the “restrictiveness” of a child’s living situation. However, changes in systems of care and other factors have created a need to revisit how restrictiveness is conceptualized and measured. A measure was created to assess an environment’s level of restrictiveness and form the basis for empirically created general environment types. The measure was refined using expert review, cognitive interviewing, and pilot testing. Over 1,000 child organizations and older youth were invited to participate, with responses completed for 446 youth. The sample was reduced to 313 because of a large response from one setting. Cluster analysis produced a four-cluster solution suggesting low, moderate, elevated, and high restrictiveness for a simplified general environment typology. The data also suggest overlap among clusters and that settings with the same names can vary. Limitations are described, and plans for how the measure will be further developed are outlined.

Would We Know It If We Saw It? Assessing Quality of Care in Group Homes for Youth:

This article proposes and examines a parsimonious framework for assessing quality in therapeutic residential care. The synthesized conceptual framework includes four potentially critical domains of quality: setting, staffing, safety, and treatment. Data from a recently completed quasi-experimental study of group homes were used to examine prevalence of various key indicators within each of these domains and to explore relationships between these indicators and youth-level outcomes. Findings suggest that, among this sample of licensed homes in a southeastern state, licensure may be an initial indicator of baseline quality. Beyond this most basic level, utilization of an evidence-informed model (in this case, the teaching family model) was associated with better outcomes. Net of model, findings suggest that positively focused motivational systems, youth’s perceptions of staff’s fairness and helpfulness, provision of age/interest-appropriate toys/books/games, more preservice training, and prohibition of physical restraint were all associated with better outcomes for youth. Additional work is needed to assess the generalizability and utility of this framework for assessing quality in group homes.

Outcomes of an Agency-Developed Treatment Foster Care Model for Adolescents

Adolescents constitute a large proportion of youth in foster care, but few foster care models specifically concentrate on their developmental or treatment needs. This study examined outcomes for an agency-developed, theoretically based treatment foster care (TFC) model using de-identified administrative data from 612 youth discharged from care over a 3-year period using a structural equation modeling path analysis. Results indicate that youth enrolled in Pressley Ridge Treatment Foster Care (PR-TFC) improve in functioning from entry to discharge and that, overall, youth in PR-TFC treatment typically improve in day-to-day functioning as they age, and youth who enter the PR-TFC homes at an older age generally function better at discharge than younger youth who stayed comparable amounts of time. Additional results indicate that older youth, youth with a greater number of clinical diagnoses, youth with a lower pre-test Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) score, and youth of color spent more time in care, while older youth, youth with fewer clinical diagnoses, youth with lower pre-test CAFAS scores, and European American youth had lower post-test CAFAS scores, indicating better functioning at discharge. This article also provides an example of how administrative data can be used to develop practice-based evidence for a treatment model.

Transitioning into Adulthood: Promoting Youth Engagement, Empowerment, and Interdependence Through Teaming Practices

The conventional models used for preparing youth for emancipation from child welfare emphasize independent living services in which youths learn how to find an apartment, apply for jobs or college, and manage money and budget for household expenses. Yet the focus on “independence” for youth leaving the child welfare system does not fit with the developmental tasks of adolescence. A more fitting goal for youth would be “interdependence,” as most young people do not achieve instant independence, but gradually take on the roles of an adult as they navigate through their twenties. During this period they require considerable emotional and practical support from families. Youth become independent and exercise autonomy within these supportive and empowering relationships.

Motherhood in Liminal Spaces: White Mothers Parenting Black/White Children

Most of the extant social work research on biracial children and families has focused on the experiences of transracially adopted black or biracial children and their white parents or Afro-Caribbean/white children and their white mothers in the United Kingdom. This study adds to the body of knowledge by using focus group interviews analyzed through a feminist lens to understand the experiences of a diverse group of white women parenting their biological black/white biracial children. The findings suggest that having children locates them in a liminal space between whiteness and blackness. Many face racism from their families and communities, which they are unprepared for, given their upbringing as white Americans. Yet despite these experiences, many still practice color-blind perspective in socializing their children. Implications of these findings include the need for early intervention and support for white mothers raising biracial children as well as the need to challenge the assumption that mothers are solely responsible for the well-being and cultural and racial socialization of their children.

Reflective Practices in Supervision: Why Thinking and Reflecting Are as Important as Doing

The professionals who work in the child welfare system make critical decisions that have long-term impacts on the lives of children and families, and these case-level determinations must be made with careful consideration. Given the high stakes nature of child welfare work, there is tremendous pressure to “do” something at all times. There is a demand for child welfare workers and supervisors to act but less focus on the actual thinking about cases. Case decisions must be grounded in information secured from multiple sources of data. This task is notably difficult, time consuming, and complex due to high levels of uncertainty. Decisions at all critical junctures in the child welfare system are made with incomplete, insufficient and, at times, contradictory information. In the face of uncertainty, practices that assist workers in improving their decision making are both desirable and appreciated.

“They Brought Me in Like I Was Their Own Kid”: Youth and Caregiver Perceptions of Out-of-Home Care

The child welfare system usually becomes involved with families when there are child safety concerns as a result of child abuse or neglect, serious parent–child conflict, physical or behavioral health conditions, or family violence. As part of their practice, child welfare workers must make every reasonable effort to safely maintain children within their families, including providing supports and services. However, for some families these preservation services are insufficient and when this is the case, children are placed in out-of-home care.

“Their Pets Are Loved Members of Their Family”: Animal Ownership, Food Insecurity, and the Value of Having Pet Food Available in Food Banks

ABSTRACT National estimates of household food security fail to take into account the animals in the household, and studies conducted by animal welfare, veterinary, and pet product associations have not estimated the extent to which pets experience food insecurity. Yet the proliferation of dedicated pet food pantries and the addition of pet food to existing food banks suggest that many pet owners are challenged to keep food on the table and in the food bowl. This descriptive study evaluated the pet food distribution program “Chow Wagon” by surveying the staff of participating food pantries and banks. The respondents provided their perception of the value of having pet food available in their food banks, as well as what additional animal services were needed. In addition, the study utilized Geographic Mapping Information (GIS) with United States Census data on poverty to assess the greater community need. The survey was mailed to 29 Chow Wagon participating food banks and 19 respondents completed a survey for a 61% response rate. According to the respondents, pet food availability in the food bank was highly valued by the clients, and when they did not have pet food, approximately three-fourths believed that their clients were likely to share human food with their pets. The findings were inconclusive about whether having pet food available prevents owners from surrendering their animals. Finally, GIS mapping of the region to identify areas of high poverty with limited access to pet food in pantries suggests further expansion of the pet food service into suburban and rural parts of Western Pennsylvania. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between animal and human food insecurity as well as the wellbeing and mental and physical health benefits afforded by pet ownership for low-income owners.