ISSN 1378-286X Table of Contents
and Abstracts
114
This study sought to compare the specific impact on psychological and
behavioral problems in children of exposure to domestic violence and
of both exposure and physical victimization. These effects are
examined also as a function of gender. A community sample of 79
children aged 6-12 years and their mothers were divided into three
groups: witness (N = 34), abused/witness (N = 20) and comparison (N =
25). Results showed that children in the two domestic violence groups
presented more symptoms and behavioral problems than did the
comparison group. The abused/witness children obtained significantly
higher scores on 5 of the 9 CBCL scales. Only one gender-specific
difference was observed: Girls presented more problems on the
delinquent conduct scale.
131
VOLUME 9 NUMBER 3
SEPTEMBER 2006
Children exposed to
domestic violence: Effects of gender and child physical abuse on
psychosocial problems
Cyr, M., Fortin, A., & Lachance, L.
When do social workers and family members try Family Group Decision
Making? A process evaluation
Crampton, D.
A Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) program attempted to divert children from foster care services and keep them within their extended families. Case characteristics of the referrals were used to explore which families were selected for FGDM, which families decided to try this approach, and which families then developed plans for keeping the children out of foster care. 593 referrals received over a five year period were coded for child, family, parent and maltreatment characteristics. Logistical regression identified case characteristics that were positively or negatively associated with decisions to use FGDM. Both child welfare professionals and family members independently chose to try FGDM more often in cases with identified kinship, parental substance abuse, improper supervision, and/or children with special needs. The findings suggest under which circumstances social workers and family members are willing to try to meet and share their concerns and suggestions in cases of child maltreatment.
145
Prioritized needs of community based orphan care programs in Malawi
Beard, B.J.
Significant numbers of children are being left as orphans in sub-Saharan Africa and their communities are trying to help both the children and the families in which they live. In Malawi, this model is called Community Based Orphan Care (CBOC). While studies have been conducted on the needs of both children and families, little is known about the needs of the community based programs. The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive field study was to examine the prioritized needs of 31 CBOC programs in Malawi. In focused group discussions, respondents identified their most important needs which include: food/water, supplies, buildings, transport, medicine, and programs. Needs were further delineated into those needed for children and families and those desired for the operation of the programs, themselves. Working through communities is the culturally appropriate way to reach families and orphans in Malawi and possibly all of sub-Saharan Africa.
160
The
retention of residential group care workers
Colton, M., & Roberts, S.
This study focuses on the retention of personnel in residential group care. Quantitative and qualitative data are drawn on to establish length of time served in group care; to elicit factors associated with length of time at current establishment; and workers' expectations about remaining in the service. Our findings suggest strong relationships between time served by respondents at their current establishments, years worked in residential group care, and respondents' age. A logistic regression analysis was undertaken with age and job satisfaction reliably predicting whether personnel expected to remain in the service. Surprisingly, each unit increase in job satisfaction score was associated with an increase in the odds of respondents expecting to leave group care, or being uncertain as to whether they would stay. Experiencing job satisfaction, therefore, appears to offer no guarantee that workers will remain in the service. Other factors such as the low status of the work; insufficient training; and the difficulties experienced in coping with the changing population in group care all feature as retention issues for staff who clearly often view the work as a short-term option only.
178
The brittle attraction: Women deprived of the custody of children
Holtan, A., & Eriksen, S.H
Based on interviews with 12 mothers, this article examines the meanings of mothering among mothers deprived of their children by a child welfare department.
Findings: Mothers construct their mothering on the basis of cultural notions. They perceive themselves as mothers. The deprival gives them a sense of inadequacy and reduces their value as women. The mothering is confirmed in their relationship to their children, where the gap between ideal and reality leads to ritual modus operandi when they are with them. Four kinds of 'mothering' are presented: network mothering, struggle for the child, symbolic mothering and the impossible solution: choose to be childfree.
