Transcript POVERTY - OU School of Social Work
The Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work presents:
The Knee Center for Strong Families
Ethics Case & Discussion Status of Families in Oklahoma Challenges Facing Oklahoma Families Strengthening Oklahoma Families Invitation to provide feedback on the development of the Knee Center
Please refer to the ethics handout at this time.
Married nuclear families Joint-custody families Cohabiting families Single-parent families Voluntary child-free families Involuntary child-free families Blended and stepfamilies
Families headed by gay men or lesbians Grandparent-led families
(Cole, Clark, & Gable, no date)
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in Oklahoma in 2007, 7,300 marriages occurred and 5,200 divorces were granted. In 2008, 47% of Oklahoma children were living in low income households as compared to the national average of 41%.
In 2008, 52% of low income children lived in a single parent household, compared to 27% of low income children who had married parents. 26% of same-sex couples in Oklahoma are raising children under the age of 18.
National Center for Child in Poverty, 2008; National Center for Health Statistics, 2007.
Poverty and Economic Support Mental Illness Addiction Health HIV/AIDS Incarceration Childcare Emotional & Physical Abuse Marriage & family formation (divorce, gay marriage, teen pregnancy & single parent families) Long term caregiving
If researchers study only family problems, they are likely to find only family problems. Similarly, if educators, community organizers, therapists and researchers are interested in family strengths, they look for them. When these strengths are identified, they can become the foundation for continued growth and positive change in a family and a society.
147 babies are born
6 of the babies are born to children 58 of the babies are born without adequate prenatal care 11 of the babies are born too small
171 allegations of serious child abuse and/or neglect are investigated
35 incidents are confirmed to be child abuse and/or neglect
16 children quit high school without graduating 59 children are arrested for a crime
2 of those are arrested for a violent crime, like rape or murder
At least 2 young people will die
1 of those will be a baby
Characteristics of a Strong Family
Adaptability Appreciation Clear roles
Commitment to family Communication Community and family ties
Encouragement of individuals
Shared time
(Cole, Clark, & Gable)
Eight Positive Dimensions of Healthy Family Functions
Individuation Mutuality Flexibility
Stability Clear perception Clear communication
Role reciprocity
Clear generational boundaries
(Barnhill, 1979)
FAMILY COHESION
Integration, value placed on family needs vs. individual needs
FAMILY ADAPTABILITY
Family’s authority and leadership structure and rules
FAMILY COMMUNICATION
Member’s ability to communicate and negotiate difference
FAMILY TIES TO EXTERNAL SYSTEMS
Open to external resources and support (Cole, Clark, & Gable)
Family Resilience - characteristics, dimensions, and properties of families which help families to be resistant to disruption in the face of change and adaptive in the face of crisis situations. (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1988) Family Protective Factors - moderate the relationship between a family’s exposure to significant risk and their ability to show competence in accomplishing family functions. (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1988) Family Recovery Factors - factors that help promote a family's ability to bounce back following a period of difficult family functioning. (National Network for Family Resiliency, 1995)
Youth Services - over 40 Behavioral Health Agencies - over 200 Though there are many family service providers throughout the state, many do not have social workers on staff, especially in rural areas. Therefore, there is a strength and a policy issue for us as social workers.
1990 1992 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1994 1994 1994 1994 1996 1996 1996
Existing Family Policies Enacted in the Last 20 years
Child Care and Development Block Grant Child Support Recovery Act Family Medical Leave Act Family Preservation and Support Act International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act National Child Protection Act Educate America Act Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders Act Federal Budget Violence Against Women Act Debt Collection and Improvement Act Defense of Marriage Act Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act 1996 1997 1997 Telecommunications Reform Law Adoption and Safe Family Act Balanced Budget Act
2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2008 2009 2009
Existing Family Policies Enacted from 1998 to present
1998 Adult Education and Family Literacy Act 1998 1999 2000 2000 2000 2001 2001 2002 2003 Deadbeat Parents Act Wetterling Act (Sexually Violent Offenders Registration) Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act USA Patriot Act No Child Left Behind Act Education Science Reform Act The Keeping Children and Families Safe Act Fair Access Foster Care Act Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act Child and Family Services Improvement Act Lifespan Respite Care Act Tax Relief and Health Care Act Higher Education Opportunity Act Fair Labor Standards Act Education Begins at Home Act
Family policy focuses specifically on these four family functions:
Family creation Childrearing Economic support Family care giving
The family often serves as the failsafe in the US with its small social safety net (i.e., government antipoverty programs). When safety nets are smaller and less certain, families serve more prominent roles as health care providers, educators, social workers, and personnel managers for their members .
Social workers, with their specialized training and skills, are sorely needed all over Oklahoma Social work is one of the fastest growing careers in the US Health related jobs are on the rise
The Knee Center Mission
The Knee Center for Strong Families is dedicated to strengthening families in Oklahoma through research, service, policy, and practice.
The Knee Center is dedicated to sponsoring academic and community oriented programs in the fields of social work, public health (including mental health), and fine arts. Possible projects: Visiting lectureships, workshops, seminars, meetings of scholars, conferences, symposia, and forums Planning grants or “seed money” to develop programs that might have continuous funding from other sources Underwrite research on the planning and development of educational programs to enhance family life in Oklahoma
Contribute new knowledge in quality of life for Oklahoma families
Foster collaboration for outreach activities directed toward solving social problems for families
Increase current research capacity of the Center’s faculty, investigators, and students through the creation of research teams
Increase the amount of externally funded training and research grants conducted by the Center
How can we help you strengthen Oklahoma families?
American Network of Community Options and Resources, 2005. Oklahoma Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.ancor.org/issues/medicaid/statefactsheets/oklahoma.pdf on October 6th, 2009. Barnhill, L. (1979). Healthy family systems. Family Coordinator. 22: 94-100. Bellah, R.N. (1990). The invasion of the money world. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, & J.B. Elshtain (Eds.), Rebuilding the nest: A new commitment to the American family (p. 3-25). Milwaukee, WI: Family Service America. Blankenhorn, D. (1990). American family dilemmas. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, & J. Elshtain (Eds.). Rebuilding the nest: A new commitment to the American family (p. 3-25). Milwaukee, WI: Family Service America. Bogenschneide, K. (2000). Has Family Policy Come of Age? A Decade Review of the State of U.S. Family Policy in the 1990s. Journal of Marriage and Family. Vol. 62, 49. p. 1136-1159. Children’s Defense Fund, 2008. Children’s Defense Fund. Retrieved from www.childrensdefense.org on October 6 h , 2009. Cole, K., Clark, J., & Gable, S. Promoting Family Strengths. University of Missouri Extension. http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/hesguide/humanrel/gh6640.htm. no date DeFrain. J. (1994). Family strengths and challenges in the South Pacific: an exploratory study. International Journal of the Sociology of the Family. 24, 2, 25-47.
Doherty, W.J., Kouneski, E.F., & Erikson, M.F. (1998). Responsible father: An overview and conceptual framework. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 60, 277-292. Eastman, M. (1996). Myths of marriage and family. In D., Popenoe, J.B, Elshtain, & D. Blankenhorn (Eds). Promises to keep: decline & renewal of marriage in America (p. 35-68). Lanham, MD. Rowman & Littlefield. Forthofer, M.S., Markman, H.J., Cox, M., Stanley, S., & Kessler, R.C. (1996). Associations between marital distress and work loss in a national sample. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 58, 597-605.
Giele, J.Z. (1996). Decline of the family: Conservative, Liberal & feminist views. In D., Popenoe, J.B, Elshtain, & D. Blankenhorn (Eds). Promises to keep: decline & renewal of marriage in America (p. 271-290). Lanham, MD. Rowman & Littlefield. Kane, R.A., Kane, R.L., & Ladd, R.c. (1998). The heart of long-term care. New York: Oxford University Press. McCubbin, H. I. McCubbin, M. A., (1988) Typologies of resilient families: Emerging roles of social class and ethnicity. Family Relations, 37, 247–254 National Center for Child in Poverty, 2008. National Center for Child in Poverty. Retrieved from www.nccp.org on October 6 th , 2009.
National Center for Health Statistics, 2007. National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/nchs on October 6th, 2009. National Institute of Corrections, 2007. Statistics for the State of Oklahoma. Retrieved from http://nicic.gov/Features/StateStats/?State=OK on October 6 th , 2009. Oklahoma Child Care Resource and Referral Association, 2008.
2008 Oklahoma Child Care and Early Education Portfolio.
Retrieved from http://www.oklahomachildcare.org/news/718 on October 6th, 2009. Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, 2009. Oklahoma Kids Count Factbook 2009. Retrieved from http://www.odl.state.ok.us/kids/factbook/kidscount2009/intro.html on October 6th, 2009. Oklahoma Mental Health Consumer Council, 2009. Oklahoma Mental Health Consumer Council. Retrieved from www.omhcc.org on October 6 th , 2009.
Ooms, T. (1990). Family and government: Implements a family perspective in public policy. Social Thought, 16, 61 78.
Saleebey, D. (2006). The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice (4 th ed.). Pearson Education Inc. Boston, MA. Schor, J.P. (1991). The overworked American: The unexpected decline of leisure (p.122). NY: Basic Books. Tocqueville, A. (1945). Democracy in America (Vol. 2). New York: Vintage Books. Wolfe, A. (1998) Developing civil society: Can the workplace replace bowling? The Responsive Community: Rights and Responsibilities. 8, 41-47.