Research and Evaluation in Child, Youth and Family Services

Volume 5 Cover Page & List of Editors

2024-04-12

Journal Front Pages

Volume 5 Table of Contents

2024-04-12

Journal Front Pages

Volume 5 Journal Aims & Preface

2024-04-12

Journal Front Pages

Volume 5 Editor's Note

Barbara Lee — 2024-04-12

Journal Front Pages

Evaluating Providence Health Care’s Cultural Safety Education Initiative for Healthcare Social Workers: Preliminary Results

Gary Lai — 2024-04-12

Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Indigenous cultural safety (ICS) workshops run by Providence Health Care (PHC). There is a focus on identifying what confidence and cultural safety are and how they can be obtained in practice with social workers in a healthcare setting.

Methodology: Three virtual mix-methods surveys were created and administered throughout December 2022 to February 2023. The surveys required participants to self-assess their attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and skills as they relate to cultural safety in their practice. Survey groups included a control group which completed a one-time survey. Participants of this group did not attend the ICS workshops. The second group included the intervention group who were required to complete a pre-test survey prior to attending an ICS workshop as well as a post-test survey after attendance. The post-test survey included questions about the workshops themselves for further investigation. Quantitative responses were analyzed using an independent t-test (control and intervention responses) and paired t-test (pre-test and post-test responses). Qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Findings - The independent sample t-test yielded no statistically significant responses between the control and intervention group. The paired t-test yielded significant positive results demonstrating that social workers felt that they had an improved ability to locate services for trauma survivors, recognize and employ trauma-informed practices, and educate colleagues on trauma-informed care post ICS workshops. The post-test specific responses demonstrated that social workers felt that the ICS workshops provided a valuable aspect to their learning as practitioners. The qualitative responses from participants highlighted the success of the ICS workshops, specifically the use of the case vignettes. Opportunities for improvement included prioritizing the safety of the space through less leadership involvement and the desire for the inclusion of the IWR team within the ICS workshops themselves.

Research Limitations: Confidence and cultural safety require corresponding outcomes based assessments to determine fidelity. Furthermore, the research evaluation occurred simultaneously to the educational initiative ICS workshop roll-out which could have an effect on research sample size and participant satisfaction.

Value of Research: There are recognized barriers to measuring confidence and the provision of culturally safe care in healthcare settings. This paper adds to the pool of knowledge that social workers do see value in this type of workshop training.

Foster Parent Retention

Avery Bell — 2024-04-12

The purpose of this research study was to explore the experiences contributing to foster parents leaving the service in the South Fraser Region in British Columbia and better understand how the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) can enhance foster parent retention. This study is in response to MCFD’s concern that more foster parents are leaving the service than the number of homes available for children.

A literature review was conducted to gather insight into the existing body of research regarding the retention and recruitment of foster parents. The literature review described the motivations of foster parents and the importance of positive professional relationships with social workers. Some factors that led to foster parents leaving the child welfare system included insufficient funding, a lack of respite care, and limited support services for foster parents. The theoretical frameworks used in the research included family systems theory and ecological theory. Ecological theory was used to examine how child welfare system, workers and policies influence foster parents (Leffler & Ahn, 2022).

We used an exploratory approach guided by ecological theory. Our research study utilized purposive, non-probability sampling techniques. Our data was collected through semi-structured interviews lasting 45 minutes to 60 minutes with five individual participants. The median duration of time fostering was 11.2 years. The number of placements ranged from two to 1300 children, although not all participants could recall the number of placements they had. The CYIC’s ages ranged from 6 months to 19 years of age.

The study uncovered four themes. This included retention of foster parents, relationship with agency; strengths, relationship with agency; deficits and desired changes. Our findings discovered that although foster parents had honorable motivations, positive experiences, and strengths; the systemic issues outweighed the positive aspects of their experience and led them to decide to leave fostering.

This study revealed implications for practice that MCFD can implement to improve foster parent retention. Practice recommendations include ensuring that social workers are trained and assessed to demonstrate positive characteristics identified by foster parents. Ensuring transparency about the complex needs of CYIC, as well as mandating assessments for mental health and behavioral needs would help aid foster parents to be aware of the support needed. Including and valuing foster parents as members of the care team can contribute to retention. Requiring social workers to follow policies consistently is also integral to retention.

There are suggestions for future research to enhance foster parent retention. Interviewing current foster parents to take a proactive approach to maintain retention is also critical. Overall, this study has provided valuable insights into the needs of foster parents. The implications for practice can guide future policy recommendations for MCFD and research moving forward to enhance retention.

Promising Interventions for Children with Suspected or Confirmed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

Andro Abaya — 2024-04-12

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a lifelong disability that affects the brain and body of people who were exposed to alcohol in the womb. FASD is prevalent in 4% of the population in Canada and makes up a disproportionate number of children in need of Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) assistance in British Columbia (BC). People with FASD have unique strengths and challenges and require community and family support to maintain wellbeing. As such, MCFD anticipates expanding its services to reach more children and youth with FASD and requires information about best practices for supporting this population.

The Ministry of Children & Family Development is looking to learn more about programs and practices for supporting children ages 3-12 with suspected or confirmed FASD to contribute to a collection of evidence-based interventions designed to support practitioners in delivering services to this population. This research aims to answer the question: What non-FASD-specific community-based programs and approaches have clinicians been finding promising for use with children with confirmed or suspected FASD?

This exploratory study used online focus groups and interviews with professionals working with children and families with suspected and confirmed FASD to collate their thoughts on promising programs, approaches, and interventions. MCFD clinicians, community workers, and a researcher were recruited and asked semi-structured questions to better understand the practices and approaches they find promising for use with children with FASD. To this extent, 4 interviews and 1 focus group consisting of 3 participants were completed over Zoom. These interviews were transcribed, and a thematic analysis was completed.

Three main themes were identified in the analysis. The first is understanding behaviours. Understanding behaviours entails increasing awareness, education, and training around the behavioural issues that arise for children with FASD. These include learning about developmentally appropriate interventions, acknowledging trauma, communication support, and consistent behavioural expectations. The second is creating spaces of inclusion. This means creating a physical, virtual, or metaphorical space where youth, parents, and service providers are able to connect with each other and people with similar backgrounds to socialize, play with, and meet without the fear of judgment or stigma. Lastly, the study found targeting structural barriers to be a promising approach for children with FASD. The study outlined barriers mentioned by professionals along with their suggestions on how to break them down.

Overall, the study found that professionals working in this field are very devoted, passionate, and knowledgeable about supporting children with FASD. The most promising intervention for children with FASD is to provide more support to the service providers, caregivers, and children and youth by addressing the lack of funding, resources, and continuity of services they need. The interventions and approaches are there however, professionals need more ways to connect with one another to produce positive child outcomes and equitable access for families.

Transforming Ministry of Children and Family Development’s Approach to Service Evaluation: A Jurisdictional Scan

Elie Haddad — 2024-04-12

This jurisdictional scan was done on the province of Alberta and their usage of their OBSD framework. The methodology employed for this jurisdictional scan was to assess the information presented within various forms of literature that highlighted OBSD’s mobilization within Alberta. The literature gathered for this jurisdictional scan includes grey research, government publications, external documents developed by Children’s Services and not-for-profit based reports. No particular types of literature, documents and/or findings were intentionally excluded. Additionally, no documents that solely discussed positive or constructive aspects of OBSD were examined. Rather, any and all literature that provided clear and encompassing information as to how OBSD has fared in Alberta was included.

All information gathered within this jurisdictional scan has been done in order to better determine the following enquiries: 1) What theoretical constructs underpin OBSD’s formulation and implementation 2) Why OBSD was implemented and how does it operate in addressing critical gaps within Children’ Services strategic goals 3) How OBSD meets the needs of diverse sub-populations within child welfare, as well as dismantle the ongoing impacts of colonization amongst Indigenous Peoples if at all 4) What discrepancies, concerns or challenges exist with either the OBSD model itself and/or its process of integration within Children’s Services and 5) How has OBSD evolved into Collaborative Service Delivery (CSD) since its initial conception.

With these smaller directives outlined, the overarching goals of this jurisdictional scan are two-fold. The first goal was to deepen the themes and findings first discovered within the literature review, and the second goal was to present newfound information that is relative to OBSD’s performance and current status within Alberta. Together, these outputs would help provide the Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) a clearer understanding on OBSD within the province of Alberta.