Reducing potential for child abuse among methadone-maintained parents: Results from a randomized controlled trial

Dawe, Sharon; Harnett, Paul

doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2006.10.003

Cited by 140 publications

(177 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…In a sample of 12 families referred from a child protection agency, eight had significant reductions in at least one domain (Harnett & Dawe, 2008). Similar results were found in the randomised controlled trial, in which the Parents Under Pressure program was compared to a brief intervention and treatment as usual in families with a parent on methadone maintenance (Dawe & Harnett, 2007). Families who participated in the Parents Under Pressure program reported significant reductions in child abuse potential, parenting stress and child behaviour problems at the group level.…”

Section: Lack Of Clarity Over Successfully Exiting the Child Protectisupporting

confidence: 66%

“…Otherwise it may be falsely concluded that a family's failure to change is the result of the family's poor motivation or ability to change rather than the real reason: an ineffective intervention. One intervention that has been found to produce short-term change in multi-problem families is the Parents Under Pressure program (Dawe & Harnett, 2007;Dawe, Harnett, Rendalls, & Staiger, 2003;Harnett & Dawe, 2008), a program specifically developed for multi-problem families that incorporates the capacity-to-change assessment model.…”

Section: Lack Of Clarity Over Successfully Exiting the Child Protectimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developing pathways to assist parents to exit the child protection system in Australia

Harnett

Day

2008

Clinical Psychologist

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The prevalence of child abuse and neglect is an international concern that justifies the existence of child protection systems. An important first principle for all such statutory child protection systems is to ensure that the system itself does no further harm. It can be argued that there are specific circumstances within which well-meaning services have the potential to do harm: specifically, processes and actions that disempower parents by reducing their autonomy and capacity for positive action. Exploring the circumstances in which reduced parental autonomy impacts negatively on families is an important first step in developing procedures for working with families that not only avoid harm but are orientated to produce meaningful change. Two evidence-based programs are described that together have the potential to assist child protection practitioners to develop a collaborative helping partnership with families, clarify goals for change and support parents to achieve meaningful improvement in their family functioning. The programs described are both manualised and have empirical support for their effectiveness. The potential benefits for both families and practitioners working within child protection agencies in the two programs are described.Keywords: Child abuse, child protection, decision-making, evidence-based practice, family issues, parent-child interactions In 2006, approximately 3.3 million allegations of child abuse and neglect were made to child protection services in the United States. Of these allegations, 62% were investigated or received an alternative response, with nearly 30% of the investigations confirming that at least one child was a victim of child abuse or neglect (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). A similar picture has been found in Australia where, in 2005, there were 137,829 investigations involving 2.5% of children aged between 0 and 14. Of these 55,921 (41%) of the allegations were substantiated. These statistics indicate that a statutory authority that can intervene in the lives of families is essential for the care and protection of children. Under certain conditions, however, we argue that the involvement of the child protection system can work to the detriment of families and, indeed, may have the potential to do harm.The processes and actions that child protection services and practitioners use to intervene in the lives of children and families can be one potential source of harm, particularly when these disempower parents, reduce their autonomy and capacity for positive action, such as the use of court orders that extinguish parental rights, and mandatory attendance at parenting programs. Such interventions may seem unavoidable when working in the best interests of children. Exploring the circumstances, however, in which reduced parental autonomy impacts negatively on families is an important first step in developing procedures for working with families that not only avoid harm but are orientated to produce meaningful change. A second, related, potenti...

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Section: Lack Of Clarity Over Successfully Exiting the Child Protectisupporting

confidence: 66%

Section: Lack Of Clarity Over Successfully Exiting the Child Protectimentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing pathways to assist parents to exit the child protection system in Australia

Harnett

Day

2008

Clinical Psychologist

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“…However, lower SDQ scores were observed in our study than in previous studies concerning Dutch children from at-risk populations (Kaptein, Jansen, Vogels, & Reijneveld, 2008;van der Zanden, Speetjens, Arntz, & Onrust, 2010;van Santvoort, Hosman, van Doesum, & Janssens, 2014;Wansink, Janssens, Hoencamp, Middelkoop, & Hosman, 2015). Furthermore, studies that used the SDQ to address psychosocial problems in CSAP showed comparable (Dawe & Harnett, 2007;Comiskey, Milness, & Daly, 2017) or somewhat lower (Gruenert et al, 2006;Redelinghuys & Dar, 2008) mean scores than those reported in children of parents with predominantly nonsubstance-related mental disorders (van Santvoort et al, 2013;van der Zanden et al, 2010;Wansink et al, 2015). Still, the SDQ scores in the present study were the lowest.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 82%

Risk of Psychosocial Problems in Children Whose Parents Receive Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment

Geschiere

Spijkerman

Glopper

2017

IJCYFS

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Abstract:The entrance of parents into substance abuse treatment provides a unique opportunity to discuss parenting with them, and to inquire about the psychological wellbeing of their children. This is important because parental substance abuse is associated with an increased risk for the development of mental health problems in children. In this study, clients from a Dutch outpatient treatment facility who had custody of or regular contact with their children completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) about their children aged 4 to 17 years (N = 99), after being referred to a parenting consultation with a specialized professional. Compared to other studies conducted in Western Europe and Australia with similar at-risk populations, the SDQ results in the present study suggested a lower percentage of children with psychosocial problem behavior. Still, 29% of the children in our sample showed psychosocial problems in the clinical range. According to logistic regression analyses, which tested associations between client and family characteristics and risk of psychosocial problems, 5 factors (client's gender, education level, presence of financial debts, child's age, and absence of siblings) were associated with a higher likelihood of one or more types of psychosocial problems. Present findings suggest that, of children whose substance-abusing parents enter outpatient treatment, almost one third may have psychosocial problems that require further assessment and treatment.

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“…Dawe reported on the high rates of child maltreatment in families with substance abuse concerns, reiterating that drug use alone does not correlate with child maltreatment and that the adverse outcomes are intertwined with other associated socioeconomic factors. She presented an intensive home based intervention, which targets multiple domains of family functioning with results showing reduction in child abuse potential, highlighting the need for extensive ongoing intervention for this group [20]. A project along similar lines is the Perinatal Family Conferencing project, which commenced mid-March 2012 at Site B, using a strengths-based model of care servicing women at risk of their infant entering OOHC at birth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Pathways to Assessment and Care for Infants of Substance Abusing Mothers: Are We Getting It Right?

Alexander¹,

Raman²,

Yoong

et al. 2015

Social Sciences

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There is documented correlation between parental substance abuse, child maltreatment, and poor outcomes. In two health districts in Sydney, Australia (Site A and B), specialised clinics were established to provide comprehensive assessments for infants of substance abusing mothers (ISAM). We aimed to determine whether there was a difference in outcomes between infants who attended clinic versus those who did not; and to identify differences in the pathways to care between sites. We analysed child protection reports and available health markers of all ISAM referrals in 2011. We held stakeholder meetings with services involved with ISAM in both sites; to describe service components; strengths and weaknesses of pathways. Fifty-five per cent (11/20) attended clinic in Site A; 80% (25/31) in Site B. Three-quarters of ISAM had at least one referral to child welfare; child protection service involvement was more common in those who attended. Immunisation status was lower than the national Australian average; approximately half were seen by community nursing services. Gaps in services, lack of database, and differences in pathways between sites were identified. Attending clinics correlates with child protection service involvement and may afford health protection. Transparent communication, service integration, and shared learning can improve outcomes for this vulnerable group. Soc. Sci. 2015, 4 193 OPEN ACCESS

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Reducing potential for child abuse among methadone-maintained parents: Results from a randomized controlled trial

Cited by 140 publications

References 46 publications

Developing pathways to assist parents to exit the child protection system in Australia

Developing pathways to assist parents to exit the child protection system in Australia

Risk of Psychosocial Problems in Children Whose Parents Receive Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment

Improving Pathways to Assessment and Care for Infants of Substance Abusing Mothers: Are We Getting It Right?

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