The Perceptions of Welfare Reform by Michigan Families Whose Children Have Disabilities and Welfare Caseworkers

Abstract

This article examines family and caseworker perceptions of welfare reform and services as they relate to families who have a child with a disability. Interviews were conducted with 39 families and 77 caseworkers. Family questions addressed their perceptions of the welfare system, factors impacting their self-sufficiency, and their perceptions of needed program changes. Caseworker questions addressed their perceptions of welfare practices and policies and their education needs related to serving families who have children with disabilities. Familial perceptions of the welfare system were validated by caseworker reports. Implications for service improvement are discussed.

Analysing family service needs of typically underserved families in the USA

“…Our findings suggest that health and education supports were the most widely used services, while employment and personal care of the child with the disability (paid attendant and in‐home care) were the least used services, which is expected given the young age of the children in this sample of families. The underutilisation of formal childcare is consistent with past studies (LeRoy & Johnson 2002; LeRoy et al . 2004), wherein low‐income, minority parents in Michigan expressed concern about the lack of specialised childcare for children with various medical and behavioural issues and the lack of trained personnel in urban areas.…”

“…Therefore some of these long waits are more likely to be associated with the family's need for private services. However, it should be noted that it has been reported in the past that low‐income families in Michigan believed that their caseworkers did not know about the availability and benefit of many services, and were unwilling to refer them for services because of large caseload sizes and waiting lists (LeRoy et al . 2004).…”

Understanding Resource Needs of Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers

“…This responsibility should not fall on the shoulders of physicians alone; it is the responsibility of all members of the health care team. This lack of knowledge of local resources and decreased referrals is not only a problem in the dementia medical community but is also noted among other groups of service professionals, including caseworkers of families of children with disabilities (LeRoy, Johnson, & Israel, 2004). Furthermore, applicability of information to the family is another prominent challenge.…”

Implementing Welfare Reform in Rural and Urban Communities

“…Other research has found that front-line case management changes very little in response to changes in policy or management technique (LeRoy, Johnson, & Israel, 2004;Malekoff, 2000;Meyers, Glaser, & MacDonald, 1998;Sandfort, 1999). Among the conclusions drawn are that reforms have not always been successful, that implementation often varies by office, and that some of the lack of success can be attributed to the fact that program reforms are rarely accompanied by organizational reforms (Blum & Blank, 1990;Foster-Fishman, Salem, Allen, & Fahrbach, 1999;Iversen, 2000;Lurie, 2001;Meyers et al, 1998).…”