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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (3 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2016)

Between 40–80% of substantiated child maltreatment cases in the United States contain some

degree of parental substance abuse. After child welfare becomes involved, outcomes for

children of parents with substance abuse issues are substantially worse than for children of nonsubstance-

abusing parents. While some studies have demonstrated that substance abuse

treatment can improve child welfare outcomes, results are largely inconclusive as to whether

residential substance abuse treatment is more effective than outpatient options. Using data from

the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II, this study evaluates the effects of

residential versus outpatient substance abuse treatment on family progress for families involved

in the child welfare system.

Using propensity score weighting to control for substance abuse severity and other variables that

may select parents into treatment, results indicate that child welfare workers were more likely

(RRR = 4.40, p = 0.026) to indicate that families had deteriorated or made no progress in cases

where parents attended residential treatment. Placement of children in out-of-home care also

increased the likelihood that workers would indicate that a family had deteriorated or made no

progress.

At the same time, results from this study indicate that child welfare workers were also more

likely (RRR = 3.77, p = 0.022) to believe that a family had made substantial progress when a

parent attended residential treatment. This finding was especially true for parents when the

caseworker assessed domestic violence as a pre-existing condition (RRR = 7.89, p = 0.044),

suggesting a moderating relationship between treatment setting and caseworker assessment.

Considering the importance of worker assessments to child welfare outcomes such as

reunification and case closure, this study’s findings have implications for treatment assignment

for child welfare involved parents. Findings from this study also provide support for the

provision of ancillary services, such as domestic violence counseling in residential programs.

    Cover page: Impact of residential versus outpatient substance abuse treatment on child welfare outcomes: A secondary analysis of NSCAW II data
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2015)
    The federal government increasingly expects child welfare systems to be more responsive to the needs of their local populations, connect strategies to results, and use continuous quality improvement (CQI) to accomplish these goals. A method for improving decision making, CQI relies on an inflow of high-quality data, up-to-date research evidence, and a robust organizational structure and climate that supports the deliberate use of evidence for decision making. This article describes an effort to build and support these essential system components through one public-private child welfare agency-university partnership.
      Cover page: Building an Evidence-Driven Child Welfare Workforce: A University–Agency Partnership
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2017)
      Although drug use is considered a risk factor for child maltreatment, very little work has examined how the drug environment may affect physical abuse and neglect by parents. Utilizing information from a telephone survey with 2,597 respondents from 43 cities with valid police data on narcotics incidents, we analyzed the relationship between drug use, drug availability, and child maltreatment using multilevel models. City-level rates of drug abuse and dependence were related to more frequent physical abuse. Parents who use drugs in areas with greater availability of drugs reported more physical abuse and physical neglect. Emotional support was protective of all types of maltreatment. While most child welfare interventions focus on reducing parental drug use in order to reduce child abuse, these findings suggest environmental prevention or neighborhood strengthening approaches designed to reduce the supply of illicit drugs may also reduce child abuse through multiple mechanisms.
        Cover page: Drug Use, the Drug Environment, and Child Physical Abuse and Neglect
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