Child maltreatment intervention and protective services in Alaska

Social Work in Alaska

PARENTS and INTERVENTION

Social Work

Child protection primarily requires the cooperation of parents in the care of their children. Intervention comes in only when parents fail and the child must be rescued. Intervention can only be as effective as the perception of parents.

Child Maltreatment in Alaska

Recent hospitalization and death rates show that infants subjected to abuse are common (DHSS, 2008). Many of those who survive are sent to foster care and stand serious risk of developing severe long-term effects of child abuse. These include higher likelihood of criminal behavior, unintended pregnancies, substance use, suicide and sexually transmitted diseases. These high rates also reflect a 40% substantiated maltreatment among children of Alaska at 40%. This is higher than both the national average at 12.4% and the national average of 12.4%. These children aged less than 18 per thousand people (DHSS).

Alaska has the highest incidence of infant physical abuse (DHSS, 2008). In 2006, children younger than 1 year were the most maltreated at 39.3 per 1,000. A study on these Alaskan infants identified those at the greatest risk. These are infants in families with several other children, those with low birth weight, those born to young or poorly educated parents, or to Blacks, unmarried or those using substances. The average hospital stay for these children is 7.9 days and costs $14,800 as against only 4.5 days and $8,500 for non-maltreatment stays. Home visitation is the most common form of intervention in Alaska for cases like these, such as Healthy Families Alaska. Research, however, reported that the intervention did not reduce the incidence in the child's first two years. Some circumstances found leading to child maltreatment revolve around the main categories of the child himself, the family, the community, and the larger society. Protective factors include positive parent-child relationships, parental monitoring, parental coping skills, access to health care resources and social services, adequate housing and good schools (DHSS).

Child Custody Laws

Regulations in this State cover violence and abuse, the child's preference and parental relations (King, 2012). The State will not permit a child to go on living with a parent with a known history of child abuse or substance use. In case of domestic violence, the parent or person accountable will be refused custody. The parent or older person at home will be allowed to care for the child if he or she is mentally and physically capable. Furthermore, the parent requesting custody must not live with someone with a history of violence, child abuse or neglect. This will make the living environment of the child unsafe (King).

The child's preference for a particular parent or another person will be heard by Alaskan courts in granting custody (King, 2012). It is usually the parents with whom the child has been more comfortable with, and often he or she is the primary caregiver during the marriage. Some children prefer to stay with the parent who lives near their school or activities. This enhances the child's stability. Other considerations are the child's show of affection to one or both parents and the affection he receives from either or both (King).

Judges investigate and weigh to determine the more suitable parent or the one more likely to win during the hearing. The parent who wins is the one who encourages the child to form a relationship with the non-custodial parent. The parent who is granted sole custody must make sure the child grows up in a loving home environment. He or she must be regularly and frequently visited by the non-custodial parent. The custodial parent must also reveal to the non-custodial parent the details of the child's education, health, recreational activities and general well-being of the child (King).

The Study

Parents play a critical role in the delivery of child protective services. That role depends on their perception and experience with intervention workers. This study explores the ways parents experience and respond to child protection intervention.

This study uses a qualitative grounded theory approach to form a model of respondent parents' perceptions and reactions. A sample of 18 parents who received child protection services were was interviewed. The respondents were first sampled as "theoretical," in that they were selected according to the data, which emerged, as they were examined. Only those who were open to involvement were invited. The final sample of 18 consisted of 17 mixed respondents from urban and suburban areas. All of them were made to sign informed consent forms before participation. They were asked to answer open-ended questions. These questions were altered in consonance with the grounded theory method. Respondents were interviewed at home or in similar private locations of their choice. The interviews took 40-60 minutes each. Only those whose cases were previously closed were interviewed. Fourteen of the 18 respondents were investigated for alleged physical abuse or neglect. The other four were accused of depriving their children of emotional or mental health needs. Of the 18, 11 were men.

The respondents perceived workers as using power over them. This was found to be the primary influence, which shape or determine parents' view and inconnection with intervention. They also perceived control as a form of support. Parents' respondent to them in one of 3 ways. One is by fighting or opposing the workers. Some pretended to cooperate. And others cooperated with the workers in collaborative relationships. Those in the first group tended to fight the workers. Social work practitioners and policy makers should be aware of the impact of respondents' perception of intervention. #