NO 1690
Involving Parents in
Residential Treatment
One of the less prominent tasks of care workers is to involve parents in the
residential care process. In the research performed by Petrie et al. (2006),
around half of the respondents indicated that they regarded this as one of
their responsibilities (with a great difference between Denmark — where
around three-quarters of the care workers are engaged in this activity — and
England, where this applies to less than a third of the staff).
Regardless of the question of whose responsibility it is to involve the
parents and perhaps the rest of the family in the care and treatment
process, we do see research results being published — albeit rather sparsely
— that could be characterized as 'promising'. Here are a few examples. In a
study of 48 British children's homes, Gibbs and Sinclair (1999) reported a
significant positive correlation between the emphasis that was placed by
the management on a family-oriented approach — represented by the adequate
provision of information to parents, involving them in decisions concerning
what ought to be done, and mediating between parents and children – and the
improvement of the emotional bond between the child and the parents. This
emphasis was not coupled to more contact between the parents and child.
Research performed by Landsman et al. (2001) in Iowa (USA) on the so-called
REPARE programme — this is a family-centred residential treatment model
with much emphasis on cooperation with and support for parents —
demonstrated that, in comparison to 'residential treatment as usual', the
children participating in this programme were in care for shorter periods (8
instead of 15 months), were moved back home more often (49% instead of 19%),
and experienced more stability in their domestic environment after
reintegration.
In the Netherlands, Geurts recently finished research on a residential
treatment programme in which, in cases of placement, the involvement of
parents was strongly encouraged (Geurts, 2010). The analysis indicated that
this method appeared to have more 'impact' on experiential outcomes than on
behavioural outcomes; a high score on 'family-centredness' of the work was
the best predictor of a high parental score with regard to the 'perceived
effectiveness'. A high degree of parental involvement was also positively
associated with the realization of family and competence-related treatment
goals, and with client satisfaction (Geurts, 2010; Geurts, Knorth & Noom,
2008).
Finally, a German research team under the supervision of Schmidt et al.
(2003) performed comparative research on five forms of juvenile care,
including residential treatment. This research convincingly demonstrated
that good cooperation between workers and parents and children — such as
extensive consultation with them concerning the required approach, for
example — was the best predictor for the improved functioning of the child
and for a decrease in family problems. In contrast, an absence of
cooperation with the parents was the best predictor of premature termination
of the child's stay in the care setting (see also Gabriel, 2007; Knorth et
al., 2009).
ERIK KNORTH, ANNEMIEK HARDER, ANNE-MARIE HUYGHEN, MARGRITE KALVERBOER AND TJALLING ZANDBERG
Knorth, E., Harder, A., Huyghen, A., Kalverboer,
and Zandberg, T. (2010). Residential Youth Care and Treatment Research: Care
Workers as Key Factor in Outcomes? International Journal of Child & Family
Welfare (13) 1-2, pp.49-67
References
Geurtz, E.M.W. (2010). Engaging parents in residential youth care: A study on context-focussed care and treatment. Antwerp/Appeldoorn: Garant Publishers (PhD Thesis — in Dutch).
Geurtz, E.M.W., Knort, E.J. and Noom, M.J. (2008). Working with the family-context of young people in residential care. In C. Canali, T. Vecciato and J.K. Whittajer (Eds.), Assessing the “evidence-base” of intervention for children and their families (pp. 96-99). Oadova and Zancan Publishing.
Gabriel, TH. (2007). Elternarbeit in der Heimerziehung: Problemheuristik und internationale Forschungsbefunde. In H.G. Homgeldt, & J. Schulze-Krudener (Hrsg.), Elternarbeit in der Heimerziehung (pp. 174-183). Munchen/Basel: E. Reinhardt Verlag.
Gibbs, I. and Sinclair, I. (1999). Treatment and Treatment Outcomes in Children’s Homes. Child and Family Social Work, 4, 1-8
Knorth, E.J., Knot-Dickscheit, J., Tausendfreund, T., Schulze, G.C., & Strijker, J. (2009) Jugendhilfe, ambulant und stationar: Pladoyer fur ein Kontinuum. Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie, 58 (5), 330-350.
Landsman, M.J., Groza, V.m Tyler, M. and Malone, K. (2001). Outcomes of family-centred residential treatment. Child Welfare, 80 (3), 351-380.
Petrie, P., Brody,J . Cameron, C. , Wigfall, V. and Simon, A. (2006). Working with Children in Care: European perspectives. Maidenhead (UK)/New York: Open University Press/McGraw Hill Education.
Schmidt, M.H., Schneider, K., Hohm, E., Pickartz, A.,
Macsenuere, M., Petermann, F., Flosdorf, P., Hôlzi, H. and Knab, E. (2003).
Effekte erzieherische Hilfen und ihre Hintergrunde. Stuttgart:
Verlag W.Kohlhammer (Band 219, Schriftreibe des Bundeministeriums fur
Familie, Senioren, Frauen en Jugend)
