Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2018, History

The Civil Rights Act and the expansion of Title IV of the Social Security Act in 1962 vastly increased the number of children and families eligible for child welfare services in the 1960s. States and counties were able to offer a significant and sustained increase in government support for expanding existing institutional child welfare programs and creating new community based programs. The combination of increased demand and increased funding resulted in the transformation of children's institutions from mostly custodial and residential charitable organizations to mostly therapeutic and community-based government-subsidized nonprofit organizations. This dissertation examines the history of three children's homes affiliated with the National Benevolent Association of the Disciples of Christ from their founding around the turn of the twentieth century to the passage of the Child Abuse Protection and Treatment Act in 1974. These case studies demonstrate how federal legislation, state regulation, and the work of a national accreditation organization, The Child Welfare League of America, influenced the creation of modern child welfare agencies.

Committee: David Hammack (Advisor) Subjects: American History; Modern History; Religion; Welfare

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2011, Sociology

The likelihood of being removed from the home following a substantiated case of maltreatment is much higher for black youth than for their white counterparts. There are two competing explanations in the literature. The first is that black children experience more serious forms of maltreatment and have fewer resources to remedy the maltreatment situation through informal means than do white children. The second is that there is an underlying bias within the child welfare system, where discriminatory beliefs about the perceived threat and dangerousness of certain groups and their abilities to care for their children may contribute to black children being disproportionately removed from their homes. The present study examines whether race has an effect on child placement within the child welfare system after taking into account various risk factors associated with race and placement. It also examines whether the factors influencing placement are the same for white and black youth. Findings illustrate a racial disparity in out-of-home placements supporting both of the competing explanations in the current literature. Parental mental illness and emotional abuse as the maltreatment type are identified as factors operating differently for black and white children within the child welfare system. Overall, the present study finds that two separate processes seem to be at play in the placement decisions of maltreated youth, and concludes with possible explanations for this differential treatment.

Committee: Stephen Demuth PhD (Advisor); Jorge Chavez PhD (Committee Member); Alfred DeMaris PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 1956, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 2009, Social Work

Children who are victims of abuse and neglect attend schools nationwide. The child welfare system is charged with keeping children safe and protecting their overall well-being. While the system at large offers multiple services for children and families, including prevention, child protective services, family preservation services, foster care, and adoption, children in the child welfare system are known to struggle academically. Considering the ways in which the child welfare and school systems interact to address the needs of these children, as well as their families, is important. This study had two main research questions: (1) What are the ways in which child welfare workers interact with schools? Specifically, what are the different ways in which they interact with schools based on their child welfare role?, and (2) What are the factors that are related to the ways in which child welfare workers interact with schools? The child welfare worker factors that were studied include: caseload size, number of schools served, region of practice, educational area of study, level of burnout, and years or practice. This study utilized a survey research design to collect data from a sample of 233 child welfare workers. Data analyses were conducted first using descriptive technique to learn more about child welfare-school interactions and the different ways workers interact with schools based on their child welfare role. One-way Analyses of Variance and independent samples t-test were also used to compare differences between groups across the Interactions with Schools Inventory. Overall, results found that interactions with schools were related to child welfare worker characteristics, specifically around caseload size, number of schools served, region of practice, and years of practice. There are implications around policy, administration, education and training for those working with child welfare and schools.

Committee: Dawn Anderson-Butcher PhD (Advisor); Scottye Cash PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Work

BA, Oberlin College, 2020, Comparative American Studies

Drawing on the wisdom of prison abolitionists past and present, as well as evidence from interviews and analysis of Illinois' Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) procedural documents, this work argues that Illinois' DCFS and the child protection system more broadly are an extension of the carceral state. Both the criminal punishment system and the child protection system (henceforth referred to as the family regulation system) use a diffuse network of actors to surveil, regulate, and punish the behavior of queer subjects: impoverished people and people of color. The present-day family regulation system builds on a long history of family regulation that predates the founding of the U.S., as is seen in chattel slavery, the cultural genocide of Native Americans, neoliberal and anti-welfare policy regimes, and continues today at the U.S.-Mexico border and in the formalized family regulation system (child protective services). This work explores how to keep children safe in the age of abolition, focusing on non-carceral responses that center strong, accountable communities and divest from dependence on the state.

Committee: KJ Cerankowski (Advisor); Erica R. Meiners (Committee Member); Harrod J. Suarez (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; American Studies; Black History; Black Studies; Criminology; Families and Family Life; Gender Studies; Individual and Family Studies; Legal Studies; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Native American Studies; Native Americans; Native Studies; Social Work; Welfare

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2019, Social Work

Between 2005 and 2017, the number of opioid-related overdose deaths increased by 751% in the state of Ohio (Ohio Department of Health, 2018). The implications of opioid abuse reach beyond the person struggling with addiction, affecting their families and the systems that provide them with services as well. In the state of Ohio, the number of children entering foster care increased by 3,500 children between 2013 and 2018 (Public Children Services Association of Ohio [PCSAO], 2018b), many of whom have experienced the complex and traumatic after-effects of parental opioid abuse. Because of limited state child welfare funding in Ohio, children services agencies in different counties have had varying resources available to combat the effects of the opioid epidemic. To explore these differences, this qualitative study analyzes the results of 16 interviews with children services employees in eight Appalachian and Non-Appalachian counties. The purposes of this study are to explore 1) how parental opioid abuse affects child maltreatment, exposure to trauma, and families' involvement with children services; 2) the trends present in cases affected by parental opioid abuse and; 3) the differences in the implications of the opioid epidemic on public children services agencies in Appalachian and Non-Appalachian Ohio counties.

Committee: Terry Cluse-Tolar PhD (Advisor); Solveig Spjeldnes PhD (Other) Subjects: Social Work

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Annually, over 3 million reports of child maltreatment are made to state agencies in the United States (HHS, 2013). Between four and seven child deaths occur daily in the U.S. due to child abuse and neglect (USGAO, 2011; HHS, 2013). Adult survivors of child sexual abuse report poorer interpersonal relationship functioning, high-risk sexual behavior, and a tendency toward revictimization. (Polusny & Follette, 1995). Safety and risk assessments play a critical role in keeping children safe and preventing maltreatment recurrence (Fluke et al, 2001; DePanfilis & Scannapieco, 1994). A study by Dorsey et al (2008) revealed low correspondence between caseworkers' assessments and subsequent reports of maltreatment, indicating that considerable work is needed to improve accuracy and identification of children who are unsafe or at risk. There have been few studies on the predictive utility of safety assessments. Additional research is needed to examine how caseworkers utilize the existing knowledge about safety factors and correlates of safety to make safety decisions The first objective was to examine the association between safety factors and the safety decision. The second objective was to investigate the effect of adult protective capacity and child vulnerability on caseworker safety decisions. Finally, the predictive utility of caseworker safety decisions was evaluated by considering their relationships with risk, case disposition, and case decision. The study sample was drawn from Ohio's Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) database. Safety assessment items were 15 dichotomous indicators. Each safety assessment item was assigned to one of three categories: 1) safety factors (SF); 2) indicators of a lack of adult protective capacity (APC), and; 3) indicators of child vulnerability (CV). Odds ratios were computed between individual safety factors and between each safety factor and the safety response. Two logistic regression models predi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Steven Howe Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Adam Carle Ph.D. (Committee Member); Stacie Furst-Holloway Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1974, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: History

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2012, Social Welfare

With adoption being viewed as an intervention, it becomes increasingly important to be clear about what outcomes are being sought from the intervention and from whose perspective success is defined. This cross sectional study of public child welfare adoptions examines the definition of adoption outcome from the points of view of both the adoptive parent and the adopted adolescent. Using a secondary analysis of survey responses from 146 adoptive parents and their eldest adopted child, the factors that most contributed to three different conceptualizations of success (adoptive parent satisfaction,adoptive parent perception of the parent-child relationship, and child perception of the parent-child relationship) were identified. The majority of adoptees and their adoptive parents view their adoption relationship very positively, however they define success differently. Other key findings included that although child related factors contributed the largest percentage of the variance in all three definitions, three family process factors (communicative openness, family functioning style and adoptive parent perceived stress)also had an impact on at least one of the definitions. While structural openness did not have an impact on any of the definitions of success, communicative openness in the family was the one factor that significantly impacted all three of the outcomes. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Committee: Victor Groza PhD (Committee Chair); Claudia Coulton PhD (Committee Member); Scott Ryan PhD (Committee Member); Elizabeth Tracy PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Families and Family Life; Social Work

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1930, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2024, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

The 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into legislation to increase educational stability for youth in care through increased partnership and collaboration between child welfare and educational agences. This qualitative study explored the critical factors that impact the efforts of child welfare agencies (CWA) to implement ESSA. The general systems theory and Edwards' policy implementation model were used to guide the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight individuals from the Texas Department of Family Protective Services, and a focus group was conducted with six representatives from Region 10 Texas Education Agency. A thematic approach was taken to analyze participant responses and identify key themes in the data. Six core themes highlight leadership, resources, training, communication, collaboration and accountability, and politics and finances. A thorough discussion of the findings is presented. The study provided theoretical and practical implications suggesting CWAs take notice of the importance of leadership influence and develop systematic interventions to aid in implementation efforts.

Committee: Valerie Storey (Committee Chair); Lori Salgado (Committee Member); Yuerong Sweetland (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; Public Policy; Social Work

Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 1964, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 1965, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1924, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.), Franklin University, 2024, Health Programs

Thousands of teenagers and young adults are confirmed victims, and many more are at risk of maltreatment and neglect. Foster care is a temporary solution by providing 24/7 care for these victims in kinship and non-kinship foster boarding homes. The study examined child welfare social workers in New York State in the child welfare field on their experiences that impact the delivery of quality healthcare and mental health services for teenagers and young adults in foster care. The qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of child welfare caseworkers in New York's child welfare system regarding providing psychological and medical services to teenagers and young adults. By conducting interviews with professionals from various child welfare non-profit organizations, the research aimed to identify common themes and subthemes that impact the delivery of quality healthcare and mental health services to this vulnerable population. The researcher interviewed 15 child welfare caseworkers who coordinated providing needed psychological and medical services for teenagers (ages 13-19) and young adults (ages 20-21) in the state of New York's child welfare system. The Zoom media platform was utilized while all security protocols were followed by the researcher. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The interview transcriptions were coded using ATLAS.ti to assist in identifying common themes and subthemes pertaining to the key issues affecting child welfare caseworkers and the delivery of psychological and physical medical services to teenagers and young adults.

Committee: David Meckstroth (Committee Chair); Karen Lankisch (Committee Member); Courtney McKim (Committee Member) Subjects: Families and Family Life; Health; Health Care; Health Care Management; Mental Health; Social Work

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

Risk and needs assessments' primary function is to predict future involvement in crime and delinquency with a degree of certainty higher than chance. With these tools, stakeholders in the juvenile justice system can categorize youth and match their needs with appropriate services in a standardized manner rather than relying on professional judgment. Past literature suggests that youth who are involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice system are more likely to adopt nonnormative behaviors and engage in delinquency earlier and more frequently than their counterparts (Ryan et al., 2013; Morris & Freundlich, 2004). As such, these youth present a unique set of risks for recidivism and treatment needs. Few scholars have examined the utility of risk instruments in predicting recidivism for dual-status youth. Onifade and colleagues (2014) reported that the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI), a widely used risk assessment tool, poorly predicted recidivism for dual-status youth. However, the dual-status population did have an increased risk of various criminogenic factors for reoffending such as peer association, family, leisure, personality, and attitudes. Another study using the Ohio Youth Assessment System-Disposition (OYAS-DIS) tool found that the tool equally predicted recidivism for dual-status youth and juvenile justice system-only youth. Similar to findings reported by Onifade and colleagues (2014), the authors found that the dual-status population was more likely to be younger and have higher risk scores. This population also had a larger proportion of female delinquents. Studies such as this suggest that more research is needed to understand better the challenges, nuances, and needs faced by youth caught in the intersection of these two realms. This dissertation will explore how child welfare history affects delinquent youths' risks, needs, and responses to intervention. The dissertation will also review how ecological systems p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christina Campbell Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Eyitayo Onifade Ph.D M.A B.A. (Committee Member); J.Z. Bennett Ph.D. (Committee Member); Sandra Browning Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

MPH, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Medicine: Global Health

Background: This thesis examines the health differences experienced by immigrant youth in foster care by comparing them to non-immigrant youth in foster care and non-immigrant youth who have never been in foster care. The introduction gives a lot of contexts while drawing attention to the complicated relationships among immigrant status, health outcomes, and foster care experience. The purpose of this study is to examine these connections and find possible explanations for the observed variations in health outcomes, recognizing the significance of these dynamics. Methods: Descriptive and bivariate statistical methods such as chi-square and Fisher's exact tests are used to conduct a comprehensive comparison analysis. Multiple health indicators were statistically evaluated in this study using this analytical approach. These indicators included rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), physical and sexual abuse, mental health disorders, chronic diseases, substance use, and pregnancy. The study included three cohorts. Using this strategy, the health outcomes of immigrant and non-immigrant foster children were compared. Results: Multiple statistical analyses, including chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, confirmed a statistically significant difference among the health indicators of the three cohorts analyzed in the study. Compared to their non-immigrant counterparts, immigrant children in foster care were more likely to experience mental health concerns, substance use, chronic conditions, physical and sexual abuse, STIs, and pregnancy. Immigrant children in foster care face distinct challenges and dangers, as shown by the results. In general, the most favorable results were seen in children who were neither immigrants nor foster children. Discussion: Observed health inequalities faced by immigrant children in foster care are likely the result of social, economic, and environmental elements that influence health equity. Immigrant children in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sarah Beal Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michelle Burbage Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Public Health Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Social Work

Background & Purpose. Occupational stress and subsequent negative turnover are prevalent and severe issues within health and human service systems in general, and amongst child welfare workforces in particular. In addition to the psychological and physiological consequences for workers, occupational stress and related turnover can greatly impact child welfare organizations, as well as service delivery and family outcomes. Despite various efforts to address retention challenges affecting child welfare workforces, high levels of turnover continue to be a prevalent issue with costly familial and societal implications. The currently inconsistent evidence of turnover-reduction intervention effectiveness reflects a lack of consensus regarding the occupational levels and specific targets that should be involved when addressing workforce stress, organizational commitment, and related turnover. Therefore, the goal of this research project was to understand how multi-level occupational characteristics and experiences of the child welfare profession are associated with workforce recruitment and retention, while accounting for the unique internal and external factors salient to specific service system contexts. Methods. This research project was designed as a cross-sectional state-level case study of the Ohio child welfare workforce. Ohio is one of nine states with a state-supervised county-administered child welfare system, wherein specific policies and practices may range widely between agencies. A multi-level mixed methods approach was therefore used, as solely quantitative data may have failed to accurately capture work-related psychosocial influences. Specific data collection methods included: (1) assessing the local context through quantitative surveys and qualitative focus groups conducted with Ohio child welfare staff; and (2) analyzing administrative and secondary data regarding salient features of the child welfare occupational context (e.g., agency, county). Particip (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alicia Bunger (Committee Chair); Michelle Johnson-Motoyama (Committee Member); Arati Maleku (Committee Member); Jennifer Hefner (Committee Member) Subjects: Mental Health; Occupational Health; Organizational Behavior; Public Administration; Social Work; Welfare

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Social Work

Using social media platforms (SMPs), online recruitment is a feasible alternative to traditional recruitment methodologies. SMP-based research recruitment is developing at a rapid rate. However, there is a gap in the literature in terms of practical approaches for recruiting participants into interventions. This study examines the feasibility of successfully recruiting frontline child protection social workers (F-CPSWs) into an online mindfulness-based intervention (MBIs) for stress reduction. Recruitment took place from July 29 through September 6 (2021), 66 days. Paid SMP ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter attracted 891 potential participants (i.e., engaged in the recruitment advert). A total of 104 F-CPSWs were invited to participate in this study. Although SMPs had varying success rates, findings suggest that online recruitment using paid SMPs is a cost-effective alternative to traditional methods. The mean cost of recruitment was $0.55 per participant (range of $0.22 to $1.10). The study found that for recruitment to be successful, particular attention should be paid to the specific SMP(s) utilized, and ongoing review and refinement of targets in response to reach and impressions is required. The second study assessed whether an online mindfulness-based intervention (O-MBI) was a feasible, acceptable, and potentially practical approach to preventing or reducing F-CPSWs levels of perceived stress or increasing levels of mindfulness. Phase I of this study used a non-randomized one-arm (pre/post) feasibility study using a pretest-posttest design. This was followed by Phase II, which utilized a phenomenological approach for a nuanced explanation of the quantitative data. Participants (N = 7) included F-CPSWs, currently practicing in England. All participating F-CPSWs were employed by ‘top tier' Local Authorities. Data was collected using online surveys with follow-up semi-structured interviews. Twenty-eight participants completed the O-MBI. Phase II of the stu (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tom Gregoire (Committee Chair); Sharvari Karandikar (Committee Member); Lauren McInroy (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Work

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Arts and Sciences: History

Child welfare programs in the United States have their foundation in the religious traditions brought to the country up through the late nineteenth century by immigrants from many European nations. These programs were sometimes managed within the auspices of organized religious institutions but were also found among the ad hoc efforts of religiously-motivated individuals. This study analyzes how the religious traditions of Catholicism, Judaism, and Protestantism established and maintained institutions of all sizes along the lines of faith-based dogma and their relationship to American cultural influences in the Midwest cities of Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh during the period of 1880-1930. These influences included: the close ties between (or constructive indifference exhibited by) the secular and sectarian stakeholders involved in child-welfare efforts, the daily needs of children of immigrants orphaned by parental disease, death, or desertion, and the rising influence of social welfare professionals and proponents of the foster care system.

Committee: Mark Raider Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Yaakov Ariel Ph.D. MA (2) BA (Committee Member); Maura O'Connor Ph.D. (Committee Member); David Stradling Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American History