COVID-19 and Fidelity to the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams Model.

OBJECTIVE: Quick access to substance use treatment is associated with better outcomes, but little is known about COVID-19's impact on access and retention. This study examined the relationship between COVID-19-related practice changes and quick access fidelity outcomes of the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) program, which serves families with co-occurring substance use and child abuse/neglect. METHOD: This study was a retrospective cohort comparison. On March 23, 2020, most START child welfare and treatment services were shifted to a virtual format because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Families referred to the program between that date and March 23, 2021, were compared with families served the year before (i.e., March 23, 2019, to March 22, 2020). Cohorts were compared across nine fidelity outcomes (e.g., number of days to complete four treatment sessions), with differences assessed using chi-square tests and independent samples t tests. RESULTS: Referrals to START were 14% lower during the first COVID-19 year than in the prior year, with a greater percentage of referred cases being accepted during COVID-19. Transition to virtual service provision was not related to quick access fidelity outcomes; however, adults referred in the year before COVID-19 were more likely to complete four treatment sessions than adults referred during the first COVID-19 year. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, quick access to services and initial engagement did not appear to be negatively affected by virtual service provision resulting from COVID-19. However, during COVID-19, fewer adults completed four treatment sessions. In a largely virtual treatment environment, additional engagement and pre-treatment services may be necessary.

Evaluation of a Trauma-Informed Parenting Program for Resource Parents.

Child maltreatment impacts many young people involved in the child welfare system, and it is important that the resource parents supporting these youth have knowledge and skills in trauma-informed care. The current study is a preliminary evaluation of the Resource Parent Curriculum (RPC), an in-service, 8-module, group-based parenting program developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Youth and caregiver outcomes were examined by way of a quasi-experimental design that included 22 resource parents in the experimental group and 21 in the waitlist control group and involved baseline, post-program, and 2-month follow-up assessments. For learning outcomes, RPC resulted in improvements in resource parents' knowledge and beliefs about trauma-informed parenting. While not statistically significant, potential effects included improvements in resource parents' tolerance of challenging youth behaviors and parenting self-efficacy. For behavioral outcomes, several non-significant potential effects were noted, including improvements in resource parents' attachment relationships with their youth and increased social supports. This study was the first to evaluate RPC using a quasi-experimental design within a Canadian context and through a virtual delivery. Findings highlighted several benefits of the program and resource parents' ongoing training needs.

Child welfare workers satisfaction and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives of agency staff in Ohio.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of children and families, created additional stressors, and increased risks for maltreatment. The pandemic has changed the way child welfare agencies operate, requiring changes to policies and practice. Minimal research has considered the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child welfare workers wellbeing and job satisfaction. OBJECTIVE: This mixed-methods research study seeks to understand CPS staff satisfaction, variables impacting satisfaction, and challenges that increased since the pandemic began for child welfare workers in Ohio. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A sample of staff members (n = 267) from 50 CPS agencies across Ohio participated in the study. METHODS: This mixed-methods study used logistic regression, chi square analyses, and thematic analysis to analyze the data from a survey sent to child welfare agencies in Ohio. RESULTS: Caring for minor children, primary role at work, and years in child welfare were significantly associated with job satisfaction. Those working in foster care/placement, adoption/permanency, family support/visitation, kinship were 7.57 times more likely than those doing intake/investigation work to be satisfied with their job (p = .007). Thematic analysis of staff issues that increased during the pandemic resulted in six themes: Stress and Anxiety, Feeling Overwhelmed, Burnout, All, Motivation, and Isolation and Disconnection. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has created additional stressors for child welfare staff. Practice implications are discussed to help increase job satisfaction, staff wellbeing, and mitigate turnover.

A Bill of Children's Digital Rights Is Required to Improve and Sustain Children's Futures Globally.

This Viewpoint calls for policy action, such as a comprehensive Bill of Children's Digital Rights, that would embrace rights allowing children and young people to access the digital infrastructure and interact with digital media safely.

Child maltreatment reporting during the initial weeks of COVID-19 in the US: Findings from NCANDS.

BACKGROUND: After the national COVID-19 emergency declaration in the U.S. in March 2020, child welfare agencies observed large reductions in maltreatment reporting. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child maltreatment reporting nationally to inform policy for future emergencies. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Administrative data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) for 48 states for federal fiscal years (FFYs) 2017 through 2020. METHODS: Analyses focused on reports to child protective services (CPS) between weeks 12 and 24 of calendar years 2017 through 2020 (mid-March through mid-June). Report sources of screened in and substantiated reports were compared with those during the prior year. Likelihood of a report being substantiated in 2020 compared with 2019 based on report source was calculated using odds ratios. RESULTS: In 2020, CPS screened in 39 % fewer reports than during the same period in 2019 and the proportion of reports substantiated increased from 18 to 22 %. Reports from all report sources decreased, especially from education personnel (90 % decrease) and child daycare providers (65 % decrease). The odds for substantiation were significantly higher during 2020 than in 2019 for reports from all but three sources. CONCLUSION: During the initial weeks following the national COVID-19 emergency declaration, the number of reports to CPS declined sharply at the national level and across all states, primarily in association with a large reduction in referrals from education sentinels. Explanations for the increase in percent of substantiation in the context of reduction of reports are considered.