Are At-Risk Parents Getting What They Need? Perspectives of Parents Involved with Child Protective Services

• DOI: 10.1007/s10615-008-0173-1
• Publication Date: 2008-09-12T20:15:01Z
• Authors: Melissa G. Bolen; Lenore M. McWey; Bethanne M. Schlee
• Keywords: 4. Education; 05 social sciences; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences; 16. Peace & justice

This qualitative study explores the perspective of 24 parents who were at risk for having their children placed in foster care but ultimately retained custody of their children. We asked participants to reflect on their parenting needs prior to Child and Protective Services involvement and if and/or how they implemented parent education skills post-intervention. Parents most frequently cited stressors such as financial strain and single parenthood as contributing factors associated with their involvement with the child welfare system. Many parents stated that they wanted help with their parenting practices and provided their thoughts about time-out and physical punishment. Implications include assessing parental stress at the onset of services, seeking to understand the unique needs of families, evaluating the impact of length of time services are offered, and helping parents utilize age-appropriate discipline strategies.