A delphi study in oklahoma

Strengthening Families: A Delphi Study in Oklahoma Southwestern Social Sciences Association Conference Houston, Texas April 1, 2010 Jessica Crowder and Kathleen Romero The Knee Center f

Strengthening Families: A Delphi

Study in Oklahoma

Southwestern Social Sciences Association Conference

Houston, Texas April 1, 2010 Jessica Crowder and Kathleen Romero

The Knee Center for Strong Families at

The University of Oklahoma Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work

The Knee Center for Strong Families

Mission:

“The Knee Center for Strong Families is dedicated

to strengthening families in Oklahoma through

research, service, policy, and practice.”

 Founded in 2009 through

a bequest of Ruth Knee, a

social work alumna from

the University of Oklahoma

Delphi Defined

Model Delphi Study:

◦ Therapists’ Views of Family Life: A Delphi Study

 by Linda Stone Fish and Janet L Osborn at Syracuse University

 To examine strengths and weaknesses of families in the U.S

Definition: a procedure that structures a communication

process among a group of experts (Linstone & Turoff, 1975)

 Characteristics of the Delphi technique:

◦ Feedback of individual responses

◦ Assessment of the group’s view

◦ An opportunity for informants to revise their views

◦ Opportunity to react to and assess differing view points

◦ Anonymity of informants

 Informants are selected based on their expertise in the

subject matter; not random

Fish, L.S & Osborn, J.L (1992) Therapists’ views of family life: A delphi study Family Relations, 41, 409-416

Survey Participants

Our selection procedure:

Association of Youth Services agencies in all regions of state (N = 39)

within agency

survey

survey

Methods

Round 2: Rate categorized responses

Survey Participants

By location within Oklahoma

Collecting Demographic Information

 Size of community served:

Collecting Demographic Information

 Years worked at agency:

Collecting Demographic Information

 Position title at agency:

Collecting Demographic Information

 Years spent practicing with families:

Collecting Demographic Information

 Terminal degree(s) held:

Round One Survey Questions

Oklahoma?

Oklahoma?

Oklahoma in the next decade?

strengthen its families?

Oklahoma families?

Social Work do to assist your agency in

strengthening Oklahoma families?

Strengths of Family Life in Oklahoma

Round One Raw Response Data:

◦ “Many parents work hard to provide economically for their families and are teaching strong morals and values to their children including

religious upbringing and training These same families are most often actively involved in their children’s social lives including participating in the extra-curricular activities in which their children participate.”

Round Two Response Categories:

◦ Availability of support systems (extended family, community, schools, etc.)

◦ Well-bonded families (extensive family involvement, emotional

connection among members)

◦ Participation in family activities (including sports, extracurricular

activities, community events)

◦ Resilience (capacity to overcome hardships)

◦ Value orientation toward family life (placing family life as a priority)

◦ Spirituality (including faith in a higher power, faith community

involvement)

◦ Material provisions are met (food and shelter, low cost of living)

Weaknesses of Family Life in Oklahoma

Round One Response Data:

◦ “Although families are close, there

seems to be problems that

perpetuate throughout

generations.”

◦ “Parents lack adequate parenting

skills and pay little attention to

emotional and psychological

development of their offspring.”

Round Two Response Categories:

◦ Reduced social-physical well-being

◦ Criminal behavior by parents or

family members

◦ Lack of relationship-building

education (conflict resolution,

communication skills)

◦ Poverty (low wages, single earners,

low incomes, etc.)

◦ People having children too early

(including teenage parenting)

◦ Busy lifestyles/lack of

communication

◦ Economic stressors (including debt,

fear of income loss, etc.)

◦ Substance abuse

◦ Lack of education/quality of education

◦ Lack of parenting/life skills

◦ Children raised by parent because of some parental absence

grandparent/non-◦ Divorce rates

◦ Generational cycles of dysfunction

◦ Domestic abuse

◦ Lack of employment opportunity

◦ Incarceration of a family member

◦ Lack of programs/resources (particularly in rural areas)

◦ Lack of inpatient care for adolescents

Major Threats to Family Life in

Oklahoma in the Next Decade

Round One Response Data:

◦ “The movement to eliminate programs

and services that work with low income

families under the flag of shrinking

government.”

◦ “Current statistics report that Oklahoma

is not doing well on many factors of

health including the [incidence] of

abuse/neglect and child death Oklahoma

must act quickly to attempt to decrease

these areas Much of Oklahoma resources

are spent on a small area of urban growth

downtown with little attention to social

problems in our state.”

Round Two Response Categories:

◦ Crime

◦ Poverty

◦ Generational cycles of dysfunction

◦ Work and other commitments overtaking

home life

◦ Single parenthood

◦ Children being raised by a non-parent

◦ Child abuse/neglect/mortality rates

◦ Physical and sexual abuse

◦ Lack of education/quality of education

◦ Lack of access to social services

◦ Poor health

◦ Substance abuse/addiction

◦ Parental incarceration

◦ Domestic violence

◦ Lack of health care

◦ Lack of adequate employment employment, low wages)

(under-◦ State budget reduction of social services

◦ Communities that offer more instant gratification activities (such as movies, video game arenas, malls, etc.) than community parks and activities

What Oklahoma Needs to Do to Strengthen its Families

Round One Response Data:

◦ “Focus on school system and more prevention

type programs for school age kids.”

◦ “Increase preventative services through DHS

such as parenting, budgeting, and better job

placement services to improve families from the

beginning.”

Round Two Response Categories:

◦ Prevention and intervention efforts for domestic

violence

◦ Support grandparents raising grandchildren

◦ Reduce incarceration rates through

community-based sentencing

◦ Develop and fund more inpatient facilities for

substance abuse

◦ Improve efficiency of service delivery systems

◦ Teach reproductive health care and support birth

control/school-based sex education and

pregnancy prevention

◦ Increase funding for treatment of substance

abuse and mental health issues

◦ Provide job training

◦ Care for aging family members

◦ Promote importance of mental, emotional, and physical health

◦ Fund prevention efforts (including school-based efforts)

◦ Provide mentoring for children

◦ Allocate more state funding to social services

◦ Support parents as role models

◦ Support educational and employment opportunities

◦ Restructure agencies to provide services that are more inclusive of whole family unit

◦ Promote economic development

◦ Reduce dependence on social welfare programs

◦ Shrink state agencies

◦ Teach parenting/life skills (debt management, job searching, etc.)

◦ Prevention and intervention efforts for drug and alcohol abuse

◦ Premarital counseling/marriage preparation classes

◦ Reach out to rural communities/provide incentives for utilization of social services in smaller communities

What Family-Oriented Agencies can

do to Strengthen Oklahoma Families

Round One Response Data:

◦ “We attempt to engage the entire family in our

services This makes it imperative that we engage and empower parents with communication and

parenting skills necessary to raise youth in a loving and predictable environment.”

◦ “Create and find funding for prevention programs.”

grassroots level involving community and reaching the largest population we can.”

What the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of

Social Work Can do to Assist Family-Oriented Agencies in Strengthening Oklahoma Families

Round One Response Data:

literature that helps us to be better informed of the

needs of families in Oklahoma and how to meet those needs.”

development at a grassroots level Develop community leaders Consider ways to strengthen the rural

community resources and ways to provide incentives for social workers to practice in these areas.”

strengths-based systemic approach to service delivery Also, encourage advocacy in the areas of education,

employment and treatment.”

Round Two Survey Questions

 What are the current strengths of family life in Oklahoma?

 What are the current weaknesses of

family life in Oklahoma?

 What are the major threats to family life

in Oklahoma in the next decade?

 What does Oklahoma need to do as a state to strengthen its families?

Value orientation toward family life (4.45)

4 Material provisions are met (4.20)

5 Participation in family activities (3.90)

Family Weaknesses

1 Substance abuse (5.35)

2 Poverty (5.25)

3 Generational cycles of dysfunction (5.15)

4 Lack of parenting/life skills (5.05)

Lack of programs/resources (particularly in rural areas) (5.05)

5 Economic stressors (5.00)

6 Lack of relationship-building education (4.85)

7 Child abuse (4.75)

Criminal behavior by parents or family members (4.75)

Lack of employment opportunity (4.75)

5 Generational cycles of dysfunction (4.94)

6 Lack of adequate employment (4.78)

Lack of health care (4.78)

7 Child abuse/neglect/mortality rates (4.72)

Domestic violence (4.72)

8 People having children too early (4.61)

Physical and sexual abuse (4.61)

9 Lack of education/quality of education (4.56)

Poor health (4.56)

10 Work and other commitments overtaking home life (4.50)

What can the State of Oklahoma do

to Strengthen Families?

1. Increase funding for treatment of substance abuse and mental health issues (5.33)

2. Restructure agencies to provide services that are more inclusive of the whole family

unit (5.28)

Prevention and intervention efforts for drug and alcohol abuse (5.28)

3. Promote importance of mental, emotional, and physical health (5.22)

Support educational and employment opportunities (5.22)

4. Teach parenting/life skills (5.17)

5. Promote economic development (5.11)

Fund prevention efforts (including school-based efforts) (5.11)

6. Reach out to rural communities/provide incentives (5.06)

7. Support grandparents raising grandchildren (5.00)

8. Support parents as role models (4.94)

Provide mentoring for children (4.94)

Provide job training (4.94)

Allocate more state funding to social services (4.94)

9. Teach reproductive health care and support birth control/school-based sex education

and pregnancy prevention (4.83)

10. Prevention and intervention efforts for domestic violence (4.72)

Further

Research

We welcome your input on future research—

The Knee Center for Strong Families Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work

1005 S Jenkins Norman, Oklahoma 73019 Phone: (405) 325-2821 Email: kwedel@ou.edu Web: www.ou.edu/socialwork/knee