Coos County, Oregon

 

 

 

 

Introduction

Oregon’s child welfare agency (the State Office for Services to Children and Families or SOSCF) serves abusive families, neglectful families, overwhelmed families, families in crisis, and families with children exhibiting extreme behaviors. There are 40 SOSCF branch offices located throughout Oregon. Caseworkers in those offices assess allegations of maltreatment, provide services, arrange services for the parents and children, identify and assess prospective foster parents, identify and assess prospective adoptive parents, interact with the court system and police, and assure children and parents are provided the necessities to improve the likelihood of family reunification. Caseworkers must continually balance the benefits of reunifying families with the likelihood of subsequent maltreatment.

The Child Welfare Partnership (CWP) at Portland State University provides educational, training, and research assistance to SOSCF. The research component of the CWP conducts research to recognize the changing client population, provide statistical models for deploying and redeploying staff, and optimizing the use of limited resources. These studies enable SOSCF administration to make informed decisions about serving this needy population of Oregonians.

This report profiles the client population served by SOSCF branch offices. The “Cohort Studies” profile a group of children entering substitute care during a period of time. This report profiles children entering long-term foster care from mid-1992 to 1995; the profiles include parental problems or conditions, child problems, child’s age, severity of maltreatment, barriers affecting family reunification, and services offered to families. The long-term population profiled in this report are children who are in care for at least 14 days during the year after their removal. About 80% of the children entering foster care in Oregon are considered long-term cases; the remaining 20% are quickly returned home and do not remain in foster care for an extended period.

Methods

The average branch office removes between 125 and 150 children per year. Some larger branch offices place over 300 children while some smaller offices place fewer than 30 children per year. A random sample of children entering foster care in a branch office are identified and their records are reviewed. The case file review includes the period from first allegation to one year post-removal. The case records include legal material, medical information, financial information, demographic data, correspondence, service involvement, and descriptions of reported maltreatment.

Reason for Removal

Children enter foster care for a multitude of reasons. These many reasons have been consolidated into 10 categories including physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, parental absence, threat of harm, child’s treatment needs, parent’s treatment needs, voluntary request for placement, and child’s behavior. All abusive and neglectful categories reflect caretaker maltreatment of a child. Each category is briefly defined below although more detail is available on the Partnership’s website (http://www.cwp.pdx.edu/). Most physical abuse involves bruises, broken bones, burns, facial slapping, over discipline, shaken baby, and drug exposed or drug affected infants harmed by maternal consumption of drugs during pregnancy. Mental or emotional abuse includes continual belittlement, yelling, or extended periods of isolation. Sexual abuse includes fondling, penetration, exposure to inappropriate sexual acts or using children to produce pornographic material. Neglect is primarily poor household sanitation, lack a supervision, and inadequate response to a child’s medical needs. Parental absence includes parental incarceration, and children left with babysitters when the parent does not return at the prescribed time. Threat of harm is a caretakers failure to protect a child from a known perpetrator. Child’s treatment issues include children requiring residential treatment for behavioral problems, child sexual offenders requiring treatment, and children requiring hospitalization for mental or medical problems. Parental treatment issues include the hospitalization of a parent for drug/alcohol problems, mental problems requiring extensive treatment, or medical problems requiring convalescence. Voluntary request for placement are situations where a parent requests foster care although no maltreatment has occurred; these situations are not common and are often referred to other community resources. Child’s behavior issues generally involve out-of-control teenagers sometimes involved with criminal activities.

Child's Age Groups

There are approximately 70 million children in the United States and about 825,000 live in Oregon. Children ages 0-17 years represent about 26% of the population in the United States and in Oregon.

In Oregon, children ages 0-4 years represent 29% of the child population, children ages 5-9 years represent 28% of the child population, children 10-14 years represent 28% of the child population, and children 15-17 years represent 16% of the child population. For the population of children entering foster care, nearly half are 0-5 years, 29% are ages 6-12 years, and 23% are ages 13-17 years. A disproportionate number of preschool children are in long-term foster care. Reuniting families with young children is a difficult decision -- the youngest children are the most vulnerable to serious maltreatment, however, parent-child bonding is most important when children are young.

The age of the child victim is one of the most important variables in child welfare. The age of children entering care is continually decreasing as limited resources prohibit serving all needy children and families. SOSCF is forced to prioritize families with the greatest need or most likely to severely maltreat their child. This trend is expected to continue as the demand for child welfare services continues to outstrip the agency’s ability to serve maltreating families.

Level of Vulnerability

SOSCF’s vulnerability system was created nearly 10 years ago to recognize the changing client population. Although numerous child and family characteristics are considered when categorizing a child’s vulnerability, child’s age and severity of maltreatment are the major considerations. There are seven levels in the vulnerability system. Younger and more severely maltreated children are identified as more vulnerable (levels 1-3) and older less severely maltreated children are identified as less vulnerable (levels 4-7).

Level 1 cases involve the most severe types of child maltreatment. Child maltreatment related fatalities, fractured skulls, brain damaged children resulting from shaken baby syndrome, severely drug affected infants, abandoned children, and severely sexually abused children are all considered level 1. Level 2 cases involve younger children exposed to chronic neglect, severe emotional abuse, moderate physical abuse, and children left with babysitters whose parents do not return. Level 3 cases often involve treatment for children or treatment for parents. Children with severe emotional disturbances, physical/medical handicaps, mental problems, and child sexual offenders requiring treatment are all considered level 3. In addition, parental incarceration, parental hospitalization, and parental detoxification treatment are all categorized as level 3. Level 4 cases are milder forms of child maltreatment to young children (ages 0-5 years) and more severe forms of child maltreatment to older children (ages 13-17 years). Level 5 and level 6 cases include mild and moderate maltreatment to older children. Level 7 cases have traditionally been recognized as out of control teenagers. In addition to the chronic acting out teenagers, level 7 cases involve mild physical abuse, mild neglect, juvenile delinquents, and voluntary requests for placement. Fewer and fewer level 7 children are being served by SOSCF; other community agencies are provided resources to serve this population of children and parents.

Child Problems

Many children entering foster care exhibit behaviors. Some child behaviors are related to maltreatment while other behaviors reflect poor parenting of the caretakers. Many of the problems or behaviors require extensive treatment and affect the child’s ability to maximize their potential and become productive citizens.

Most of the older children entering foster care exhibit problems. Although younger children tend to exhibit fewer problems, many younger children later develop behaviors or problems related to the maltreatment. Thus, although 85% of the children entering foster care do exhibit problems, some not identified with problems will later exhibit problems. These estimates are considered conservative and reflect the proportion of children entering foster care who exhibit problems in the year after the removal.

Problems exhibited by children entering foster care are important to profile. More problematic children require more extensive treatment and require more skilled providers. Foster parents will need more training and skills, residential treatment facilities will require more intensive services for more extended periods, and matching of children to prospective adoptive families will require more efforts to minimize disruption rates.

Family Factors

Parents who maltreat children are often afflicted with problems or conditions known as family factors. The Cohort Studies recognize about three dozen different family factors including parental drug involvement, domestic violence, criminal involvement, alcohol abuse, mental illness, unemployment, and homelessness. Monitoring family characteristics enables SOSCF and their community partners to develop programs and services that meet the changing needs of the client population.

Some family factors increase the likelihood a child will be placed in foster care; other family factors increase the likelihood a child will be seriously maltreated. Unemployment, drug/alcohol involvement, criminal involvement, and inadequate housing increase the likelihood of a foster care placement. These family factors are much more common with the population of children in foster care than the population being served in-home. There are other parental characteristics associated with the risk of serious maltreatment. Mothers with young infants who are mentally ill are more susceptible to seriously maltreating their child. Father figures who are criminally involved and prone to violent acts are more likely to seriously maltreat a child.

The factors below include the more important factors associated with risk of a child entering foster care and /or risk of serious maltreatment. When these factors are common in a community, the number of children entering care and the number of serious maltreatment cases are expected to be higher than other communities.

Parental Barriers

There were over 5,400 children placed in foster care in 1996 and over 80% were in foster care for at least 14 days during the year after the removal; about 40% return to the same caretaker(s). Those not returned to the same caretaker(s) are adopted, placed with relatives, placed with a different biological parent, emancipate, or return home more than a year after placement into foster care. Every family has identified “barriers” that influence whether a child is returned home to the same caretaker(s). An incarcerated parent might be released from jail, a sexual offender may leave the family, a parent’s mental condition might prohibit family reunification, and a homeless family might find suitable housing -- resolution of these “barriers” determines if a child returns home. Barriers are generally a limited number of family problems or situations directly associated with a child’s return home. Most problems or situations that prevent family reunification are parental; child problems generally do not prevent family reunification.

All barriers influencing a child’s return home have been identified for each family. When a single barrier is selected for children not returning home, the most important barriers preventing family reunification can be identified. Parental drug involvement (27%), a parent unwilling to be a parental resource (10%), a parent who cannot be located (7%), mental condition (7%), chronic neglect (6%), and alcohol abuse (6%) are the most important parental barriers that prevent a child from returning home. Communities where these barriers are common will have more difficulty returning children home.

Parental Services

Maltreating parents usually require a lifestyle or behavioral change to adequately parent their child. Services provided by SOSCF, organizations contracted with SOSCF, other state agencies, the federal government, and SOSCF’s community partners provide an array of services intended to resolve problems and improve parenting. In addition to the services provided to parents, abused and neglected children are provided services to help mitigate the effects of child maltreatment and modify detrimental behaviors.

There are 38 different services provided to maltreating parents that are recognized by the Cohort Study. The fifteen most common services constitute 80% of the services provided. The average family is provided with four services to the parent(s). About 50% of those services are completed by either parent, about 25% are partially competed, and about 25% are not attended.

Most of the common services listed below are associated with promoting family reunification or minimizing re-abuse. Visitation, parent training, drug/alcohol treatment, counseling, and alcoholics/narcotics anonymous are all associated with higher return home rates. Low return home rates are associated with parents who do not participate with services. Although many services are associated with increased numbers of children returning home, fewer services are associated with lower re-abuse rates. Parent training, drug/alcohol inpatient treatment, individual counseling, and alcoholic/narcotics anonymous are all associated with lower re-abuse rates. Most services require full parental participation to decrease re-abuse rate. A full report on service effectiveness can be obtained from the Child Welfare Partnership (503-315-4268).

Child Services

Eighty-five percent of the children entering foster care exhibit problems. SOSCF and other social services agencies provide treatment services to abused children, neglected children, and children considered dangerous to themselves or others. There are 26 different services provided to children that are recognized in the Cohort Studies. Although one-quarter of the children in foster care receive no services, child’s age influences the number and types of services offered to children.

Children ages 0-5 years average one services in the year after their removal, children ages 6-12 years average 1.9 services, and children ages 13-17 years average 2.2 services. The most common services provided in all age groups is individual counseling. Individual counseling to very young children might be substantially different from individual counseling provided to a teenager. About half the children ages 6-12 years are provided individual counseling, about one in five receives a psychological examination, and about 1 in 6 receive an individualized education plan (IEP). These three services represent about half the services provided to children ages 6-12 years. Children ages 13-17 years are the smallest population of children entering foster care yet each child tends to receive more services. Individual counseling is provided to half the children ages 13-17 years, one-quarter are provided psychological examinations and residential treatment, about 16% receive independent living, and about one in nine receive drug/alcohol treatment, an individualized education plan, sexual abuse treatment, and drug/alcohol evaluations.

Coos Summary

The Child Welfare Partnership at Portland State University has conducted a series of research studies for the State Office for Services to Children and Families. The studies enable researchers to profile the families with children entering long term foster care. Long term foster care is considered the population of children who remain in foster care for at least 14 days or longer in the year after their placement in foster care. This study, known as the third cohort study, considers children entering foster care between July1992 and December 1995. Statewide 2,421 cases were reviewed including 60 from Coos County. The cases were randomly selected and reviewed by trained researchers. The profiles generated from this research include the reasons for removal, level of vulnerability, child's problems, family factors, barriers to return the child home, and services offered.

The most common reasons children enter foster care in Oregon include neglect (25%), parental absence (17%), threat of harm (13%), physical abuse (11%), and treatment issues of the child (11%). These five reasons account for 77% of all removals statewide and 81% of removals in Coos County. Although these five reasons account for a similar percentage of the removals in Oregon and Coos County, there are differences between the two profiles. Neglect accounts for one-quarter of the removals statewide and one-third of the removals in Coos County. Parental absence includes abandonment, incarceration, and situations where parents leave a child with a babysitter well beyond the prescribed time; parental absence is more common in Coos County than elsewhere in Oregon. Threat of harm, physical abuse and treatment issues of the child are all less common in Coos County than in Oregon. Threat of harm are situations where a child is at risk of abuse or neglect (e.g. perpetrator resides in the home) although maltreatment has not yet occurred. Sexual abuse is a common type of child maltreatment, however, sexual abuse is not a common reason children enter foster care. If the perpetrator leaves the home and the child can be protected from the perpetrator, the child does not enter foster care. Only 6% of the children entering foster care in Oregon enter for sexual abuse; sexual abuse accounts for 9% of the children entering foster care in Coos County.

Children entering foster care have been categorized into three groups - children ages 0-5 years, children ages 6-12, and children 13-17 years. Statewide, of the children entering foster care 48% are ages 0-5, 29% are ages 6-12 and 23% are ages 13-17 years. Compared to the statewide profile there are 10% more children ages 0-5 years, 10% fewer children ages 6-12 years, and a comparable percent of teenagers in foster care in Coos County.

The "level of vulnerability" is a seven level system that profiles the population of children entering foster care in Oregon. The severity of abuse and the age of the child are the primary considerations for categorizing cases into different levels. Younger and more severely maltreated children are identified as the most vulnerable (levels 1-3); older, less severely abused children are considered less vulnerable (levels 4-7). Statewide and in Coos County about 82% of children entering foster care are identified as levels 1-3. When comparing the Coos County estimates to the state estimates, Coos County serves a lower percentage of level 1, a considerably higher percentage of level 2, and a similar percentage of level 3. There are similar percentages of level 4, level 6 and level 7 children entering foster care in Coos County and Oregon. Level 7 cases are primarily juvenile delinquents, children beyond parental control and moderate physical abuse to adolescents.

Within each level there are sublevels. Each mutually exclusive sublevel describes the type and severity of maltreatment prompting the placement into foster care. In level 1, the most common reason for removal in Oregon and Coos County is severe sexual abuse (6%). In Oregon severe physical abuse is another common reason level 1 children are removed (2.4%); no severe physical abuse cases were found in the 60 cases sampled from Coos County. For cases identified as level 2, chronic neglect to young children is common statewide (15%) and it is more common in Coos County (21%). Similarly, both desertion (9% verses 5%) and moderate physical abuse (8% verses 3%) are more prevalent in Coos County than elsewhere in Oregon. For level 3 cases the common reasons for removal in Oregon include parental incarceration (9%), child needs residential treatment (7%), and chronic neglect to children ages 6-13 years (5%). These level 3 issues are also the most common in Coos County, however, parental incarceration in more pervasive at 12%.

Abuse, neglect and family separation often have a negative effect on the child. Only 15% of the children statewide and 20% of the children entering care in Coos County are not recognized with mental, physical or behavioral problems. Despite a lower percentage of children exhibiting problems many types of child problems are more common for the children entering care in Coos County than elsewhere in Oregon. Victim of sexual abuse, angry/aggressive behavior and out of control/acting out are each exhibited by one-quarter of the children entering foster care in Oregon. Victim of sexual abuse is the most prevalent child problem in Coos County and is more common than the statewide estimate. Exposure to domestic violence, the second most common problem in Coos County, is also more prevalent in the county than in the statewide estimates. In addition, estimates for victim of sequential physical abuse and academically delayed (both 21%) are higher than the statewide estimate. Sexually acting out, attention deficit disorder, developmental delay, suicidal, and destructive are other child’s problems that are more pervasive with children entering foster care in Coos County than statewide. Childhood depression and beyond parental control are child problems less common in Coos County.

Families served by SOSCF often have multiple problems that increase the risk of maltreatment, affects their ability to parent, and affects their functioning. These problems and conditions are known as family factors. The most prevalent factor of caretakers with children entering foster care in Coos County (75%) and in Oregon (72%) is poor parenting. This implies the caretakers do not understand the child's needs and their lack of knowledge places the child at risk. Chronic neglect is another common factor that is equally prevalent in Coos County (58%) and the state (57%). Drug abuse is also common in Coos County (59%) but is less pervasive elsewhere in Oregon (50%). As with child problems, family factors in Coos County are generally higher than statewide estimates. Some of the more common factors that are more pervasive in Coos County include teen at first birth, criminal involvement, unemployment and domestic violence. Some less common factors that are more pervasive in Coos County include non-protective parent, parent abused as a child, history of being abusive, homelessness, low IQ and sexual offender with access to children. Alcohol involvement, poverty/inadequate income and parental mental illness are more common elsewhere in Oregon than in Coos County.

Barriers are problems or situations that affect the likelihood of a child returning home. Often, barriers are related to risk factors and the maltreatment prompting the foster care placement. Although both child and parental barriers exist, resolution of parental barriers determine if a child returns home. The most common parental barriers in Oregon include drug involvement (36%), chronic neglect (19%), and alcohol abuse (16%). These same three barriers are common in Coos County when compared to the state estimates. In Coos County drug involvement tends to be more prevalent, chronic neglect tends to be equally prevalent, and alcohol abuse tends to be less prevalent. The parental barriers affecting between 10-12% of the families in Coos County include criminal involvement, angry/aggressive behavior, poor supervision, poor parenting discipline, sexual offender access to children and inadequate housing. Only 6% statewide and 7% of families in Coos County have no identified parental barriers. When caretakers have no identified barrier, the child's problems generally prompt the removal and also dictate the return home.

The most common child barrier statewide and in Coos County is the child beyond parental control; this barrier is more pervasive in Coos County than statewide. However, another common child barrier in Oregon (11%) known as mental/emotional condition is not a common barrier in Coos County (4%). Unresolved sexual abuse victimization is more common in Coos County (10%) compared to statewide (7%). Almost half the children in Coos County, and just over two thirds of children statewide had no barriers.

SOSCF families are offered services to resolve the issues prompting placement, to minimize the potential for reabuse, to reduce the effects of maltreatment on the child, and to increase the likelihood of family reunification. There are many different types of services including parent training, treatment, counseling and support. Some of these services are provided through community agencies and some are provided directly by SOSCF. Visitation is the most common service statewide (68%) and in Coos County (70%). The second most common service in Coos County is drug/alcohol evaluations (50%) which is somewhat higher than the state estimate (39%). Both parent training and drug/alcohol outpatient services are offered to 41% of families in Coos County. Psychological evaluations are offered to over a third of the families statewide, but only 21% in Coos County. Coos County offers transportation services to 30% of the families compared to 14% statewide. Statewide, drug/alcohol inpatient treatment is a service provided to 25% of the families with children entering foster care, and in Coos County only 19% of the families attend drug/alcohol treatment. Completion of these services has a major impact on whether children return home.

Services to children are intended to minimize the effects of maltreatment and modify behavior. The most common service offered to children in Oregon (32%) and Coos County (25%) is individual counseling. Statewide the second most offered child service is psychological examinations provided to 15% of children entering foster care statewide, but only 4% in Coos County. Some of this difference might reflect the younger children entering foster care in Coos County. Not surprisingly, sexual abuse victim treatment is more common in Coos County elsewhere in Oregon. Considering the higher proportion of children entering foster care for sexual abuse and the higher proportion of child sexual abuse victims, more sexual abuse victim treatment is appropriate.

The Coos County SOSCF branch office and their community partners work to respond to families at risk of child maltreatment, protect vulnerable children, and prevent reabuse. By serving abusive and neglectful families, the agency endeavors to preserve the emotional and physical well being of the children and families and promote healthier family functioning.


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