Malheur 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.

Malheur Summary

The Child Welfare Partnership at Portland State University conducted the third Cohort Study of long-term foster care cases for the State Office for Services to Children and Families. Long-term cases are considered those with children who are placed in substitute care and remain in care for a cumulative total of 14 days or longer within the year after their removal. Children entering care between July 1992 through December 1995 were sampled. Statewide 2,421 cases were reviewed including 53 from Malheur County. The cases were randomly selected and reviewed by trained researchers. This summary profiles children entering foster care in Malheur County and compares that profile to the state for numerous family characteristics including reason for removal, level of vulnerability, child's problems, family factors, barriers to return home, and services provided.

The most common reasons children enter foster care in Oregon are 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 the removals statewide and 72% in Malheur County. Reasons children enter foster care in Malheur County differ significantly from the statewide estimates. In Malheur County the most common reason for removal is child treatment issues (23%) which is twice the state estimate (11%). Threat of harm, the second most common reason for removal in Malheur County (17%) is slightly more prevalent than the state estimate (13%). Threat of harm includes situations where a child is at risk for abuse or neglect (e.g. perpetrator residing in the home) although child maltreatment has not occurred. The third most common reason for removal in Malheur County is parental treatment needs (15%) which is about 8% statewide. Parental absence (17% verses 13%), and physical abuse (11% verses 6%) are removal reasons more common statewide than in Malheur County. Parental absence includes situations where the caretaker(s) is incarcerated and where the caretaker leaves a child with a babysitter well beyond the prescribed time.

Children entering foster care are categorized into three groups--children ages 0-5 years, children ages 6-12 years, and children ages 13-17 years. Of the children entering foster care in Oregon 48% are ages 0-5 years, 29% are ages 6-12 years, and 23% are ages 13-17 years. In Malheur County the estimates for children served in the youngest age group (28%) and the oldest age group (41%) differ considerably from the statewide estimates; the mid-age group (30%) has an estimate similar to the state estimate. Many of these older children served in Malheur County enter foster care due to their own treatment needs (24%).

Level of vulnerability is a child welfare profiling system which considers the severity of abuse and the age of the child. Younger and more severely maltreated children are identified as the most vulnerable (levels 1-3) and older, less severely abused children are considered less vulnerable (levels 4-7). Statewide almost 82% of children entering long term foster care are identified as levels 1-3; this estimate is slightly less for children identified as levels 1-3 in Malheur County (78%). Malheur County serves a similar percentage of level 1 cases (both approximating 16%), fewer level 2 cases (15% verses 31%) and more level 3 cases (49% verses 35%) when compared to the statewide estimates. Malheur County serves a similar percentage of level 4, 5 and 6 cases when compared to the statewide estimates, but the estimate for level 7 is higher in Malheur (15%) than statewide (8%).

Within each level of vulnerability there are numerous sub levels which accurately describe why children enter foster care. Although the limited number of observations prohibits definitive comparisons between the county and statewide profiles, there are some differences worth noting. For level l cases, the estimate for severe sexual abuse cases is similar for Oregon and Malheur County (6%). Within level 2, the estimate for children entering foster care due to chronic neglect is significantly less in Malheur County (4%) when compared to the 16% statewide. The estimate for desertion mimics the statewide estimate in Malheur County (5%). There are a few notable differences between Oregon and Malheur County for cases identified as level 3. Children entering foster care due to parental incarceration is an issue more common throughout Oregon (9%) than in Malheur County (2%). Also, children requiring residential treatment is a problem more common in Malheur County (11%) than elsewhere in Oregon (7%). Half the children entering foster care in Malheur County due to child treatment issues are in need of residential treatment. Parental hospitalization/detox (6% verses 3%) and parental physical/mental condition (6% verses 1%) are each more common in Malheur County than statewide. Also in Malheur County court ordered services, which falls within the level 7 category is 9%, but only 1% statewide.

The effects of abuse, neglect, and family separation often result in problems for children entering foster care. Some children are identified with no problems while others have one or more mental, physical or behavioral problems. Children entering foster care in Malheur County are less likely to be identified with no problems (6%) than children entering care elsewhere in Oregon (15%). Out of control/acting out (51%) is the most common child's problem identified in for children sampled in Malheur County; this problem is somewhat less prevalent elsewhere in Oregon 26%. Other child problems more common in Malheur County when compared to other counties in Oregon include delinquency (38% verses 11%), angry/aggressive behavior (34% verses 27%), victim of sequential physical abuse (32% verses 19%), criminally involved felony (30% verses 5%), and academically delayed (26% verses 15%). Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, sexual activity and aggressiveness, medical condition, and suicidal behavior are other child’s problems affecting more children in Malheur County than statewide. Problems such as, victim of sexual abuse(nearly 30%), and exposure to domestic violence (about 20%) are child’s issues that mimic the statewide estimate in Malheur County. Most of these child problems reflect the older child population served in Malheur County.

Parents who maltreat their children often have problems or conditions that affect their parenting. These problems and conditions are known as family factors. The most common family factor identified for families served by SOSCF in Malheur County and Oregon is poor parenting. This factor was present in 72% of families statewide and 80% in Malheur County. Chronic neglect is the second most pervasive factor statewide (57%) and is also common in Malheur County (46%). About half the parents served statewide are single and about 39% served in Malheur County are single. Drug abuse also affects half the families statewide and only 35% in Malheur County. More than 40% of the parents served statewide were teens at the birth of their first child, are criminally involved, and abuse alcohol. These issues are common in less than 40% of the parents served in Malheur County; with the exception of teen at first birth which is 50% in Malheur County. Forty-percent of the parents served in Malheur County and Oregon are unemployed, or have had a past CPS removal. Family factors such as, history of abuse to children, history of being abused as a child, poverty/inadequate income, emotionally unstable, and domestic violence are common with 30% of the parents served statewide and in Malheur County. However, poverty/inadequate income is a family factor affecting 22% of the families served in Malheur County.

Barriers are problems or situations that affect the likelihood of a child returning home. Often, barriers are related to the parental problems that caused the child's placement in foster care. Although the agency recognizes both child and parental barriers, typically the parental barriers determine if a child returns home. The most common barriers for caretakers statewide are drug involvement (36%), chronic neglect (19%), and alcohol abuse (16%). The same barriers are common in Malheur County, but are not the most common or as common as the state estimates. Inadequate housing is the second most common parental barrier in Malheur County (18%); this barrier is only 9% statewide. Poor parenting-discipline is a barrier more common in Malheur County (17%) than statewide (9%), and the barriers chronic dysfunctional family, angry/aggressive, overwhelming childcare and parent child conflict are each 15% in Malheur County, and each are more pervasive than the statewide estimates.

There are more child barriers identified in Malheur County than elsewhere in Oregon. The high proportion of child barriers reflect the older child population served in Malheur County. The most common child barrier for Malheur County and Oregon is out of control. This child barrier is twice the statewide (12%) estimate in Malheur County (26%). The second most common child barrier is mental/emotional condition, which is also more common in Malheur County (17%) than statewide (11%). Other child barriers more common in Malheur County than elsewhere in Oregon include criminal involvement (11% verses 3%), and drug involvement (9% verses 2%). Estimates associated with the child barriers "unresolved sexual abuse victimization," and "angry/aggressive" mimic the statewide estimate in Malheur County. Almost half the children entering care statewide have no barriers; this estimate is 43% for children served in Malheur County.

Services are offered to families to resolve issues that brought the child into care, minimize the potential for reabuse, reduce the effects of maltreatment on the child and increase the chance of family reunification. Services are provided through community agencies and directly by SOSCF. Visitation is the most common service provided to parents in Oregon (68%) and in Malheur County (70%). Homemaker services (34% verses 9%), family unity (30% verses 17%), transportation (30% verses 14%), AFS (26% verses 6%), family counseling (20% verses 16%), housing (21% verses 11%), and mental health intervention (15% verses 9%) are service offered more to parents served in Malheur County than statewide. All other services provided to families with children entering foster care, have estimates less than the statewide estimate in Malheur County.

Services to children are intended to minimize the effects of maltreatment and modify behavior. More services are offered to SOSCF children in Malheur County than elsewhere in Oregon. The most common service being offered to children in foster care is individual counseling (43% in Malheur County and 32% statewide). Twenty-one percent of children in Malheur County receive residential treatment, which is twice the statewide estimate (10%). Similarly, independent living (15% verses 4%), individual education plans (13% verses 10%), drug/alcohol treatment (11% verses 3%) and drug/alcohol evaluations (9% verses3%) are services offered more in Malheur County than elsewhere in Oregon. Malheur County provides fewer children with psychological examinations, and sexual abuse victim treatment when compared to other counties in Oregon. Twenty-eight percent of the children served statewide receive no services; this estimate is 15% in Malheur County.

The Malheur County SOSCF Branch and their community partners serve families at risk, protect vulnerable children, and prevent reabuse. By working to diminish abuse and neglect, the agency endeavors to preserve the emotional and physical well being of children and families and to promote healthier family functioning.


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