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States’ service array is a systemic factor that deeply affects children, families, and communities’ health and well-being. Researchers have shown that service array is pervasively inadequate for meeting the needs of families impacted by child welfare (CW) systems (Ahn et al., 2022). Despite this general knowledge, less is understood about the specific and local service needs of families involved with CW, including collaborative research strategies that can be instrumental in investigations of the service array. This study asked three relevant questions: (1) What was learned from collaborating with a parent/caregiver agency in developing, revising, and administering a statewide service array survey? (2) What were the most prominent needs of families involved with CW, and (3) How did these needs differ from non-CW involved families?
Method
To address the first research question, document review, participant observations, and collaborative analysis were conducted among researchers and parent/caregiver agency staff to identify key lessons about the research process. Research questions 2 and 3 were answered with Parent Survey data. The survey was administered on paper with 710 participants representing 53 rural and urban counties across a Midwestern state. Participants comprised adult caregivers with and without CW involvement who responded to questions about their need for, knowledge of, and confidence in accessing services in their local communities. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey data, emphasizing dispersion and variation analysis for exploring the range and distribution of responses.
Results
Results for the first question revealed three key themes: (1) lived experience as a relevant and productive tool for surveying parents; (2) iterative nature of collaborative survey development and administration; and, (3) routine collaboration practices to support community survey participation. Regarding question 2, both CW-involved and non-CW involved families identified a need for emergency services (such as car repair and domestic violence support), general services (including rent, utilities, housing, and financial assistance), and specialized services (such as substance use support) among their top ten needs. Regarding question 3, CW-involved participants reported lower and significantly different means for ability to find, access or receive services within their community compared to non-involved participants. CW-involved participants exhibited significantly higher mean scores in reporting confidence accessing specialized services like substance use and parenting skills, compared to non-CW involved parents. Conversely, non-CW involved parents expressed more confidence in accessing general services such as car repair or youth recreation.
Conclusions/Implications
This study’s process findings suggest high promise and specific guidance for partnering with community-based organizations led and staffed by lived experts. Service array results that CW-involved participants reported greater challenges with finding, receiving, or accessing services suggest increased vulnerability and potential barriers to accessing essential resources. Moreover, greater availability of specialized services to CW-involved families suggests a potential unevenness in service allocation, wherein resources may be more readily accessible to families deemed at higher risk, while those with lower risk profiles may encounter challenges in accessing services until risk escalates and crises occur. More attention is warranted to ensure a well-being and prevention-oriented service array.