Family Drug Court Learning Academy. Engaging Fathers in Family Drug Courts. February 23, 2011

Transcription

1 Family Drug Court Learning Academy Engaging Fathers in Family Drug Courts February 23, 2011 Presented by Phil Breitenbucher, M.S.W. Sanford Robinson Dan Griffin, M.A. Children and Family Futures This project is supported by Award No DC-BX-K069 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs 1

2 Thank you for joining us today! If you haven t dialed into the audio (telephone) portion, please do so now: Access Code: If you are experiencing technical problems with the GoToWebinar program (visual portion), contact the help desk: Reference Webinar ID: Today s presentation and handouts are available for download at: The webinar will begin shortly. 2

3 Webinar Agenda Welcome and Opening Remarks Importance of Engaging with Fathers in FDC Father Engagement Strategy: Male Recovery Support Specialist Father Engagement Strategy: Gender Responsive Drug Treatment Questions and Discussion Next Steps and Resources 3

4 Introductions Phil Breitenbucher, M.S.W. Family Drug Court Project Director Children and Family Futures Irvine, California Sanford Robinson Consultant Children and Family Futures Sacramento, California Dan Griffin, M.A. Consultant Children and Family Futures Minneapolis, Minnesota 4

5 Overview of Learning Academy Module Format Polling Questions Live Questions Webinar Evaluations 5

6 How do I ask questions? For your convenience, there are two ways to ask questions during this webinar presentation: 1. Type and send your questions through the Question and Answer log located on the bottom half on your panel/dashboard. 2. There will also be time at the end of the webinar for you to ask questions. 6

7 Planning Community Early Implementation Community Enhanced Community Module 1 Mission and Underlying Values Services to Children Engaging Defense Attorneys Module 2 Principles of Collaborative Practice Trauma- Informed Services Engaging Fathers in FDC Module 3 Screening & Assessment Responses to Behavior Marketing to Stakeholders Module 4 Engagement & Retention Critical Issues: A Panel Discussion Budget & Sustainability Module 5 Information Sharing & Data Systems Joint / Shared Outcomes Moving towards System-Wide Change 7

8 Polling Question # 1 Rate your overall site s current ability to engage fathers in services. A. Poor B. Moderately poor C. Fair D. Good E. Excellent 8

9 Today s Plan Why is engaging fathers important in FDC? What are the costs of father absence? What are the benefits of father involvement? What are the strategies? 9

10 A Small Part of a Greater Effort National Responsible Fatherhood Capacity Building Initiative National Organizations National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse Government organizations & Policy Makers Fatherhood Initiatives Service Providers National Quality Improvement Center on Non- Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System Courts Fathers & Families Coalition of America 10

11 Why is Engaging Fathers Important? 11

12 The Costs of Father Absence Children of father-absent homes are: Five times more likely to live in poverty Three times more likely to fail in school Two times more likely to develop emotional or behavioral problems Two times more likely to abuse drugs Two times more likely to be abused and neglected Two times more likely to become involved in crime Three times more likely to commit suicide * Source: Father Facts, 5 th Edition,

13 Substance Abuse Impact on Fatherhood Biological effects physical health, personal wellbeing Low-quality relationships increases marital stress, spousal abuse, child maltreatment, or neglect Negative father-infant interactions lower levels of sensitivity, positive expression, verbalization Failure to fulfill major role obligations at work and home Legal problems arrests, incarceration Reduced employability drug criminal record; poor work performance Source: Fathers and Substance Use, Father s and Alcohol Abuse Responsible Fatherhood Spotlight. US Department of Health and Human Services,

14 The Benefits of Father Involvement Children with involved fathers display: Better cognitive outcomes, even as infants Higher selfesteem and less depression as teenagers Higher grades, test scores, and overall academic achievement Lower levels of drug and alcohol use Higher levels of empathy and other pro-social behavior * Source: Father Facts, 5 th Edition,

15 Benefits for CWS Social Workers Broadens circle of family and informal supports and resources Engages paternal relatives as possible permanency options Positive well-being outcomes for child Promotes family and cultural connection Supports required reasonable efforts 15

16 Engaging Fathers Through Mothers Father involvement closely connected to relationship with mother One-sided advocacy for fathers rights increases polarization and tension Team Parenting Model with selected services and supports can minimize conflict and promote children s best interest Family-Centered Treatment Early screening and assessment of family violence 16

17 Benefits for Mothers Overall positive outcomes for children s well-being Additional support from father and paternal family Increase in mother s patience, flexibility and emotional responsiveness toward child Successful co-parenting conveys important messages to child; commitment to family modeled for children 17

18 Strategies for Engaging Fathers 18

19 Engagement Defined Engagement: The participation necessary to obtain optimal benefits from an intervention* An ongoing process, beginning at intake and continuing through aftercare Responsive to changing needs and situations of fathers Enhance father motivation Joint-responsibility and collaborative effort About long-term involvement and recovery * Prinz, R. J., & Miller, G.E. (1996). Parental engagement in interventions for children at risk for conduct disorder. In R. Peters & R. McMahone (Eds.), Preventing childhood disorders, substance abuse and delinquency (pp ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 19

20 How can we increase our numbers of fathers in our FDC? 1. Increase the number of fathers entering the FDC 2. Decrease the number of fathers leaving the FDC, or 3. Do Both! 20

21 A Model Inflow FDC Outflow 21

22 A Model Outreach Strategies Engagement and Retention Strategies Admissions (inflow) FDC Discharge (outflow) Graduation Termination/ Dropout Examples: Identify & locate fathers Family finding tools Examples Recovery support specialist Genderresponsive treatment 22

23 What Do We Know? CFF works with 63 FDC Projects nationwide 23

24 Gender of RPG Adults Percent Male FDC Cohort (n=3232) Female All Other RPGs (n=5007) * Not significant 24

25 RPG Program Strategies Of the 24 Grantees cohort, 12 Grantees (50%) are implementing a father engagement strategy 2 1 Target Outreach 9 Specialized Program/Services Both 25

26 RPG Program Strategies Search efforts for fathers Father-focused parenting curriculum Gender specific services Male recovery specialist Father mentors or parent partner Bilingual mentors Male staffing 26

27 Observations from the Field Improved engagement rates Decrease in outof-home placements Cost reduction Improved treatment outcomes 27

28 Child Welfare Outcomes Higher involvement by fathers has been associated with More reunifications and less adoptions Substantially lower likelihood of later maltreatment allegations Children exit foster care more quickly * Source: 2008 Report: More about the Dads: Exploring Associations between Nonresident Father Involvement and Child Welfare Case Outcomes 28

29 Engagement as a Collaborative Effort Drug Treatment Each system shares the responsibility Each system has a unique role 30

30 Examples: Roles & Responsibilities CWS AOD COURT Identify and locate fathers as early as possible Identify and engage paternal family Facilitate quality fatherchild visits Provide comprehensive services (including job training, housing, public benefits) Recognize interpersonal barriers related to trust, power Ensure treatment is gender-responsive, which means creating an environment through: - site selection - staff selection - program development - content and material Make father engagement a priority Identify fathers and determine priority Monitor agency actions and practice Ensure quality fatherchild visits Ensure fathers receive quality and responsive services Encourage interagency collaboration 31

31 Common Barriers to Engagement of Fathers Organizational - Accessibility, quality of services - Practice and policies - Agency culture - Search, paternity establishment, notification efforts - Multiple and conflicting requirements; work hours Interpersonal - Gender bias - Mental health, substance abuse - Culture, values - Family relationships (ie. mother, children, social father) - Attitude of staff, workers - Family of origin issues Environmental - Housing - Employment - Child Support - Health - Legal issues - Incarceration - Transportation/Distance - Community Support 32

32 Polling Question # 2 In my opinion, the greatest barrier in engaging fathers in FDC is the following: A. Father absence B. Lack of cooperation, motivation C. Lack of gender-responsive services D. Safety concerns (ie. DV history) E. Other please send response via chat or question function 33

33 Promising Practices Family conferencing Family finding tools Focus groups for fathers Recovery support specialist Gender-responsive drug treatment 40

34 Father Engagement Strategy: Male Recovery Support Specialist Sanford (Sandy) Robinson, Consultant 41

35 Worlds Apart Child Welfare Child Welfare Court Substance Abuse Treatment 42

36 Recovery Specialist Function Engaging men into entering treatment and supporting them through treatment completion WHY? Without treatment most parents with genuine substance abuse issues will most likely fail leading to increased time away from home, foster care etc. 43

37 Purpose Of Utilizing Substance Abuse Recovery Specialists Reduce costs of out-of-home placements and/or reduce time of children in foster care Remove barriers and improve linkages between CWS and treatment to better serve clients Improve the capacity of CWS to serve parents with substance use disorders Increase collaboration between agencies Ensure reasonable efforts 44

38 Continued Purpose Of Utilizing Substance Abuse Recovery Specialists Decrease time to assess and enter treatment Increase compliance with treatment Increase 12-month permanent placements Increase family reunification rates Decrease time in foster care 45

39 Three Standard Court Orders Treatment Drug and Alcohol Testing Recovery Support Groups Specialists Contacts 46

40 Engagement Strategies Goals For Parents Attend all required group and individual alcohol and drug treatment sessions Attend all scheduled Recovery Specialist (mentor etc.) meetings Attend specific number of AOD support / 12-Step meetings weekly Attend all required AOD activities Complete all AOD requirements of court Drug test randomly Produce negative drug tests 47

41 Tips and Techniques: Treatment Engagement Primary purpose is to facilitate entry into treatment Upon assessment help parent make phone call to treatment for initial appt. Provide treatment documents such as brochure or program rules If known, provide parent with treatment days and times written (pocket calendar is best) If needed, provide number, documentation etc. of public transportation Supply a map to treatment facility (best practice - take them to facility the first time) 48

42 Tips and Techniques: Substance Abuse Specialist Contacts These serve as the foundation for the relationship between parent and specialist Should begin with intensity and frequency and taper down as case progresses Meetings should attend to parent needs treatment, home, work, etc Utilize these contacts to collect paperwork and needed info. Allow specialist discretion for flexibility 49

43 Tips and Techniques: Engaging Parents in the Attendance of Support Groups Overcome resistance to attendance by fully explaining nature of meetings Using meeting schedule, highlight meetings close to home, work, etc. Highlight meetings with childcare or any other special needs Utilize buddy system other parents or alumni can attend meetings with parent Steer parents to beginner meetings and sober functions Explain to parent the need to attend these meetings treatment is finite but meetings offer lifelong support 50

44 How Can You Make All Of This Work? Programmatic Considerations Cross-training and training on how to use the specialist Specialist works with father throughout length of case Collaborative relationship and effective communication Buy-in from different systems Integrative practice Sustainable funding 51

45 How Can You Make All Of This Work? Clinical Considerations Specialists background and expertise Location of specialist Collaborative relationship and constant communication 52

46 Father Engagement Strategy: Gender Responsive Treatment Dan Griffin, M.A. 53

47 Evolving Treatment Approaches 54

48 Emerging Paradigm Values-Based Services Traumainformed Recoveryoriented Valuesbased services Genderresponsive Culturally competent 55

49 Men s Integrated Treatment Male psychological development Addiction Trauma 56

50 Men s Integrated Treatment Male psychological development Addiction Trauma 57

51 Relational-Cultural Theory Connection and development Disconnection Socio-cultural disconnect Privilege and domination

52 Societal Factors Manhood & Fatherhood Discouraging the expression of emotions - Real men don t cry Anger is an acceptable male emotion Dominant, disconnected and dangerous Being physically strong Ambition and competition Good occupational functioning Athletic ability Economic success Sexual conquests 59

53 Barriers to Men Seeking Help Admitting to a problem Difficulty in asking for help and depending on others Being perceived as weak Fear of intimacy and vulnerability Sexualization of females and homophobia Scarcity of treatment approaches for men 60

54 Gender and Abuse For some boys, the process of becoming a man is inherently abusive and may result in trauma Violence is not only tolerated, but expected, and even glorified The culture of masculinity is embedded in abuse and violence from home, school, media, and peer groups 61

55 Men s Integrated Treatment Male psychological development Addiction Trauma 62

56 Men, Violence, and Trauma 75% of student suspensions, expulsions, grade failures, special education referrals, school violence casualties, and all other assaults are boys 70% of suicides are boys/men 75% of teenage suicides are boys 80% of the homeless are boys/men 80% of homicide victims are men 93% of prison inmates are men 99% of executed prisoners are men (in the last decade, 700 men and 10 women) Men are 2 to 5 times more likely to develop a substance use disorder * Source: Lyme et al,

57 Process of Trauma TRAUMATIC EVENT Overwhelms the Physical & Psychological Systems Intense Fear, Helplessness or Horror RESPONSE TO TRAUMA Fight or Flight, Freeze, Altered State of Consciousness, Body Sensations, Numbing, Hyper-vigilance, Hyper-arousal SENSITIZED NERVOUS SYSTEM CHANGES IN BRAIN CURRENT STRESS Reminders of Trauma, Life Events, Lifestyle PAINFUL EMOTIONAL STATE RETREAT SELF-DESTRUCTIVE ACTION DESTRUCTIVE ACTION ISOLATION DISSOCIATION DEPRESSION ANXIETY ADDICTIVE DISORDERS EATING DISORDER DELIBERATE SELF-HARM SUICIDAL ACTIONS AGGRESSION VIOLENCE RAGES * Source: Stephanie Covington 64

58 Trauma & Masculinity The path to manhood is paved by emotional trauma For most men ignoring/denying pain is to be a man There is no way to see men as victims and still as men 65

59 How Men Respond to Trauma Men suffer abuse Suffer alone with the abuse Many become abusers Male abuse victims tend to identify with the abuser as a means of reclaiming personal power and attempting to secure safety 66

60 Trauma-informed services: Trauma-informed Services Take the trauma into account Avoid triggering trauma reactions and/or traumatizing the individual Adjust behavior of counselors, other staff and organization to support individual s coping capacity Allow survivors to manage their trauma symptoms successfully so that they are able to access, retain and benefit from the services Source: Fallot, Roger, PhD & Maxine Harris, PhD. Trauma-Informed Services: A Self-Assessment and Planning Protocol, March

61 Core Principles of Trauma-Informed Care Safety: Ensuring physical and emotional safety Trustworthiness: Maximizing trustworthiness, making tasks clear, and maintaining appropriate boundaries Choice: Prioritizing consumer choice and control Collaboration: Maximizing collaboration and sharing of power with consumers Empowerment: Prioritizing consumer empowerment and skill-building * Source: Fallot & Harris,

62 Men s Integrated Treatment Male psychological development Addiction Trauma 69

63 Brain chemistry Stages of change Addiction: What We Have Learned Motivational interviewing vs. confrontation Client-centered Strength-based Solution-oriented Relapse prevention Managing a chronic disease 70

64 Men in Treatment We rarely acknowledge to men that the therapeutic process may be incompatible with how they were raised It can be remarkably healing to place their addiction and recovery within the context of their socialization as men 71

65 Men in Treatment While all men have relationships, and these get some attention in treatment, we do not typically focus on men s relationships - helping them develop the skills necessary to have healthy relationships. 72

66 Men in Treatment Sexuality is rarely addressed directly in addiction treatment, despite being a fundamental aspect of male and female behavior 73

67 Men in Treatment Spirituality was traditionally a core element in most addiction treatment programs But has been marginalized since CBT became the predominant therapeutic approach 74

68 Helping Men Recover 75

69 Helping Men Recover Inspired by Dr. Covington s groundbreaking Helping Women Recover (released in January 2011 from Jossey-Bass) Authors: Dr. Stephanie Covington, Dan Griffin, and Rick Dauer Community and Criminal Justice versions Four Modules Self Relationships Sexuality Spirituality 76

70 Resource Recovery is more than sobriety. Read this book if you are a man who wants to experience the promise and possibility of healthy recovery. William Cope Moyers, Author of Broken 77

71 Questions & Discussion 78

72 Polling Question # 3 Which father engagement strategy would make the most impact at your project site presently? A. Recovery support specialist B. Integrated drug treatment C. Fatherhood parenting program D. Male staff E. Family conferencing 79

73 Polling Question # 4 Which father engagement strategy would you like more information on? A. Recovery support specialist B. Integrated drug treatment C. Fatherhood parenting program D. Male staff E. Family conferencing 80

74 Next Steps & Resources Phil Breitenbucher, M.S.W. 81

75 FDCs as a Laboratory for Change 82

76 Next Steps & Closing Thoughts Take an inventory what exists Identify what/who is missing Develop or enhance what is needed Prioritize and implement strategically 83

77 Are You Father-Friendly? Father & Male Involvement: Service Delivery Assessment (2003) AssessmentQuestions.pdf The Father Friendly Check-Up for Child Welfare and Organizations (National Fatherhood Initiative) available at: 84

78 Focus Groups for Fathers 1. During your involvement with Child Welfare System (CWS), do you agree that your use of alcohol and other drugs affected your family, and impaired your ability to parent your child(ren)? If yes, how so? 2. What services and supports, if any, were provided by CWS that worked well for you in dealing with your recovery? 3. What would have been helpful to you in your recovery that was not provided by CWS? 4. How can CWS, court system and drug treatment services improve on engaging families better? 85

79 A Grievous Wound Fathers want to be involved in their children s lives, but because of past experiences with law enforcement, absenteeism, the requirements of programs and services offered to/for the mother and the children, fathers have somehow gotten the message that the children would be better off without them being involved in the children s lives. - Father, Focus Group, Minnesota,

80 Resources National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse National Responsible Fatherhood Capacity Building Initiative Fathers and Families Coalition of America 87

81 More Resources Good, G. E., & Brooks, G. R. (Eds.). (2005). The new handbook of psychotherapy and counseling with men: A comprehensive guide to settings, problems, and treatment approaches (Vol. 1). San Francisco: Jossey- Bass. Pollack, W. S., & Levant, R. F. (1998). New psychotherapy for men. New York: John Wiley & Sons. R. F. Levant & W. S. Pollack (Eds.). (1995.) A new psychology of men. New York: Basic Books. 88

82 Resources National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. (February 2010). Behind bars II: Substance abuse and America s prison population. New York, NY: Author. Read, E. M. (1996). Partners in change: The 12-step referral handbook for probation, parole & community corrections. Center City, MN: Hazelden. White, W. L. (1996). Pathways from the culture of addiction to the culture of recovery: A travel guide for addiction professionals. Center City, MN: Hazelden. 89

83 Resource Available for download: sa.gov/files/substancea busespecialists.pdf 90

84 Resource Available for download: a.gov/files/saferr.pdf 91

85 FDC Learning Academy Planning Community launched in 2010; available for review Early Implementation 5 modules in 2011 Enhanced Community 4 modules in 2011 Save the Dates! 2011 Please visit: presentations/webinars 92

86 FDC Learning Academy Next Webinar: Services to Children Wed. March 9 th, 9-11 am PST 93

87 Evaluation Please take a moment to complete our evaluation. You will be re-directed to the evaluation after exiting this webinar. Thank you! 94

88 Contact Information Phil Breitenbucher, MSW Program Director Children and Family Futures OJJDP FDC TA Project (714) Dan Griffin, MA Griffin Recovery Enterprises (612) Sanford Robinson Director, Cottage Housing, Inc Sacramento, California FOR GENERAL INQUIRES: FOR RESOURCES Please visit our website: 95