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,

Survey Participants Our selection procedure: 1.Utilized list of members of the Oklahoma Association of Youth Services agencies in all regions of state (N = 39) 2.Contacted directors to identify key informants within agency 3.Sent Round 1 survey to 38 informants 4.Sent Round 2 survey to 38 informants Round 1: 21 respondents, 17 completed survey Round 2: 20 respondents, 18 completed survey

Methods Utilized Survey Monkey Round 1: Qualitative, open-ended questions Round 2: Rate categorized responses OU-IRB approval Limitations of electronic communication ◦ Unable to reach some participants ◦ Some prefer hard copy (was offered by request)

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 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? What can your agency do to strengthen Oklahoma families? What can The Anne and Henry Zarrow School of 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 grandparent/non- parent because of some parental absence ◦ 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 ◦ Single-parent homes ◦ Disinterested parents ◦ Lack of care for elderly family members ◦ Child abuse

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 (under- employment, low wages) ◦ 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 ◦ Gang violence ◦ Economic downturn ◦ Gambling ◦ Divorce ◦ People having children too early (including teenage parenting)

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.” ◦ “Continue focus on community action at the 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: ◦ “Provide our agency with training opportunities and literature that helps us to be better informed of the needs of families in Oklahoma and how to meet those needs.” ◦ “Focus on community prevention and community 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.” ◦ “Continue to prepare future social workers with a 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?

Family Strengths 1. Resilience (4.85) 2. Spirituality (4.55) Availability of support systems (4.55) 3. Well-bonded families (4.45) 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) 8. Divorce rates (4.70) People having children too early (including teen parenting) (4.70) 9. Domestic abuse (4.63) 10. Children raised by non-parent because of parental absence (4.60)

Threats to Families 1. Poverty (5.22) 2. State budget reduction of social services (5.11) 3. Substance abuse/addiction (5.06) 4. Economic downturn (5.00) 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 National and Oklahoma centers study “State of Oklahoma Families” publication Same Delphi study with:  Academics  Policy-makers We welcome your input on future research—

Questions? The Knee Center for Strong Families Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work 1005 S Jenkins Norman, Oklahoma Phone: (405) Web: