Personal Environment Assessments “PEAs” Interdisciplinary tools that can be used by all staff

Difficult Life Circumstances (DLC) Scale ( 2 nd Edition) Evaluates six areas of possible stress:  Financial  Housing/Transportation  Health  Personal  Child  Partner

Financial Concerns Four new items:  Do you have a hard time paying bills? Reverse coded:  Do you have enough money for food?  Can you afford child care?  Do you have internet access when needed?

Housing/Transportation Issues Four new items:  Have you moved in the last year? Reverse coded:  Do you live in a safe neighborhood?  Do you have your own car?  Can you easily access public transportation?

Health Concerns Three new items:  Do you have major health problems that interfere with ADL’s? Reverse coded:  Do you have health insurance or coverage for yourself ?  For your children?

Personal Experiences Four new items:  Have you experienced a divorce or separation in the last year?  Has someone in your immediate family died?  Do you have concerns about immigration status?  Have you been in prison or jail in the last year?

Child Related Stress One new item:  Has one of your children been diagnosed with a major disability? Possible Challenges with Partner Three new items:  Current partner looking for a job?  Current partner been in prison/jail past year?  Current partner been in a rehab program past year?

Aren’t we just opening a can of worms? …..NO!

Administration of the DLC  A self-administered questionnaire.  The answers are from client’s point of view.  If client is unable to read, you may administer the scale as an interview.

Scoring the DLC NOTE:  Nine items assess a resource the client may have, thus a YES is a positive item rather than negative.  These items are REVERSE CODED.  These nine items are bold and shaded on the form and are counted separately.

More on scoring

When to be concerned A score of 6 and above is a cut-off for identifying a case at high risk for family, parenting, and child outcomes. Photo credit: jezebel.com

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Community Life Skills Scale (CLS) Assesses a client’s ability to negotiate for herself or her family in the community.

Content areas of the CLS   Transportation   Budgeting   Support Services   Support- Involvement   Interests/Hobbies   Regularity-Organization- Routine

Administration of the CLS  Casual Interview, similar to HOME  Describe a typical month  Become familiar with all topics and areas  Practice at least three times Photo credit:chocktalk.mc.edu

So what do I do with this information? A total score of less then 18 is worrisome and requires intervention. Photo credit:enet.gr

Benefits of the CLS  Baseline early functioning  Identifies client strengths  Facilitates mutual goal setting  Provides an opportunity to focus on the parent  Gives practical information regarding knowledge and use of community resources

A Good Base Foundation The CLS covers topics that, as home visitors, we find it is easier to not ask about or get involved with. However, these are basic things for a mother to be able to master. Making lasting change that will influence their behavior and their interaction with their children requires an ability to do these things.

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The Network Survey Social support is a resource for the parent in stressful situations because supportive relationships provide:  Caring  Understanding  Information  Task help  Reassurance of worth Photo credit: slideshow.net/mekong river

Network Properties are Relational & Structural:  A person’s support network has both costs and benefits.  Understanding the relational & structural properties of their network helps our clients establish and maintain their supportive relationships.

Relational properties:  Content  Commitment  Reciprocity

Non-supportive relationships are characterized by:  Stress  Conflict  Resource drain in energy & finances energy & finances

Structural Properties   Size of the network   Location of these resources   Diversity of the resources   Personal interconnectedness   Stability

 Facilitate planning with parents and caregivers  Help them obtain support within their existing network  Develop new sources of help Knowing Structural & Relational Properties will:

Importance of Social Support During Pregnancy….. More and more evidence is showing that a strong support network is a highly protective factor for maternal depression. Photo credit: weheartit.com

How to administer the Network Survey  Explain how adequate support influences how well people cope with stresses in parenting  Ask them what “having support” means to them  Discuss the many ways of helping  “Take a few minutes think of people as well as agencies that may help”  “Take a few minutes to think of people as well as agencies that may help” Photo credit: clinicalsocialworkassociation.org

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