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Parenting Capacity Assessment

Parenting Capacity Assessment. Slides Reviewed in the Guest Lecture Child Welfare Class of Prof. Winnie Benton Presented by Robert S. Wright, M.S.W., R.S.W. wrightrs@ns.sympatico.ca www.robertswright.ca. Parenting Ability/Capacity. Ability

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Parenting Capacity Assessment

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  1. Parenting Capacity Assessment Slides Reviewed in the Guest Lecture Child Welfare Class of Prof. Winnie Benton Presented by Robert S. Wright, M.S.W., R.S.W. wrightrs@ns.sympatico.ca www.robertswright.ca

  2. Parenting Ability/Capacity Ability Provides a snapshot of how family/parents function at present Capacity Provides a prognosis of how family/parents function in the future

  3. Psychosocial Theory

  4. Psychosocial Theory(continued)

  5. Psychosocial Theory(continued)

  6. What is Attachment • Attachment is “an affectionate bond between two individuals that endures through space and time and serves to join them emotionally (Kennell 1976).” • Attachment is an emotional phenomenon rooted in our neurobiology. • Early abuse, neglect, abandonment, unrelieved pain, or other traumatic events can create neutral pathways that interfere with attachment and have life long consequences for a child http://www.attachmentcenter.org/neurodevelopmental.htm • Other attachments sites: • Sites affiliated with the Attachment Centre in Colorado • http://members.tripod.com/radclass/ • http://www.attachmentcenter.org • SUNY’s research site at Stony Brook. Good descriptions of Ainsworth’s work • http://www.psychology.sunysb.edu/ewaters

  7. Lifetime Knowledge Amount Learned Birth 0___________50____75____100% 1st year of life 2nd year 3rd year

  8. How Attachment Develops

  9. Attachment: Ainsworth’s Strange Situation • The strange situation is a laboratory observation consisting of eight episodes in which the caregiver and a female stranger interact with, depart from, and reunite with, the infant in an environment which offers the child opportunities for exploration

  10. Attachment: Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

  11. Understanding Trauma • A traumatic event involves a single, or an enduring or repeating event, that completely overwhelms the individual's ability to cope or integrate the ideas and emotions involved with that experience. • The sense of being overwhelmed can be delayed by weeks or years, as the person struggles to cope with the immediate danger. • Trauma usually involves a feeling of complete helplessness in the face of a real or subjective threat to one's life or to that of loved ones, to bodily integrity, or sanity.

  12. Understanding Trauma (cont.) Figure things Out Adequate Coping Mechanisms Unaffected Or Enhanced Functioning Level of Functioning Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Event Inadequate Coping Mechanisms Reduced Level of Functioning Keep us Alive

  13. Understanding Trauma (cont.) Event

  14. Understanding Trauma (cont.) Event

  15. The Laser Beam of Love Loving Caring Affection Objective Parenting Tasks • Child’s Outcome • Independence • Self-control • Affectionate • Maintaining Stable Housing • Consistent Limits • Nutrition • Educational Preparation Parent’s Experiences As Child Parent’s Emotional Health Parent’s Adult Relationships & Experiences

  16. Socio-Cultural Considerations • Parenting is a highly culturally directed activity • Different “peoples” have different methods and different goals of parenting • Historical and political context of “peoples” has resulted in unique problems • Addictions and Justice as examples

  17. Socio-Cultural Considerations (cont.) Some writers and theorists have begun to explore socio-cultural aspects of major social problems affecting certain peoples

  18. Legislative, Regulatory, Policy Child, Youth and Family Services Act . . . General principles 7. This Act shall be interpreted and administered in accordance with the following principles: (a) . . . best interests of the child; (b) every child is entitled to be assured of personal safety, health and well-being; (c) the family is . . . responsible for the safety, health and well-being of the child; (d) the community has a responsibility . . . and may require assistance . . . ; (e) prevention activities are integral . . .; (f) kinship ties are integral to a child’s self-development and growth . . .; (g) the cultural heritage of a child shall be respected . . .; and (h) . . . a child 12 years of age or over is capable . . .

  19. Legislative, Regulatory, Policy Children’s Law Act . . . Merits of application for custody or access 31. (1) The merits of an application under this Part in respect of custody of or access to a child shall be determined on the basis of the best interests of the child. (2) In determining the best interests of a child for the purposes of an application under this Part in respect of custody of or access to a child, a court shall consider all the needs and circumstances of the child including (a) the love, affection and emotional ties between the child and, (i) each person entitled to or claiming custody of or access to the child, (ii) other members of the child's family who live with the child, and (iii) persons involved in the care and upbringing of the child; (b) the views and preferences of the child, where the views and preferences can reasonably be ascertained; (c) the length of time the child has lived in a stable home environment; (d) the ability and willingness of each person applying for custody of the child to provide the child with guidance and education, the necessaries of life and the special needs of the child; (e) the ability of each parent seeking the custody or access to act as a parent; (f) plans proposed for the care and upbringing of the child; (g) the permanence and stability of the family unit with which it is proposed that the child will live; and (h) the relationship by blood or through an adoption order between the child and each person who is a party to the application. (3) In assessing a person's ability to act as a parent, the court shall consider whether the person has ever acted in a violent manner towards (a) his or her spouse or child; (b) his or her child's parent; or (c) another member of the household, otherwise a person's past conduct shall only be considered if the court thinks it is relevant to the person's ability to act as a parent.

  20. Legislative, Regulatory, Policy CYFS Act Balances Parenting Capacity vs Standard: Test = “Good Enough Parent” CL Act Balances Parenting Capacities of Different Petitioners: Test = “Best Parent”

  21. Toronto PCA Project Guidelines • Family Status/Current Stressors (context) • Child’s Developmental Progress • Pattern of Parent/Child Relationship • Observations of Parenting Ability • Impulse Control • Parental Acceptance of Responsibility • Behaviours Affecting Parenting • Manner of Relating to Society • Parent’s Use of Clinical Interventions

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