National Association of Social Workers - Oklahoma Chapter
34 th Annual State Conference
Norman, Oklahoma
April 13, 2010
Dr. Ken Wedel Jeannette Brown
Jessica Crowder Kathleen Romero
The Knee Center for Strong Families at
The University of Oklahoma
Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work

Mission:
“The Knee Center for Strong Families is dedicated to strengthening families in Oklahoma through research, service, policy, and practice.”
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Founded in 2009 through a bequest of Ruth Knee, a social work alumna from the University of Oklahoma

(1920 – 2008)
1941 – Graduated a Phi Beta Kappa (honor society) member from OU
1943 – Joined the Public Health Service as one of its first psychiatric social workers
Merely a few career highlights:
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Appointed to the President’s Commission on Mental Health
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Legislative liaison assisting the drafting of Medicare and Medicaid legislation
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Instrumental in developing a social work program for the United States military
Proponent of the Community Mental Health Act, and helped in the implementation
Served on innumerable national councils, task forces, and committees to develop policy relating to social work, mental health, psychiatric issues, and public health
Throughout her illustrious career, Ruth helped to found:
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National Association of Social Workers
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Coalition of Social Work Organizations in Public Health
Social Work Pioneer Program
Social Workers in State and Territorial Mental Health Programs

The Knee Center is dedicated to sponsoring academic and community oriented programs in the fields of social work, public health
(including mental health), and fine arts.
Goals of the Knee Center
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Contribute new knowledge in quality of life for Oklahoma families.
Foster collaboration for outreach activities directed toward solving social problems for families.
Increase current research capacity of the center’s faculty, investigators, and students through the creation of research teams.
Increase the amount of externally funded training and research grants conducted by the center

Exploring Promising Practices for the
Knee Center for Strong Families
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Web search
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Survey of social work schools

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Many varieties
Our taxonomy includes centers that emphasize:
◦ Service
◦ Education
◦ Research
◦ Policy
◦ Target Population Families
 African-American
 Latino
 American Indian
 Asian and Pacific Islander
 Military
 Rural
◦ Faith-Based
◦ Unique/Special Purpose

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◦ Department of Social Work
 Center for Work and Family Life
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 The K-State Family Center

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Department of Social Work
CENTER FOR WORK AND FAMILY LIFE
The Center for Work and Family Life (CWFL) offers confidential, short-term counseling and consultation to USC faculty, staff, and their dependent family members.
They are available to assist with the following concerns:
•emotional distress
•on-the-job issues
•stress
•marital and family difficulties
•crisis intervention
•alcohol and drug misuse/abuse
•workplace health and wellness
•basic financial management

College of Human Ecology
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The K-State Family Center provides individual, couple, family and group therapy for people living in the Manhattan area. Marriage and family therapy faculty, doctoral and master’s students staff the center.

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◦ Dept. of Family and Consumer Science
 Child & Family Center

Department of Family & Consumer Sciences
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The Child and Family Center is an educational program, which provides training of early childhood professionals in Child Development and Family Studies. The center also provides quality childcare services for CSULB employees and their families.

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University of Chicago
◦ School of Social Service Administration
 Center for Family Health

School of Social Service Administration
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Established to provide an interdisciplinary center for research, advanced academic studies, clinical training, and social policy directed to the promotion of healthy family development, functioning, and adaptation to biologically-based and psychosocial life challenges.

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Columbia University of Social Work
◦ School of Social Work
 The Institute for Child and
Family Policy

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The primary goal of the Institute is to increase dialogue and foster collaboration between students of policy, policy faculty, and research scholars at Columbia University and beyond so that together, fundamental problems in the formation, analysis, implementation, and evaluation of social policies (specifically policies that impact children and families) can be most effectively identified and addressed.

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University of Georgia
◦ Center for Family Research

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Research is guided by a concern for the difficulties faced by African American families living in the rural
South. In many of these communities, the lack of resources for health care and employment can make it especially difficult to raise children. Focuses on the strengths of these families and communities that allow children to thrive.
Asks questions about what makes African American families strong – and then use the answers to develop family-based programs.

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Washington University in St. Louis
◦ George Warren Brown School of Social
Work
 Center for Latino Family Research

George Warren Brown School of Social Work
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Conducts family-oriented research across the life-span on
Latino populations in the United States and Latin America that advances knowledge in the behavioral and social sciences; in health, mental health, and social service delivery; and in social and economic development and capacity building of Latino families and communities
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Trains graduate, pre-doctoral and postdoctoral research fellows of U.S. Latino background and from Latin America who will become university based leaders in family-oriented research

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University of Minnesota - Duluth
◦ College of Education and Human Service
Professions
 Center for Regional and Tribal Child
Welfare Studies

University of Minnesota – Duluth
College of Education and Human Service Professions
Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies
◦ Develops advanced generalist social workers who are prepared to meet the needs of at risk children and their families while working with county and tribal agencies in the region
◦ Addresses the special needs of providing child welfare services in rural areas
◦ Develops collaborative partnerships with and among other public, private, and tribal agencies/organizations to strengthen the region’s ability to promote the well-being of children by developing healthy families and communities
◦ Conducts research and evaluation that promote the well-being of all children and their families
◦ Engages in teaching, research, and outreach activities that prevent child maltreatment

Centers that Focus on Target
Population Families:
Asian and Pacific Islanders
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University of Hawaii at M ā noa
◦ College of Tropical Agriculture and
Human Resources
 Center on the Family

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College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
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Conducts research on family issues, particularly as they relate to Asian and Pacific Island American families in Hawaii
Develops educational materials for families and for the service providers who work with them directly
Sponsors workshops, seminars, and conferences
Disseminates research-based information in formats designed for varied audiences, such as researchers, policy-makers, service providers, families, and community groups
Facilitates collaboration among people who are interested in research, education, practice, or advocacy to promote the well-being of all families

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Boston University
◦ School of Social Work and Boston Medical
Center
 Strong Families Strong Forces

School of Social Work and Boston Medical Center
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Aims to develop a family program to support the healthy reintegration of soldiers from Operation
Enduring Freedom(OEF)/ Operation Iraqi Freedom
(OIF) into their families.
Designed for families with children ages birth to five years old and will recognize the particular needs and developmental challenges that arise when parenting young children. The goal of this home-based family program is to mitigate the impact of combat and separation-related stress on the parent-child and family relationships.

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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
◦ School of Social Work
 Jordan Institute for Families

at Chapel Hill School of Social Work
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Research, training and technical assistance arm of the School of Social Work. Addressing family issues across the lifespan, the Jordan
Institute brings together experts—including families themselves—to develop and test policies and practices that strengthen families and engage communities.
Founded in 1996 and named in recognition of a gift from Michael Jordan

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Baylor University
◦ School of Social Work
 Center for Family and Community
Ministries

Baylor University
School of Social Work
Center for Family and Community
Ministries
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The mission of the Center for Family and Community Ministries
(CFCM) is to strengthen ministries designed to serve families and communities.
CFCM seeks to provide research, continuing education, and resource development to support and enhance the work of congregations and denominational agencies with families and communities.
The CFCM engages in a variety of projects designed to help us learn more about families and to help servant leaders better care for families. The CFCM provides:
Church Census
Marriage Ministries
Walking Alongside

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University of Pennsylvania
◦ School of Social Policy and Practice
 The Evelyn Jacobs Ortner Center on Family
Violence
Tulane University
◦ School of Social Work
 The Porter-Cason Institute for the Advancement of
Practice with Families
Temple University
◦ School of Social Administration
 The Family Reunion Institute

University of Pennsylvania
School of Social Policy and Practice
The Evelyn Jacobs Ortner Center on Family
Violence
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The mission of The Evelyn Jacobs Ortner Center is to:
◦ Investigate the correlates and consequences of violence in the home
◦ Educate the next generation of researchers, practitioners, and policy makers
◦ Translate research findings to policy and practice
◦ Engage community and university stakeholders with the goal of preventing violence and increasing safety and health, particularly of women and girls.

Tulane University
School of Social Work
The Porter-Cason Institute for the
Advancement of Practice with Families
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To enhance the teaching/learning of family practice for TSSW students, faculty, field supervisors and alumni, as well as in the community (e.g., New Orleans Metro Area), region, nation, and world. This will be done through the development, evaluation, and dissemination of exciting, creative, and innovative teaching and learning activities

Temple University
School of Social Administration
The Family Reunion Institute
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The Family Reunion Institute of Temple
University is the only organization of its kind in the United States. The mission of the Institute is to serve as a resource to families having reunions. In a program designed to strengthen and preserve the extended family, the Institute supports and enhances family reunions. The
Institute facilitates the conference on family reunions, provides speakers to family reunions, churches, and other groups.

Ruth Knee Scholar:
Jeannette Brown

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One finds what they look for...
Social work focus pushes past a focus on pathology and identifies strengths, resilience, and resources of individuals, families, and communities
When these strengths are identified, they can become the foundation for continued growth, development, and positive change

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Characteristics of a
Strong Family
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Adaptability
Appreciation
Clear roles
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Commitment to family
Communication
Community and family ties
Encouragement of individuals
Shared time
(Cole, Clark, & Gable)
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Eight Dimensions of
Healthy Family
Functions
Positive Dimensions
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Individuation
Mutuality
Flexibility
Stability
Clear perception
Clear communication
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Role reciprocity
Clear generational boundaries
Adapted from: Barnhill L. Healthy family systems. Family Coordinator 1979; 22:
94 100.

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Review of the research

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Average family size in Oklahoma is 2.5 as compared to the national average of 2.6.
(American Community Survey, 2004)
In Oklahoma in 2007, the marriage rate was 7.3, or 7, 300 marriages, as compared to the national marriage rate of 7.4.
(National
Center for Health Statistics, 2007)

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70% of Oklahoma residents were home owners in 2007 as compared to 68% nationally.
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(National Center for Child in Poverty; nccp.org)
Neighborhood safety- Oklahoma averages 20 crimes per square mile as compared to the national average of 49.6 crimes per square mile. ( www.neighborhoodscout.com)
Beyond safety – other homeownership benefits

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835,000 Oklahomans were covered by
SoonerCare
2008 State of the State’s Health Report
89.7% of Oklahoma children are insured in 2008.
A total of 3,530,900 Oklahomas had health insurance in 2008 www.statehealthfacts.org

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Oklahoma has a 6.6% unemployment rate in the last year as compared to the national average of 9.7%. www.ok.gov & www.bls.gov

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Growing coverage through SoonerCare
Growing coverage through Insure
Oklahoma
Early childhood education
Vo-tech and technical schools – increased access to higher education and training

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Poverty and Economic Support
Incarceration
Child Abuse & Neglect
Family Substance Abuse
Marriage & family formation
Mental Illness
Health Care
Long Term Care

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Roughly 1 in 7 Oklahoma adults live in poverty.
14% of OK’s population lives in poverty compared to 12.2% of the US population
25% of young adults, 18-24, experienced the highest poverty rate among all adult ages
Non-white Oklahomans are disproportionately impacted by poverty
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Poverty is six times higher for individuals without a high school education (26.7%) than for those that have graduated from college (4.2%).
2008 State of the State’s Health Report

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Economic Instability & Lower
Income as Adults (CWLA,
2002)
Poor Health (CWLA, 2002)
Higher teen birth rates (40% vs. 18.7% for non-poverty children) (CWLA, 2002)
Higher school dropout rate
(30% vs. 9%) (CWLA, 2002)
Difficulty in School
(Childstats.gov, 2007)
No health insurance (Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation,
2003)
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Higher rates of incarceration
(OICA, 2005)
Higher rates of depression
(OICA, 2005)
More substance abuse
(OICA, 2005)
Increased domestic violence
(OICA, 2005)
Increased child abuse and neglect (OICA, 2005)
Dangerous Coping Strategies
(OICA, 2005)
“The younger the child, the greater the harm.” - OICA, 2005

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Marriage and Family Formation
In 2009 in Oklahoma 33% of families were single parent families.
In 2008 in Oklahoma 7% of families were grandparents raising their grandchildren ( http://datacenter.kidscount.org
)
In 2007, Oklahoma’s teen pregnancy rate was 86 per 1,000 compared to the national rate of 84 per 1,000. National
Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Divorce Rates- 5, 200 divorces were granted. A rate of 3.5 in
2007 compared to the national average of 3.7
National Center for Child in Poverty & National Center for
Health Statistics, 2007

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Oklahoma has a rate 33% higher than the national average of incarcerated adults
665,000 Oklahomans were incarcerated in 2007
• www.doc.state.ok.us
Oklahoma and national women arrest rates are the same at 700 per 100,000, but Oklahoma’s incarceration rate for women is more that double the national average 39.2 versus 18.9 of the 100,000 population.
FBI
Uniform Crime Reports & OSBI Uniform Crime Reports
What does this mean for Oklahoma families?

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According to the 2009 KIDS
COUNT Data Book, Oklahoma ranked 44th among the 50 states in overall child well-being
In 2009 there were 8,605 confirmed cases of child abuse or neglect in Oklahoma. It is the fewest number of confirmations seen in the last 15 years
9,483 children in Oklahoma were in out of home care in
2009
(OKDHS 2009 Annual Report)

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20% of adults are uninsured in OK, compared to 14% in the US
In 2007, 1 in 5 Oklahoma adults and 11% of
Oklahoma children were without health insurance. (kid count, 2007)
Geographically, Tulsa County (24%) and the
Southeast corner of the state (23.7%) recorded the highest rates for the percentage of adults without health insurance.
(
2008 State of the State’s Health Report)

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In 2008 the median household income for a family of four in Oklahoma was $44,154 compared to the national average of $51,233. (www.statehealthfacts.org)
The median value of homes in Oklahoma was $70,700 in 2000 as compared to the national average of
$119,600. OK had the lowest home value of all 50 US states. (US Census Bureau, 2000)
Teacher’s salaries in OK are on average $43,551 as compared to the national average of $52,308
Expenditures per child from K-12 in public schools in
OK is $7,615 compared to the national average of
$9,963. (www.sde.state.ok.us/)

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In 2005, 7%-8% of Oklahomans ages 12 and older used illicit drugs in the past month
In 2005, 20%-22% of Oklahomans ages 12 and older binged on alcohol in the past month
3% of Oklahomans (82,000 people) admitted to needing but not receiving treatment for illicit drug use
7% of Oklahomans (214,000 people) admitted to needing but not receiving treatment for alcohol use.
(http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k5State/Oklahoma.htm)
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In 2006 there were 16,915 drug rehabilitation and substance abuse treatment admissions for the state of
Oklahoma.
(http://nationalsubstanceabuseindex.org/oklahoma/stats.php)

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In 2004, 33.4% of Oklahoma adults were in poor mental health. Statehealthfacts.org
25% of Oklahomans have some sort of mental illness. 11.4% have a serious mental illness.
72% of female inmates in Oklahoma have a mental illness.
Oklahoma spends over 3 billion dollars annually and the criminal justice system spends 63% of its annual budget to address the needs of people with mental illness or substance abuse and addiction.
(Oklahoma Mental Health Consumer Council)

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Retirement Issues
Long Term Care
Family Mobility

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FAMILY COHESION
Integration, value placed on family needs vs. individual needs
FAMILY ADAPATABILITY
Family’s authority and leadership structure and rules
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FAMILY COMMUICATION
Member’s ability to communicate and negotiate difference
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FAMILY TIES TO
EXTERNAL SYSTEMS
Open to external resources and support
(Cole, Clark, & Gable)

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Family resilience - characteristics, dimensions, and properties of families which help families to be resistant to disruption in the face of change and adaptive in the face of crisis situations.
(McCubbin & Mc-Cubbin, 1988)
Family Protective Factors moderate the relationship between a family’s exposure to significant risk and their ability to show competence in accomplishing family functions.
(McCubbin & Mc-Cubbin, 1988)
Family Recovery Factors - factors that help promote a family's ability to bounce back following a period of difficult family functioning. (National
Network for Family Resiliency, 1995)

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1992 – Child Support Recovery Act - makes it a Federal crime to willfully fail to pay a past-due child support obligation for a child living in another State
1994 – Violence Against Women Act - to enhance investigation and prosecution of violent crime perpetrated against women
1996 – Defense of Marriage Act –federal government defines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman; allows states to disregard same-sex couples who have been married in other states
1996 – Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation
Act - instituted Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
1997 – Adoption and Safe Family Act - corrects problems in the foster care system that deterred the adoption of children with special needs
1998 – Deadbeat Parents Act - makes it a federal crime to cross state lines in order to avoid child support payments
2000 – Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act - to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect
2001 – No Child Left Behind Act - requires states to develop assessments of students’ basic skills in order to receive federal funding for schools

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2003 – The Keeping Children and Families Safe Act - helps states improve practices in preventing and treating child abuse and neglect
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2006 - Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act - organizes sex offenders into tiers and mandates offenders update their whereabouts and registration; failure to register and update information is a felony under the law; also creates a national sex offender registry.
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2006 - Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children
Act - to improve protections for children and to hold States accountable for the safe and timely placement of children across State lines
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2006 - Child and Family Services Improvement Act - to reauthorize the promoting safe and stable families program
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2009 - Education Begins at Home Act - will give federal grants to states so that they can create new or expanded home visitation programs

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2009 - Expand Services for Autism (SB 135 -
Steele/Justice) - increases the pool of qualified therapists through a five-part approach, including creating a state licensure process for therapists, enhancing SoonerStart, increasing training, recruiting professionals to the state and expanding an outreach and intervention program
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2009 - Assist Youth Transitioning into Adulthood
(SB 595 - Anderson/Johnson) - creates the Juvenile Justice
Public Works Act to provide labor for community service projects and reduce recidivism for juvenile offenders by aiding in their transition between institutions and the community

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Issues that impact family development are complex and we need to be aware of the link between those issues and social determinants
• Redefining ‘resistance’ ‘non-compliant’
In all stages of the family encounter – assessment & evaluation, treatment plan – we must avoid easy answers
If the issues are complex, why would the solutions be simple?

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Survey of Oklahoma family practitioners
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Future replications:
- Academics
- Policy-makers

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)
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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
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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, 409-416.

Our selection procedure:
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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

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

By location within Oklahoma

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Size of community served:

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Years worked at agency:

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Position title at agency:

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Years spent practicing with families:

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Terminal degree(s) held:

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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?

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/nonparent 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

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 (underemployment, 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)

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 communitybased 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.”

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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?

1.
2.
4.
5.
3.
Resilience (4.85)
Spirituality (4.55)
Availability of support systems (4.55)
Well-bonded families (4.45)
Value orientation toward family life (4.45)
Material provisions are met (4.20)
Participation in family activities (3.90)

3.
4.
1.
2.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Substance abuse (5.35)
Poverty (5.25)
Generational cycles of dysfunction (5.15)
Lack of parenting/life skills (5.05)
Lack of programs/resources (particularly in rural areas) (5.05)
Economic stressors (5.00)
Lack of relationship-building education (4.85)
Child abuse (4.75)
Criminal behavior by parents or family members (4.75)
Lack of employment opportunity (4.75)
Divorce rates (4.70)
People having children too early (including teen parenting) (4.70)
Domestic abuse (4.63)
Children raised by non-parent because of parental absence (4.60)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Poverty (5.22)
State budget reduction of social services (5.11)
Substance abuse/addiction (5.06)
Economic downturn (5.00)
Generational cycles of dysfunction (4.94)
Lack of adequate employment (4.78)
Lack of health care (4.78)
Child abuse/neglect/mortality rates (4.72)
Domestic violence (4.72)
People having children too early (4.61)
Physical and sexual abuse (4.61)
Lack of education/quality of education (4.56)
Poor health (4.56)
Work and other commitments overtaking home life (4.50)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Increase funding for treatment of substance abuse and mental health issues (5.33)
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)
Promote importance of mental, emotional, and physical health (5.22)
Support educational and employment opportunities (5.22)
Teach parenting/life skills (5.17)
Promote economic development (5.11)
Fund prevention efforts (including school-based efforts) (5.11)
Reach out to rural communities/provide incentives (5.06)
Support grandparents raising grandchildren (5.00)
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)
Teach reproductive health care and support birth control/school-based sex education and pregnancy prevention (4.83)
Prevention and intervention efforts for domestic violence (4.72) 10.

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

National and Oklahoma centers study
“State of Oklahoma Families” publication
Same Delphi study with:
 Academics
 Policy-makers
We welcome your input on future research—

The Knee Center for Strong Families
Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work
1005 S Jenkins
Norman, Oklahoma 73019
Phone: (405) 325-2821
Email: kwedel@ou.edu
Web: www.ou.edu/socialwork/knee