Supporting Inner Strength and Hope A Project of the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters
Early Years Conference 2014 Shaping Childhood: Factors that Matter January 31st – February 1st Vancouver, BC
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The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS)
• Represents 43 emergency and second stage sheltering agencies for women and their children fleeing violence and abuse • Provides professional development and training • Undertakes action based research • Influences public policy and systems • Increases public awareness of issues related to family violence
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ACWS Children’s Project : 12 shelters participated Fort McMurray: Unity House
Calgary: YWCA Sheriff King Home
Grande Prairie: Odyssey House
Calgary: Brenda Strafford Medicine Hat: Phoenix Safe House
. Edmonton: WIN House Edmonton: Wings of Providence Red Deer: Central Alberta Emergency Shelter
Black Diamond: Rowan House Lethbridge: YWCA Harbour House Morley: Eagle’s Nest Standoff: Kanai Women’s Wellness Lodge 3
Children’s Project: Background
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2001-2012 Alberta Women’s Shelters develop collective data base
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2007-2012 3 collaborative action based research projects Making a Difference: Women’s Shelters In Alberta – A 10 Year Trend Analysis Keeping Women Alive – Assessing the Danger Practical Frameworks for Change
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2003-2012 Increasing shelter expertise on the impact of domestic violence on children 4
Children in Shelter: What we know • Domestic violence has a profound and significant impact on children • Proportion of women with children increasing over the last decade • More than 50% are Aboriginal women and children • 66% of women are now accompanied by children • Almost 50% children admitted are pre-school age • 5,885 women & 5,847 children sheltered in 2012-2013 5
Mothers in Shelter: What we know •
67% of women accessing women’s shelters experience severe or increased risk of femicide (ACWS 2013)
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Women often face serious physical and mental health issues as a result of DV related trauma (Shift)
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Resulting depression, anxiety and stress as well as addiction and more serious mental health issues may compromise women’s ability to meet their children’s needs (Sudermann, 1997; Holden & Ritchie, 1991; Levendosky et al 2003)
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Other research suggests that abused mothers are ‘remarkably similar’ to non-abused mothers in their beliefs about parenting, self-reported parenting behaviours, & interactions with their children
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Project Goal: Develop, integrate & evaluate promising child support practices
Project Objectives • • • • •
To strengthen mother/child attachment To reduce child stress To enhance mother’s ability to support child’s development and resilience To help build program and staff capacity to provide culturally-sensitive services To enhance knowledge and skills of child support staff to better meet the needs of children and their mothers
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Project Design, Training and Support Project Design • Based on promising practices summarized in a literature review and reflected in the Foundational Training Curriculum Foundational Training Curriculum • Curriculum developed in partnership with Dr. Clark of MRU • Including consultation with Aboriginal Elders Formal Training Events • Two formal training events based on the Curriculum and made available to the participating staff and staff from all ACWS member organizations On-Going Support • Clinical support & consultation • Assessment training 8 • Data management support
Intervention Activities •
Work with Mothers: attachment, positive discipline, group work
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Attachment Based Activities: modelled by worker and progressing to include the mother
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Child Led Play: children interacting through play with child support worker & playing with mother in childdirected play
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Self-Regulation Activities: to help deal with child’s anger, frustration etc as may arise in the course of intervention 9
Evaluation Framework & Measurement Tools Program Activities and Participation • Intake Form • Activity Tracking Form • Discharge Form Family Background , Strengths and Goals • Danger Assessment Calendar and Questionnaire • Domestic Violence Survivor Assessment • Parent Child Stress Index Outcomes • Observation Check List • Client Case Study (external evaluator) • Children’s Project Completion Survey • Interviews/Surveys with shelter staff (external evaluator)
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By the Numbers •
There were 80 participants, including 38 mothers and 42 children
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The families were attending 14 shelter programs, including emergency and second stage shelters and outreach
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83% of the children were 5 years of age or younger
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55% of the mothers were Aboriginal
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Risk of Femicide (DA) Variable Danger, 6, 26% Extreme Danger, 13, 57%
Severe Danger, 3, 13%
Increased Danger, 1, 4%
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Family Circumstances
30%
Custody Issues
45%
Legal Issues
56%
On Social Assistance or AISH
76%
Without Own Place to Live
84%
Unemployed 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100% 13
Parenting Stress (PSI)
Total Score
21%
Parental Distress
21%
Dysfunctional Interaction
28%
Difficult Child
28% 0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30% 14
Project Results for the Mothers Understand more about the impact of abuse on their children Think that their relationship with children is stronger Learned about activities to help children relax and have fun “It’s simple and it’s immediate, you can see someone who does not want to do it that actually tries it and then has a positive experience with it. I just love that part – it’s always great to see moms enjoy their children” “When the verbal abuse escalated, both children would hide together in the 10 year olds bedroom. When the yelling would stop Mom would go find her kids and use techniques from the attachment based programming on both her children to bring them back down to a calmer level” “I would recommend the Children’s Project for anyone that wants to have a closer bond with their child …it really works” 15
Project Results For the Children Number of Child’s Behaviours Reflecting Stronger Attachment by Individual Children 12.00
Number "Most of the Time"
10.00
8.00
6.00
Average Number
4.00
2.00
0.00
First Session
Mid Session
Last Session 16
Project Results for Shelter Staff Increased knowledge about child’s trauma and attachment Enhanced confidence to provide attachment-based supports Development of positive and respectful relationships and mutual appreciation between shelter staff and child support staff “Project has given us ammunition to teach the other people about trauma impact on kids, why it’s so incredibly important… and change their views of children and how they are impacted – it has validated and made our work in the shelter a lot easier” “[There was] never anything for children [like this program], it was just a shelter and that’s it…[the child care room] was an old storage place… once I set it up and made it available for the mothers, I felt that ...it was a need that needed to be addressed for the shelter; that there was a place for the children to go” “It’s nice to have different types of interventions, [in the past I did not work so much] with toddlers and did not have as much information [about how to work 17 with them] – the project helped me get tools I needed to work with younger kids”
Lessons Learned •
Enhanced child support work should be part of services provided by all types of shelters and sheltering organizations –now working on integrating work into daily shelter operations
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Inclusion of Aboriginal perspective in project implementation is essential to ensure cultural sensitivity and positive outcomes for Aboriginal families
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Financial stressors and not having basic needs met represented significant challenges for participating families. Mothers and children cannot participate effectively when they are hungry or sick or have no place to sleep.
“Finding a participant …who was in a right state of mind, not too high crisis [was a challenge]… we get so many women experiencing so much trauma, and this is just asking [for something] extra…their heads are just not in it”
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Recommendations • Provide a continuum of services to support attachment work •Provide hands-on clinical support • Advocate for additional resources • Support Aboriginal families in Alberta shelters • Use group format to engage and support families • Use an informal and flexible approach •Continue research and data collection 19
In Conclusion “The Children’s Project has proven time and time again to have brought mothers and children together with laughter, smiles and comfort. When we have a room full of children and mothers working with their children it is almost as though fireworks go off and everybody is happy. The children really seem to embrace the positive attention directed at them and seem very engaged in the activities.” -shelter staff
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Project Funders:
The Alberta Human Services Ministry United Way of Calgary and Area
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Contact Us: Supporting Inner Strength and Hope: ACWS Children’s Project Curriculum http://www.acws.ca/reports
ACWS Children’s Project Report http://www.acws.ca/collaborate-document/2258/view
Carolyn Goard
[email protected] 22