1. The Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work presents: The Knee Center for Strong Families

2. Ethics Case & Discussion Status of Families in Oklahoma Challenges Facing Oklahoma Families Strengthening Oklahoma Families Invitation to provide feedback on the development of the Knee Center

3. Please refer to the ethics handout at this time.

4. Married nuclear families Joint-custody families Cohabiting families Single-parent families Voluntary child-free families Involuntary child-free families Blended and stepfamilies Families headed by gay men or lesbians Grandparent-led families (Cole, Clark, & Gable, no date)

5. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in Oklahoma in 2007, 7,300 marriages occurred and 5,200 divorces were granted. In 2008, 47% of Oklahoma children were living in low income households as compared to the national average of 41%. In 2008, 52% of low income children lived in a single parent household, compared to 27% of low income children who had married parents. 26% of same-sex couples in Oklahoma are raising children under the age of 18. National Center for Child in Poverty, 2008; National Center for Health Statistics, 2007.

6. Poverty and Economic Support Mental Illness Addiction Health HIV/AIDS Incarceration Childcare Emotional & Physical Abuse Marriage & family formation (divorce, gay marriage, teen pregnancy & single parent families) Long term caregiving

7. If researchers study only family problems, they are likely to find only family problems. Similarly, if educators, community organizers, therapists and researchers are interested in family strengths, they look for them. When these strengths are identified, they can become the foundation for continued growth and positive change in a family and a society.

8. 147 babies are born 6 of the babies are born to children 58 of the babies are born without adequate prenatal care 11 of the babies are born too small 171 allegations of serious child abuse and/or neglect are investigated 35 incidents are confirmed to be child abuse and/or neglect 16 children quit high school without graduating 59 children are arrested for a crime 2 of those are arrested for a violent crime, like rape or murder At least 2 young people will die 1 of those will be a baby

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

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

12. 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 & McCubbin, 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 & McCubbin, 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)

14. Youth Services - over 40 Behavioral Health Agencies - over 200 Though there are many family service providers throughout the state, many do not have social workers on staff, especially in rural areas. Therefore, there is a strength and a policy issue for us as social workers.

15. 1990Child Care and Development Block Grant 1992Child Support Recovery Act 1993Family Medical Leave Act 1993Family Preservation and Support Act 1993International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act 1993Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act 1993National Child Protection Act 1994Educate America Act 1994Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders Act 1994Federal Budget 1994Violence Against Women Act 1996Debt Collection and Improvement Act 1996Defense of Marriage Act 1996Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act 1996Telecommunications Reform Law 1997Adoption and Safe Family Act 1997Balanced Budget Act Existing Family Policies Enacted in the Last 20 years

16. 1998Adult Education and Family Literacy Act 1998Deadbeat Parents Act 1999Wetterling Act (Sexually Violent Offenders Registration) 2000Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act 2000Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act 2000Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act 2001USA Patriot Act 2001No Child Left Behind Act 2002Education Science Reform Act 2003The Keeping Children and Families Safe Act 2005Fair Access Foster Care Act 2006Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act 2006Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act 2006Child and Family Services Improvement Act 2006Lifespan Respite Care Act 2006Tax Relief and Health Care Act 2008Higher Education Opportunity Act 2009Fair Labor Standards Act 2009Education Begins at Home Act Existing Family Policies Enacted from 1998 to present

17. Family policy focuses specifically on these four family functions: Family creationChildrearing Economic supportFamily care giving

18. The family often serves as the failsafe in the US with its small social safety net (i.e., government antipoverty programs). When safety nets are smaller and less certain, families serve more prominent roles as health care providers, educators, social workers, and personnel managers for their members.

19. Social workers, with their specialized training and skills, are sorely needed all over Oklahoma Social work is one of the fastest growing careers in the US Health related jobs are on the rise

20. The Knee Center Mission The Knee Center for Strong Families is dedicated to strengthening families in Oklahoma through research, service, policy, and practice. 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. Possible projects: Visiting lectureships, workshops, seminars, meetings of scholars, conferences, symposia, and forums Planning grants or “seed money” to develop programs that might have continuous funding from other sources Underwrite research on the planning and development of educational programs to enhance family life in Oklahoma

21. 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 How can we help you strengthen Oklahoma families?

24. American Network of Community Options and Resources, 2005. Oklahoma Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.ancor.org/issues/medicaid/statefactsheets/oklahoma.pdf on October 6th, 2009. Barnhill, L. (1979). Healthy family systems. Family Coordinator. 22: 94-100. Bellah, R.N. (1990). The invasion of the money world. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, & J.B. Elshtain (Eds.), Rebuilding the nest: A new commitment to the American family (p. 3-25). Milwaukee, WI: Family Service America. Blankenhorn, D. (1990). American family dilemmas. In D. Blankenhorn, S. Bayme, & J. Elshtain (Eds.). Rebuilding the nest: A new commitment to the American family (p. 3-25). Milwaukee, WI: Family Service America. Bogenschneide, K. (2000). Has Family Policy Come of Age? A Decade Review of the State of U.S. Family Policy in the 1990s. Journal of Marriage and Family. Vol. 62, 49. p. 1136-1159. Children’s Defense Fund, 2008. Children’s Defense Fund. Retrieved from www.childrensdefense.org on October 6 h, 2009. Cole, K., Clark, J., & Gable, S. Promoting Family Strengths. University of Missouri Extension. http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/hesguide/humanrel/gh6640.htm. no date DeFrain. J. (1994). Family strengths and challenges in the South Pacific: an exploratory study. International Journal of the Sociology of the Family. 24, 2, 25-47. Doherty, W.J., Kouneski, E.F., & Erikson, M.F. (1998). Responsible father: An overview and conceptual framework. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 60, 277-292. Eastman, M. (1996). Myths of marriage and family. In D., Popenoe, J.B, Elshtain, & D. Blankenhorn (Eds). Promises to keep: decline & renewal of marriage in America (p. 35-68). Lanham, MD. Rowman & Littlefield. Forthofer, M.S., Markman, H.J., Cox, M., Stanley, S., & Kessler, R.C. (1996). Associations between marital distress and work loss in a national sample. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 58, 597-605.

25. Giele, J.Z. (1996). Decline of the family: Conservative, Liberal & feminist views. In D., Popenoe, J.B, Elshtain, & D. Blankenhorn (Eds). Promises to keep: decline & renewal of marriage in America (p. 271-290). Lanham, MD. Rowman & Littlefield. Kane, R.A., Kane, R.L., & Ladd, R.c. (1998). The heart of long-term care. New York: Oxford University Press. McCubbin, H. I. McCubbin, M. A., (1988) Typologies of resilient families: Emerging roles of social class and ethnicity. Family Relations, 37, 247–254 National Center for Child in Poverty, 2008. National Center for Child in Poverty. Retrieved from www.nccp.org on October 6 th, 2009. National Center for Health Statistics, 2007. National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/nchs on October 6th, 2009. National Institute of Corrections, 2007. Statistics for the State of Oklahoma. Retrieved from http://nicic.gov/Features/StateStats/?State=OK on October 6 th, 2009. Oklahoma Child Care Resource and Referral Association, 2008. 2008 Oklahoma Child Care and Early Education Portfolio. Retrieved from http://www.oklahomachildcare.org/news/718 on October 6th, 2009. Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, 2009. Oklahoma Kids Count Factbook 2009. Retrieved from http://www.odl.state.ok.us/kids/factbook/kidscount2009/intro.html on October 6th, 2009. Oklahoma Mental Health Consumer Council, 2009. Oklahoma Mental Health Consumer Council. Retrieved from www.omhcc.org on October 6 th, 2009. Ooms, T. (1990). Family and government: Implements a family perspective in public policy. Social Thought, 16, 61- 78. Saleebey, D. (2006). The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice (4 th ed.). Pearson Education Inc. Boston, MA. Schor, J.P. (1991). The overworked American: The unexpected decline of leisure (p.122). NY: Basic Books. Tocqueville, A. (1945). Democracy in America (Vol. 2). New York: Vintage Books. Wolfe, A. (1998) Developing civil society: Can the workplace replace bowling? The Responsive Community: Rights and Responsibilities. 8, 41-47.