Practitioners' experiences of working with families with complex needs

Area of Science:

• Social Work
• Clinical Psychology
• Family Studies

Background:

• Family-sensitive approaches benefit parents and children but have limited adoption.
• Practitioners face unique challenges with families impacted by parental mental illness and/or substance abuse.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify practitioner challenges when working with families with complex needs.
• Present effective strategies for addressing the needs of these families.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative framework utilizing 21 semi-structured interviews and 3 focus groups with 10 practitioners.
• Data collected over 15 months within an organization supporting a family-sensitive approach.

Main Results:

• Identified multifaceted family problems, inter-agency collaboration issues, and staff turnover as key challenges.
• Effective strategies include goal negotiation, strength-based practice, and managing competing child/parent needs.

Conclusions:

• Practitioner experiences reveal significant barriers to family-sensitive care.
• Targeted strategies focusing on collaboration, strengths, and balanced needs management are crucial for successful interventions.