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Child Developmental Theory Applied to Foster Placement Decisions ji 41 I.. ':;.'• T •' ' 4 t' -J IP 14 ry 1 "510 05 Rp It I zJ J I .1 I 1 IIpjr:; 4 J I CHILD DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY APPLIED TO FOSTER PLACEMENT DECISIONS A dissertation submitted to the Institute for Clinical Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Social Work. go GERALDINE EGBERT CHESNUT June 12, 1983 c 1983 GERALDINE EGBERT CHESNUT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED e INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK Child Developmental Theory Applied to Foster Placement Decisions by GERALDINE EGBERT CHESNUT Doctoral Committee i7vz4c1 & /783 Chairperson Verneice Thompson, Ph. Dde Date Commi 1 ) IV5 Daé Consá[tant ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Since entering the doctoral program, many people have been helpful and supportive of my project which has been greatly encouraging. Several persons were of unusual help and I would like to give them particular recognition. First, I wish to give special thanks to my committee: to Verneice Thompson Ph.D., Chairman for her invaluable help in completing this dissertation; to Elizabeth Eisenhuth Ph.D. for her unflagging interest and willingness to deal with details and to consultant Sylvia Sussman, Ph.D. for her expertise in analyzing the structural problems. My thanks also to consultant Katherine Godlewski Ph.D., whose grasp of the project's practicality added another dimension, i.e. the emphasis on parenting. To Calvin Settlage, M.D., consultant on questions of theory, I extend my gratitude for his, generous efforts in the clarification and application of Margaret Mahler's theory to the case material. To Albert Kastl, Ph.D., consultant on research methodology and in setting up the research design, I offer my great appreciation. To my mentor for two-years, Paul Saxton Ph.D., who recognized the potential value of this study to the field of child welfare and encouraged me in my pursuit of this research project, I offer my appreciation. To Barbara Brown, my word processing specialist and to all my editors, I express my gratitude, especially to Gabriella Mautner. Lastly, my conversations with friends, administrators and colleagues contributed to this project in a variety of ways; their willingness to listen, make suggestions and share ideas served to keep my interest and enthusiasm alive throughout this period. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction Statement of the Question and Research Goals Il. Permanency Planning: A Review of the Literature 7 Ill. Developmental Theories and Articles: A Review of the Literature 43 Anna Freud: Lines of Development Erik Erikson: Eight Stages of Man Margaret Mahler: Separation-individuation Process Rene Spitz: Organizer of the Psyche John Bowlby: Theory of Attachment Stella Chess and Alexander Thomas: Critque of Bowlby's Theory of Attachment Hansi Kennedy: Application of Developmental Theory to Child Welfare J. Alexis Burlcind: Application of Developmental Theory to Foster Placement IV. Methodology 84 Case Illustrations The Method The Sample: Identifying Data Individual Cases Analytic Procedures Case Illustrations 98. Adam Joel Jon and Simone Tommy Ann Discussion of the Data 1064 Effects of Placement Parenting Foster Parenting Discussion of the Guidelines Guidelines to Foster Placement Decisions Conclusions . 184 Evaluation of Developmental Theories Education and Training The Placement Worker and the Bureaucracy Permanency Planning Future Investigations Limitations Selected Bibliography V LIST OF TABLES Page Table A: Characteristics of Children and Adolescents 92 in the Sample Table B: J. Theories of Normal Development 183 Psychopathology and Placement Interventions. vi AITI A C'T This research poses the question: Can psychoanalytical developmental thbry be integrated into foster placement decisions in a ,useful, practical and systematic way? And if so, can some guidelines for its use be developed? California Senate Bill 14 mandates that all foster placement decisions be based upon the legislation of permanency planning. The research that led to this legislation and the concepts that grew out of this research are reviewed and analyzed. Next, the work of five major developmental theorists, Anna Freud, Erik Erikson, Margaret Mahler, Rene Spitz and John Bowbly, is reviewed. Each of the mentioned authors contributed to an overall theory of development that is based on Freud's theory of psychosexual stages, and ego psychology. The research proceeds by using the researcher's experience in the day to day application of these theories to her cases. Six cases are presented in which the theories of the five theorists reviewed heavily influenced placement decisions. The methodology employed is that of a descriptive analytical study. The researcher describes her case work. She analyzes how and for what reasons decisions are made, and proceeds to develop guidelines for the use of developmental theory by other workers making child placement decisions. The six case studies illustrate how a worker can make decisions based upon theory. The practical use of these theories posed a problem. Each theory is complex and application required a great deal of study and reflection, certainly more than had been anticipated before commencing this study. Development of a set of guidelines was an attempt to simplify application of this body of knowledge for use by others. From each case the researcher was able to develop at least one guideline for placement decisions and one description of parenting needs for the particular developmental stage that each case represents. The findings indicate that certain theories may be more applicable than others for certain cases. Often, more than one theory is beneficial in understanding a particular problem in a child. The developmental theory most applicable to all the cases is Margaret Mahler's theory of the Separation- Individuation Process. This psychological theory, helps to identify the phase of the earliest developmental arrest in a child. It enhances an accurate assessment of the child in his present situation, and maximizes the selection of an appropriate placement beneficial to the child. Conclusions of this research contain a comparison of the theories and discussion of the effects of placement experiences on the children. Placement results are not linked to specific factors in the placement selected but reflect how the child or adolescent fared in general from the particular placement experience. Although I cannot prove that application of the theories led to correct decisions they seemed to work on a clinical level in decision making. The guidelines developed by systematizing what the researcher did can serve to inform other placement workers in their application of the theories. These guidelines specify general concepts regarding the use or avoidance of placement and the kind of parenting indicated in terms of a child's developmental needs. Implications for educational and inservice training are addressed and the possibilities for future investigations delineated. CHAPTER I Introduction In the last decade, the theory and results of social work practice have come under heavy fire both from within and without the profession. At the time of this writing, 1981, governmental assistance is being deeply cut back, and the limitations in funds are causing careful review of priorities. Concepts are being examined which will influence social services workers and their charges for years to come. Within this overall context this dissertation explores a new clinical perspective for responsible decision making in the foster placement of children. In my role as a placement worker I am continually concerned about the effects on children of placement deicions. The list of possible decisions is long: to recommend removal of a child and choose a foster family; to attempt to maintain him in his own home by setting up supportive services; to move a child from one home to another or to an institution; and to determine at what point he and his family are ready for him to move home. Although final decisions are often made by the court, the burden of analyzing the long lasting effects of this researcher's decisions on the child remain the same. Within this frame of reference I have become aware of the potential usefulness of psychoanalytic developmental theory in this decision making process. I am still wondering why such theories are employed so infrequently. Psychoanalytic developmental theory is an overall theory of development contributed to by the thinking of a number of theorists, including Sigmund Freud who proposed the theory of the psychosexual stages. It is an attempt to understand the psychological growth and development of a person from infancy throughout the life cycle. As I became more familiar with those theories, I began to speculate on how they might be important in contributing to planning for a child's future. After studying several major developmental theorists and applying their ideas in my professional practice, I became eager to explore and demonstrate how this body of knowledge might be used by other social workers in their decision making processes. Criticism of the placement system first became widespread in the early 1970's and the faults of the system were carefully analyzed by a number of distinguished researchers. Alfred Kadushin, in "Children in Foster Families and Institutions," summarized the problem: We still lack a clearly defined theory of substitute care which might result in an orchestration of programmatic research. We still depend heavily on intuition, common sense and practice wisdom for the work we
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