Child neglect, wellbeing and resilience. Adopting an arts based

approach.

Research Methodologies and Arts Based Approaches to Resilience and Neglect

Lifespan approaches to neglect and resilience.

What does research tell us about neglect, resilience and wellbeing?

Brigid DanielProfessor of Social Work,

University of StirlingAcknowledgements – Julie Taylor, Jane

Scott, Cheryl Burgess, Action for Children , DFES, ESRC, Scottish Government, Nuffield Foundation

Images of children from ‘Early Years’ ©NHS Health Scotland, 2011 and from approved image sources

Scottish Operational DefinitionNeglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. It may involve a parent or carer failing

to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or to ensure access to appropriate medical

care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or failure to respond to, a child’s basic emotional needs. Neglect may also result in the child

being diagnosed as suffering from „non-organic failure to thrive‟, where they have significantly failed to reach normal weight and

growth or development milestones and where physical and genetic reasons have been medically eliminated in its extreme form children

can be at serious risk from the effects of malnutrition, lack of nurturing and stimulation. This can lead to serious long-term effects such as

greater susceptibility to serious childhood illnesses and reduction in potential stature. With young children in particular, the consequences

may be life-threatening within a relatively short period of time.(Scottish Government, 2014)

Emotional neglect

‘…the air some children have to

breathe…’

(Minty, 2005)

There have been children I

worry about when I go home at night

Head Teacher

Neglect is essentially unmet need

The framework from GIRFEC suggests that children need support to be:

Safe HealthyAchieving NurturedActive RespectedResponsible Included

Neglect can compromise any, or all, of these developmental domains.

There can be direct and indirect consequences throughout the lifespan.

Complex issues of culpability and intentComplex set of associations between poverty and neglect,

danger of stigma, balanced with need to - Recognise the corrosive effects of poverty and parenting.Need to separate recognition of the impact of neglect on

children from assumptions about response.Range of possible responses from public health approaches <->

child protection procedures <-> permanent removal from home.

‘neglect occurs when a basic need of a child is not met, regardless of the cause’.

(Dubowitz et al. 1993)

Accumulation over lifeOnset of neglect during adolescence – often due to

changes in family composition – being abandoned, being forced to leave home or being included in drug cultures (Hicks and Stein, 2010).

An accumulation of adversities can continue into adult life.

Many parents of neglected children are also suffering from the effects of cumulative harm of their past and current experiences .

Resilience‘...a phenomenon or process

reflecting relatively positive adaptation despite

experiences of adversity or trauma.’

(Luthar, 2005)

ResilienceExperience of adversity – chronic and / or acute

Better well-being than might be expected

A child is more likely to develop resilience if he or she has:

1. the sense of security that comes from a good attachment relationship and access to extended family and community support,

2. the appreciation of his or her own worth and the worth of others that is associated with good self-esteem,

3. the sense of mastery and insight into personal strengths and limitations that leads to high self-efficacy.

Family under stress

Parents separate

Mother meets new violent partner

Young person misses considerable amount of school

Becomes depressed and isolated

Adult wellbeing

Family under stress

Parents separate

Parent obtains support

Young person supported into a creative activity

Supportive network

Adult wellbeing

I HAVE....people who love me and help me (security and stability)

I AM......a person who others like and who is considerate of others (identity and worth)

I CAN....solve problems and exert self-control (participation and involvement)

(Grotberg 1997)

Neglect and resilienceNeglected children are:

less likely to develop these key building blocks of resilience and are

less likely to have access to the wider protective processes and, therefore,

potentially have much to gain from creative opportunities aimed at promotion of resilience.

However - Resilience approaches criticised for being

overly individualised and maintaining structural inequality.

Many projects aim and claim to nurture resilience, but lack of clarity about intended routes and outcomes.

Approaches need to be tailored for individuals to avoid reinforcing low self-esteem and self-efficacy.

A ‘fifth wave’ of resilience‘overcoming adversity, whilst also potentially

subtly changing, or even dramatically transforming, (aspects) of that adversity…

When adversities are linked to inequality and disadvantage there is potential for resilience-based interventions to have an emancipatory

function…’(Hart et al, 2013)

http://boingboing.org.uk/index.php/what-is-resilience?id=50:defining-resilience&catid=1

Working with the areas most amenable to influence

Improvements in one domain can have positive a knock-on effect to other domains.

Involvement in interests and activities offer opportunities for marginalized young people to ‘join or re-join the mainstream’.

Leisure time may be ‘more within the influence of the social worker or other caregivers’.

Activities can be enjoyable in their own right, but also provide access to supporting relationships.

(Gilligan, 1999)

Foster ‘resilience strings’Secure baseEducationFriendshipsTalents and

interestsPositive valuesSocial

competencies(From Ann Masten’s framework)

Review of role of cultural arts programs in developing social, emotional, behavioural and artistic skills in at-risk youths in US:arts program for incarcerated juvenile offenderstheatre–based youth violence prevention programurban arts youth program including a career development

componentcommunity-based after school arts based program for low-income

familiesarts and literacy based program.

generally positive results; BUT few programmes compare difference between different types of artistic mediums

and outcomes (e.g. visual arts, music, academia and social achievement).

need stronger evaluation over time using well planned methodologies.

(Stinson, 2009)

Take care about unintended consequences Retrospective interviews with 40 adults aged 18-30 years

who had spent at least three years in foster care. Using concepts of attachment and resilience analysed

narratives about participation in activities.Being encouraged to get involved with and take pleasure

from activities ‘merged with their general sense of reliable, sensitive care’ BUT

for some, memories were related to ‘a more unsettling combination of harsh treatment alongside high expectation to perform’.

(Schofield, 2002)

Creative artsHave the potential to influence developmental pathways

for the better with lifetime lasting effects.Can nurture the building blocks of resilience, especially

self-esteem and self-efficacyHowever, it is important to pitch activities at the right

level to pose the right level of achievable challenge.For children whose lives are so impoverished we

shouldn’t overlook the benefits of creativity for its own sake and the intense joy and satisfaction it can engender.

Questions for discussion1. How can the creative arts be made more accessible to

neglected children whose parents often lack the resources and capacity to encourage their involvement?

2. How might you ensure that any new talents and interests are appropriately pitched at the child’s individual developmental level and capacity and are not overwhelming?

3. In what ways can the creative arts help to promote the capacity for neglected children to say ‘I have’; ‘I am’ and ‘I can’?

4. What concrete examples can you offer of the successful involvement of neglected children in creative arts that have nurtured the building blocks of resilience?

Dubowitz, H., Black, M.M., Starr, R.H. and Zuravin, S. (1993) ‘A conceptual definition of child neglect.’ Criminal Justice and Behavior, 20, 1, 8–26.Gilligan R. Beyond permanence? - The importance of resilience in child placement practice and planning. Adoption and Fostering 1997;21:12-20.

Gilligan R. (1997) Beyond permanence? - The importance of resilience in child placement practice and planning. Adoption and Fostering;21:12-20.

Gilligan R (1999). Enhancing the resilience of children and young people in public care by mentoring their talents and interests. Child and Family Social Work, 4:187-196.

Hicks, L. & Stein, M. (2010) Neglect Matters: A Multi-Agency Guide for Professionals Working Together on Behalf of Teenagers. London: Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Minty, B (2005) ‘The nature of emotional child neglect and abuse.’ In J Taylor & B Daniel (eds) Child Neglect: Practice Issues for Health and Social Care, pp.57-72. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Schofield G. (2002) The significance of a secure base: A psychosocial model of long-term foster care. Child and Family Social Work, 7:259-272.

Scottish Government (2014) National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland, Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

Stinson A.(2009) A review of cultural art programs and outcomes for at-risk youths. Best Practices in Mental Health,5:10-25