11

Helping Foster Parents Helping Foster Parents & Child Care Workers& Child Care Workers

Prevent Prevent and and

Reduce Reduce Adolescent Adolescent

Violence Violence

22

What is Violence?What is Violence?

Phsttt.. Rarow!!

Arghhhh! Ruff…Ruf

33

Common Types of Common Types of ViolenceViolence

• Aggressive and intimidating posturing or bullying

• Verbal threats of violence

• Physical fighting, sometimes including weapons

• Violent outbursts when challenged or confronted

• Date violence

• Gang violence

44

What influences What influences youth violence?youth violence?

• Belief that violence is an acceptable problem solving method or reaction

• Learned violence from family, community and media models

• Poor impulse control

• History of abuse or trauma

• Youth at-risk characteristics

• Risky Behavior

55

Assessing Assessing Adolescent Adolescent ViolenceViolence• History of violent and

aggressive behavior

• Poor impulse control

• Poor anger management and problem solving skills

• History of other risky or inappropriate behaviors

• Prior history of abuse, neglect or trauma

• Family or community violence that results in the belief that violence is acceptable

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Programs Targeting Programs Targeting Adolescent ViolenceAdolescent Violence

Anger Management, Problem Solving and Social Skills Training Programs

77

Programs Targeting Programs Targeting Adolescent ViolenceAdolescent Violence

Mentoring Programs

Out of Home Placement

88

Programs Targeting Programs Targeting Adolescent ViolenceAdolescent Violence

Bullying and Resisting GangsPrograms

Family Therapy

99

Mentoring Mentoring ProgramsPrograms

1010

Workers as MentorsWorkers as Mentors• What did you do that

provided mentoring?

• What was the response by the individual?

• Were there ever times when a youth let you know that something you did meant a lot to them?

• Who did you mentor?

1111

Anger Management Anger Management Training ComponentsTraining Components

• What is anger?

• What causes anger?

• How is anger different from aggression?

• What triggers anger in you?

• What are the external and internal cues that tell you that you’re angry?

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Addressing Anger Addressing Anger ManagementManagement(Reducing Anger Responses)(Reducing Anger Responses)

• Stop and think

• Attend to relevant cues

• Identify alternative responses and the benefits and consequences of each alternative

• What are alternatives to violent responses?

1313

Addressing Anger Addressing Anger ManagementManagement(Reducing Anger Responses)(Reducing Anger Responses)

• Use self control and relaxation skills

• Use assertive techniques

• Resist taunts

• Self evaluation

1414

8 Step Social Problem 8 Step Social Problem Solving ModelSolving Model

88

77

6655

44

33

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1. Is there a problem?

2. Stop and think.

3. Why is there a conflict?

4. What do I want?

5. Think of solutions.

6. Look at consequences.

7. Choose what to do and do it.

8. Evaluate the results.Guerra, N. G. & Slaby, R. G. (1990). Cognitive mediators of aggression in adolescent

offenders: 2. Intervention. Developmental Psychology, 26, 269-277.

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Pro-Social SkillsPro-Social Skills• Communication skills

• Negotiating skills

• Giving and receiving positive and negative feedback

• Recognizing and following social norms

• Controlling angry, surly, or sulking behavior

1616

Pro-Social SkillsPro-Social Skills• Using assertiveness to

express own needs

• Using appropriate conversational skills

• Social networking

• Avoiding alcohol and drug use

• Appropriate use of affection and sexual interactions

1717

Bullying…Bullying…• Is repetitive,

aggressive behavior that exercises power over the victim

• Includes behaviors such as teasing, gossiping, social exclusion, extortion, verbal attacks, and physical attacks.

1818

Preventing BullyingPreventing Bullying• Specific needs

assessed by workers and by youth

• Increased supervision

• Consequences for bullying behavior

• Eliminate the benefits of bullying

1919

Eliminating the Eliminating the benefits of Bullyingbenefits of Bullying

• Empowering youth to resist bullying

• Immediately respond to bullying– Punishments

– Talks with bullies and victims

– Coordination of responses

• Rules are regularly evaluated

2020

Gang Resistance TrainingGang Resistance Training

Discussions about:

• Impact of crime on communities and victims

• Cultural sensitivity

• Conflict management

• Personal responsibility and goal setting

• Meeting basic needs without joining a gang

2121

Confronting Beliefs Confronting Beliefs that Support Violencethat Support Violence

• Violence is not an effective way to solve problems or feel powerful or be in control when confronted.

• Consequences of violence

• Alternatives to violence that better solve the problem,

• Effects of community prejudice and ways to overcome that prejudice.

2222

Principles of Structure Principles of Structure & Limit Setting& Limit Setting

• Supervise activities

• Monitor youth whereabouts

• Make rules or expectations clear

• Help youth understand the rationale of rules

• Give youth input into rule formation

• Outcomes should be predictable

2323

Principles of Structure Principles of Structure & Limit Setting& Limit Setting• Rewards include social

reinforcement and tangible reinforcement

• Natural consequences are more effective

• Avoid long-term consequences

• Flexible rules are more effective

• Following rules is a learning process

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Did Parents…Did Parents…• Monitor adolescent’s

whereabouts?

• Make rules clear, flexible and predictable?

• Explain rationale for rules and give teen some input?

• Use natural, short-term consequences?

• Include rewards?

• Remember that following rules is a learning process?

2525

Effective Residential Effective Residential Care StrategiesCare Strategies

• Structure and behavior regulation

• Consistency and predictability of adaptive demands

• Autonomy and individuality

• Emotional support

• Trustworthiness of staff

2626

Effective Foster CareEffective Foster Care• Shows adult

involvement and mentoring is more effective than peer group interventions in reducing problem behavior.

2727

Foster Care Foster Care ComponentsComponents

• Individualized, structured foster home placements

• Clear rules and consequences

• Focus on adolescent’s strengths

• Daily telephone contact and weekly meetings

• Weekly individual counseling

• Weekly sessions with parents

• Gradually increasing time for home visitation

2828

Family Therapy Family Therapy ProgramsPrograms • Individualized treatment plans

• Focus on strengths and resilience,

• Use of multiple levels of intervention (e.g., individual, family, community, peers, school)

• Improve the relationships between youth and parents

• Improving parental limit setting, monitoring and discipline

2929

Skills Training Skills Training ComponentsComponents

• Anger management

• Problem-solving

• Pro-social skills

• Increased awareness of consequences of violence and refuting beliefs supporting violence

• Effective use of structure, limit-setting, and consequences by parents and other caretakers

3030

Common Common Characteristics of Characteristics of Treatment Treatment ApproachesApproaches• Tailored to meet the

individual needs

• Involve collaboration and coordination

• Use a strengths and resilience approach

• Encourage positive relationships with parents and non-parental adults

3131

Primary Change Primary Change MechanismsMechanisms

• Behavioral changes

• Cognitive changes

• Focus on learning

• Focus on positive

• Intensive, collaborative, coordinated treatment

3232

Implementing Implementing InterventionsInterventions

• Fitting components into present treatment plans

• Some treatment interventions are already part of the treatment plan or are logical extensions of elements already in the plan

• Collaborating with existing service providers

• You don’t have to do everything yourself

• Identifying existing services and referral networks

3333

Implementing Implementing Interventions (cont)Interventions (cont)• Accommodating agency

structure and policies

• Identifying barriers to implementing strategies for preventing or reducing adolescent violence

• Using supportive evidence of intervention effectiveness

• Using a step by step approach (all items do not have to be implemented at once)

• Emphasizing linkage with other service providers (unless that is one of the barriers)

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The End…The End…