Caseworkers' perceptions of protective services clients' parental functioning: Toward an ecological integration

Bronfenbrenner's ecological model (1979; 1989) can provide caseworkers hope for client change with the use of this framework to order data, thus bridging research and practice. The ecological model was used to design this study of relationships between caseworkers, mothers and their children. Caseworkers' perceptions of mothers with whom they were working, the mothers' perceptions of their own parental functioning and their preschoolers' competence, and the preschoolers' self-esteem and cognitive functioning were examined. Caseworkers and 18 mother-child dyads were measured. Caseworkers' initial impressions of the mothers were correlated with positive developments in the relationship and more effective casework. Mothers, whose caseworkers reported them as less responsible for their children, perceived themselves as more severely controlling, irritable, avoidant of communication, and more dependent. The children's standard scores were congruent with the mothers' estimates of the children's cognitive and physical competence, thus suggesting these mothers were knowledgeable about two domains of their children's functioning. The ecological model requires the examination of interactions at different levels, and the inherent reciprocity of relationships. This perspective may contribute to training in child welfare, thus extending the potential effectiveness of caseworkers.