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SUPPORTING NEW PARENTS: WHAT THEY ASK FOR, WHAT WE OFFER AND WHAT THEY GET: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF SERVICE USE IN PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL

Presenters: Sandra Lyons, Julie Spielberger

Abstract Category: Prevention  

Instruction Level: Beginner

Presentation: Click Here

Description:      

Findings about service use and family functioning from a longitudinal study of mothers-of-newborns in four communities that are home to the most “at risk” families in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Abstract: 

This presentation draws on data from the Longitudinal Study of Service Use in Palm Beach County, Florida to illuminate mothers-of-newborns’ use of and views on services in four communities that are home to the most “at risk” families in Palm Beach County, including a high proportion of immigrants.  Mothers participating in this study (N=531) were recruited through two maternal health programs at the time of their newborns’ birth in 2004 and 2005.  Mothers and their families will be followed for eight years to assess their service needs, their service use, family functioning, and child well-being.  Ultimately, the study will examine the impact of service use on child abuse and neglect, children’s readiness for kindergarten, and third grade academic performance.  All mothers will be surveyed annually for eight years, and a subgroup of 50 mothers has been selected to participate in annual qualitative interviews for three years.  In addition, the study receives the mothers’ administrative records from a variety of public agencies and service providers including Florida’s child welfare agency.  The presentation will focus on what the study has learned over the newborns’ first two years of life about families’ service use patterns and functioning.