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| Assessment and Training to Improve Outcomes in Child Welfare, Residential Placements, and Forensic Interviewing |
| Saturday, May 24, 2025 |
| 4:00 PM–5:50 PM |
| Convention Center, Street Level, 156 |
| Area: CSS; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Marqueline Cenatus (University of South Florida) |
| Discussant: Deborah A. Napolitano (Daemen University) |
| CE Instructor: Marqueline Cenatus, M.S. |
| Abstract: The present symposium will address the challenges faced by underserved populations, particularly youth and staff in child welfare and residential settings, as well as forensic interviews. Various assessments and interventions will be discussed to target behavioral issues and skill deficits in these populations. The first presentation of the symposium will discuss the effectiveness of Behavioral Skills Training (BST) for training staff in group homes to conduct descriptive assessments. The second presentation will discuss the use of Functional Assessment Interview for Runaways (FAIR) to develop individualized interventions for youth in child welfare settings who exhibit runaway behavior. The third presentation will analyze the effects of emotion induction on responses to resident behavior in a residential facility setting. Lastly, the fourth presentation will examine the impact of interviewer behavior on the accuracy of children's responses during various questioning techniques. The symposium will conclude with a discussion on practical implications and future directions for assessment and intervention strategies for underserved individuals in these settings. |
| Instruction Level: Advanced |
| Keyword(s): child welfare, forensic interviews, Residential staff |
| Target Audience: Necessary prerequisite skills for this symposium include an understanding of assessment and intervention development, staff training, response accuracy, and motivating operations. |
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the importance of training staff in conducting descriptive assessments in group home settings.
2. Understand the impact of individualized interventions for addressing runaway behavior in youth within child welfare settings.
3. Describe the potential impacts of emotion induction on responses to resident behavior in residential facility settings.
4. Understand the importance of individual differences in response accuracy on interviewer questioning techniques |
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| Training Direct Care Group Home Staff to Collect Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence Data |
| MARQUELINE CENATUS (University of South Florida), Asha Fuller (Intermountain Centers), Kimberly Crosland (University of South Florida), Michelle Wood (Children’s Home Network) |
| Abstract: Child welfare settings often lack readily-available behavior analysts, yet youth may exhibit a wide array of challenging behavior. Furthermore, despite the prevalence of these challenges, direct care staff in child welfare settings receive minimal to no training in behavior management. This highlights the need for training staff on evidence-based assessments such as descriptive assessments to develop interventions that address the identified antecedents and consequences that evoke the challenging behavior. Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is an effective method for training staff on a variety of skills, but there is limited information on its effectiveness for teaching group home staff to conduct descriptive assessments. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of BST on teaching direct care staff in a residential group home how to collect structured Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC) data on youth behavior using a non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants. Results showed that four out of five staff members achieved 100% accuracy in collecting structured ABC data following BST, with one participant requiring additional peer training. These findings suggest that BST may be an effective training method for group home staff to improve services for youth with diverse needs in child welfare settings. |
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| Decreasing Runaway Behavior in Foster Care: Virtual Training and Consultation of Caseworkers |
| ASHA FULLER (Intermountain Centers), Kimberly Crosland (University of South Florida), Arturo Garcia (University of South Florida), Emily Ullrich (SAFY of America) |
| Abstract: Runaway behavior in child welfare has been associated with various negative outcomes, including a higher risk for future placement disruptions, crime victimization, and crime perpetration along with negative educational outcomes. Common interventions for youth who repeatedly run from their placements include placement changes or therapy, yet an individualized approach may better address the function of each youth’s runaway behavior. The Functional Assessment Interview for Runaways (FAIR) is a semi-structured interview used to develop individualized interventions for runaway behavior for youth in child welfare settings. The current study virtually trained caseworkers in six states to use the FAIR and develop individualized interventions to address the function of youth runaway behavior and consulted with the caseworkers once a month to assist in intervention planning. Results from the FAIR assessments conducted by caseworkers and their developed interventions will be discussed for each youth. In addition, future directions for individualized interventions within child welfare settings and collaboration with child welfare agencies will be discussed. |
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| Emotion as a Motivating Operation for Providing Consequences: A Reverse Translational Simulation |
| ASHLEY ANDERSON (Auburn University), John T. Rapp (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: Researchers randomly assigned 61 undergraduate students to one of three groups: (a) anger induction, (b) happy induction, or (c) neutral induction (control). Participants in each group received a specific induction procedure and then responded from the perspective of a residential staff member to four vignettes, each of which depicted a resident who engaged in either appropriate behavior or problem behavior. Although the intended emotions were induced for each group, results indicated the emotion induction did not alter participants’ responses to resident behavior. However, additional analyses indicated that resident’s problem behavior, as described in the vignettes, significantly influenced participants’ responses. Specifically, results suggest that after participants responded to a hypothetical resident's problem behavior, they (a) increased their removal of points for the resident’s subsequent problem behavior (i.e., increased a parameter of negative punishment) and (b) decreased their delivery of points for the resident’s appropriate behavior (i.e., decreased a parameter of positive reinforcement). We discuss the clinical implications of these preliminary findings for staff members’ behavior in residential facilities. |
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Children’s Idiosyncratic Responding to Leading Questions in a Simulated Forensic Interview |
| AMINA BOUKHRIS (West Virginia University), Ray Joslyn (West Virginia University), Hope Weber (West Virginia University), Alani Beauchamp (University of Florida), Khin Aye (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) |
| Abstract: The current study investigated the effects of interviewer behavior on the accuracy of children's responses, addressing gaps in the literature which has focused on group designs that often overlook individual differences. Previous research has yielded inconsistent findings regarding how children respond to various questioning techniques, such as leading questions. The current study replicated and extended prior work by evaluating children’s responses accuracy under three conditions. In each, children watched a video and answered questions about its content by providing a “yes” or a “no” answer. In the baseline condition, general questions about events of the videos were asked (e.g., Did Scooby eat a sandwich?). In the first leading condition (Leading 1), leading questions were presented that all lead the participant to incorrect answers, while in the second leading condition (Leading 2), questions alternated between leading to correct and incorrect answers. Results showed variability in the effects of leading questions on the accuracy of the responses: some children provided consistently inaccurate responses, while others did not demonstrate any meaningful difference in accuracy across conditions. This study highlights the importance of considering individual differences in response accuracy depending on the interviewer questioning techniques. |
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