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    Key indicators:
  • Family Management indicators include Child Abuse and Neglect, Poor family Management, and Average Daily Non-Attendance. Family Conflict indicators include High Family Conflict, Divorce, Domestic Violence Arrests.

  • Poor family management practices include lack of clear expectations for behavior, failure of parents to monitor their children (knowing where they are and who they're with), and excessively severe or inconsistent punishment. Such practices place children at higher risk for alcohol and other drug use.

  • Persistent serious conflict between primary caregivers or between caregivers and children appears to increase overall risk for children raised in these families.

  • Conflict between family members appears to be more important than the family structure. Regardless of family structure, children raised in families high in conflict appear to be at risk for all problem behaviors.


    Rationale for prioritizing risk factor:
  • These two risk factors are intricately connected, which made combining the two a sensible step in the process.

  • Children who live in violent homes are less likely to stay at home, have a lowered school success rate, and are less likely to be supervised by a parent. They are also more likely to turn to violence, drugs, and alcohol, and to become chronic, serious, violent offenders.

  • Additionally, they are at an increased risk of being physically abused themselves (a 1500% greater chance according to the 1993 Oregon SCF Cohort Study).

  • A study of violent inmates in San Quentin prison found that 100% of them experienced extreme violence between the ages of one and ten. The overall scores within these two risk factors, combined with Baker's extremely high rate of child abuse and juvenile arrests, make these combined factors of imminent importance.

  • Several workgroup members expressed the family as the base from which all else emanates. Without a solid, positive, and strong family support system, children are more likely to turn to high-risk behavior. Unless these factors are addressed, it is unlikely that the others will be prevented or reduced.

  • The numbers in this group are generally well above the state rates, and in several indicators are considerably higher. The trend is towards an increase in at least half of the indicators, and these two risk factors cluster with each of the other factors.

  • Also noticeable about this risk factor is that it affects all developmental phases of a child, from birth through adulthood.