Exploring How Advocacy Influences Policy Decisions

172 Pages·2015·1.27 MB·English

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Rebecca Jane Miller Updike
University of Denver
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EXPLORING HOW ADVOCACY INFLUENCES POLICY DECISIONS
REGARDING CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT:
PERSPECTIVES OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN COLORADO
__________

A Dissertation
Presented to
The Morgridge College of Education
University of Denver
__________
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
__________

by
Rebecca Jane Miller Updike
November 2013
Advisor: Gloria E. Miller, Ph.D.
© Copyright by Rebecca Jane Miller Updike 2013
All Rights Reserved
Author: Rebecca Jane Miller Updike
Title: Exploring How Advocacy Influences Policy Decisions Regarding Child Abuse and
Neglect: Perspectives of Political Leaders in Colorado
Advisor: Gloria E. Miller, Ph.D.
Degree Date: November 2013

ABSTRACT
This exploratory case study examined the perspectives of state-level elected
officials regarding what influences policy decisions related to child abuse and neglect
issues. By interviewing six former state-level elected officials, the study explored what
policy makers believe about their ability to impact child abuse policies, how they define,
and ways they have experienced. evidence-based policy, and what they know about risk
factors and protective factors with regard to child abuse-related policy. The study design
was inspired by the Harvard Family Research Project’s (2005) Bellwether Methodology,
which bases advocacy strategy on the knowledge base and input from influential policy
makers. The findings from this study are intended to provide insights about how
advocates, researchers, and other stakeholders can most effectively influence child abuse-
related policy decisions.

Key words: Advocacy, child abuse and neglect policy, child advocacy strategy,
evidence-based policy

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to the participants who made this
study possible. Terrance Carroll, BJ Nikkel, Josh Penry, Paula Sandoval, Governor Bill
Ritter, and Al White are all incredibly gifted leaders who care deeply about children and
share a common thread of passion for protecting children as our greatest resource.
Thanks to Dr. Gloria Miller, Chair, and Dr. Nick Cutforth, Dr. Sharolyn Pollard-
Durodola, and Dr. Kathy Ohman, for serving on my committee and for seeing the
potential of this study. I am deeply grateful for your support and guidance.
I am blessed with a wealth of personal support from friends and family. Bob
Cooper, Michael Petit, Dr. Jim Ryan, Jim Barclay, and Senator Linda Newell have been
outstanding professional mentors and friends. Melanie Breedlove Pita, Kelly Sue Miller
Enfield, Jeanette Cornier, Holly Hall Perry, Dawn Riley Duval, Donna Killen, and Kelly
Cooper Hyatt have lifted me up, and sometimes carried me, with incredible friendship.
My in-laws, Drs. Jan and Phyllis Updike, have showered me with love and support both
personally and professionally. Thanks to my whole family, especially Denise, Paige, and
Sydney Miller, for love and support.
I dedicate this study to my parents, Steve and Barb, to my brother, Steve Miller
Jr., and to my Granny, Frances Miller. You believed in me and taught me courage,
humor, and love by your example. Finally, I am thankful for the love and support of my
husband, Dr. Christian Updike, and our two incredible daughters, Sophie and Amy.
Thank you for believing in me. I am exceedingly blessed to live this life with you.

iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One: Introduction ......................................................................................... 1
Background .................................................................................................... 1
Statement of Problem ..................................................................................... 10
Purpose of Study ............................................................................................ 11
Significance of Study ..................................................................................... 11
Research Questions ........................................................................................ 12
Definition of Key Terms ................................................................................ 13

Chapter Two: Literature Review ............................................................................... 15
Theoretical Framework .................................................................................. 15
The Gap between Researchers and Policy Makers ........................................ 20
Summary ........................................................................................................ 34

Chapter Three: Method .............................................................................................. 36
Purpose of Study ............................................................................................ 36
Research Design ............................................................................................. 37
Sample ............................................................................................................ 44
Data Collection .............................................................................................. 45
Procedures and Data Management ................................................................. 48
Data Analysis ................................................................................................. 52
Potential Limitations of Study ....................................................................... 54
Bias ................................................................................................................ 56
Protection of Human Subjects ....................................................................... 59

Chapter Four: Findings .............................................................................................. 61
Section I: Individual Cases ............................................................................ 61
Section II: Cross-Case Analysis ..................................................................... 102

Chapter Five: Summary, Discussion, and Conclusions ............................................. 122
Study Summary .............................................................................................. 123
Conceptual Framework .................................................................................. 127
Summary of Findings ..................................................................................... 130
Recommendations .......................................................................................... 133
Implications .................................................................................................... 137

iv
Limitations ..................................................................................................... 138
Conclusions .................................................................................................... 139

Bibliography .............................................................................................................. 141

Appendices
Appendix A. Interview Protocol and Questions ............................................ 147
Appendix B. Informed Consent Form ........................................................... 152
Appendix C. Participant Invitation Letter ..................................................... 154
Appendix D. Map of Interview Questions and Their Correlation
to Research Questions ........................................................................ 156
Appendix E. 2008 Bellwether Interview Protocol: State Level ..................... 158
Appendix F. Sample of Audit Trail Regarding Interviews ............................ 163

v
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Key Differences Between the Bellwether Methodology and
This Exploratory Pilot Study .......................................................................... 42

Table 2. Bellwethers Interviewed for This Study ....................................................... 44

Table 3. Procedures and Methods of Data Management .......................................... 48

Table 4. Summary of Case Backgrounds ................................................................... 103

Table 5. Data Related to Lomas’ Schematic View of the Contextual Influences
on the Decision-Making Process ................................................................... 110

Table 6. Understanding of Risk and Protective Factors in Relation to
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory ............................................... 114

Table 7. Participants’ Ranking of Policy Issues in Colorado ................................... 119

Table 8. Study Participants ........................................................................................ 125

vi
“We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth
will be run by synthesizers, people who are able to put together the right information
at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely.”

— E.O. Wilson, biologist

vii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Background

The research around child abuse and neglect offers evidence-based findings
regarding effective prevention and intervention, yet currently such findings are rarely
utilized to influence public policy decisions that impact child abuse protection and
intervention. In short, a gap remains between what research shows and policy makers’
use of the findings to create systemic changes and improvements. The child advocacy
community can help bridge the divide between what we know and what we do in public
policy by educating and informing policy makers.
To make child abuse intervention and prevention policy a political priority, the
case must first be made regarding the immediate and far-reaching implications of child
abuse and neglect on individuals as well as on society in general. The negative
implications of child abuse and neglect are extensive, and impact the health, well-being,
and potential of individual children while also impacting family systems, communities,
and the greater society.
There are more than three million reports of child abuse and neglect annually in
the United States, involving more than six million children (U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, 2011. The adverse effects of child abuse and neglect are well

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