Full Description
Co-authored by eminent scholars in the field, this book surveys the processes and outcomes of child welfare services in the US, drawing global parallels in order to capture the challenges, tensions, and opportunities facing child welfare services.
Written in a clear and accessible manner, the book outlines which welfare system reforms are likely to have the greatest benefit for at-risk and maltreated children and families. Chapters cover crucial debates and initiatives mapping the evolution of child welfare services in the US and presenting comparisons with other approaches to child welfare services across the globe. The authors adopt a chronological approach, from initial contact to case closings, beginning with the prevention of child maltreatment and extending through out-of-home care, with a particular emphasis on services to older youth. The book also considers how to approach issues stemming from the importance of understanding and addressing diversity in race, ethnicity, and culture among child welfare involved families and offers opportunities for the evolution of child welfare services.
Understanding Child Welfare is an illuminating read for students and scholars in social work, psychology, public health, and sociology. It is also a useful resource for practitioners, policymakers and other actors involved in child welfare services internationally.
Contents
Contents
Preface
1 Understanding the aims and tensions of child welfare services
2 Pursuing safety: Understanding harm, trauma, and
interventions in families
3 Foster care and beyond: Pathways, practices, and permanency
4 Child welfare and the challenge of difference: Universalism,
accommodation, and reform
5 Adolescents in child welfare: Distinctive pathways, services,
and outcomes
6 Will the kids be alright? CWS and the unfinished work of
protection and beyond
7 Child welfare myths and misunderstandings
8 Workforce dynamics in child welfare: Investing in the people
who protect children
9 Looking ahead: Toward a smaller, smarter, stronger child
welfare system
References
