Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Residential Care for Children and Youth


Book Description

Is residential care 'inherently harmful'? This book argues that this conventional wisdom is wrong and is, itself, harmful to a significant number of children and youth. The presumptive view is based largely on overgeneralizations from research with infants and very young children raised in extremely deprived environments. A careful analysis of the available research supports the use of high-quality residential care as a treatment of choice with certain groups of needy children and youth, not a last resort intervention. The nature of high-quality care is explored through child development theory and research and two empirically supported models of care are described in detail. It will be of interest to all scholars and students of child development, child welfare, youth work, social work and education as well as professionals working within these fields.




Systems Complexity in Child Protection and Welfare


Book Description

This book examines systems complexity theory and specifically, system and dynamic characteristics of complexity, with a key focus on self/organisation/emergence/adaptation; path-dependence; and bifurcation. Exploring systems complexity at the heart of child protection and welfare policymaking, leadership, practice, and evaluation and implications for policymakers, leaders, practitioners and evaluators in managing its impact, it proposes a systems complexity evaluation framework to assist identification, accommodation and decision-making in child protection and welfare practice, services, and systems. Using national case studies, practice, and research examples, it illustrates how adopting a complexity focus to Child Protection Work in any jurisdiction can augment decision-making and critical analysis acumen at all levels in practice, services, and systems. This book will be of interest to all scholars and students of social work, child protection, family support, education, nursing and criminology.




Social Welfare Programs and Social Work Education at a Crossroads


Book Description

This book explores a key phenomenon that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis, namely, the crossroads at which social welfare professionals find themselves. This is a crossroads where, on the one hand, there is an accelerated digitalization process and a reorganization of social programs, while on the other hand, we are confronted by the basic challenge of designing social policies and their methods of evaluation, that is, the generation of robust data that will allow better evaluation of social projects and programs. Rigorously analyzing the crossroads at which social welfare programs find themselves and the new demands for the education of professionals involved in social welfare programs, several key issues can be discerned; • the theoretical debate surrounding the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the process of redefining globalization in which we are immersed. • the challenges to be met by welfare programs, and the good practices that are being implemented. • the key issue of how to generate more robust data in the field of social services and social protection. • how to increase the competencies of professionals through education in schools of social work. Providing 15 newly written chapters drawn from both the global north and the global south, it offers a set of recommendations to address the challenges of inequality and social inclusion in the coming years. It will be of interest to all academics, students and practitioners working in the fields of social work, social welfare and social development.




Using Language, Fiction, and Story in Social Work Education


Book Description

This book provides an accessible, research-informed text for social work educators, students, and practitioners interested in the use of story to engender the connection of human experiences with ideas, theories, and skills. A broad lens is also taken to the ways in which fiction has been used as a teaching tool in other degrees, ranging from medicine to engineering to philosophy and economics. Although the research explored is social work specific, this text has applicability for any educator looking for creative methods to teach complex theories, skills, and concepts. Showing how fiction can be used in social work education, it explains why story matters to social work and how fiction can emulate these stories, as well as the capacity of fiction to evoke empathy. Ways in which educators can enlist fiction to create a ‘safe space’ for the exploration of complex emotional terrain are explored, as are the ways in which a community of practice can be created through fiction. Woven within the end of every chapter are some practice examples and author conversations which work to locate the research into a practice context. The text concludes with examples of how fiction has been effectively utilised by the authors, in order to provide a starting point for those interested in exploring this pedagogical approach further.




Revitalizing Residential Care for Children and Youth


Book Description

"This volume addresses the question of how societies with developed welfare and social service systems are assessing current needs and future directions in their residential child and youth care sectors. This includes dealing with the historical concerns raised about the placement of children and youth in residential care settings as well as identifying innovative strategies, which offer new pathways for the integration of this often neglected area of service with families and communities. This review builds on an emergent and growing literature of cross-national child welfare policies and practices including child protection arrangements (Gilbert et al., 2011) and meeting the needs of migrant children (Skivenes et al., 2014). Our contributors share a common child welfare goal of seeking to ensure healthy growth and development for children served in order to achieve desired social outcomes for the community at large. Each of the sixteen countries selected for inclusion will be viewed through a common template including the policy context (historical developments, key trends and policy initiatives), promising programmatic innovations, and information obtained from a matrix developed in an earlier research effort (Erasmus+ Project) by Sigrid James and colleagues from five European countries (James et al., 2021). The Erasmus+ project, along with the matrix and rationale for its use, is described in detail in Chapter 3"--




No Way to Treat a Child


Book Description

Kids in danger are treated instrumentally to promote the rehabilitation of their parents, the welfare of their communities, and the social justice of their race and tribe—all with the inevitable result that their most precious developmental years are lost in bureaucratic and judicial red tape. It is time to stop letting efforts to fix the child welfare system get derailed by activists who are concerned with race-matching, blood ties, and the abstract demands of social justice, and start asking the most important question: Where are the emotionally and financially stable, loving, and permanent homes where these kids can thrive? “Naomi Riley’s book reveals the extent to which abused and abandoned children are often injured by their government rescuers. It is a must-read for those seeking solutions to this national crisis.” —Robert L. Woodson, Sr., civil rights leader and president of the Woodson Center “Everyone interested in child welfare should grapple with Naomi Riley’s powerful evidence that the current system ill-serves the safety and well-being of vulnerable kids.” —Walter Olson, senior fellow, Cato Institute, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies




Behavior Change in the Human Services


Book Description

Behavior Change in the Human Services, Sixth Edition continues to provide a systematic introduction and overview of behavioral and cognitive principles and their applications to a wide range of problems and situations encountered in the human service professions. Designed for students and practitioners, the book uses a unique problem-solving framework to demonstrate how behavior change principles can be applied to practice situations. Martin and Sandra Sundel feature a detailed and sequential organization that encourages readers to move progressively through material of increasing complexity and to conduct self-assessments of their knowledge. The Fifth Edition includes eight clinical case studies and many new and engaging examples that address issues such as substance abuse, child behavior problems, assertiveness, marital discord, and developing appropriate social behaviors. The expanded chapter on intervention techniques incorporates empirically tested behavioral and cognitive strategies for addressing clinical problems such as phobias, anxiety disorders, depression, and other behavioral disorders. Current developments and trends in the field are discussed, including the movement toward evidence-based practice. This comprehensive yet accessible text also features figures, charts, and forms to demonstrate data collection and analysis. Any student pursuing a career in the helping professions, including social work, psychology, counseling, special education, nursing, and psychiatry, will find this book valuable




Family-Centered Services in Residential Treatment


Book Description

Adopt a more effective approach to temporary and long-term residential care! Presenting the voices of staff, parents, and residents, Family-Centered Services in Residential Treatment: New Approaches for Group Care examines the changes and challenges of residential care from the old-fashioned orphanage to the modern group-care home. These thoughtful essays offer suggestions and methods to provide more effective services in temporary and long-term settings. Containing case studies, personal experiences, and professional insights about the potentials and limitations of residential care, this reliable resource will help you develop improved services for youths and their families. Family-Centered Services in Residential Treatment presents fresh evaluations of new and old techniques as well as ideas for meeting individual needs. By building connections among parents, youths, and staff, you can develop more successful treatment programs and encourage stronger family ties even when children are best served by long-term residential care. Family-Centered Services in Residential Treatment addresses the crucial questions of residential care, including: how can staff ease children's transitions into and out of residential care? what do parents of emotionally disturbed youth need from the staff and professionals in a residential care setting? what was right--and wrong--about the old-fashioned orphanage? Could such an institution work today? how does the transition to the teamwork approach affect staff members? when is residential care most beneficial to children? what kind of care is appropriate for AIDS orphans? Family-Centered Services in Residential Treatment will help psychologists, therapists, and social workers unite theory and practice to create a family-oriented environment for troubled clients.