Exploring Child Welfare:A Practice Perspective

Exploring Child Welfare: A Practice Perspective, Third Edition
Cynthia Crosson-Tower, Harvest Counseling and Consultation

Exploring Child Welfare provides an overall look at all aspects of the provision of services for children and their families, from services that enhance and support family life to those that substitute for the child's own home. The third edition of this accessible and engaging text continues to reflect the author's strong practice perspective and incorporates new developments in welfare reform and child welfare services. The author bases her work on more than 30 years of experience in almost all areas of children's services including protective services, foster care, adoption, court services, residential treatment and school based services.

Highlights of the Third Edition:

• The author's strong background in practice provides real-life examples and helps students to connect theory with actual practice in children's services.
• Protective services chapter reflects the author's particular expertise in child abuse and neglect.
• New focus in the school-based services chapter on serving the whole child reflects the latest trends in pupil personnel services.
• Includes an examination of the pros and cons of family preservation services, allowing students to reflect on a current controversy in the field.

List of contents

All chapters conclude with “Summary,” “Exploration Questions,” “Activities for Applied Learning,” “Suggested Reading,” and “References.”

Preface.

1. Children: Our Most Important Resource.

A Brief History of Child Welfare.

Providing Services for Children Today.

2. The Changing Family.

The Responsibilities and Rights of the Family.

The Setting for Today's Family.

Profile of Today's Family.

Types of Families.

The Emotional Climate of Families.

The Impact of Culture on Families.

The Family Life Cycle.

Stresses on Families.

When Families Need Help.

Trends.

3. Childhood Poverty in the United States, by Judy Noel.

Childhood Poverty:

Characteristics of Poor Children

Poverty Defined.

Why Children Live in Poverty.

Consequences of Growing Up in Poverty.

Recent Efforts to Fight Poverty.

The Economics of Poverty.

Reducing Child Poverty.

An Important Footnote.

4. Violence, Addiction, and Homelessness: Current Societal Problems and Their Impact on Children.

Children and Violence.

Children and Substance Abuse.

Homeless Families.

Homeless and Runaway Youths.

5. Servicing the Developing Child: Day-Care and School-Based Services, by Denise O'Connell, Maureen Moorehouse, Mary Ann Hanley, Elaine Francis, and Matthew Porter.

Day Care: Serving Infants and Pre-School Children.

School-Based Services.

6. Counseling for Families and Children, by Lloyd T. Williams.

What Is Counseling?

When a Family Might Seek Counseling.

Attitudes About Receiving Counseling.

Changing Attitudes About Counseling.

Types of Counseling.

The Counseling Process.

The Experience of Counseling.

Trends in Counseling Services.

Ethical Consideration in Counseling.

7. Protecting Children When Families Cannot: Child Abuse and Neglect.

Historical View.

Maltreatment Defined.

Reporting Child Maltreatment.

Court Intervention in Protective Cases.

The Role of the Protective Services Worker.

Reflections of an Abused Child: Consumer Perspective.

Future Trends in Protective Services.

8. Family Preservation or Child Placement? Serving the Best Interests of the Child.

A Brief History of Family-Based Services.

Demonstrating Effectiveness in Family-Based Services.

Types of Family-Based Services.

Family Preservation Worker.

Preserve the Family or Place the Child?

Shaping the future of Family-Based Services.

9. Court Services on Behalf of Children, by Judy A. Noel with David Whelan.

A Historical Perspective.

Situations Warranting Juvenile Court Intervention.

Factors Influencing Court Intervention.

The Rights of Juveniles.

Juvenile Court Process and Procedures.

The Role of the Social Worker and the Court.

Consumer Perspective.

Alternative Approaches to Court Intervention.

Treatment of Juvenile Offenders.

Trends.

10. Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting.

Introduction.

Historical Perspective.

Through the Eyes of Society: Myths Revisited.

Demographics.

Teens At-Risk.

How Teens Make Decisions About Fertility and Childbearing.

Fathers.

A Teen's View.

Services: Primary Prevention.

Services: Secondary Prevention.

Trends in Pregnancy Prevention.

11. Children in Family Foster Care.

History of Family Foster Care.

The Nature of Foster Care Today.

Foster Parents.

Birth Parents with Children in Foster Care.

Children in Foster Care.

The Role of the Foster Care Social Worker.

A Former Foster Child Recalls Life in Care.

The Future of Foster Care.

12. The Adoption of Children.

The History of Adoption.

Definitions and Assumptions.

Issues in Adoption Today.

Adoptive Participants.

The Adoptive Process.

The Role of the Adoption Worker.

The Search.

Trends.

13. Children in Residential Settings.

Historical Perspective.

Assumptions About Residential Care.

Types of Residential Settings.

Children in Residential Settings.

Life in a Residential Setting.

Working with Families of Children in Residential Care.

The Role of Staff in a Residential Setting.

Termination.

A Former Resident Remembers: Jennifer's Story.

Problems in Residential Settings.

Trends.

14. Our Children's Future.

What Is in Our Children's Future?

Preparing Those Who Help Children.

Child Welfare in the Twenty-First Century.

Name Index.

Subject Index.

Summary

Exploring Child Welfare provides an overall look at all aspects of the provision of services for children and their families, from services that enhance and support family life to those that substitute for the child's own home.
The Third Edition of this accessible and engaging text continues to reflect the author's strong practice perspective and incorporates new developments in welfare reform and child welfare services. The author bases her work on more than 30 years of experience in almost all areas of children's services, including protective services, foster care, adoption, court services, residential treatment and school-based services.

Product details

• Authors: Cynthia Crosson-Tower
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.01.2004
• EAN: 9780205381272
• ISBN: 978-0-205-38127-2
• No. of pages: 480
• Weight: 890 g
• Series: Allyn & Bacon; Allyn & Bacon