Written by experienced practitioners and academics, this is a core text about the practice of residential child care. It takes as its starting point the fact that residential child care involves workers and children sharing a common lifespace, in which the quality of interpersonal relationships is key. Each chapter highlights relevant policy guidance and is developed around a practice scenario, discussing key knowledge skills and values relating to its theme. This highly practical book should, therefore, be of value to a range of students at different academic levels, from VQ to Masters, and to practitioners and managers in residential child care. The book draws on ideas from child and youth care and social pedagogic traditions and will appeal to a North American child and youth care audience while also providing a valuable addition to the emerging literature around social pedagogy in the UK.

This book explores the ways in which individuals construct and integrate self-positions in a transcultural context, by adopting a pluralist theoretical and methodological approach that includes both Western post-modern viewpoints and ancient Chinese philosophical ideas. The book starts with stories of two second-generation Chinese young people and their mothers' life experiences in the UK, which can be seen as an epitome of individuals living in the modern and complex environment of the time. Using social constructionist viewpoints, it then analyzes the overt interaction between the individual and outside environment and interprets the recessive interaction, such as the individual's psychological response to the outside environment, which might be unknown to him or herself, using the psychodynamic approach based on object relations theory and other psychoanalytic concepts, such as defense mechanisms. The book uses Confucian philosophy to show how Chinese people think about the relation between other people and themselves and also integrates different and even opposing theories and viewpoints from Taoist philosophy. This creative book provides a theoretical and practical approach to explore the conception of "self" and the way in which individuals construct their self-positions in a complex context. Combining cutting-edge Western psycho-social viewpoints and ancient Chinese philosophy, it appeals to readers interested in "self," psycho-social approaches, psychoanalytic viewpoints and Chinese philosophy.

"The major strengths of this book are the manual format, the comprehensiveness of the text, the direct focus on medical practitioners, the diagrams, and the photo-illustrations. The sections on normal anatomy, normal sexual growth, and development are excellent as is the section on conducting the physical examination. The concise listing of treatments and drug doses for various conditions is invaluable."

This book combines perspectives from psychology, spiritual education and digital teaching pedagogies in a transnational framework to discuss the Education in Human Values Program (EHV) for child development, with a focus on silent sitting, mindfulness, meditation and story-telling as tools in the classroom. Through positive guidance in the early stages of child development using EHV tools, teachers will be better equipped to handle disciplinary issues in primary and secondary schools. These practices are also useful for the higher education community, as teachers and educators from tertiary institutions may adopt these practices in their teaching and become reflective practitioners. Topics such as teacher morale and school climate and its impact on children are discussed in relation to building resilience, reflective capacities, and inner strength (shared values) using an intrinsic and transformational approach. The discussions also include perspectives from the neurosciences. With contributions from teachers and educators from the US, South Africa, Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong and Mauritius, this edited volume addresses the challenges, strengths and weaknesses associated with daily teaching practices in primary and secondary schools and higher education institutions. The content is relevant to policymakers and researchers in child development studies, with a particular focus on the impact of silent sitting, mindful practices, and meditation on children's self-regulation and resilience. The authors collectively espouse that silent sitting techniques can help a child to grow and discover their hidden potential, thus enhancing their social, emotional, spiritual and physical capacities.

Considers ways in which raising questions about gender can help researchers and practitioners better understand family relationships and issues in children's development Draws on current developments in thinking about gender relations Offers an overview of sociological, psychological and developmental perspectives on family relationships, child welfare outcomes and the practice/policy realities of professional interventions with families Chapters address range of service settings; including family support, child health, education, child protection, domestic violence, 'looked after' children and youth justice

This book examines how pathologising ideas of failing, chaotic and dysfunctional families create a powerful consensus that Britain is in the grip of a `parent crisis' and are used to justify increasingly punitive state policies.

Most slave trades were abolished during the 19th century, yet there remain millions of people in slavery today, including approximately 210 million children - trafficked, in debt bondage, as well as other forms of forced labor. Set to be the definitive text on the subject, this groundbreaking book - drawing on global experiences - shows how children remain locked in slavery, the ways in which they are exploited, and how they can be emancipated. Child Slavery Now includes international contributors who remind us that we all - as consumers - are implicated in modern childhood slavery, and we need both to understand its causes and act to stop it.

Key Thinkers in Childhood Studies presents the contrasting perspectives of some of the leading figures involved in shaping the field of Childhood Studies over the last 30 years. Using in-depth interviews, twenty-two high profile pioneers, who represent a range of disciplines and nationalities, share personal and unpublished accounts of their work and careers. They reflect upon the significant changes that have taken place in the study of children and childhood, discuss the evolution of ideas underpinning the field, examine current tensions and dilemmas and explore challenges for the future. This book fills a gap by offering important insights into researchers' experiences in Childhood Studies and their ideas about the central issues confronting the field. It will be of interest to students, practitioners and experienced academics from all disciplinary backgrounds who are seeking to contextualise, understand and advance our understanding of childhood, children and youth.

This book assists health care providers to understand the specific interplay of the roles and relationships currently forming the debates in pediatric clinical ethics. It builds on the fact that, unlike adult medical ethics, pediatric ethics begins within an acutely and powerfully experienced dynamic of patient-family-state-physician relationship. The book provides a unique perspective as it interacts with established approaches as well as recent developments in pediatric ethics theory, and then explores these developments further through cases. The book first focuses on setting the stage by introducing a theoretical framework and elaborating how pediatric ethics differ from non-pediatric ethics. It approaches different theoretical frameworks in a critical manner drawing on their strengths and weaknesses. It helps the reader in developing an ability to engage in ethical reasoning and moral deliberation in order to focus on the wellbeing of the child as the main participant in the ethical deliberation, as well as to be able to identify the child's moral claims. The second section of the book focuses on the practical application of these theoretical frameworks and discusses specific areas pertaining to decision-making. These are: the critically ill child, new and enduring ethical controversies, and social justice at large, the latter of which includes looking at the child's place in society, access to healthcare, social determinants of health, and vaccinations. With the dynamic changes and challenges pediatric care faces across the globe, as well as the changing face of new technologies, no professional working in the field of pediatrics can afford not to take due note of this resource.

This book considers the impact of digital media and technology on lived experience for young people in foster care. While the extent and intricacies of foster care-known as out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia, where this study takes place-are not widely understood by the general public, youth in care might struggle to construct a personal identity that goes beyond reflecting the stereotypes and stigma by which they are often recognised. In today's digital environment, media can play a significant role in any individual's developing sense of self, identity, and belonging. Deitz and Sheridan Burns examine OOHC through the lens of networked media environments and investigate the conditions that encourage belonging and resilience in order to establish the role that digital technology can play in supporting those conditions for individuals, family networks, and the care sector.

Children's rights can only be promoted if policy and practice are based on an understanding of their needs: .What are the connections between harm to children and young people and their everyday experience? .What is the connection between social conditions, attitudes to children, their rights and needs and levels of harm? .How should policies for children and families and the organisation and style of child protection services respond? The book provides examples of good practice-in direct work with children and families and in changing procedures, organisation and policy-which draw on such an understanding of rights and needs. Multidisciplinary strategic planning and advanced practice are emphasised. Contents: The Legal Framework for Child Centred Practice . Links Between Disadvantage and Harm to Children . Race and Child Protection . Issues in Education . Young Women and Sexual Harassment . Issues for parents . Issues for Mothers . Theoretical Debates-Feminism and Post-Modernism . User Friendly Assessment Norma Baldwin is Professor of Social Work, University of Dundee.

This clear and compelling textbook provides a complete survey of the field of child abuse and neglect from the perspective of modern developmental attachment theory. It starts by describing the ways in which attachment difficulties manifest themselves in children's behaviour, and goes on looking at abuse, neglect, and compound cases of abuse and neglect, backing it all up with empirical research evidence and vivid case material. In its final section, it provides a comprehensive review of attachment-based interventions. Written by an extremely respected and successful author, this book, anchored in research evidence, places its emphasis on practice implementation and aims at answering all the kinds of questions practitioners and student practitioners specialising in child welfare are most likely to ask.

This edited volume contains contributions from leading researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and advocates in adoption policy and practice. Topics covered include adoption advocacy, race and adoption, placement of older and disabled children, adoption disruption, adoptive parent recruitment, and policy related to federal adoption subsidy support.

This collection brings together leading researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and advocates in the area of adoption policy and practice. All chapter contributors are nationally recognized leaders in their particular fields of expertise. Several have been instrumental in shaping public policy and legislation on behalf of special needs children and their families.

Chapters cover the following topics: advocacy on behalf of special needs children, racial issues in the placement and adoption of special needs children, issues involved in the adoption of older and disabled children, adoption disruption, recruitment of adoptive parents for special needs children, and federal and state policy related to adoption subsidy support. The volume covers the key issues related to both practice and policy in child welfare. As such it is essential reading for professionals and policy makers in social/human services and child welfare. Scholars and other researchers in the field will also find the collection invaluable.

This accessibly written textbook explores how our increasing knowledge of neuroscience and advances in methods of investigation is changing our understanding of child development. Packed full of images, case studies, reflection points, further reading suggestions and a full glossary of technical terms, it examines key aspects of development such as emotion, memory, learning, perception and language, as well as neurodevelopmental disorders. It is designed to introduce undergraduate students on social science courses to the science behind the brain, looking at how it is structured and how it develops from a tiny cluster of cells into a complex dynamic structure that controls every aspect of our very existence.

Residential child care is a crucial, though relatively neglected area of social work. And yet, revelations of abuse and questions of effectiveness have led to increasingly regulatory and procedural approaches to practice and heightened political and professional interest. This book provides a broad and critical look at policy and practice and the ideas that have shaped the development of the sector, emphasising the possibilities for good residential care to enhance the lives of children. The book sets present day provision within historical, policy and organisational context, and discusses a range of practice issues. The importance of the personal relationship in helping children to grow and develop is highlighted.The author applies a critical gaze to attempts to improve practice through regulation and, fundamentally, challenges how residential child care is conceptualised, arguing that it needs to move beyond dominant discourses of protection and rights to embrace those of care and upbringing. Other traditions of practice such as the European concept of social pedagogy are also explored to more accurately reflect the task of residential child care. The book will be of interest to practitioners in residential child care, social workers and students on social work and social care courses. It should be required reading for social work managers and will also be of interest to policy makers and students of social policy, education and childhood studies.

This book brings together a range of theoretical and empirical perspectives on conceptualization, measurement, multidimensional impacts and policy and service responses to address child and family poverty. It illuminates issues and trends through country level chapters, thus shedding light on dynamics of poverty in different jurisdictions. The book is structured into three sections: The first includes introductory chapters canvassing key debates around definition, conceptualization, measurement and theoretical and ideological positions. The second section covers impacts of poverty on specific domains of children's and families' experience using snapshots from specific countries/geographic regions. The third section focuses on programs, policies and interventions and addresses poverty and its impacts. It showcases specific interventions, programs and policies aimed at responding to children and families and communities and how they are or might be evaluated. Cross national case studies and evaluations illustrate the diversity of approaches and outcomes.

In this collection of essays by leading experts, day care is profiled as a diversified and complex developmental setting. Collectively, the papers challenge the common assumption that day care settings are easily comparable. Instead, various types of day care environments are examined from a multilayered perspective and their diverse characteristcs are empirically documented.

This volume adopts a context-informed framework exploring risk, maltreatment, well-being and protection of children in diverse groups in Israel. It incorporates the findings of seven case studies conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's NEVET Greenhouse of Context-Informed Research and Training for Children in Need. Each case study applies a context-informed approach to the study of perspectives of risk and protection among parents, children and professionals from different communities in Israel, utilizing varied qualitative methodologies. The volume analyses the importance of studying children and parents's perspectives in diverse societies and stresses the need for a context-informed perspective in designing prevention and intervention programs for children at risk and their families living in diverse societies. It further explores potential contribution to theory, research, practice, policy and training in the area of child maltreatment.

The current system of protecting society's children from abuse is failing miserably. In this volume, scholars affiliated with universities and professional associations nationwide pinpoint a better strategy. Their research spotlights neighborhood-based child protection systems and provides a comprehensive approach for creating procedures that meaningfully address child maltreatment.

The volume discusses the challenges of moving toward such a system within the current legal, political, and cross-cultural contexts of child protection. Examples of promising applications of a community-based approach are cited. Also cited are the legal and practical structural steps to be taken in creating caring communities that effectively address child abuse and neglect.

This handbook examines positive youth development (PYD) in youth and emerging adults from an international perspective. It focuses on large and underrepresented cultural groups across six continents within a strengths-based conception of adolescence that considers all youth as having assets. The volume explores the ways in which developmental assets, when effectively harnessed, empower youth to transition into a productive and resourceful adulthood. The book focuses on PYD across vast geographical regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Latin America as well as on strengths and resources for optimal well-being. The handbook addresses the positive development of young people across various cultural contexts to advance research, policy, and practice and inform interventions that foster continued thriving and reduce the chances of compromised youth development. It presents theoretical perspectives and supporting empirical findings to promote a more comprehensive understanding of PYD from an integrated, multidisciplinary, and multinational perspective.

"This book is the best this practitioner has seen for its practical definitions and concrete suggestions. At the same time, it reviews what research there is and notes the many areas in need of further study. . . . The controversial use of hypnosis for the recovery of repressed memories and gender differences in reaction to abuse are particularly well covered. I recommend this book for all practitioners and educators." --Mary J. Coe, review in The American Journal of Family Therapy "I found this both remarkably informative (the book provides an excellent synthesis of current literature on child abuse research) and liberating when thinking about past and present clients. Briere has a special talent for making sense of the internal experience of child abouse survivors. An excellent book which should be on the bookshelf of counsellors or therapists working with adolescents or adults. " --Peter Yeo in Counselling Researchers and clinicians in the child abuse field have tended to specialize in one form of maltreatment, rather than examining the interrelationship between the various types of abuse and neglect. In response to this fragmentation, Child Abuse Trauma offers a fresh perspective that considers unique and overlapping long-term effects of all major forms of child abuse and neglect. From sexual and physical abuse to maltreatment by alcoholic or drug-addicted parents, from the exploration of solutions to the parameters of treatment, this enlightening volume outlines complex ways in which abuse impacts later psychosocial functioning. Briere reframes traditional notions of psychopathology and describes with optimism and compassion treatment approaches to abuse-related posttraumatic stress, interpersonal dysfunction, self-destructive behavior, impaired self-reference, and borderline personality disorder. This thought-provoking and important volume will be an invaluable tool for abuse specialists and general therapists who want to understand the connection between many forms of psychological distress and the lasting impacts of child maltreatment. Students in the fields of psychology, victimology, family studies, gender studies, and sociology will also benefit from this book. "John N. Briere has written an important and eminently readable book. As any clinician can attest, without appropriate intervention, hurt children often grow up to be hurt adults. This book describes a process by which former child victims of maltreatment--adult survivors--can move beyond the trauma and long-term negative sequelae of their experiences. Unlike many professionals, who tend to focus on a specific area of child maltreatment (e.g., adult survivors of sexual abuse, physical abuse), Briere presents a model that clinicians will find useful regardless of the type of maltreatment experienced by the client." --Families in Society "The book is well written and provides a thorough integration of research and theory in the area. It is an excellent reference guide for clinicians and may be useful for scholars in the social sciences as well. The content is compassionate and elucidating as the author sets out to debunk myths surrounding victims of child maltreatment. Briere makes a strong case for therapy centering around survivors' strengths rather than focusing on individual psychopathology. . . . Child Abuse Trauma is an excellent overview of an abuse perspective. Briere is objective and is careful to discuss potential drawbacks to abuse-oriented therapy." --Contemporary Psychology "This book is, among other things, an excellent reference guide. . . . Dr. Briere's special talent is in making sense of the internal experience of child abuse survivors. He helps us understand that much of what seems pathological is really creative, albeit ultimately dysfunctional strategies for survival." --from the Foreword by Lucy Berliner "Major forms of child abuse, including psychological, physical, and sexual, as well as emotional neglect and living with substance-addicted parents, are covered here. . . . This is an excellent, intense study by an experienced psychotherapist; it alerts clinicians, novices or experienced, to the frequency of child abuse and suggests how it can be understood and treated in later life." --Henry Hicks, Ph.D., Maimonides Community Mental Health Center, Brooklyn, New York "The book is very state-of-the-art. I particularly like the treatment sections that address the issues of co-dependency and hospitalization. I can't say enough about John N. Briere's ability to communicate. The book is concise and yet its scope is amazing. . . . This is a remarkable and brilliant book. . . . I learned a lot from reading it and feel quite energized and stimulated." --Eliana Gil, Ph.D., Private Practice "Briere, a proficient writer, is also a clinical psychologist specializing in psychological trauma, and this book is based on his extensive clinical experience and scholarly research with adult survivors of child abuse. . . . Includes a good reference guide and a combined author-subject index. Graduate; faculty; professional." --Choice "This reviewer found Child Abuse Trauma to be an informed and useful guide to understanding and treating child abuse survivors. A unique aspect of the book is its focus on the broad spectrum of child abuse trauma and the interrelationships among the various forms of abuse and their consequences. . . . Illustrative case examples are utilized throughout the book. The work is indeed a welcomed and helpful pioneering effort in the fledgling field of child abuse-focussed treatment. The significant value of the book makes constructive criticism difficult. . . . A major strength of the book is that Briere manages to be theoretical and scholarly, yet also practical. Clinicians will find enormously valuable this focus on issues and dilemmas which inevitably arise during trauma therapy. For example, the book includes an excellent discussion on when and how to explore abuse-related memories, versus when and how to prepare clients for this work and support them in the work. The section on dealing with self-issues is also particularly elucidating and helpful. . . . The author bravely addresses notions such as 'codependence,' 'resistance,' and borderline personality' and their limited usefulness in abuse-focused treatment. . . . Generalist clinicians occasionally serving abuse survivors will find it illuminates and informs trauma treatment. Clinicians specializing in abuse-focused therapy will discover much of value in this volume, and I would anticipate, find themselves recommending it to supervisees as well as seasoned colleagues." --The Advisor "Briere offers what is known and seems to be working in individual, one-to-one psychotherapy to treat seven major psychological disturbances found in survivors: post traumatic stress, cognitive disorders, altered emotionality dissociation, impaired self-reference, disturbed relatedness, and avoidance." --The Women's Advocate "Child Abuse Trauma has much to offer psychotherapists who treat child abuse survivors. Its strength lies in the attention Briere devotes to a supportive, eclectic, and multimodal psychotherapeutic approach, and his ability to demonstrate the interrelations between child maltreatment and adult psychopathology. . . . Briere successfully illustrates that trauma during childhood engenders effects that persist into adulthood, and that traditional psychotherapy must be reframed to deal better with the complex nature of child abuse." --Family Relations ABOUT THE SERIES: "A project with an exciting blend of scholarship and practical expertise." --David Finkelhor, University of New Hampshire

This book presents a range of innovative analytical frameworks that can be used to approach the complexities of children's understandings and experiences of well-being in a locally oriented, context-sensitive and multi-nationally comparative way. It addresses the challenges of undertaking research on children's understandings of well-being from a multi-national qualitative perspective. Chapters in the book present results that show how children from various places all over the world conceptualize and experience well-being as well as how this is linked local, regional and national social, political and cultural contexts.

The landmark National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) study represents the first effort to gather nationally representative data, based on first-hand reports, about the well-being of children and families who encounter the child welfare system. NSCAW's findings offer an unprecedented national source of data that describe the developmental status and functional characteristics of children who come to the attention of child protective services. Much more than a simple history of placements or length of stay in foster care, NSCAW data chart the trajectory of families across service pathways for a multi-dimensional view of their specific needs. The NSCAW survey is longitudinal, contains direct assessments and reports about each child from multiple sources, and is designed to address questions of relations among children's characteristics and experiences, their development, their pathways through the child welfare service system, their service needs, their service receipt, and, ultimately, their well-being over time.
The chapters in this rich synthesis of NSCAW data represent thoughtful and increasingly sophisticated approaches to the problems highlighted in the study and in child welfare research in general. The authors capitalize on the longitudinal, multidimensional data to capture the experiences of children and families from the time they are investigated by CPS though multiple follow-up points, and to consider the interdependent nature of the traditional child welfare outcomes of safety, permanence, and well-being. The topics covered not only are critical to child welfare practice and policy, but also are of compelling interest to other child service sectors such as health, mental health, education, and juvenile justice. The authors of chapters in this volume are esteemed researchers within psychology, social work, economics, and public health. Together they represent the future of child welfare research, showcasing the potential of NSCAW as a valuable resource to the research community and providing glimpses of how the data can be used to inform practice and policy.

This open access book critically explores what child protection policy and professional practice would mean if practice was grounded in human rights standards. This book inspires a new direction in child protection research - one that critically assesses child protection policy and professional practice with regard to human rights in general, and the rights of the child in particular. Each chapter author seeks to approach the rights of the child from their own academic field of interest and through a comparative lens, making the research relevant across nation-state practices. The book is split into five parts to focus on the most important aspects of child protection. The first part explains the origins, aim, and scope of the book; the second part explores aspects of professionalism and organization through law and policy; and the third part discusses several key issues in child protection and professional practice in depth. The fourth part discusses selected areas of importance to child protection practices (low-impact in-house measures, public care in residential care and foster care respectively) and the fifth part provides an analytical summary of the book. Overall, it contributes to the present need for a more comprehensive academic debate regarding the rights of the child, and the supranational perspective this brings to child protection policy and practice across and within nation-states.

Methamphetamine not only destroys the lives of those who become addicted to it, but affects all corners of society, including innocent children. This important book follows the case of rural Illinois, where in the mid-1990s methamphetamine production and misuse became a significant problem and, as a result, child welfare professionals saw an influx onto their caseloads of children whose parents were involved with the drug. The authors' account of the problems the children face, and of the efforts to help them, sheds useful light on possibilities for many other situations.
Applying a case-based, mixed-methods approach that capitalizes on rich qualitative data, the book examines parental methamphetamine misuse from a sociocultural perspective. Using extensive child welfare investigation data, participant observation, and in-depth interviews, the authors describe the perilous home lives of rural children whose parents misuse methamphetamine, where they are exposed to maltreatment, criminal behavior, and environmental danger. Many children end up with significant emotional and behavioral problems, especially posttraumatic symptoms, that will stay with them for years. Based on this descriptive information and the existing clinical literature, the authors designed a relationship- and narrative-based mental health program, "Life Story Intervention," that draws on rural communities' strengths, such as their storytelling traditions. Pilot data from the program, shared here, suggests some positive results of the intervention on children's psychological functioning.
Eradication of the problems caused by methamphetamine abuse will require years more of concerted effort and collaboration such as that described in this book. Social work and child welfare professors and students, researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers will find inspiration in this account of the success that can result, with this issue and others, when practitioners and researchers join forces to understand complex social phenomena and design, implement, and assess effective interventions.