The ways children's rights are handled by the state remains highly controversial, frequently criticised and a topic of national and international interest, yet little is known about the actual operations of the US's Child Welfare System. This book takes us inside the Child Protective Services, for an in-depth look at the entire organization. Examining the role of the agency from the initial dealing with a family, to the end when a case is discharged, the author shows how parents negotiate with the state for custody of their children and how being held accountable to the state affects these families. Within each chapter are heartbreaking stories culled from the author's ride-alongs with social workers, or the numerous juvenile court cases that she was able to observe -- stories which illustrate the personal affects of bureaucratic decisions.

In one enquiry after another, there has been a call for an increase in the proportion of qualified staff in residential child care services, as one of a range of solutions to the difficulties that have beset the service. Leadership in Residential Child Care compares and assesses courses available for professional social work training and explores the ways that training contributes to the quality of care in the sector. Drawing on an evaluation of the Residential Child Care Initiative, the authors examine the dilemmas concerning the provision of qualification training for residential care staff today. They address issues such as:

• the loss of qualified staff from the sector
• different models of ‘professional competence’ that qualification seeks to achieve
• the role qualification and training can play in enhancing the status of what is sometimes seen as the ‘Cinderella’ element in child care provision

Based on field studies and in-depth interviews across rural and urban China, this book presents a socio-legal analysis of non-state organised care for some of China's most vulnerable children. The first full-length book to examine non-state organised care of modern China's 'lonely children' (gu'er), this book describes the context in which abandonment occurs and the care provided to children unlikely to be adopted because of their disability. It also explores the various faith groups and humanitarian workers providing this care in private orphanages and foster homes in response to perceived deficiencies in the state orphanage system, in the context of a broader societal shift from 'welfare statism' to 'welfare pluralism'. Formal law and policy has not always kept pace with this shift. This study demonstrates that, in practice, state regulation of these unauthorised care providers has mostly centred on local-level negotiations, hidden rules, and discretion, with mixed outcomes for children. However there has also been a recent shift towards tighter state control and clearer laws, policies, and standards. This timely research sheds light on the life paths and stories of today's 'lonely children' and the changing terrain of civil society, humanitarianism, policy-making, and state power in modern China. As such, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Asian and Chinese studies, law and society, NGOs, and comparative social and child welfare.

Good Touch, Bad Touch is a must-read for all parents who want their children to learn to advocate for their own safety and personal boundaries.When it comes to bad touches, Bobby advises children, "Whether it is a stranger, or someone you know well, the rules to be safe are always the same: Say no! Run away! And find a grown-up friend to tell!" This book is designed for parents to read with their children, and for teachers to share with their classes. Empower your children to keep themselves safe! Bonus content includes: Bobby and Mandee's Touch Test- a quiz along with page numbers for each answer 911 Tips for Parents- a guide for teaching kids when and how to dial 911 My List of Safe Grown-ups to Call- a blank form that parents and children can fill out together

The importance of early childhood care and education (ECCE) in the lives of very young children is gaining increasing attention around the globe and yet there is a persistent lack of diverse knowledge perspectives on this critical phase. This stems from dominant Eurocentric framings of early childhood research, and related theories. Early Childhood Care and Education at the Margins provides contextual accounts of ECCE in Africa in order to build multiple perspectives and to promote responsive thought and actions. The book is an entry point to knowledge production for birth to three in Africa and responds to the call for the field to be in dialogue with different perspectives that attempt to map concepts, debates and contemporary concerns. In this book, a group of African authors, representing both Anglophone and Francophone Africa, provide insider's perspectives on a wide range of geographic, cultural and thematic positions. In so doing, they show the breadth and depth of ideas on which the ECCE field draws. The chapters in the volume highlight a range of topics including poverty, early socialisation, local care practices, gendered roles, and service provision. They open up important points of departure for thinking about ECCE policy, practice, theory and research. The book presents African perspectives in a globalising world. It is therefore suitable for an international readership. It includes cross-cultural comparisons as well as critiques of dominant discourses which will be of particular interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students active in the field of ECCE, childhood studies, cultural studies and comparative education.

Children, Race and Power is a highly acclaimed social history which examines how race and class affect child development. Winner of the American Public Health Association's Viseltear Award for outstanding work in the history of public health, this book is a portrait of two important black social scientists and a broader history of race relations. This important book captures the vitality and chaos of post-war politics in New York recasting the story of the civil rights movement.

When a family member or close friend dies, it can be difficult to know how best to help the children and teenagers involved. Someone Very Important Has Just Died is a practical book written for those caring for children and teenagers suffering a close bereavement. Intended for use immediately or soon after the death has occurred, this book gives practical and detailed guidance on what adults might say and do to help children.;This much-needed resource tackles the sensitive issues of what to tell children, how far to include them in the events immediately after the death, and how to tend to their physical and emotional needs. The material is suitable for anyone regardless of their background and beliefs, and is supplemented with information on where to go to obtain longer term bereavement support.;Someone Very Important Has Just Died is an ideal resource for professionals in all areas of work relating to bereavement. It is designed to be given to adults with children in their care at the time of a death.

Tackling the difficult issues facing those who work with traumatized and sometimes dangerous young people and their families, this new volume shows how professionals can bring about positive change and growth through the creation of "holding" and healing therapeutic environments. This collection of papers written by established and respected experts with extensive practice and research experience builds a powerful picture of the theory and practice of therapeutic community work with young people. A wide variety of therapeutic community approaches is considered alongside an analysis of the implications of this model for mainstream residential practice. Social work, health care and education professionals will find the text invaluable for its presentation of a well-founded analysis of their work with these most damaged and desperate children and young people.

The long-anticipated new version of the internationally recognized Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, ECERS-3, focuses on the full range of needs of preschool- and kindergarten-aged children. This widely used, comprehensive assessment tool measures both environmental provisions and teacher-child interactions that affect the broad developmental needs of young children, including: Cognitive Social-Emotional Physical Health and safety ECERS-3 also includes additional Items assessing developmentally appropriate literacy and math activities. Designed for preschool, kindergarten, and child care classrooms serving children 3 through 5 years of age, ECERS-3: Provides a smooth transition for those already using ECERS-R. Emphasizes the role of the teacher in creating an environment conducive to developmental gains. Is designed to predict child outcomes more accurately and with greater precision. Provides a stronger method of distinguishing between good and truly excellent programs. Offers a complete training program with ongoing support available at the Environment Rating Scales Institute (ERSI) website (www.ersi.info). ECERS-3 is appropriate for state and district-wide QRIS and continuous improvement; program evaluation by directors and supervisors; teacher self-evaluation; monitoring by agency staff; and teacher education. The established reliability and long term evidence of validity of the ERS family of instruments make this new version of ECERS particularly useful for RTTT-ELC accountability and research. Suitable for use in inclusive and culturally diverse programs, ECERS-3 subscales evaluate: Space and Furnishings Personal Care Routines Language and Literacy Learning Activities Interaction Program Structure

This is the book that youth workers who want to put into practice their desire to "meet youth where they're at" have been waiting for. Narrative Approaches to Youth Work provides hope-filled and fresh conversational practices anchored in a critical intersectional analysis of power and a relational ethic of care. These practices help youth workers answer the all-too-common question, what do I do when I do youth work? The concepts and skills presented in this book position youth workers to do youth work in ways that honor youth agency and resistance to oppression, invite a multiplicity of possibilities, and situate youth and youth workers alike within broader social contexts that influence their lives and their relationship together. Drawing on the author's 30-plus years of working alongside young people and training youth workers in contexts ranging from recreation centers to homeless shelters, this book provides a rich and deliberate mix of theoretical grounding, practical application, real-life vignettes, and questions for in-depth self-reflection. Throughout Narrative Approaches to Youth Work, readers hear from a wise and thoughtful squad of youth workers talking about how they strive to do socially just, accountable, critical youth work.

Innovative Skills to Support Well-Being and Resiliency in Youth emphasizes the step-by-step procedures readers will need to implement evidence-based, innovative techniques and skills that emphasize well-being and resilience in youth. The strategies are specifically chosen to capture and hold the interest of youth who are often reticent to counseling. Furthermore, the skills-based approach of the book aims to demystify what one actually does in session with youth by moving away from the vagueness of talk therapy when youth have nothing to say, and toward sessions that engage youth in action, stimulating communication and change. Innovative Skills to Support Well-Being and Resiliency in Youth also advocates for practice interventions that empower youth to be in charge of their personal well-being and the healing process. By doing so, youth can take an active role in their own healthy functioning, as opposed to passively receiving treatment.

First published in 1979, this book concerns itself primarily with the mothers of mentally handicapped children. It discusses the problems of assistance that they may have experienced from their families, the community, or the available services. Whilst arguing for far more support for mothers when they are the main carer, this book also suggests reasons why some families are more easily able to cope with the problems of caring for severely handicapped children. This study is based on research that was conducted for and funded by the Department of Health and Social Security between 1973 and 1976.

In this groundbreaking look at the history and politics of the US child welfare system, When the Welfare People Come exposes the system in its totality, from child protective investigation to foster care and mandated services, arguing that it constitutes a mechanism of control exerted over poor and working class parents and children. Applying the Marxist framework of social reproduction theory to the child welfare system, the author reveals the system's role in the regulation of family life under capitalism.

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Drawing on comparative research from five countries, What Works in Improving Gender Equality provides an accessible analysis of what gender equality means and how we can achieve it by adapting best practices in care policies from other countries. Realistic policy solutions are reached by examining the contexts in which childcare and longterm care policies are developed, and what difficulties might need to be overcome in applying the lessons from different international models.

The book covers the period from 1812, when the Tron Riot in Edinburgh dramatically drew attention to the 'lamentable extent of juvenile depravity', up to 1872, when the Education Act (Scotland) inaugurated a system of universal schooling. During the 1840s and 1850s in particular there was a move away from a punitive approach to young offenders to one based on reformation and prevention. Scotland played a key role in developing reformatory institutions - notably the Glasgow House of Refuge, the largest of its type in the UK - and industrial schools which provided meals and education for children in danger of falling into crime. These schools were pioneered in Aberdeen by Sheriff William Watson and in Edinburgh by the Reverend Thomas Guthrie and exerted considerable influence throughout the United Kingdom. The experience of the Scottish schools was crucial in the development of legislation for a national, UK-wide system between 1854 and 1866.

Assessment of the impact of parental illness has gathered significant momentum over recent years. This book provides an up-to-date guide, for a variety of professionals, on how a range of conditions might impact upon children and young people. Each chapter provides an overview of current literature, an evaluation of relevant interventions, an 'in practice' section that provides guidance for readers in terms of best practice, and future research directions. Although the primary focus of the book is directed at children's and young people's response to their parent's condition, the challenges of parenting are also frequently highlighted. Additionally, the text provides an overview of measurement issues when investigating children's and young people's response to parental illness.

This title provides a comprehensive guide to promoting inclusive practice in childcare and educational settings, and to taking account of children's cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds. For those who work in childcare and educational settings, there is an ethical and legal responsibility to promote inclusive practice and to take into account children's cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds. Now in its third edition, "Anti-Discriminatory Practice" has been restructured to ensure that the information is as accessible as possible for those training and working in childcare and education. As well as including recent research and current best practice, Rosalind Millam has fully updated the content to take account of the impact of recent legislation and resulting legal requirements. Practical suggestions on how to achieve and develop inclusive practice are provided, along with activities to encourage practitioners to examine and reflect upon their own attitudes towards anti-discriminatory practice. Topics covered include: race, religion and culture; major religions beliefs; the role of play and development; and identity and self-esteem.

This is the definitive guide to counselling adolescents. Now in its fourth edition, this bestseller has introduced thousands of trainees and practitioners to the theory, principals, skills and techniques of proactively counselling this client group. New to the fourth edition: - A new chapter on the contemporary context of adolescence, exploring the challenges, opportunities and influences facing young people today. - A new chapter on the use of technology when counselling young people - Useful links to relevant online resources at the end of each chapter - Updates to all chapters reflecting more recent understanding, research and literature - Additional case studies to help trainees apply theory and strategies to practice A multi-disciplinary book which recognises that a diversity of needs requires a diversity of approaches and skills, it uses case studies and examples to demonstrate this in a variety of settings. It is essential reading for trainees and practitioners in counselling, social work, the allied health professions and education.

The disproportional loss of individuals to HIV/AIDS in their most productive years raises concerns over the welfare of surviving members of affected families and communities. One consequence of the rapid increase in adult mortality is the rise in the proportion of children who are orphaned. Sub-Saharan Africa, accounts for about 90 percent of these. Mainly due to the staggering toll of HIV/AIDS, research effort has focused on treatment and prevention. Children have received attention primarily in relation to 'mother to child transmission' and paediatric AIDS. These issues are important and compelling but fail to capture the whole story - the unprecedented surge in the number of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. In this book we reflect on the plight of children classified as vulnerable, review interventions implemented to improve their welfare and grapple with the concept of vulnerability as it relates to human rights and the African child.

Table of Contents

Contents: Preface; Introduction. Section One Overview of the Issue: AIDS related vulnerabilities among children in Sub-Saharan Africa: an overview, Lyndsey McMahan, Chiedza Mufunde and Margaret Lombe. Section Two The Living Arrangement of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa: Fostered children in Botswana, Tapologo Maundeni, Naomi Seboni and Ogar Rapinyana; Experiences of children in residential care: the case of Kenya, Protus Lumiti, Alex J. Ochumbo and Nicholas Syano; The living arrangements of vulnerable children in Zambia, Margaret Lombe and Theresa Lungu. Section Three Responding to Orphaned and Vulnerable Children: An Overview of Public and Private Initiatives: Responses to orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in Botswana, Naomi Seboni, Tapoplogo Maundeni, Ogar Rapinyana and Mosidi Tseleng Cynthia Mokotedi; Responding to orphaned and vulnerable children in Kenya, Alex Ochumbo, Protus Lumiti, and Nicholas Syano; Responding to orphaned and vulnerable children in Zambia, Theresa Lungu, Chrisann Newransky and Aakanksha Sinha. Section Four Children Speak Out: Children speak out: is anyone listening?, Margaret Lombe and Alex Ochumbo. Section Five Making Children Matter: Vulnerability among children and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Margaret Lombe and Harriet Mabikke; Conclusion: closing thoughts, Margaret Lombe, Harriet Mabikke and Alex Ochumbo. Index.

Does your afterschool program have the WOW factor?
Create a high quality school-age program that is exciting, inviting, and reflects the interests, abilities, and needs of the children. Whether your program operates before or after school, on non-school days, during the summer, or overnight, you can create a dynamic environment where everyone will enjoy spending time.
This book is filled with hundreds of ideas--from setting up a quiet reading nook to tackling clutter--reflecting the authors' years of experience and hundreds of visits to a variety of school-age programs. It takes you through all of the considerations that affect your program and then lays out a process to help you improve the three dimensions of a school-age environment.
Temporal: Establish schedules, routines, rules, and learning opportunities to meet children's needs
Interpersonal: Facilitate the relationships and social interactions of children, staff, families, and the greater community
Physical: Create sensory-rich indoor and outdoor spaces

Linda J. Armstrong and Christine A. Schmidt are experienced educational consultants who serve children and youth programs throughout the United States.

It's hard to be a teen! It's even more challenging when we have sensory differences. People with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), a newly identified neurological condition, as well as those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), are frequently misunderstood by others when they over- or under-react to sounds, sights, smells, tastes, touch, movement, balance, and feelings within their bodies. When we're wired differently in teenage hood and aren't always able to understand what it is that we're sensing, the world - and the future - can feel big and scary. In this guide especially for teens and the people who love them, Rachel S. Schneider, M.A., MHC, SPD advocate and award-winning author of Sensory Like You and Making Sense: A Guide to Sensory Issues, breaks the challenges of a sensory teenage hood into hilarious, thoughtful, and manageable chunks. Through personal anecdotes about her own experiences as an undiagnosed sensory teen, as well as tips and tricks to survive and thrive during these years, Rachel reminds us all that we're not alone.

In 1554, a group of idealistic laywomen founded a home for homeless and orphaned adolescent girls in one of the worst neighborhoods in Florence. Of the 526 girls who lived in the home during its fourteen-year tenure, only 202 left there alive. Struck by the unusually high mortality rate, Nicholas Terpstra sets out to determine what killed the lost girls of the House of Compassion shelter (Casa della Pieta).

Reaching deep into the archives' letters, ledgers, and records from both inside and outside the home, he slowly pieces together the tragic story. The Casa welcomed girls in bad health and with little future, hoping to save them from an almost certain life of poverty and drudgery. Yet this "safe" house was cruelly dangerous. Victims of Renaissance Florence's sexual politics, these young women were at the disposal of the city's elite men, who treated them as property meant for their personal pleasure.

With scholarly precision and journalistic style, Terpstra uncovers and chronicles a series of disturbing leads that point to possible reasons so many girls died: hints of routine abortions, basic medical care for sexually transmitted diseases, and appalling conditions in the textile factories where the girls worked.

Church authorities eventually took the Casa della Pieta away from the women who had founded it and moved it to a better part of Florence. Its sordid past was hidden, until now, in an official history that bore little resemblance to the orphanage's true origins. Terpstra's meticulous investigation not only uncovers the sad fate of the lost girls of the Casa della Pieta but also explores broader themes, including gender relations, public health, church politics, and the challenges girls and adolescent women faced in Renaissance Florence.

During the first years in school children need to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, but it seems equally important to develop social and communicative skills and good values. While there are plenty of teaching programs on the "Three Rs" it is not easy to find curricula for social behavior and character development. This workbook provides a clear teaching sequence on eight long-term objectives, such as being reliable, authentic, empathetic, self-controlled and a good team player. In 130 cartons daily problem situations are pictured and possible solutions are presented. While making good value choices children learn at the same time to become competent communicators. Typical as well as special needs students are encouraged to pro-social behaviors which are a solid foundation for school, social and future professional success.

Clinicians who understand mental health care administration in addition to their clinical fields are likely to be valuable to the organizations in which they work. This handbook is an accessible source of information for professionals coming from either clinical or management backgrounds. Sections offer coverage in: mental health administrative principles, mental health care management, business, finance and funding of care, information technology, human resources and legal issues.

Professional practice is at the heart of youth work training but integrating the theory learned in class with the reality of placements can sometimes require extra support. This comprehensive textbook is designed to help students working with young people become competent and ethical practitioners, able to reflect on their learning and interventions in young people s lives.

Divided into three parts, this core text:

• provides an understanding of and commitment to the "principles" of youth work
• explores how "contexts" shape youth work
• demonstrates the core "practice" skills that are required to make a meaningful impact on the lives of young people.

Engaging and practice-driven, this is an essential text for all students learning about working with young people, whether on youth work or allied courses. It includes case-studies, tasks, further reading and reflective questions to help readers make connections between their own knowledge and practice."