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More than two million child abuse reports are filed annually on
behalf of children in the United States. Each of the reported
children becomes a concern, at least temporarily, of the
professional who files the report, and each family is assessed by
additional professionals. A substantial number of children in these
families will subsequently enter foster care. Until now, the
relationships between the performance of our child welfare system
and the growth and outcomes of foster care have not been
understood. In an effort to clarify them, Barth and his colleagues
have synthesized the results of their longitudinal study in
California of the paths taken by children after the initial abuse
report: foster care, a return to their homes, or placement for
adoption. Because of the outcomes of child welfare services in
California have national significance, this is far more than a
regional study. It provides a comprehensive picture of children's
experiences in the child welfare system and a gauge of the
effectiveness of that system. The policy implications of the
California study have bearing on major federal and state
initiatives to prevent child abuse and reduce unnecessary foster
and group home care.
More than two million child abuse reports are filed annually on
behalf of children in the United States. Each of the reported
children becomes a concern, at least temporarily, of the
professional who files the report, and each family is assessed by
additional professionals. A substantial number of children in these
families will subsequently enter foster care. Until now, the
relationships between the performance of our child welfare system
and the growth and outcomes of foster care have not been
understood. In an effort to clarify them, Barth and his colleagues
have synthesized the results of their longitudinal study in
California of the paths taken by children after the initial abuse
report: foster care, a return to their homes, or placement for
adoption. Because of the outcomes of child welfare services in
California have national significance, this is far more than a
regional study. It provides a comprehensive picture of children's
experiences in the child welfare system and a gauge of the
effectiveness of that system. The policy implications of the
California study have bearing on major federal and state
initiatives to prevent child abuse and reduce unnecessary foster
and group home care.
In this provocative examination of the fall of the profession of social work from its original mission to aid and serve the underprivileged, Harry Specht and Mark Courtney show how America's excessive trust in individualistic solutions to social problems have led to the abandonment of the poor in this country. A large proportion of all certified social workers today have left the social services to enter private practice, thereby turning to the middle class -- those who can afford psychotherapy -- and away from the poor. As Specht and Courtney persuasively demonstrate, if social work continues to drift in this direction there is good reason to expect that the profession will be entirely engulfed by psychotherapy within the next twenty years, leaving a huge gap in the provision of social services traditionally filled by social workers. The authors examine the waste of public funds this trend occasions, as social workers educated with public money abandon community service in increasing numbers.
For centuries, societies have relied upon residential care settings
to provide homes for children, and for much of that period a debate
has raged over whether such settings are appropriate places for
children to be raised. In recent years this debate has taken on an
international dimension as human rights policies have called into
question the legitimacy of residential care of children.
Unfortunately, the ideological fervor that usually accompanies such
discussions prevents a more nuanced understanding of the reasons
that countries continue to make use of residential care.
Residential Care of Children: Comparative Perspectives fills major
gaps in knowledge about residential care and is intended to inform
debates within and between nations about the appropriate use of
such institutions. Eleven country-specific chapters, written by
child welfare experts from around the world, provide an in-depth
understanding of the historical development of residential care,
the current state of affairs, and predictions for the future.
Chapters describe how residential care is defined in each country,
how it has evolved over time, factors that have contributed to the
observed pattern of development of residential care, and potential
concerns for the future. An integrative chapter presents a critical
cross-national perspective, identifying common themes and analyzing
underlying factors. Seeking to explain rather than cast judgment,
Residential Care of Children: Comparative Perspectives will be
fruitful reading for policymakers, program administrators,
advocates, practitioners, and scholars interested in creating
better services for vulnerable children and youth.
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