Protecting children from abuse and neglect is a serious and complex area of social work practice and understanding the critical skills of communicating with and listening to children′s voices, and those of their advocates and survivors, is essential. In this new edition of a highly-regarded book, the authors offer a strengthened children′s rights perspective and explore four main categories of child abuse - emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and physical abuse. The book also considers legal safeguards and protective processes to increase the creativity and confidence of those undertaking such work. Locating knowledge and skills within a series of case examples from real life practice and serious case reviews, this book is an indispensable resource for students, professionals and others concerned with protecting children. This second edition has been comprehensively revised and updated to include current research evidence and a focus on the neglected protection needs of sexually exploited young people, children in custody, disabled children, young carers and unaccompanied child migrants.
"[A] concise and detailed description of a very complex issue...rich in detail and insight." --Leslie J. Temme, LCSW School of Social Work, Adelphi University "[A] 'must have' resource for practicing professionals and an invaluable teaching tool for social work students....This is precisely the book that mandated reporters seek to assist in the reporting process and understanding their legal obligations." --Keva M. Miller, PhD, LCSW School of Social Work, Portland State University In all states, social workers are required to report suspected child abuse and neglect, and face serious penalties if they fail to do so. But not all cases of abuse are obvious. Mandated reporters are thus confronted with a host of both legal and ethical quandaries when filing a report: What are the responsibilities of mandated reporters? What are appropriate grounds for reporting abuse? How and when should a report be made? Does reporting suspected abuse violate client confidentiality? What if my employer encourages me not to report my suspicions? Addressing these questions and more, this book provides clear definitions of different types of child abuse, including physical, sexual, and emotional, and delineates guidelines on how to identify risk factors and signs of child maltreatment. The authors also clarify difficult ethical issues, including client confidentiality and privileged communication, and present numerous case studies and theoretical vignettes culled from their own experiences as social workers. This guide will be the one resource mandated reporters and social work students cannot do without.
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
The second edition of this comprehensive text for MSW and BSW students studying family violence is fully reorganized for improved flow of information, is substantially revised, and is updated to reflect current scholarship and practice. Focusing on child abuse and maltreatment, intimate partner violence (IPV), and older adult abuse, the book covers assessment procedures and evidence-based treatments used by social workers with victims and perpetrators of all age groups and of both genders. It provides expanded information on agencies advocating on behalf of children including child advocacy centers, guardians ad litem, and court-appointed special advocates as well as child welfare laws and policies. The textbook provides updated information related to IPV and vulnerable/at-risk populations including sex trafficking victims, veterans, and male victims. The second edition also features more in-depth theoretical information integrated with case studies, and new information regarding technological issues and criminal justice reform. The authors address assessments and interventions for adult victims of family violence, adult survivors of child abuse, child witnesses of domestic violence, adolescent victims of dating violence, older adult victims of abuse, and both male and female perpetrators of abuse. The text encompasses several features that make it particularly useful in the classroom, including real-life case studies in every chapter, key terms, and discussion questions. An updated and robust instructor package includes a fully revised Test Bank and more detailed PowerPoints. New to the Second Edition: Aligns with 2015 CSWE Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards Adds updated news articles to help stimulate discussion on chapter content Updated instructor package including fully revised Test Bank Updated and expanded PowerPoint presentations Expanded information in the child maltreatment section on child advocacy centers, guardians ad litem, and court-appointed special advocates A new child maltreatment case example and SMART plan Updated child welfare laws and policies Expanded coverage of safety planning and protection orders for IPV victims New coverage of IPV and sex trafficking Expanded coverage of IPV with male victims and their female perpetrators Coverage of multiple vulnerable and at-risk populations Use of pet therapy and service dogs for IPV in military Updated material on causation of older adult abuse Inclusion of instrument to screen for maltreatment Expanded chapter on assessment and intervention of older adult abuse Example of a possible risk assessment for older adults
Each year, child protective services receive reports of child abuse and neglect involving six million children, and many more go unreported. The long-term human and fiscal consequences of child abuse and neglect are not relegated to the victims themselves-they also impact their families, future relationships, and society. In 1993, the National Research Council (NRC) issued the report, Under-standing Child Abuse and Neglect, which provided an overview of the research on child abuse and neglect. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research updates the 1993 report and provides new recommendations to respond to this public health challenge. According to this report, while there has been great progress in child abuse and neglect research, a coordinated, national research infrastructure with high-level federal support needs to be established and implemented immediately. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research recommends an actionable framework to guide and support future child abuse and neglect research. This report calls for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to child abuse and neglect research that examines factors related to both children and adults across physical, mental, and behavioral health domains-including those in child welfare, economic support, criminal justice, education, and health care systems-and assesses the needs of a variety of subpopulations. It should also clarify the causal pathways related to child abuse and neglect and, more importantly, assess efforts to interrupt these pathways. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research identifies four areas to look to in developing a coordinated research enterprise: a national strategic plan, a national surveillance system, a new generation of researchers, and changes in the federal and state programmatic and policy response.
Reports of mistreated children, domestic violence, and abuse of elderly persons continue to strain the capacity of police, courts, social services agencies, and medical centers. At the same time, myriad treatment and prevention programs are providing services to victims and offenders. Although limited research knowledge exists regarding the effectiveness of these programs, such information is often scattered, inaccessible, and difficult to obtain. Violence in Families takes the first hard look at the successes and failures of family violence interventions. It offers recommendations to guide services, programs, policy, and research on victim support and assistance, treatments and penalties for offenders, and law enforcement. Included is an analysis of more than 100 evaluation studies on the outcomes of different kinds of programs and services. Violence in Families provides the most comprehensive review on the topic to date. It explores the scope and complexity of family violence, including identification of the multiple types of victims and offenders, who require different approaches to intervention. The book outlines new strategies that offer promising approaches for service providers and researchers and for improving the evaluation of prevention and treatment services. Violence in Families discusses issues that underlie all types of family violence, such as the tension between family support and the protection of children, risk factors that contribute to violent behavior in families, and the balance between family privacy and community interventions. The core of the book is a research-based review of interventions used in three institutional sectorsâ€"social services, health, and law enforcement settingsâ€"and how to measure their effectiveness in combating maltreatment of children, domestic violence, and abuse of the elderly. Among the questions explored by the committee: Does the child protective services system work? Does the threat of arrest deter batterers? The volume discusses the strength of the evidence and highlights emerging links among interventions in different institutional settings. Thorough, readable, and well organized, Violence in Families synthesizes what is known and outlines what needs to be discovered. This volume will be of great interest to policymakers, social services providers, health care professionals, police and court officials, victim advocates, researchers, and concerned individuals.
Selfless is the story of Kristen Holzapfel's journey to the dark side of social work, her dream to enter a 'selfless profession' that broke her heart, and nearly her body and mind. It is the story of her descent in to anorexia nervosa, her recovery from that terrible time and her struggle with the workplace that forced her back to the front line. Faced with the stress and vicarious trauma that drove her back to hospital and anorexia she had little choice but to give up the career she'd dreamed of since her childhood. This is her story of that time, and of her recovery, told as both a warning and as hope for others dreaming of a 'selfless career'.
An extensively revised version of the first edition, this text focuses on the practical foundational knowledge required to practice social work effectively in the complex and fast-changing world of services to children and their families. The core organizing framework consists of eight pragmatic perspectives: combating adultcentrism, family-centered practice, the strengths perspective, respect for diversity and difference, the least restrictive alternative, ecological perspective, organization and financing, and achieving outcomes. Unlike most texts that focus either on direct practice or on policy, Petr's revised volume integrates current policy-including recent reform efforts-with "best practices." The student thus gains a deep appreciation for how direct social work practice is linked to, and even guided by, contemporary policy initiatives and the values that underscore those initiatives. Two new chapters are devoted specifically to the fields of child welfare and children's mental health, providing an overview of the laws, policies, practices, and terminology pertaining to each setting. The next eight chapters focus on each pragmatic perspective and its relevance to child welfare and children's mental health. The in-depth case studies that comprise the concluding two chapters illustrate how typical client situations can be successfully addressed within the context of the pragmatic perspectives. Packed with case studies, specific practice instruction, chapter summaries, and suggested learning activities, this book prepares students and practitioners to think and act professionally in ways that are consistent with current laws, values, policies, and reform efforts in the field.
