Balancing Family-Centered Services and Child Well-Being: Exploring Issues in Policy, Practice, Theory and Research

by Elaine Walton, Patricia Sandau-Beckler, Marc Mannes

Overview

With contributions ranging from academic and professional theorists and policy developers to independent social workers, this book explores the development of family-centered services, the processes by which these services are implemented, the problems the field now faces, and prospects for the future. Multi-faceted examinations of the field show how family-centered services and child well-being can be linked on a daily basis to better the lives of both parents and children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231112833
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	03/29/2001
Series:	Social Work Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	488
Sales rank:	926,972
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Elaine Walton is associate professor and director of the School of Social Work at Brigham Young University.

Patricia Sandau-Beckler is associate professor of social work at New Mexico State University.

Marc Mannes is director of research and evaluation for Search Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Table of Contents

Introduction, by Marc Mannes, Elaine Walton, and Patricia Sandau-Beckler
Contributors
1. Family-Centered Services: A Typology Brief History, and Overview of Current Program Implementation and Evaluation Challenges, by Peter J. Pecora, Kellie Reed-Ashcraft, and Raymond S. Kirk
A Program Typology of Family-Centered Services
History of Family-Centered Services
Program Limitations and Policy Pitfalls
Selected Program Implementation Challenges in Family-Centered Services
2. Values and Ethics for Family-Centered Practice, by John P. Ronnau
Theoretical Foundation
The Impact of Values in Practice
Evolution of Values in Family-Centered Services
Historical Backdrop
Values That Direct Family-Centered Services
Family Plays an Essential Role in Child Development
The Family Is Part of a System
Clients Are Colleagues
Strengths Are to Be Emphasized
Home Is the Primary Service Setting
The Family's Needs Determine Services
The Family and Workers Operate in the Community
3. Cultural Competency in Providing Family-Centered Services, by Rowena Fong
History of Culturally Competent Practice
Culturally Competent Social Work and Family-Centered Practice
Assessing Family-Centered Services for Ethnic Families
Planning Culturally Competent Family-Centered Services
Cultural Values as Guideposts to Service Development
4. A Conceptual Framework for Family-Centered Services, by Elaine Walton
Family Systems Theory
Ecological Theory
Social Work Models
Strength-Based Perspective
Empowerment Theory
A Conceptual Framework: Integration of Theories
5. Family-Centered Assessment and Goal Setting, by Patricia Sandau-Beckler
Expanded Roles of Family Members as Experts on Their History and Challenges
Use of Self in Relationship to Family-Centered
Practice Principles
Maintaining a Nonjudgmental Stance
Preparing for Family-Centered Assessment
Home Observation
Ethical Considerations of Working in the Family's Home
Family-Centered Assessment Process
Connecting Family Assessment to Goal-Setting Activities
Collaborative Team Building to Support Family
Assessment and Goal Setting
6. Well-Being and Family-Centered Services: The Value of the Developmental Assets Framework, by Marc Mannes
Some Implications and Effects of Attending to Safety Permanency, and Well-Being for Child and Family Services
Family-Centered Reforms and Child and Family Services
The Empirical Basis for the Developmental Assets Framework
The Basis for Defining Thriving Outcomes
Measurement of the Developmental Assets and Thriving Indicators
Findings Related to the Developmental Assets
Framework and Thriving Indicators
Adapting the Developmental Assets Framework to Children
The Importance of Applying the Developmental Assets Framework to Family-Centered Services
7. Interventions: Hard and Soft Services, by Elizabeth M. Tracy
Definitional Issues
The Home-Based Worker's Intervention Task
Categories of Home-Based Interventions
Case Examples
Future Issues
8. Formal and Informal Kinship Care: Supporting the Whole Family, by Gary R. Anderson
Formal and Informal Support
Kinship Family Care
Formal Kinship Care
Policy Issues
9. Family Group Conferencing: An "Extended Family" Process to Safeguard Children and Strengthen Family Well-Being, by Lisa Merkel-Holguin, with contributions from Kimberly Ribich
Historical Roots in New Zealand
New Zealand's Legislative Precedence
Evolution of Family Group Conferencing
The Practice of Family Group Conferencing
10. Targeting the Right Families for Family-Centered Services: Current Dilemmas and Future Directions, by Ramona W. Denby
Part 1: The Evolution of Targeting Practices in Family-Centered Services
Part 2: Future Direction of Targeting Practices in Family-Centered Services
Part 3: Putting the Targeting Criteria Into Action
11. Walking Our Talk in the Neighborhoods: Going Beyond Lip Service in Service Delivery Improvement, by Kim Apple, Sue Bernstein, Katrina Fogg, Larrie Fogg, David Haapala, Edith Johnson, Richard Johnson, Jill Kinney, Janice Nittoli, Daniele Price, Keith Roberts, Robert Smith, Tasha Steele, Kathy Strand, Edwin Trent, Margaret Trent, Venessa Trent, and Ron Vignec
Reasons We Need New Approaches to Human Services Delivery
Reasons for Forming Professional/Natural Helper Partnerships
Reasons We Need Natural Helpers
Reasons We Need Professionals
Challenges in Developing and Maintaining Professional/Natural Helper Partnerships
One Example of a Professional/Natural Helper Partnership
A Few of the Unanswered Questions
12. Evaluation in a Dynamic Environment: Assessing Change When Nothing Is Constant, by Marianne Berry, Marian Bussey, and Scottye J. Cash
Historical Development in the Evaluation of Family-Centered Services
Current Applications: Methods and Meanings
The Future in Evaluation of Family-Based Services—The Next Steps
13. Multisystemic Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice,, by Colleen A. Halliday-Boykins and Scott W. Henggeler
Theoretical Underpinnings
Clinical Features
Outcome Studies
Current and Future Directions
14. Reclaiming a Family-Centered Services Reform Agenda, by Marc Mannes
The Waning of the Family-Centered Services Reform Movement
Revitalizing the Family-Centered Services Reform Movement
15. Shaping the Future of Family-Centered Services: Competition or Collaboration?, by Kristine E. Nelson
Threats from Without: Privatization and Managed Care
Threats from Within
Countervailing Forces
The Future of Family-Centered Services

Editorial Reviews

Fifteen essays by academics and professionals who have been involved with the conceptualization and application of family-centered work in child welfare systems in the US. They shed light on how family- centered services have evolved, outline the rationale and basis for using the approach, describe the ways services are implemented, highlight challenges now facing the field, and present prospects for its future. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews