Child Welfare Research: Advances for Practice and Policy

by Aron Shlonsky, Duncan Lindsey (Editor)

Overview

Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this essential new volume demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. In the incisive chapters gathered here, some of the field's top investigators present their work and assess its effect on the full spectrum of child welfare services. Future generations of researchers, as well as students, practitioners, and service providers, will find the resulting text indispensable. Edited by Duncan Lindsey and Aron Shlonsky, two of the discipline's most articulate voices, the book covers every base. The opening chapters situate child welfare research in the modern context; they are followed by discussions of evidence-based practice in the field, arguably its most pressing concern now. Recent years have seen historic rises in the number of children adopted through public agencies and, accordingly, permanent placement and family ties are critical topics that occupy the book's core, along with chapters broaching the thorny questions that surround decision-making and risk assessment. The urgent need for a more effective use of research and evidence is highlighted again with looks at the future of child protection and how concrete data can influence policy and help children. Finally, in recognition of the growing importance of a global view, closing chapters address international issues in child welfare research, including an examination of policies from abroad and a multinational comparison of the economic challenges facing single mothers and their children. With its insightful treatment of child welfare services in terms of the broader welfare system and acknowledgment of the myriad problems child welfare agencies face, this exceptional compendium offers a rich understanding of the social conditions that influence contemporary child welfare and enables the field to move ahead without losing sight of valuable lessons that have been learned.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190294007
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/25/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Duncan Lindsey is a Professor in the UCLA School of Public Affairs. The recipient of the ProHumanitate medal, he also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Children and Youth Services Review. Aron Shlonsky is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Social Work and is the director of the Bell Canada Child Welfare Research Unit.

Table of Contents

Child Welfare Research: An Introduction   Duncan Lindsey   Aron Shlonsky   Alan McLuckie     3
Child Welfare Research in Context     13
Epidemiology of Child Maltreatment   Nico Trocme     15
Informing Child Welfare: The Promise and Limits of Empirical Research   Leroy H. Pelton     25
Evidence-Based Practice in Child Welfare     49
Providing More Effective, Ethical Services: The Philosophy and Process of Evidence-Based (-Informed) Practice   Eileen Gambrill     51
How Do We Know What Works? The Quality of Published Reviews of Evidence-Based Practices   Julia H. Littell     66
Research on Permanency: Adoption, Guardianship, and Family Ties     95
The Influence of an Adoption Experiment on Social Policy   Trudy Festinger     99
New Permanency Strategies for Children in Foster Care   Mark Testa     108
The Transition to Adulthood Among Youth "Aging Out" of Care: What Have We Learned?   Amy Dworsky     125
Moving Restorative Justice Interventions into Domestic Violence Treatment   Colleen Friend     145
A Descriptive Study of Intimate Partner Violence and Child Maltreatment: Implications for Child Welfare Policy   Lynette M. Renner   Kristen Shook Slack   Lawrence M. Berger     154
Decision Making in Child Welfare     173
Decision Making in Child Welfare: Constraints and Potentials   Eileen Gambrill     175
Lessons from Research on Decision Making   Eileen Munro     194
Assessing Risk Throughout the Life of a Child Welfare Case   Judith S. Rycus   Ronald C. Hughes     201
Improving Social Work Practice Through the Use of Technology and Advanced Research Methods   Ira M. Schwartz   Peter R. Jones   David R. Schwartz   Zoran Obradovic     214
Evidence-Based Child Welfare Policy     231
The Future of Child Protection Revisited   Jane Waldfogel     235
The Implementation of Market-Based Child Welfare Innovations   William Meezan   Bowen McBeath     242
Self-Evaluation: Using Data to Guide Policy and Practice in Public Child Welfare Agencies   Daniel Webster   Charles L. Usher   Barbara Needell   Judith Wildfire     261
Comparing Welfare and Child Welfare Populations: An Argument for Rethinking the Safety Net   Mark E. Courtney   Amy Dworsky   Irving Piliavin   Steven McMurtry     271
Promoting Child Well-Being Through Early Intervention: Findings from the Chicago Longitudinal Study   Arthur J. Reynolds   Joshua Mersky     291
Heeding Horton: Transcending the Public Welfare Paradigm   David Stoesz     307
Accounts at Birth: A Proposal to Improve Life Chances Through a National System of Children's Savings Accounts   Reid Cramer     318
International Issues in Child Welfare Research     343
Beyond Child Welfare: International Perspectives on Child and Family Policies   Sheila B. Kamerman   Alfred J. Kahn     345
The Effect of Children on the Income Status of Female-Headed Households: An Intercountry Comparison   Martha N. Ozawa   Yongwoo Lee     357
Closing Reflections: Future Research Directions and a New Paradigm   Duncan Lindsey   Aron Shlonsky     375
Index     379

Editorial Reviews

"This is a welcome resource, providing evidence to inform a wide range of child welfare issues. The editors and authors are wise in defining child welfare as more than foster care and protective services, and in placing children in the context of family. The chapters focus not simply on problems, but also on healthy child development. Overall, this book can inform a more comprehensive vision of child welfare practice and policy, which is long overdue."—Michael Sherraden, Youngdahl Professor of Social Development and Director, Center for Social Developmetn, Washington University in St. Louis

"Combining the latest knowledge in child welfare research with illustrations of its applicability in practice and policy, Lindsey and Shlonsky provide critical evaluations and reviews of evidence-based literature to guide the reader in exploring issues in child welfare service provision. The text captures the complexity of the field and of current practice illustrating the many ways in which research and critical research reviews can aid policy and practice. The authors present an array of substantive material to prompt thoughtful and serious problem-solving discussions."—Susan J. Wells, Gamble-Skogmo Professor in Child Welfare and Youth Policy, University of Minnesota School of Social Work

"Lindsey and Shlonsky have put together a survey of the field of child welfare-essays that promise to lead policymakers and practitioners toward reliable and innovative responses to challenging problems. An incredible collection."—Linda G. Mills, Professor of Social Work, Public Policy and Law, New York University

"A treasure trove for serious scholars of child welfare. Lindsey and Shlonsky and their distinguished contributors highlight in exquisite detail the multi-faceted nature of child welfare research and its enormous potential to alter the face of existing policy and practices. A must read for those who seek an evidence-informed and more humane child welfare system."—James K. Whittaker, Charles O. Cressey Endowed Professor Emeritus, The University of Washington School of Social Work

"This is a landmark contribution to the field of child welfarethe star-studded line-up of authors is united in its commitment to practice based upon the evidence. If anyone should doubt how far the field has come in recent years, let them read this."—James Barber, Provost, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

From the Publisher