The Child Welfare Challenge: Policy, Practice, and Research

Within a historical and contemporary context, this bookexamines major policy practice and research issues asthey jointly shape child welfare practice and its future.In addition to describing the major problems facing thefield, the book highlights service innovations that havebeen developed in recent years. The resulting picture isencouraging, especially if certain major program reformsare implemented and agencies are able to concentrateresources in a focused manner.The volume emphasizes families and children whoseprimary recourse to services has been through publiclyfunded child welfare agencies. The book considers historicalareas of service-foster care and adoptions, in-home family-centeredservices, child-protective services, and residentialservices-where social work has an important role. Authorsaddress the many fields of practice in which child and familyservices are provided or that involve substantial numbers ofsocial work programs, such as services to adolescent parents,child mental health, education, and juvenile justice agencies.This new edition will continue to serve as a fundamentalintroduction for new practitioners, as well as summaryof recent developments for experienced practitioners.

About the Authors Peter J. Pecora is Senior Director of Research Services for Casey Family Programs and Professor, School of Social Work, University of Washington. James K. Whittaker is Charles O. Cressey Endowed Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work, University of Washington. Anthony N. Maluccio is Professor Emeritus, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Connecticut. Richard P. Barth is Professor and Dean, School of Social Work, University of Maryland. Diane DePanfilis is Professor, School of Social Work, University of Maryland. Robert D. Plotnick is Professor, Daniel Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington.