Family Policy Matters : How Policymaking Affects Families and How Professionals Can Affect Policymaking

Drawing on hundreds of studies in the last 20 years,Family Policy Mattersprovides a fresh perspective on what family policy is, why it is needed, and whether policymaking would be more effective if approached from a family rather than an individual perspective. A theoretical framework for conceptualizing policy issues is proposed in a way that holds the potential for overcoming controversy and identifying common ground. The author details 26 case studies focusing on what roles professionals can play in the policy arena, two approaches on how these roles can be operationalized, and several examples of which strategies professionals can use to influence policymaking in ways that strengthen and support families. The book includes tools, such as a family impact checklist to help professionals assess the potential effects of policies and programs on family well-being and describes technologies, such as the Family Impact Seminars to transfer knowledge and information to policymakers. The targeted audience includes researchers interested in seeing their research and ideas acted upon in the policy world; family professionals who work to connect research and policymaking; and instructors interested in making family policy come alive for undergraduate and graduate students in their classes.