Helping in Child Protective Services

Charmaine R. Brittain, M.S.W., Ph.D., is Manager of Education & Professional Development, American Humane, Englewood, Colorado. Dr. Brittain is an expert on child protective services, having been involved in CPS systems as a practitioner and as a consultant helping child welfare organizations improve their child protection systems through better training and program analysis. She manages training programs, writes curricula, and assesses program compliance against standard performance criteria. Deborah Esquibel Hunt, Ph.D. has a background in clinical social work, social work education, and Indian child welfare. She has provided leadership to a statewide task force in Colorado that culminated in a state Indian Child Welfare law. Dr. Hunt has presented locally and nationally and published on the Indian Child Welfare Act and culturally responsive services with American Indian families.

This is a most timely compendium of the skills and principles to infuse best practices into 21st century CPS. Attention to cultural competence, collaboration, and solution-focused and family-centered practice add to the relevance and helpfulness of the volume. From case illustrations to concrete examples of concepts and principles, this handbook is a critical resource not just for CPS workers but for all practitioners who work with CPS families."-Katharine Briar-Lawson, Ph.D., Dean and Professor, School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, State University of New York

• 1: The CPS Experience: Working with a Family from Beginning to End 2: The History of Child Protective Services 3: The Casework Process 4: Key Partners in Protecting Children and Supporting Families 5: Interviewing Children and Families 6: Intake and Investigation: Initial Stages of the CPS Process 7: Assessment 8: Child Development 9: The Medical Evaluation of Abuse and Neglect 10: Interventions with Families 11: The Legal Framework for Child Protective Services 12: Accountability in Child Protective Services Glossary Index