James K. Whittaker – författare

Revitalizing Residential Care for Children and Youth: Cross-National Trends and Challenges addresses the question of how societies with developed welfare and social service systems assess current needs and future directions in their residential child and youth care sectors. This includes dealing with historical concerns raised about the placement of children and youth in residential care settings, as well as identifying innovative strategies which offer new pathways for the integration of this often neglected sector of service within the broader area of child welfare. Each of the sixteen countries selected for inclusion is examined through a common matrix including the current policy context, key trends and initiatives, characteristics of children and youth served, preparation of residential care personnel, promising programmatic innovations, and present strengths and challenges. Individual country analyses are supplemented by regional exemplars of innovative residential programs and practice in areas such as family engagement, helping youth with the transition from care to community, promising model programs and reflections on recent policy reform initiatives. In addition to take-aways from each country, the book's closing chapter identifies specific implications for policy reform, empirical research and residential program innovation. What sets this book apart is its systematic cross-national appraisal of residential care for children and youth with an eye toward identifying innovative policies and practices undergirded by research. In so doing, it offers a unique contribution to the international child welfare literature.

Among other revolutionary developments of today's world is tie so-called "knowledge explosion." So much is being written so fast about so many things that it is becoming well nigh ir­retrievable. One consequently can never be sure that he knows what there is to know about many kinds of phenomena or types of problems existing in the modern world due to the chance that something exists in written form that simply cannot be found, so bulky is the load of literature.The common idea that only the sick child, and never the well, needs special emotional supports and helps from the adult is simply an error. For the well child is not immune from pile-ups of severe emotional intensity when overwhelmed by confusion and conflicts from within.Certainly, the normal kid can be ex­pected to handle such crises either from within or without better than his sick peer on the average, but that does not mean always; and the critical issue for the well child is: is he ready at the time they hit? If not, he needs, quite unmistakably, emotional first aid from the adult - parent, teacher, camp counselor (or what have you) - who is in charge of his life at that moment. The reader will find that what the authors describe in The Other 23 Hours as the everyday requirement diet, as far as child handling is concerned for their disturbed children, is transferable to the normal crises of normal child­hood.

Person-Environment Practice addresses a core but long- neglected dimension in social work and human services practice; accurate environmental assessment and strategic environmental intervention. Despite the centrality of "person-environment" as a key construct in direct practice, the domain of environmental assessment/intervention has received relatively little systematic attention in the practice literature. For a variety of reasons, the core focus of direct practice assessment and change strategies has centered more on "person" than "environment." This book seeks to redress that imbalance. Ironically, the relative lack of attention to environmentally oriented practice persists even as current demands of practice fall increasingly under the rubric of what we here call "environmental intervention," defined as both action in the environment and the process of transforming individual and collective perspectives through critical analysis of the impact of environmental conditions. The authors argue that the ability to understand "environment" from the client's perspective and to function effectively in the environmental domain is central to many emergent areas of practice such as practice with extended families and personal networks, practice from a "strengths" perspective, and culturally competent practice. In Person-Environment Practice, the authors offer a coherent critique and overview of environmental assessment and intervention congruent with the demands of both newly emerging and established interpersonal helping approaches within social work's domain. Robert Halpern of the Erikson Institute for Advanced Studies in Child Development described the book as "as clear, thoughtful and subtle a discussion of how to consider the environment in interpersonal helping as I have seen in the literature" and Anthony Maluccio of Boston College called the book "a timely and exciting contribution, with appreciation and respect for social work practices and qualities of inspiration as well as intellectual stimulation" Susan P. Kemp is assistant professor, School of Social Work, The University of Washington, Seattle. James K. Whittaker is professor, School of Social Work, The University of Washington, Seattle. Elizabeth M. Tracy is associate professor, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.

"Behavioral Methods in Social Welfare" offers positive proof that behaviorism has come of age in social work. Steven Paul Schinke and the contributors to this volume are social work practitioners who document their attempts to extend the basic tenets of behavioral psychology from the laboratory, clinic, and classroom to the full range of client groups and social problems that make up the practice of social work. In social work education, traditionally to the extent it appeared in the curriculum at all, behavioral content appeared in electives or in courses not focused on practice. It is a true measure of progress that behavioral methods are now visible, integral component of social work education and practice.The authors of each piece in this collection indicate progress in developing an empirically based approach to social work practice. Despite the impressive documentation contained in the present volume, no conclusive evidence as to the effectiveness of behavioral methods exists. What behavioral methods do offer, however, is a systematic format for both problem intervention and evaluation that, over time, should produce a more empirically based practice. A promising sign, well documented in the present effort, is the facility with which this book has subjected practice procedures to the rigor of research and evaluation.This blending of clinical practice and research develops the sense of competence that student-practitioners acquire in understanding and controlling both the art and science of their clinical practice. Steven Schinke and his colleagues offer a series of "snapshots" of important work in process. Their collective portrait provides a fresh perspective and new stimulus for all social work practice, as well as an affirmation that disciplined, responsive, and sensitive social work intervention can make a difference in the lives of people.

Using both historical and contemporary contexts, The Child Welfare Challenge examines major policy practice and research issues as they jointly shape child welfare practice and its future. This text focuses on families and children whose primary recourse to services has been through publicly funded child welfare agencies, and considers historical areas of service—foster care and adoptions, in-home family-centered services, child-protective services, and residential treatment services—where social work has an important role. This fourth edition features new content on child maltreatment and prevention that is informed by key conceptual frameworks informed by brain science, public health, and other research. This edition uses cross-sector data and more sophisticated predictive and other analytical processes to enhance planning and practice design. The authors have streamlined content on child protective services (CPS) to allow for new chapters on juvenile justice/cross-over youth, and international innovations, as well as more content on biology and brain science. The fourth edition includes a glossary of terms as well as instructor and student resource papers available online.

Using both historical and contemporary contexts, The Child Welfare Challenge examines major policy practice and research issues as they jointly shape child welfare practice and its future. This text focuses on families and children whose primary recourse to services has been through publicly funded child welfare agencies, and considers historical areas of service—foster care and adoptions, in-home family-centered services, child-protective services, and residential treatment services—where social work has an important role. This fourth edition features new content on child maltreatment and prevention that is informed by key conceptual frameworks informed by brain science, public health, and other research. This edition uses cross-sector data and more sophisticated predictive and other analytical processes to enhance planning and practice design. The authors have streamlined content on child protective services (CPS) to allow for new chapters on juvenile justice/cross-over youth, and international innovations, as well as more content on biology and brain science. The fourth edition includes a glossary of terms as well as instructor and student resource papers available online.

"Behavioral Methods in Social Welfare" offers positive proof that behaviorism has come of age in social work. Steven Paul Schinke and the contributors to this volume are social work practitioners who document their attempts to extend the basic tenets of behavioral psychology from the laboratory, clinic, and classroom to the full range of client groups and social problems that make up the practice of social work. In social work education, traditionally to the extent it appeared in the curriculum at all, behavioral content appeared in electives or in courses not focused on practice. It is a true measure of progress that behavioral methods are now visible, integral component of social work education and practice.The authors of each piece in this collection indicate progress in developing an empirically based approach to social work practice. Despite the impressive documentation contained in the present volume, no conclusive evidence as to the effectiveness of behavioral methods exists. What behavioral methods do offer, however, is a systematic format for both problem intervention and evaluation that, over time, should produce a more empirically based practice. A promising sign, well documented in the present effort, is the facility with which this book has subjected practice procedures to the rigor of research and evaluation.This blending of clinical practice and research develops the sense of competence that student-practitioners acquire in understanding and controlling both the art and science of their clinical practice. Steven Schinke and his colleagues offer a series of "snapshots" of important work in process. Their collective portrait provides a fresh perspective and new stimulus for all social work practice, as well as an affirmation that disciplined, responsive, and sensitive social work intervention can make a difference in the lives of people.

Among other revolutionary developments of today's world is tie so-called "knowledge explosion." So much is being written so fast about so many things that it is becoming well nigh ir­retrievable. One consequently can never be sure that he knows what there is to know about many kinds of phenomena or types of problems existing in the modern world due to the chance that something exists in written form that simply cannot be found, so bulky is the load of literature.The common idea that only the sick child, and never the well, needs special emotional supports and helps from the adult is simply an error. For the well child is not immune from pile-ups of severe emotional intensity when overwhelmed by confusion and conflicts from within.Certainly, the normal kid can be ex­pected to handle such crises either from within or without better than his sick peer on the average, but that does not mean always; and the critical issue for the well child is: is he ready at the time they hit? If not, he needs, quite unmistakably, emotional first aid from the adult - parent, teacher, camp counselor (or what have you) - who is in charge of his life at that moment. The reader will find that what the authors describe in The Other 23 Hours as the everyday requirement diet, as far as child handling is concerned for their disturbed children, is transferable to the normal crises of normal child­hood.

Therapeutic Residential Care For Children and Youth takes a fresh look at therapeutic residential care as a powerful intervention in working with the most troubled children who need intensive support. Featuring contributions from distinguished international contributors, it critically examines current research and innovative practice and addresses the key questions: how does it work, what are its critical “active ingredients” and does it represent value for money? The book covers a broad spectrum of established and emerging approaches pioneered around with world, with contributors from the USA, Canada, Scandinavia, Spain, Australia, Israel and the UK offering a mix of practice and research exemplars. The book also looks at the research relating to critical issues for child welfare service providers: the best time to refer children to residential care, how children can be helped to make the transition into care, the characteristics of children entering and exiting care, strategies for engaging families as partners, how the substantial cost of providing intensive is best measured against outcomes, and what research and development challenges will allow therapeutic residential care to be rigorously compared with its evidence-based community-centered alternatives. Importantly, the volume also outlines how to set up and implement intensive child welfare services, considering how transferable they are, how to measure success and value for money, and the training protocols and staffing needed to ensure that a programme is effective.This comprehensive volume will enable child welfare professionals, researchers and policymakers to develop a refined understanding of the potential of therapeutic residential care, and to identify the highest and best uses of this intensive and specialized intervention.

Therapeutic Residential Care For Children and Youth takes a fresh look at therapeutic residential care as a powerful intervention in working with the most troubled children who need intensive support. Featuring contributions from distinguished international contributors, it critically examines current research and innovative practice and addresses the key questions: how does it work, what are its critical “active ingredients” and does it represent value for money? The book covers a broad spectrum of established and emerging approaches pioneered around with world, with contributors from the USA, Canada, Scandinavia, Spain, Australia, Israel and the UK offering a mix of practice and research exemplars. The book also looks at the research relating to critical issues for child welfare service providers: the best time to refer children to residential care, how children can be helped to make the transition into care, the characteristics of children entering and exiting care, strategies for engaging families as partners, how the substantial cost of providing intensive is best measured against outcomes, and what research and development challenges will allow therapeutic residential care to be rigorously compared with its evidence-based community-centered alternatives. Importantly, the volume also outlines how to set up and implement intensive child welfare services, considering how transferable they are, how to measure success and value for money, and the training protocols and staffing needed to ensure that a programme is effective.This comprehensive volume will enable child welfare professionals, researchers and policymakers to develop a refined understanding of the potential of therapeutic residential care, and to identify the highest and best uses of this intensive and specialized intervention.

Focusing on a program ("Homebuilders") that has attracted national attention, this book develops implications for family-centered curricula in such areas as social policy, direct practice, program design/management, practice research, theory and prevention.