Robert E. Lee & Jason B. Whiting

Foster Care Therapist Handbook: Relational Approaches to the Children and Their Families focuses on the relational therapy approach, which considers the whole relational environment for each child and endeavors to get all parts of it to work together for the child's sake.
Each section in this guide is written by experts in the field. As a result, this volume draws on decades of experience and is expressed in plain terms and loaded with real-life examples. All facets of a therapist's workload are addressed, from infants needing developmental catch-up to teenagers benefiting from "hip-hop therapy" to burnt-out therapists requiring care themselves.
By viewing these therapeutic responsibilities through the lens of relational therapy, all aspects are placed into proportion, so they can be easily identified and worked out. The emphasis is on "What works with my case, right here, right now? What will help me help them?"

Professionals

Book

Charmaine R. Brittain

Provides a step-by-step guide to frequently asked questions concerning the medical aspects of child abuse and neglect. Designed for the nonmedical professional, this guide covers burns, fractures, poisoning, sexual abuse, neglect, substance abuse, and working with medical providers. Includes charts, illustrations, checklists, and resources.

Children with Special Needs, Professionals

Book

Joy D. Osofsky

Recent years have seen significant advances in knowledge about the effects of exposure to psych-ological trauma on young children from birth to age 5. This volume brings together leading experts to address practical considerations in working with traumatized young children and their caregivers. State-of-the-art assessment and treatment approaches are presented, together with innovative service delivery models. With a focus on building cross-disciplinary collaboration to better serve this vulnerable population, this is an indispensable resource for all mental health and human service professionals working with children at risk.

Children with Special Needs, Trauma & Brain Development, Professionals, Effects of Trauma

Book

Insoo Kim Berg & Susan Kelly

How does one change the attitudes and practices of child protective services (CPS)—a statewide bureaucracy often overwhelmed and understaffed? First, take an outsider to the system, Insoo Kim Berg, who has a vision and a solution-focused model. Add an insider, Susan Kelly, who understands the system. Spend many hours with CPS workers in the field, learning from them and helping them make the shift from a deficit perspective to a collaborative model that emphasizes strengths and solutions. Envision and implement change throughout the system. Celebrate small successes on the way to building family self-sufficiency and integrity.

This recipe for reforming child protective services is being followed in many public child welfare agencies, with growing success. In Building Solutions the authors explain how to conceptualize, implement, and sustain this hopeful and positive frame in a daily practice for dedicated frontline workers as well as for those in supervision, management, and administration.

The book has two parts. In the first, the authors put child protective services in context, introducing the system and their new approach, giving a brief history of child protection in the United States, and setting the stage for change. In the second part, the authors walk readers through the nuts and bolts of implementation, from the first phone call to case closure—including discussions about placing a child out of the home. Berg and Kelly also discuss supervision, consultation, and ongoing training, as well as their vision of the future of CPS.

This book is not a manual; it is a challenge to step out of the traditional CPS "box" and think differently—to create client-driven services that make sense. The authors challenge CPS administrators, supervisors, and workers to begin conversations about how the system can be more helpful and respectful to the families so that the parents can get what they need to care for their children. Building Solutions should have a place on the desk of everyone involved in child protective services.

Professionals, Child Welfare

Book

Jean E. Rhodes

A child at loose ends needs help, and someone steps in--a Big Brother, a Big Sister, a mentor from the growing ranks of volunteers offering their time and guidance to more than two million American adolescents. Does it help? How effective are mentoring programs, and how do they work? Are there pitfalls, and if so, what are they? Such questions, ever more pressing as youth mentoring initiatives expand their reach at a breakneck pace, have occupied Jean Rhodes for more than a decade. In this provocative, thoroughly researched, and lucidly written book, Rhodes offers readers the benefit of the latest findings in this burgeoning field, including those from her own extensive, groundbreaking studies.

Outlining a model of youth mentoring that will prove invaluable to the many administrators, caseworkers, volunteers, and researchers who seek reliable information and practical guidance, Stand by Me describes the extraordinary potential that exists in such relationships, and discloses the ways in which nonparent adults are uniquely positioned to encourage adolescent development. Yet the book also exposes a rarely acknowledged risk: unsuccessful mentoring relationships--always a danger when, in a rush to form matches, mentors are dispatched with more enthusiasm than understanding and preparation--can actually harm at-risk youth. Vulnerable children, Rhodes demonstrates, are better left alone than paired with mentors who cannot hold up their end of the relationships.

Drawing on work in the fields of psychology and personal relations, Rhodes provides concrete suggestions for improving mentoring programs and creating effective, enduring mentoring relationships with youth.

Parenting, Professionals

Book

Valerie Polakow

This provocative and in-depth examination of violence in the lives of children uncovers the conditions and social policies that perpetuate violence. Essays cover: The violence of poverty and homelessness; The violence of environmentally induced childhood diseases; The media and legislative "criminalization" of children; The increasing trend toward incarceration of youthful offenders.

Parenting, Professionals

Book

Susan J. Skallerup

Babies with Down Syndrome, the trustworthy guide which has benefited thousands of families since it was first published in 1985, is completely revised and updated in a new, third edition. Covering the best practices for raising and caring for children with Down syndrome through age five, this book is invaluable to new parents who have welcomed a baby with Down syndrome into their lives.

This new edition incorporates the latest scientific, medical, educational research, and practical information available, as well as parents? suggestions and feedback. Existing chapters have been revised, some completely rewritten by new authors, and in keeping with its parent-friendly reputation, most of the book's contributors are parents of children with Down syndrome. Chapters cover:

- What Is Down Syndrome?: A primer on the causes, characteristics, and diagnosis, including the latest information on genetics and prenatal testing;
- Adjusting to Your Baby: Advice from an experienced mother on coping with common emotions and announcing the news to friends and family;
- Medical Concerns & Treatments: An overview of possible health issues including celiac disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, reflux, and skin problems, with an emphasis on detecting signs early for needed treatment;
- Daily Care: The gamut of care from feeding to bathing, with expanded information about toilet training;
- Family Life: The impact on siblings and couples, discipline issues, and new material to help everyone understand that a child's behavior is a form of communication;
- Development & Learning: Expectations about development plus new material on variability in development, learning styles, using reading to develop language, memory strengths and weaknesses, and using play to encourage learning;
- Early Intervention: An overview of services and therapies for babies & toddlers with new information on the transdisciplinary approach, providing services in the natural environment, transitioning to preschool, and common questions & answers;
- Legal Rights & Financial Issues: Explains your child's educational and legal rights, and financial information, including the latest on federal education and civil rights laws, sources of financial assistance, health insurance, trusts, and guardianship.

Full of new photos, parent statements, updated and expanded resources and reading lists, and a reprint of the inspiring essay, ?Welcome to Holland,? this guide is everything parents need to build a bright and healthy future for their child with Down syndrome

Parenting, General Adoption, Children with Special Needs, Professionals

Book

David M. Brodzinsky

Focusing on developmental and clinical issues in children's adjustment to adoption, the authors introduce this volume with an overview of historical and contemporary perspectives, then explore various theories that have addressed the issue of psychological risk associated with adoption.

Following a review of empirical research on factors that influence the adjustment process, the authors discuss different types of adoption, analyze methodological problems, and discuss clinical and assessment issues that commonly arise in work with adoptees and their families

Professionals, Effects of Trauma

Book

Karen Eanet & Julia B Rauch

This book was developed for professionals who are involved with families affected by genetic disorders. Part I provides information about genetics and discusses current genetic services, conducting a genetic family history-taking interview, and recording and transmitting information. Part II focuses on psychosocial intervention with children and families affected by genetic disorders. Chapter topics include social workers' self-awareness about differentness, demands on caregivers, and cultural diversity issues related to genetics and birth defects. Genetics begins with quick references for practical information about obtaining genetic services for clients and has several exercises for readers to complete and discuss on the issues associated with genetic information.

Professionals

Book

Anna Quindlen

Parents, teachers, and anyone concerned about social services in their communities, and especially those who might be interested in volunteering will find this book interesting

General Adoption, Professionals

Book