This article outlines challenges and opportunities educators and students face while attempting to develop a global perspective in social work. It discusses the need for more international focus in the classroom and increased field placements in non-Western countries. Exercises using an in-depth case study of the historic and current dynamics of…

Researchers have identified four common co-occurring parental risk factors--substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence, and child conduct problems--that lead to child maltreatment. The extent to which maltreatment prevention programs must directly address these risk factors to improve responsiveness to parenting programs or can directly…

Matthew Stagner and Jiffy Lansing chart developments in the field of child maltreatment and propose a new framework for preventing child abuse and neglect. They begin by describing the concept of investment-prevention as it has been applied recently in fields such as health care and welfare. They then explain how the new framework applies to…

The need for social justice in social work practice is particularly apparent in work with indigenous populations. In spite of the social work profession's commitment to social justice, social workers have often done significant harm in their work with indigenous peoples. Social work educators are ideally positioned to close this gap between social…

The nation's child protection system (CPS) has historically focused on preventing maltreatment in high-risk families, whose children have already been maltreated. But, as Jane Waldfogel explains, it has also begun developing prevention procedures for children at lower risk--those who are referred to CPS but whose cases do not meet the criteria for…

Describes the history, objectives, participant characteristics, and outcomes of the Voluntary Intervention and Treatment Program, a child protection program designed to encourage and manage voluntary self-referrals by parents with actual or potential problems of child abuse and neglect. (RH)

Describes a survey which assessed the impact of the Pennsylvania State Child Protective Services Law (Act 124) on the caseworker's ability to carry out procedural guidelines. (CM)

The use of polarity analysis in child abuse case management provides a way to identify interdependent polar opposites, their positive and negative consequences, and actions to manage them over time, rather than compete for one right solution. An example of polarity analysis is presented with the two poles being parental autonomy and the agency as…

Discusses criteria for identification of six types of physical maltreatment of children. The typology represents a broad framework which is used to differentiate between milder and more severe forms of physical child abuse. (NH)

Explores the ways in which shifting meanings of childhood and constructions of sexually abused children and the structuring of team practice pose problems for multidisciplinary team members. Argues that understanding child sexual abuse and developing community-based practice approaches must be informed by broader perspectives. Suggests a model of…

Describes and evaluates a child protection team in rural Vermont. The author draws on the team's experience to develop a model designed to utilize the strengths of a small community. (Author/DB)

Describes a caseload weighting system used by a voluntary child welfare agency which successfully increased caseworker-client contact and improved the quality of the delivery of child and family services. (BB)

Identifies factors contributing to difficulties involved in developing ethnic sensitivity training for child protective services caseworkers. Examines frameworks for training caseworkers in ethnic sensitivity. Proposes a new approach to improving caseworkers' ability to complete ethnically sensitive assessments and discusses implications of this…

Outlines three major differentiating categories of children who were sexually abused by sex rings: level of fear, ability to trust, and disclosure confusion. Addresses denial and resistance regarding child sexual exploitation by a ring among practitioners in the child welfare system. (Author/BB)

Noting that risk assessment models are controversial and vary in definition, purposes, and risk criteria, reviews and contrasts 10 models used to guide decision making concerning the placement of maltreated children in out-of-home care. Found that models varied on pertinent criteria for assessing child risk, and identified six areas for further…