Synopses & Reviews
The first few years of life are a time of unparalleled physical, intellectual, and emotional development. But they can also be a time of neglect and abuse: this is the period when children are most likely to suffer mistreatment by their parents, and most likely to be placed in foster care. Today most children entering the child welfare system are very young, and, in most large states, infants are the largest group of children entering foster care each year. Social service systems are typically not designed for very young children, however, and therefore fail to serve their special needs. This shortcoming is significant because protecting very young children from physical harm is not enough; they must also be protected from developmental harm.
The Tender Years is the first textbook to address this critical situation. Beginning with an overview of child development theory, it examines child abuse reporting patterns and discusses placement in foster care, reunification, and adoption. It also looks at public child welfare practice, featuring vivid examples of the children and families served by this system. The authors analyze the differences between the foster care experiences of very young children and those of older children, with special emphasis on the way the child welfare system deals with infants. Based on a significant body of evidence regarding young children's unique affective, physical, and cognitive development, this text illuminates the interrelationship of child welfare practice, child development outcomes, and public policy. The authors offer a fundamental framework for decision-making in child welfare when young children are involved, and recommend specific changes in policy and practice aimed at moving the system toward greater developmental sensitivity.
Timely and provocative, The Tender Years is essential reading for courses in child welfare, social work with children, and social work with the family, as well as a valuable resource for child welfare administrators and policy makers.
Review
"Extremely insightful to policy-makers and judicial officers who promulgate laws and make decisions daily. Will be helpful in training new lawyers and judges on the child welfare system. Great intro. for paralegal students."--Penny Willrich, Phoenix College
"Needed research, great supplemental resource, not too long, well illustrated, attractively done."--Elizabeth Watson, Andrews University
"Does a remarkable job of bringing together the cold reality of statistics and the heart of compassion for small children. Its justification for developmentally sensitive child welfare policy and practice is compelling; must reading for those preparing to work in child services."--Jim Kreider, Kansas University
Review
"
Children's Agency, Children's Welfare is an important and challenging book. It demonstrates the importance of the nature and quality of interactions for influencing child development and that these are central issues for the way child welfare workers and agencies operate and are organised."
Review
“This book offers a lively and well-developed analysis of the multilevel concept of agency in child welfare and explores in an original manner the importance of dialogical and narrative approaches in social work practices. This is useful reading for anyone involved in these practices.”
Review
"This is a wide-ranging exploration of child welfare, based in psychology but drawing ideas from across the human sciences. It provides a strong argument for the centrality of dialogic, narrative and language approaches to understanding children, families and their interactions with child welfare professionals."
Review
"A very useful framework for critical and innovative analysis of policy and practice. Moreover, it is a good read: interesting, original, clear and well structured."
Review
"An excellent reflective resource for professionals practising in the field, as well as a very useful text for academics, researchers and postgraduate students in social work and childhood studies."
Synopsis
Based on a significant body of evidence regarding young children's uni que affective, physical, and cognitive development, The Tender Years i lluminates the interrelationship of child welfare practice, child deve lopment outcomes, and public policy. The authors offer a fundamental f ramework for decision-making in child welfare and recommend specific c hanges in policy and practice aimed at moving the system toward greate r developmental sensitivity.
Synopsis
Infants and young children are the fastest growing group entering the child welfare system; yet social service systems are typically not designed for this group and therefore cannot serve their special developmental needs. This book examines the impact of child abuse and neglect on preschool children and the handling of this population's needs by the child welfare system. An overview of child development theory and child abuse reporting patterns is presented, and the differences in the foster care experiences of very young children and older children is analyzed. This book examines the overlap between child welfare practice, child development outcomes and public policy, and suggests new approaches to serving this vulnerable group of children.
Synopsis
Combining social, psychological and child development aspects, this book provides a holistic view of how children develop agency.
Synopsis
Children develop agency by interacting with their parents and families; if parental agency proves insufficient, child welfare workers must fill in the gaps. In this holistic study of the development of agency, Carolus van Nijnatten engages social, psychological, and developmental perspectives while maintaining a special focus on child welfare structures and the role of the social worker. A significant contribution to current debates about child welfare and protection, Children’s Agency, Children’s Welfare will be essential reading for specialists in social work, childhood studies, and social policy.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-192) and indexes.
About the Author
Carolus van Nijnatten is a developmental psychologist and professor of the social studies of child welfare at the University of Utrecht.
Table of Contents
About the author
Introduction
1 Child, welfare, agency
2 The development of individual agency
3 Social interaction and interactive agency
4 Social agency and social context
5 Diagnosis and dialogue
6 Change and co-construction
7 Dialogical management
8 Dialogical child welfare: conclusion
References
Appendix: Transcript conventions and abbreviations
Index