Publisher's Synopsis
Family-centred programmes comprise one of the fastest growing programme areas in child welfare. They reflect the philosophical view that society should invest as much or more in placement prevention as it would in placing children. This book supports that view. First, it provides a theoretical framework which relates the causes and characteristics of problems in child-rearing to the kind of service which may best be suited to particular problematic situations. Then it presents practice-oriented material, with an in-depth discussion of the origins of different programmes, their place in the care process, their characteristics and objectives and their results or effects. Throughout, specific suggestions are made for the improvement of policy and practice and the last three chapters relate particularly to evaluation. - - The Child Welfare League of America has proposed a three-part typology of family-centred programmes: family support services, which are universal and community-based or home-based services provided to families whose circumstances place them at risk, for example single-parent families or families with a developmentally challenged child; and intensive family preservation services, meant for families in crisis when removal of a child is being considered. This book focuses particularly on family preservation services, with attention both to the general situation with respect to family preservation in different countries and specific types of intervention, such as video home training. -
