Contemporary Issues in Child Welfare Practice

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

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2. Child Welfare Practice in a Systems of Care Framework

   • Marlo A. Perry, Rachel A. Fusco

   Pages 1-15

3. “They Brought Me in Like I Was Their Own Kid”: Youth and Caregiver Perceptions of Out-of-Home Care

   • Rachel A. Fusco, Mary Elizabeth Rauktis

   Pages 17-38

4. Family Engagement Strategies in Child Welfare Practice

   • Helen Cahalane, Carol M. Anderson

   Pages 39-73

5. Permanency

   • Caroline Donohue, Cynthia Bradley-King, Helen Cahalane

   Pages 75-99

6. Transitioning into Adulthood: Promoting Youth Engagement, Empowerment, and Interdependence Through Teaming Practices

   • Mary Elizabeth Rauktis, Ben Kerman, Chereese M. Phillips

   Pages 101-125

7. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning, and Queer Youth: The Challenge for Child Welfare

   • Elizabeth A. Winter

   Pages 127-157

8. Race, Racial Disparity, and Culture in Child Welfare

   • Cynthia Bradley-King, Marlo A. Perry, Caroline Donohue

   Pages 159-181

9. Skill-Based Training and Transfer of Learning

   • Anita P. Barbee, Marcia L. Martin

   Pages 183-204

10. Stress and Child Welfare Work

    • Elizabeth A. Winter

    Pages 205-233

11. Reflective Practices in Supervision: Why Thinking and Reflecting Are as Important as Doing

    • Mary Elizabeth Rauktis, Tammy L. Thomas

    Pages 235-256

12. Organizational Effectiveness Strategies for Child Welfare

    • Phil Basso, Helen Cahalane, Jon Rubin, Kathy Jones Kelley

    Pages 257-287

13. Managing for Outcomes in Child Welfare

    • Megan Good, Erin Dalton, Marc Cherna

    Pages 289-309

14. Conclusions and Future Directions

    • Helen Cahalane

    Pages 311-314

15. Back Matter

    Pages 315-319

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Child welfare is the oldest specialization within social work practice and the only specialty area in which social work is the host profession.  This edited volume provides a unique and comprehensive overview of practice issues relevant to contemporary child welfare professionals entering the field as well as those already working in direct service and management positions.  This book’s emphasis on systemic, integrated, and evidence-informed practices at the individual, family, and organizational level is in keeping with child welfare’s core mission of child protection, family support, and permanency for youth.  This volume also explores the challenges and opportunities present in a contemporary practice environment, which are driven by the attainment of defined outcomes, fiscal limitations, and the need for an informed professionalized child welfare workforce.

• Child Advocacy
• Child Welfare
• Child Welfare Outcomes
• Clinical Social Work
• Family Engagement Strategies
• LGBTQ Youth
• Permanency in Child Welfare
• Race and Child Welfare
• Social Work Practice
• Stress and Child Welfare Work
• Supervision in Social Work
• Transitioning to Adulthood

• Child Welfare Education and Research Programs, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

  Helen Cahalane

Dr. Helen Cahalane is Clinical Associate Professor and Principal Investigator of the Child Welfare Education and Research Programs at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.  Dr. Cahalane oversees a continuum of child welfare programs providing education, training, technical assistance, support for best practices and organizational improvement which include the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program, the Child Welfare Education for Baccalaureates Program, and the Child Welfare Education for Leadership Program.  Dr. Cahalane is involved in several applied research projects in child welfare targeting developmental and social-emotional screening of young children substantiated for abuse and neglect, caseworker visitation and family engagement practices, and organizational factors influencing the retention of child welfare professionals.  Dr. Cahalane also teaches in the School of Social Work and has been recognized as a Chancellor’s Distinguished Teacher of the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Cahalane is a licensed clinical social worker and Expert Witness for the Bureau of Occupational and Professional Affairs, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

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