Parent Involvement Practices in Child Protection: A Matter of Know-How and Attitude

Modern view of child protection services implies that to help young people, simply intervening on their behalf is not sufficient. It suggests that involving parents in the assistance process is essential in order to ensure that they are most likely to play their role as parents to their children in the fullest possible way. Although several articles have dealt with the issue of parent involvement, very few have attempted to document the practices used by practitioners to encourage such involvement. This article presents the findings of a study on child protection practices for involving parents in a child protection context. It is exploratory in nature, and uses a qualitative methodology. The study population is made up of 38 child protection service workers. An analysis of the practitioners’ discourse reveals that the behaviour and attitudes used by them to encourage parent involvement are very diverse. There also appear to be key moments in securing their involvement, that is, making contact, setting objectives and means of action, and applying the case plan. In addition to corroborating earlier studies on the issue of parent involvement, our findings indicate that the majority of the caseworkers interviewed practice an approach that aims to empower clients.Funding of this project was provided by le Fonds Richelieu de recherche sur l’enfance.Marie-Christine Saint-Jacques, Geneviève Lessard, and André Beaudoin are affiliated with School of Social Work, Laval University, Quebec, Canada. Sylvie Drapeau is affiliated with Department of Foundations and Practices in Education, Laval University, Quebec, Canada.     

千名育龄人群生育意愿的调查与分析

根据2002年8月在湖南省进行的一项育龄人群生育意愿调查,本文分析了人们生育意愿的一些变化特点,并就如何更加有力地引导人们生育意愿的健康变化提出一些建议。     

山东省19-35岁育龄人口优生知识与态度调查

本文通过对山东省19-35岁育龄人口优生知识与态度的调查了解育龄人口优生知识掌握情况与态度取向。研究显示不同性别、不同文化程度、不同地域的人口,优生知识的掌握程度和优生态度有明显差别。     

Unpacking “the pimp case”: Aging black masculinity and grandchild placement in the child welfare system

The child welfare system is responsible for identifying long-term caregivers for children whose biological parents are unable or unwilling to care for them. Although grandparents are increasingly identified as custodians for their grandchildren, little is known about how grandparents are assessed by state actors. Using ethnographic data, this article unpacks the failure of one 63-year-old African American grandfather and his wife to gain custody of his grandson from foster care. This case–known informally as ‘the pimp case’ because of the unverified but widely accepted belief that he had earned income through sexual solicitation–illustrates how men's aging bodies and histories undermine their efforts to be seen as competent caregivers. This article shows how this grandfather's aging body and its perceived limitations became problematic, how his illegitimate social history was at issue, how their family form as grandparents (and thus, non-parents) was deemed illegitimate, and how these came together to mark race, class, and gender in interrelated–but also contradictory–ways.     

中国共产党对童工问题的早期认识和主张

中国共产党早期对童工问题的认识,经历了一个从一般关心到积极主张,再通过立法加以解决的过程。通过分析中国共产党早期在童工问题上的一些正确认识和主张,可以看出中国共产党代表着最广大人民的根本利益。     

Paying for God’s Work: A Rights-Based Examination of Faith-Based NGOs in Romania

This paper examines issues of democratic accountability as they apply to faith-based organizations cooperating in international developmental efforts, with a specific focus on the freedom of expression rights of nonprofit organizations and the freedom of association rights of their clientele. Child welfare nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Romania are used as a case study for examining the issue. The paper begins with a discussion of NGO-government partnerships in service provision in international development, and examines the ethical concerns surrounding church-state separation as applied to nonprofits in the United States and in the context of foreign aid. The literature analysis is complimented by empirical evidence from the Romanian case, using data gathered in a qualitative study exploring the role of NGOs as social service providers and policy advocates. The paper concludes by discussing the particular role that bureaucratic discretion and power plays in protecting the freedom of association rights of clientele in Romania.     

A Systems Approach to Investigating Child Abuse Deaths

A new systemic approach to investigating child abuse deathsis proposed, drawing on the lessons learned in engineering.Investigations have traditionally taken the approach of concludingonce faults in professional practice are identified. Solutionstake the form of trying to control erratic practitioners: psychologicalpressure to achieve higher standards, increasing formalizationand guidelines to reduce the scope for individual fallibility,and stricter management surveillance. The inquiry into the deathof Victoria Climbie fits this model. However, thirty years ofsuch inquiries have not led to the expected improvement in professionalpractice. Indeed, the Climbie report describes several agenciesoperating at a very low level, and failing to implement themost basic elements of good practice. A similar history of failurein engineering has led to the development of a systems approach.Human error is taken as the starting point, not the conclusion,and the investigation tries to understand why the mistake wasmade, by studying interacting factors in the practitioners,the resources available and the organizational context. Theway this approach could be adopted in child protection workis outlined.     

A Review of the Literature on the Social and Economic Determinants of Parental Time

Parental time has been identified as a key determinant in the healthy development of a child. The literature on this topic has rapidly increased in recent years and has revealed large variations in the amount of time that parents devote to their children, including variations over time and across social and economic subgroups of the population. This paper synthesizes research devoted to parental time to provide a more succinct understanding of its significance and its variations. Beginning with the measurement issues associated with parental time research and the theoretical foundations, the paper goes on to document the social and economic determinants of parental time. It concludes with a discussion of the theoretical implications of the findings and suggestions for future research.

Engaging Absent Fathers in the Treatment of Children

Absent fathers are often excluded from the treatment of their children for various reasons. They are often marginalized by mothers, and unintentionally excluded by clinicians. Absent fathers are also excluded from treatment in fear that their presence might undermine the competencies of single mothers, which social service agencies serve to empower. This article will discuss the potential benefits of including absent fathers in family therapy, and how to work with them once engaged in treatment.