SOW 3203 Introduction to Social Work, Chapter 13: Family and Child Welfare Services Adapted from Farley, Smith, & Boyle

Family and Child Welfare Services  Marriage and Family Counseling –When couples divorce, the income for a now single mother decreases by about two-thirds –For divorced mothers with children under age of five, the picture is worse –Divorce identified as a risk factor for children to be abused, to be involved in higher crime rates, to abuse drugs, and to have lower academic achievement –Marriage counseling

Types of Services  Premarital counseling  Marriage counseling  Family counseling  Variety of helping methods and approaches –role theory –exchange theory –transactional analysis –Gestalt therapy –systems theory –family therapy ―behavior modification ―psychoanalytical approach ―reality therapy ―solution-focused therapy ―biologically based theories

Kinds of Agencies –Battered Women –Rape Crisis –Changing Family Structures –Child Abuse and Neglect

Child Welfare Services  Social work practice area that encompasses a variety of child welfare activities –focuses attention on issues, problems, and policies related to the welfare of children –Application of knowledge and skill to problems of children and families –Enhancement of social functioning of children and families

Family and Child Welfare Services  In-Home Care of Children –Family preservation The family The extended family The community The family preservation intervention group (team)

Family and Child Welfare Services  Foster Care of Children –Residential arrangement for children outside their own homes

Family and Child Welfare Services  Adoption Services  Child Protective Services  Child Sexual Abuse