Chapter 9 (Child Welfare Policies and Social Justice) Flashcards
When and why did the concept of child abuse and neglect emerge in the United States?
With rare exceptions, local governments were not involved in protecting children through much of American history until the end of the 19th century. During this time, the concept of child abuse and neglect simply did not exist. However in the 20th century, The removal of children from the labor market resulted in a cultural change in how the lives of children came to be understood. The value of children switched from economic to emotional factors, as the behavior of parents increasingly was considered instrumental to their children’s well-being. In addition, this new perspective about the meaning of childhood both supported and made inevitable the emergence of what is known today as child welfare services. Prior to the 20th century, the 1874 child abuse case of Mary Ellen was made famous by The New York Times and has been the symbol of the recognition of child maltreatment. As a result of the publicity of the Mary Ellen case, the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC) was founded by wealthy volunteers, marking the birth of child protective services.
What factors contributed to the creation of the “placing out” of children in the mid-19th century?
Immigrants from Europe were flooding the city at a rate of 1,000 people a day, living in overcrowded rat-infested tenements. Adults who did not survive the crossing left their orphaned children to fend for themselves. A young minister from Connecticut, Reverend Charles Loring Brace, was appalled by the deplorable conditions of the homeless children as well as those living in run-down shacks and apartments with parents. He established a private charity, the Children’s Aid Society, and created a “placing out” system that he believed was superior to orphanages in providing for homeless and destitute children. The assumptions of the placing-out movement were that the children were solely dependent and neglected, and that they needed to be rescued from “bad” parents.
Why did private charities precede government interventions for abused and neglected children?
There were no federal organizations to address problems of child abuse and neglect prior to the 20th century. While some states had laws forbidding cruelty or neglect of children, no local jurisdictions actually assumed responsibility for enforcing such laws. However, private charities like the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC) and Children’s Aid Society attempted to address issues of child abuse and neglect and enforce parental responsibility.
Why were children of color excluded from early child welfare interventions; why does disproportionality continue?
What are the major federal policies impacting child safety, well-being, and permanency, and what are some of the unintended consequences?
- The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was a response to the growing perception that child abuse by parents was a problem in some psychologically disturbed families, demanding government-sponsored professional intervention. One important consequence of CAPTA was heightened state intervention, represented by the presence of professionals, especially social workers, in the lives of families. The psychological paradigm underlying CAPTA encouraged the dispersal of caseworkers into homes to offer psychological interventions that might prevent abuse.
- Under the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), protective service agencies were mandated to make active efforts to guarantee that American Indian children remain with their families and to turn cases of child endangerment over to tribal courts, which would make decisions regarding the welfare of American Indian children. In addition, the act establishes a minimum federal standard if a state wishes to separate American Indian children from their parents. One unintended consequence ICWA was pressure for permanency through adoption and parental termination which may undermine the goals of ICWA for those children and families who are not under tribal jurisdictions and are subject to the oversight of state child protective service agencies.
Why are kinship care and foster care social and economic justice issues?
Issues of federal and state funding for kinship care raises issues of social and economic justice. Federal and state funds should be provided for all families who take in children—related or not. However, there is ambivalence over reimbursement of family members for care of their family as there is some public sentiment that families are responsible for their own members. Socially just policies would mandate that both legal guardians and kin caregivers be reimbursed for the care of children who would otherwise be placed with nonrelated foster families receiving state and federal funding. Similarly, the foster care system lacks social and economic support which affects foster care parents and the population of children and parents who require foster care services. For example, if family foster care does not provide the mandated ASFA outcomes of safety, well-being, and permanency, there is a social and economic justice issue related to the population of children and parents who need foster care services. Further, there is a social and economic justice issue regarding foster parents who devote decades to raising children in the custody of the government but, then, upon retirement, have no pension or social security resources on which to fall back.
How can child welfare policies be changed to ensure social and economic justice for children and families?
None of the child welfare policies discussed in this chapter have targeted the pervasive issues that fuel at least some child maltreatment, including economic inequality, poverty, mental illness, and institutional racism and oppression. The current system basically moves children from diverse and economically marginalized families to more advantaged White families subsidized by the government to care for them. While some out-of-home care is essential, greater emphasis is needed to strengthen birth families as part of a more balanced, long-term strategy aimed at reducing economic and ethnic inequalities, while keeping children safe.
Who were the first social workers?
The first social workers were called “friendly visitors” . Friendly visitors were concerned citizens that would address child abuse and neglect.
Who was known as the “father of foster care” and the “greatest child advocate of the 19th century”?
Charles Loring Brace
What is kinship care?
The full-time protection and nurturing of children by relatives, members of their tribes or clans, or nonrelated extended family members. There are two forms of kinship care, formal kinship care and informal kinship care. Formal kinship care “refers to children who have been reported to child protective services, are removed from the care of their legal parent or guardian, and have been placed in the care of a relative by a child welfare agency.” Informal kinship care “refers to an arrangement where children live with a grandparent or other relative and are not in state custody and are not under the auspices of the child welfare system.
