Complete Volumes and Sample Articles
Responding Restoratively to Vulnerable Victims, Youths, and Families
Protecting Children, Vol. 24, No. 4, 2009
This issue of Protecting Children explores the growing field of restorative justice. Articles provide research findings and case studies documenting how restorative justice is being implemented and the promising results it has yielded for victims, youths, families, and communities.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about our working in Restorative Justice.
Replicating the Family Connections Program: Lessons Learned
Protecting Children, Vol. 24, No. 3, 2009
This issue of Protecting Children profiles lessons learned from the national replication of Family Connections, a community-based program that helps families meet their children’s basic needs and prevent child maltreatment. The issue also contains two articles on conducting program cost analyses.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume
Bringing Back the Dads: Engaging Non-Resident Fathers in the Child Welfare System
Protecting Children, Vol. 24, No. 2, 2009
This issue of Protecting Children is dedicated to the engagement of non-resident fathers. Historically, the child welfare system has principally interacted with mothers and very little with fathers. In this issue, you will find information intended to enhance your knowledge regarding fathers’ relationships with their children, the system’s responsibility to encourage and support those relationships, and the potential that paternal relationships have to provide additional resources such as medical, emotional, financial, and other informal supports that are often unrealized and underused.
This volume has been developed as a product of the Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers in the Child Welfare System (QIC-NRF), a national partnership between American Humane, the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, and the National Fatherhood Initiative.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Shining Light on Chronic Neglect: Core Issues Facing Our Most Vulnerable Families
Protecting Children, Vol. 24, No. 1, 2009
The chronic neglect of children is one of the most persistent and intractable challenges facing the nation’s child protection system. “Chronic child neglect” generally refers to the ongoing, serious pattern of deprivation of a child’s basic physical, developmental and/or emotional needs by a parent or caregiver. It can result in immediate harm or serious risk of harm to the child’s safety, health and well-being. In November 2007, American Humane launched a national initiative on chronic neglect. The initiative addresses the unique safety and protection needs of children who are chronically neglected by their families. This issue of Protecting Children is a major product associated with that initiative.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about our work in Chronic Neglect.
Family Group Conferencing Policy and Practice in Canada: Our Evolving Experience
Protecting Children, Vol. 23, No. 4, 2008
In Canada, family group conferencing has taken root in many locations and in several variations over the past 15 years. Recently, in a number of Canadian jurisdictions, child welfare legislation has been drafted or amended to include provisions directly related to family group conferencing. Numerous issues, not uniquely Canadian, have received emphasis and discussion at the American Humane Family Group Decision Making annual conferences. This volume of Protecting Children seeks to capture some of the richness of those discussions as family group conferencing continues to develop “north of the border.”
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Learn more about the National Center on Family Group Decision Making.
The Study of Workload in Child Protective and Child Welfare Services
Protecting Children, Vol. 23, No. 3, 2008
This volume of Protecting Children is devoted to how child welfare workers spend their time. All of the contributors to this issue have performed time-based workload studies for both public and private child welfare agencies and have based their articles on one or more of the studies they have performed. These articles represent a variety of approaches and points of emphasis: some studies seek to relate their work to outcomes, while others hope to resolve problems of recruitment and retention. This volume of Protecting Children applies to directors, administrators, policy makers, researchers, and practitioners.
- Download Robin Perry and Steven Murphy’s article: A Critical Appraisal of What Child Welfare Workers Do: Findings From a Task Analysis Study in Florida based on a workload study of several child welfare agencies in Florida.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about American Humane Association’s Workload Studies.
Exploring Differential Response: One Pathway Toward Reforming Child Welfare
Protecting Children, Vol. 23, No. 1-2, 2008
This volume of Protecting Children encompasses a broad range of topics and experiences and provides insight into the current state of differential or alternative response from a practice, policy and research perspective. Articles provide information to the field and help support efforts to understand and implement differential response as a way to reform child welfare practice. Distinguished authors from across the country including David Thompson, Amy Conley, Mary Jo Ortiz, and Raymond Kirk, contributed to this double issue of Protecting Children. American Humane Association staff including, Caren Kaplan, Lisa Merkel-Holguin, John Fluke and Amy Rohm, also made significant contributions.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about our work in Differential Response.
Exposure to Violence: A Significant Issue for Children and Families
Protecting Children, Vol. 22, No. 3-4, 2007
This volume of Protecting Children seeks to disseminate cutting-edge knowledge from program, frontline practice, policy and research perspectives, with the ultimate goal of preventing and reducing the negative impacts of children’s exposure to violence. Articles in this double issue provide insight into children’s exposure to violence in their homes and communities, as well as report on evidence-based and promising practices, assessment tools and research findings.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
The Intersection of Migration and Child Welfare: Emerging Issues and Implications
Protecting Children, Vol. 22, No. 2, 2007
The six articles contained in this volume discuss topical areas related to working with immigrant children and families in the child welfare system. Specifically, the articles address issues of violence in immigrant families, tools to assist with culturally competent child welfare practice, common issues for public child welfare administrators, Latino children of immigrants in the Texas child welfare system, immigrant children in federal custody, and the obstacles associated with their involvement.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about child welfare and migration.
Exploring Practice, Philosophical and Political Complexities With the Implementation of Family Group Decision Making
Protecting Children, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2007
This volume delves deep into the numerous complex issues that communities face when implementing family group decision making (FGDM) and challenges readers to think critically about FGDM practices and policies in their local communities. Topics include racial disproportionality; the response of law, policy and practice to participation rights in child welfare systems; the inclusion of children and young people in family group conferences; and using family group conferences in the context of death and dying. A must-read for anyone interested in learning more or advancing their FGDM practice.
- Download Mike Doolan’s article: Duty Calls: The response of law, policy and practice to participation right in child welfare systems
- Download Paul Nixon's article: Seen but Not Heard? Children and Young People's Participation in Family Group Decision Making: Concepts and Practice Issues
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about the National Center on Family Group Decision Making.
Crossing Systems and Sharing Responsibilities on Behalf of Families Struggling With Substance Abuse
Protecting Children, Vol. 21, No. 3 & 4, 2006
This issue of Protecting Children highlights some of the many achievements of the Rocky Mountain Quality Improvement Center and its sub-grantee projects. Over five years, innovative approaches for strengthening families whose children have been or are at high risk of maltreatment and whose parents struggle with substance abuse were implemented and field-tested. This journal contains substantive articles on approaches that have made positive differences for this population of families.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about the Rocky Mountain Quality Improvement Center.
Migration: A Critical Issue for Child Welfare
Protecting Children, Vol. 21, No. 2, 2006
This volume addresses child welfare concerns related to a complex and controversial topic that dominates national headlines, and discusses important emerging concerns about child and family well-being from national, transnational and interdisciplinary perspectives. It offers responses to the challenges posed to child safety, permanency and well-being in the often-difficult personal experience of migration to the United States by individuals and families. Topics include the impact of migration and acculturation on Latino children and families, risk of affective disorders in the migration and acculturation experience of Mexican migrants and Latino parenting styles.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about child welfare and migration.
FGDM: Increasing the Knowledge Base
Protecting Children, Vol. 21, No. 1, 2006
FGDM is an umbrella term for a number of processes that position families as leaders in decision making. The authors in this issue come from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints (New Zealand, Toronto, Minnesota and Pennsylvania), and offer their thoughts on the approach and implementation of FGDM in their own communities. Topics include statutory social work and family group conferences, engaging fathers and other male relatives in the FGC process and a case study using complementary conferencing processes.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about the National Center on Family Group Decision Making.
Child Maltreatment and Substance Abuse: Research Guiding Practice
Protecting Children, Vol. 20, No. 4, 2005
How can we stop parental substance abuse? How do we protect the children who have been abused? This volume is dedicated to sharing research findings from the Rocky Mountain Quality Improvement Center, a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to further understand the relationship between child maltreatment and substance abuse. Topics include child safety in homes where there is parental substance abuse, serving American Indian families with substance abuse and child neglect issues, improving collaboration between courts, and child protective services and substance abuse treatment providers.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about the Rocky Mountain Quality Improvement Center.
Differential Response in Child Welfare
Protecting Children, Vol. 20, No. 2-3, 2005
This double volume of Protecting Children explores differential response, including specific issues regarding differential response implementation in small counties, ethnically diverse neighborhoods, and large, urban child welfare agencies. Numerous articles explore innovative designs and strategies for serving families whose reports do not meet a legal threshold for a formal child protective services (CPS) response. Family assessment instrumentation and data analyses from NCANDS on subsequent CPS engagement of families served through an assessment pathway are also presented. Other articles feature organizational context, design and change issues for agencies considering implementing differential response.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about differential response.
The Influence of Culture and Cultural Competence on Child and Family Well-Being
Protecting Children, Vol. 20, No. 1, 2005
This volume challenges us to understand how the field of child welfare must adapt to accommodate the constantly changing population characteristics of our society. The articles present urgent issues facing child and family welfare, including the overrepresentation of children of color in the welfare system, and the special needs of immigrant families. Included are examples of ways in which cultural barriers can be broken, including specific programs around the country and actions social workers can take to become culturally competent.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
FGDM: An Evidenced-Based Decision-Making Process in Child Welfare
Protecting Children, Vol. 19, No. 4, 2005
With a growing body of credible evidence, FGDM is being implemented across child-, youth- and family-serving systems in more than 35 states and 22 countries. The positive outcomes found in the results of the studies presented in this issue position FGDM as an evidence-based approach in child welfare. This issue of Protecting Children expands on the literature base on FGDM research and evaluation in child welfare and complements the 2003 issue, Promising Results, Potential New Directions (Vol. 18, No. 1-2, 2003).
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about the National Center on Family Group Decision Making.
Child Welfare Training: The Next Frontier
Protecting Children, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2004
The nature of training that child welfare practitioners and social workers receive is changing. This volume investigates the preparation for the next generation of child welfare training professionals and highlights the increasing importance of the partnership between university social work programs and state child welfare programs. Topics include technology-based training applications, ethics training and skills-based classroom training.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about available trainings from Child Welfare.
Advancing Partnership-Based Practice With Families
Protecting Children, Vol. 19, No. 2, 2004
Are families involved in the child welfare system seen as objects of an intervention or as partners in determining an intervention? This powerful volume examines the importance of partnership-based practice, which is defined as a constructive, working relationship between worker and family.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Understanding and Addressing the Link® Between Child and Maltreatment and Animal Abuse: A Cross-Systems Approach to Protecting Children and Supporting Families
Protecting Children, Vol. 19, No. 1, 2004
The primary focus of this volume is “The Link,” which describes the intuitive and research-based position that a person capable of committing acts of cruelty toward animals is also more likely to commit such acts toward humanity. Articles in this volume support mandatory reporting of animal abuse by veterinarians, review case law and attorney involvement regarding cruelty to animals, describe a successful coordinated response program to domestic/child/animal violence and discuss how pets help children cope in violent homes.
Interested in an electronic copy?Download the complete volume.
Learn more about Human-Animal Interaction.
Using Outcome Measures: To Improve Child Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being
Protecting Children, Vol. 18, No. 3, 2004
This volume addresses issues associated with the design, implementation and use of client-centered outcome information to inform decision making. Submissions are from participants at the American Humane-sponsored 10th Annual Roundtable on Outcome Measures in Child Welfare Services. Analyses and interpretations are provided from studies using the Family Assessment Form (FAF), Family Resources Scale (FRS) and the Behavioral Observations Checklist (BOC).
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about research and evaluation in Child Welfare.
Promising Results, Potential New Directions: International FGDM Research and Evaluation in Child Welfare
Protecting Children, Vol. 18, No. 1-2, 2003
This groundbreaking publication sheds light on FGDM after almost a decade of experience. This special double volume of Protecting Children offers considerable support for the advancement of FGDM and ample evidence that FGDM is making a positive difference for children, families, social workers, child welfare systems and communities. Here are some of the most definitive answers to the questions that have been posed about the impact of FGDM. The overall findings offer considerable support for the advancement of FGDM and good reasons to explore ways to mainstream its practice.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about the National Center on Family Group Decision Making.
Combating the Workforce Crisis in Child Protective Services
Protecting Children, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2002
This highly pertinent volume addresses the belief that there is a workforce crisis in child protective services due to high staff turnover and vacancy, large caseloads, insufficient training and challenging work environments. In addition to providing a full reprint of the Child Protection Services Improvement Act (H.R.1371) introduced in the 107th U.S. Congress, the crisis is presented in terms of research in the areas of workload measurement and workload standards. Research-based articles analyze staffing, practices, standards and caseloads, and present data for greater accountability in social work performance.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about American Humane Association’s Workload Studies.
Protecting Our Children: A Community Approach to Child Protection Efforts
Protecting Children, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2002
This volume addresses the efforts to protect children from abuse and neglect through local community involvement. Although traditionally handled by government child welfare agencies, communities and citizens are taking an increased role in helping to protect children. The articles in this issue were selected to demonstrate how some communities are working together to improve the welfare of children and protect them from abuse and neglect.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
Learn more about the Front Porch Project®.
Implementing the Adoption and Safe Families Act to Promote Permanency for Children
Protecting Children, Vol. 17, No. 1, 2001
This issue, published three years after the passage of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, examines how the child welfare system is achieving safety and permanency for children and the barriers that remain. The articles in this volume reflect many facets of the child welfare services and supports needed to ensure permanency for children, including family support, foster parent involvement, and adolescent transition out of foster care.
Interested in an electronic copy? Download the complete volume.
