Practice and Policy Focus Newsletter
The new edition of Practice & Policy Focus is brimming with advice and information on agency-based evaluation and organizational change. The online newsletter, a supplement to Families in Society, is provided to the practice community as part of the Alliance for Children and Families knowledge-building efforts for the field.

Included are suggestions on winning the battle over resistance to change, the role of evaluation in responding to pressures for change, program payoffs checklists, and suggestions for reconciling mission and market.

In the e-version of Practice & Policy Focus, readers can click on the article titles within the document to access additional information. Links to over 30 related articles from the journal’s extensive archive are also included in the newsletter.

To access the full text of the archive articles online, subscribers should
log in to their subscription account. Not a subscriber? Order now!
 

Past editions of this newsletter highlight articles related to a particular topic of interest for social workers and other social service practitioners and clinicians:

• Psychiatric and Clinical Social Work
  (2008, Issue 2) [COMING SOON!]
• Opportunities in Organizational Change
  (2008, Issue 1) [PDF /512KB]
• Art of Social Work Practice
  (2007, Issue 4) [PDF /517KB]
• Working Poor Families
  (2007, Issue 3) [PDF /800KB]
• Fathering and Fatherhood
  (2007, Issue 2) [PDF /135KB]
• Social Work With At-Risk Youth
  (2007, Issue 1) [PDF /200KB]
• Best Practices in Foster Care and Adoption
  (2006, Issue 2) [PDF /240KB]
• Ethics and Risk Management in Social Work
  (2006, Issue 1) [PDF /155KB]

Online Continuing Education
CE4Alliance, the online continuing education program provided by Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services and its publisher, the Alliance for Children and Families, features over 130 courses arranged in 20 topic categories. Visit the site, or download the course catalog.

New courses developed from articles in the current issue are now available:

• Accepting the Unacceptable: Religious Parents and Adult Gay and Lesbian Children
  by Linda Freedman (Vol. 89, No. 2)
  Course #101354 │Abstract
  The study analyzed parental acceptance of adult gay and lesbian children. Findings corroborate
  data that parent reactions to sexual orientation, especially when parents are religiously oriented, are complex. While interviews with parents disclosed they had come to accept their child’s sexual orientation over time, quantitative findings indicated otherwise—that the sample varied with acceptance of sexual orientation, and that homophobia was highly correlated with rejection of sexual orientation. It seems that support groups—religious or secular—play a role in helping parents accept what they could not change, and advance the message that they should hold back criticism and engage in honest dialogue getting to know their child as a person. Unhappy about the sexual orientation, many religiously oriented parents had homophobic attitudes, yet worked to repress them for the sake of family relationships.
   
• Social Workers' Familiarity With Psychiatric Advance Directives:
  Implications for Education, Practice, and Research
  by Anna Scheyett, Mimi Kim, Jeffrey Swanson, Marvin Swartz, Eric Elbogen, Richard Van Dorn, &
  Joelle Ferron (Vol. 89, No. 2)
  Course #101355 │Abstract
  Psychiatric advance directives (PADs) are legal documents that allow competent individuals to express their wishes for psychiatric care during a future crisis when they may no longer be able to
  do so. Despite their potential utility, PADs are infrequently used. The authors found surprisingly low levels of PAD awareness and experience among social workers. They recommend that in addition to practice courses, PAD content should be present in mental health policy and advocacy courses and trainings, and linked with other legal policies protecting the rights of individuals with mental illnesses and other disabilities. In addition, education and training should include discussion of social workers’ advocacy role in informing clients about their right to a PAD, of their role in reducing barriers to the creation of PADs, and of their responsibility to ensure that during times of crisis the client’s PAD is honored.
   
• Reunification With Children in the Context of Maternal Recovery From Drug Abuse
  by Bonnie E. Carlson, Carolyn Smith, Holly Matto, & Michael Eversman (Vol. 89, No. 2)
  Course #101356 │Abstract
  Multiple stressors and lack of supports complicate women’s abilities to manage parenting pressures upon reunification with children following recovery from drug abuse. This study found maternal stress is exacerbated by three factors. Children who have often not been cared for by their mothers for a
  long time present difficult behavioral and emotional problems for mothers in early recovery. Also, having children at different developmental stages returned at the same time was identified as especially problematic. Finally, addressing an addiction history with one’s children and earning their trust is challenging, especially when traditional addiction treatment programs do not provide the type of family-oriented services that might facilitate the process. Preliminary findings suggest the need for more systematic research to understand the experience of children being returned home following maternal drug abuse and placement.
   
• Familias in the Heartland: Exploration of the Social, Economic, and Cultural Realities of
  Latino Immigrants
  by Melinda Lewis (Vol. 89, No. 2)
  Course #101357 │Abstract
  This study surveyed Latino immigrant adults in urban and suburban communities in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area to explore the migration experiences, employment contexts, family structures, and integration processes of an emerging and rapidly growing immigrant population, and noted the strong demand for immigrant labor and significant desire for integration into the local community and U.S. society. The article recommends a mixture of tax incentives and mandatory coverage guidelines to help the employer-based health care system meet the needs of these employed immigrant families. It calls for investment in English acquisition and integration programs
  to help guarantee the current wave of immigration achieves success. It also advocates exploring strategies for providing affordable workforce housing and convenient public transportation.
   

Preview the Next Issue (July-September 2008; Vol. 89, No. 3)
Volume 89, Number 3 will highlight topics related to child care and foster care, evidence-based practice, thought and practice, Native American spirituality, homelessness issues, and paths from welfare. Read the abstracts for the upcoming articles.
 

Call for Book Reviewers
Love new books about social work and related fields? Become a book reviewer and add titles to your personal library, publish reviews in Families in Society, and contribute to peer knowledge-building. Read current reviews for examples of reflections and critical thought on new and revised publications:

• Collective Topic: Attachment and Psychotherapy
• Collective Topic: Intercultural and International Social Work

Interested? Contact us at reviews@familiesinsociety.org to learn more.

Project Reports, Surveys, and White Papers

National Family Week Positioned for Civic Engagement Celebrations
National Family Week has been transitioning over the past several years and will focus in 2008 on celebrations that are oriented toward civic engagement. The goal is to bring visibility to service agencies’ civic engagement initiatives, bolster the authentic voice of community members, and celebrate success in enhancing social policy that strengthens children and families.

The Alliance for Children and Families, a nonprofit membership association representing child- and family-serving organizations in the United States and Canada, has directed National Family Week efforts for more than 30 years. National Family Week’s (NFW) top priority in 2008 is to support the civic engagement work of the Alliance for Children and Families and its membership.

Activities related to civic engagement will play a key role in NFW and local observances. Alliance members interested in planning NFW civic engagement activities will be eligible to receive small organizing grants made available through the New Vision for Civic Engagement grant from The Annie E. Casey Foundation. The grants will enable members to explore and gauge the community’s interest in civic engagement, launch or culminate a civic engagement initiative, and link a component of the agency’s civic engagement work with a NFW celebration.
 

United Neighborhood Centers of America Dispels Myths About Immigrants
United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA), with the help of its member agency Neighborhood Centers in Houston, has devised a pamphlet that can be used as an education tool by UNCA members and other human services organizations to dispel myths about immigration to the United States.

The pamphlet addresses several prominent myths about individuals and families migrating to America such as “undocumented immigrants stream across the border from Mexico.” Although more than half come from Mexico, the rest come from Central America, Asia, Africa, Canada, Europe, and South America. The brochure also counters the myth that everyone in an undocumented family is illegal. About 80% of the children of immigrants currently in the United States were born here and are thus U.S. citizens. The issue of these children abusing their rights to public services is frequently circulated to the public, but the legality of eligibility for public assistance is clearly delineated. Despite this, many undocumented parents fear deportation and don’t seek services for their children.

United Neighborhood Centers of America is the voluntary, nonprofit, national association for settlement houses, neighborhood centers, and similar neighborhood-based nonprofits. The organization directs those who seek further statistical information on immigration in their state to visit http://www.migrationinformation.org/DataHub/acscensus.cfm# .
.

An Introduction to Collective Book Reviews
by Christine Lowery, Book Review Editor
To read widely is to know a subject with more depth, from multiple perspectives, and with attention to different ways of knowing. In this issue, we are introducing collective book reviews, one reviewer’s take on two or three books with a common theme. At the professional level, a comparison of related books is often useful for practitioners and educators, who must read widely, but with little time. Using this new book review format, we offer books on a related topic to one author with expertise who will quickly read, evaluate, and compare the titles as the review on attachment and psychotherapy. We hope this process helps readers use Families in Society to select material that is developmentally useful in their careers at different stages in their growth.

We also introduce the first student collection which focuses on intercultural and international social work. To cultivate intergenerational knowledge, we encourage faculty to recommend this challenge to avid readers and strong writers in their classes at the undergraduate and early master’s level. We emphasize current works with a related theme. If you are interested in nominating a student to complete a student collective review, please contact us at reviews@familiesinsociety.org for more information.

• Collective Topic: Attachment and Psychotherapy
  Reviewed by Alice Chornesky

Attachment & Dynamic Practice: An Integrative Guide for Social Workers and Other Clinicians
by Jerrold R. Brandell & Shoshana Ringel
Attachment Theory in Clinical Work with Children:Bridging the Gap
Between Theory and Practice
edited by David Oppenheim & Douglas F. Goldsmith
Psychotherapy of Abused and Neglected Children, Second Edition
by John W. Pearce & Terry Dianne Pezzot-Pearce

• Collective Topic: Intercultural and International Social Work
  Reviewed by Lynn M. Debilzen

When I Was Elena
by Ellen Urbani Hiltebrand
Feminism (Short Histories of Big Ideas)
by June Hannam
The Dream Maker
by Monica Hannan

Current Issue  │ Table of Contents  │  Article Summaries  │ Editorial

Topics in this issue include:

• Welfare, Poverty, and the Working Poor
• Psychiatric Social Work
• Parenting and Spirituality
• Parenting and Substance Abuse
• Religious Nonprofit Organizations
• Practitioner Issues
• Book Reviews

Online subscribers and registered users can access the full-text article links below. Sign in now, subscribe, or register for a free account.

To view all articles, visit the current issue page. Online subscribers can view the complete issue and non-subscribers can view all abstracts and summaries.

Highlighted Articles:

Promoting American Families: The Role of State Legislation
by Michael M. O. Seipel & John Brown
Diverse social events have changed the nature and function of families and findings of this study show that family policies in most states lag behind the rhetoric about supporting families. The level of commitment shown by states through enactment of actual supportive policies appears to be limited. As a remedy, the authors recommend several strategies for facilitating positive legislation. The linkage between research and policy must be strengthened, as the right information is essential to how data is used in a political environment. Also, social workers and family policy practitioners should become more active agents of social change and lend support to community and civic organizations in shaping family policies. Families themselves should be encouraged to participate in the public dialogue, and policymakers should strive to view all potential policies from a family perspective.
Abstract │  Article PDF (free to registered users)

The Influence of Family Economic Status on Home-Leaving Patterns During Emerging Adulthood
by Allison C. De Marco & Stephanie Cosner Berzin
Demographic shifts have lengthened the transition to adulthood and altered home-leaving patterns. Results from this study suggest that poor emerging adults experienced home leaving differently than the nonpoor. Specifically, poor young adults were less likely to leave the home of origin, though, if they did leave, they were more likely to leave at younger ages, based on family public assistance use. Further, race, teen parenthood, and education level were significant predictors of age at home leaving. In this sample, the rates of college attendance for poor youths were far below those of their nonpoor peers, highlighting the fact that poor young adults may require additional assistance in making a smooth transition out of home and to school. Helping these youths move toward and excel in school is an important step in ending the cycle of poverty and improving the chances of a successful adulthood.
Abstract │  Article PDF (free to registered users)

Developing a Case Typology for Children in Out-of-Home Care: Child Welfare Worker Perspectives
by Margaret M. Skrypek, Susan J. Wells, Kristen Bauerkemper, Laura Koranda, & Amber Link
The focus group findings in this article demonstrate that child welfare workers are constantly using case classification in practice even if they are not using a formal typology. The groups identified a typology of 18 case types defined by four specific categories: parents’ capacity or behavior, child reasons, problems in parenting, and previous unsuccessful child welfare intervention. Creating an accurate and comprehensive case typology that can be universally applied will help to standardize child welfare practice and minimize the arbitrary application of intervention strategies. A case typology can also be used to determine prognosis, as in other types of diagnostic work. In addition, because certain types of cases are associated with expected outcomes, it will be possible to establish baseline expectations and then track practice and agency performance.
Abstract │  Article PDF (free to registered users)

Specialized Social Work Education: The Case for Social Work With Offenders
by Laura A. Lowe & Stephanie A. Bohon
This article explores the impact of social work education on the likelihood of professionals choosing to practice with criminal offenders. Results indicate social workers exposed to offender issues through specific coursework or offender internships during education are more likely to choose to work in justice settings. Educators and those already working in the field need to recognize that criminal justice settings may be, or be seen as, difficult environments for social work practice. As the pendulum has swung from rehabilitation to more conservative and punishment-oriented treatment of offenders, these environments may be seen as antithetical to the profession’s mission and values. However, if social workers only practice in environments already in line with social work values and ethics, they are unlikely to have much impact on inhumane or unresponsive institutions.
Abstract │  Article PDF (free to registered users)

Practitioners and educators find value in FIS ...

"We are in the process of creating an educational kit about collaborative and strengths-based practice to distribute to child welfare teams around the province of British Columbia. The article 'Ending Social Work's Grudge Match' will make a valuable addition to our training and discussion efforts as we support a shift to increased use of collaborative practices."  ● Read the article abstract

Nadine Kainz, Analyst
Integrated Policy & Legislation Team
Ministry of Children and Family Development
British Columbia, Canada
 

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"My organization provides training to child protective and other protective services staff with the state agency Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The article on parents with mental illness provides an excellent summary of issues and recommendations that will be incorporated into our project training."
● Read the article abstract

Jason McCrory (MSSW), Project Coordinator
Protective Services Training Institute of Texas
School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin
 

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"I have worked for over 30 years as a school psychologist in Milwaukee Public Schools and read FIS because fresh ideas, revolutionary concepts, and new perceptions often arrive from those who have a different filter; it has been particularly helpful to look through social worker eyes via FIS.

Joan Wessel, Ph.D.
Office of Psychological Services
Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)
Milwaukee, WI

We want to hear from you...
FIS is a forum for social workers, practitioners, and educators to explore and share new ideas and concepts in the fields of social work and human services.  Let your voice be heard through Letters to the Editor, Field Notes, or Op-Ed pieces.  See www.familiesinsociety.org/writing.asp for more information. 

Is there something missing you’d like featured in an FIS E-Alert? Send an email with your idea: alerts@familiesinsociety.org