Humanizing Child Welfare: A New Legal Approach for Children and Families
Item
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Title
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Humanizing Child Welfare: A New Legal Approach for Children and Families
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:41780954653e:11243
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identifier
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11630
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Creator
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Stone-Levine, Jennifer,
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Contributor
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Anna Stetsenko
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Date
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2012
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Developmental psychology | Law | Child Welfare | Dynamic | Legal | Socio-cultural | Theory and Practice
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Abstract
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The child welfare system has historically been characterized by one tension and two apparently competing goals: protecting children and preserving families. This tension is sustained in part by an essentialist philosophy about development of high-risk children and families (i.e., through the medical model that focuses on pathology and deficiency) and is reflected in the system's continuing practices. It is also maintained by the Family Court system, in which disenfranchised parents with few resources receive suboptimal legal representation and support. Traditional theories have dominated the practices of the child welfare system for decades. While some traditional theories such as attachment theory and trauma theory have made important contributions to our understanding of individuals and families in the context of child welfare, others such as the intergenerational hypothesis have perpetuated essentialist views of development. Many such traditional theories have undermined the need to address colossal issues such as poverty and race, cast aside for the sake of protecting children. Unfortunately, the child welfare system has engaged in little critical reflection of how theory influences its practice. The result has been a system that has failed thousands of children and families and seriously impeded development.;There are few organizations whose practice aims to shift away from the traditional legal and social service process for these families. Through an applied developmental psychology approach framed within a (bio)ecological, dynamic, and socio-cultural perspective, this study examines the interface between theory and practice, including strategies of legal representation, advocacy, and training by the Center for Family Representation (CFR), a nonprofit legal organization providing representation and support to respondents in child welfare proceedings.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
