James K. Whittaker

The Social Network Map: Assessing Social Support in Clinical Practice

The authors describe the development and pilot use of a procedure for assessing social support. The social network map takes into account both the structure and function of the clients personal social network. The authors discuss the clinical utility of the map as well as guidelines for using social support assessment information in case planning.

Parental involvement in children's residential treatment: From preplacement to aftercare

Abstract Policy reforms and empirical evidence supporting family focused care for children have increased parental involvement in childrens residential treatment. Reasons for encouraging family involvement in childrens out-of-home care and factors that inhibit parents from participating in childrens residential care are outlined. Methods used by treatment facilities to encourage family participation in childrens preplacement, treatment, and aftercare stages of placement are reviewed. Important questions nd research necessary to increase parental involvement in childrens residential treatment are identified.

Student Debates in Policy Courses: Promoting Policy Practice Skills and Knowledge through Active Learning.

This article examines the use of student debates to promote substantive knowledge and policy practice skills. The authors present a pedagogical rationale for student debates, describe the incorporation of debates into a child welfare policy course, and report the results of an evaluation. Students demonstrated significantly greater increases in self-reported knowledge of course topics when they participated in debates than when they observed debates or learned through standard forms of instruction. The majority of students reported satisfaction with the debates, reported that participation improved their policy skills and knowledge, and rated the educational value of debates higher than traditional assignments.

The re-invention of residential treatment: an agenda for research and practice1

I am not particularly optimistic about achieving even a few of these mod-est changes absent a more focused and thoughtful discussion on substitute care asa whole. My strong sense is that we must bring the worlds of policy, research, and practice in residential and foster care into much closer proximity so that we can assess what the challenges and strengths are in each domain and chart a course of action for renewal. To do this, we need fresh conceptual thinking on milieu treatment and empirical research. International perspectives on the issue of the proper place of residential care and treatment in an overall service continuum would be helpful in broadening and stimulating limited and typically parochial discussions in the United States. It is hoped that this article and the considerable clinical, administrative, and research expertise reflected by the other contributors in this issue will serve as a catalyst for addressing some of the issues concerning residential treatment. It is an exercise long overdue.

Rethinking “Child Placement”: A Reflective Essay

This article critically examines the centrality of “child placement” as a defining construct in child welfare services and suggests that preoccupation with the physical location of the child directs attention away from the twin goals of promoting healthy child development in a safe, nurturing context and enhancing the adequacy of family functioning, which should be the central concerns of public policy. The implications of this fixation with placement are explored selectively in the areas of policy, research, and practice. Alternative approaches to thinking about placement are identified along with specific programmatic initiatives and critical research questions.

Therapeutic residential care for children and youth: a consensus statement of the International Work Group on Therapeutic Residential Care

While the focus of this consensus statement and the review volume that preceded it (Whittaker, Del Valle, & Holmes, 2014) is on therapeutic residential care (TRC), a specialized form of group care, we view our work as supportive of a much wider effort internationally concerned with the quality of care children receive when, for a variety of reasons, they need to live away from their families.

The evidence base for social support interventions in child and family practice: Emerging issues for research and practice

This paper examines the evidence base for interventions which seek to enhance social support resources for families with children at risk of adverse developmental outcomes. Substantive and methodological issues related to the implementation of social support interventions are discussed and a research agenda for the development, testing and evaluation of such interventions is presented.

Reinventing Residential Childcare: An Agenda for Research and Practice

SUMMARY Until recently, “residential childcare” in North America was, for a variety of reasons, more likely to be seen as part of the “problem” as opposed to the “solution” for most child and family problems. Thus, the development of residential care theory, innovative practices and research all languished as the spotlight of interest focused on such “newer” service developments as “intensive family preservation services,” “treatment foster care,” and “wrap-around services.” As Corbillon (1993) notes, the neglect, in particular, of an integrated set of research priorities for residential childcare is a problem for at least some European countries (France) as well. Recently, the spectre of children orphaned by AIDS, the somewhat disappointing research results from family based service initiatives and the challenges posed by children and youth who present multiple problems including serious emotional disturbance, substance abuse, and a history of violence have worked to stimulate a renewed interest in residential care and treatment. This presentation will briefly review the “developmental history” of residential care in a North American context and identify several challenges for research in the areas of residential program design and definition, assessment and intake, and outcomes and community aftercare. The article concludes with a series of specific recommendations for residential childcare innovation, theory development, and research prioritization.

MULTIPLE INDICATORS OF SUCCESS IN RESIDENTIAL YOUTH CARE AND TREATMENT

Based on a large, ongoing empirical research effort to determine factors associated with the successful community adjustment of troubled adolescents leaving residential treatment, this paper focuses on multiple indicators of success measured at multiple points of time in the treatment process. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

Support Networks of Primary Caregivers Receiving Family Preservation Services: An Exploratory Study

The authors describe network characteristics and support resources from a clinical sample of 40 families. Data were obtained by family workers during the first two weeks of intervention. Case vignettes illustrate the multiple uses to which this information was put. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.