Explanation of how cultural considerations might affect child welfare policy.

Explanation of how cultural considerations might affect child welfare policy.

Explanation of how cultural considerations might affect child welfare policy.

Week 07?Menu×SOCW 6351: Social Policy, Welfare, and Change Back to Course Home Course Calendar Syllabus Course Information Resource List IBM SPSS Software Support, Guidelines, and Policies

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Week 7: Child Welfare Policy When laypeople think of the terms “child welfare” and “social work,” they may make only one assumption: that social workers remove children from their homes. Few people outside of the social work profession understand that social workers play a much bigger role in the context of child welfare and families.Policies in any domain vary widely based on various factors, including culture. The domain of child welfare is no exception. Do you think the same set of policies could be equally applicable and effective in Southeast Asia and Western Europe? It seems unlikely. There are still, however, some factors that affect the welfare of a child the same way no matter where the child is from. A strong and resilient family unit is one such factor, as it is very important for the healthy growth of a child, no matter what geographical region or culture he or she belongs to. Social workers support children, and they work to ensure that families have the knowledge, resources, and support to nurture the child’s development. They consider the various determining factors for child welfare and help shape policies that affect the daily lives of children and their families.This week, you examine the influence of culture on child welfare policies. You also analyze the responsibilities of social workers in supporting accessibility to child welfare services. In addition, you analyze the role of family preservation in child welfare, evaluate research findings on the effect of foster care on children, and identify gaps in the state foster care system. Finally, you evaluate child welfare approaches for their appropriateness and effectiveness.

 

Learning Objectives Students will: Analyze influences of culture on child welfare policies Analyze responsibilities of social workers in supporting accessibility to child welfare services Analyze the role of family preservation in child welfare Evaluate whether research supports the assumption that foster care is harmful for children Identify gaps in state foster care system Compare benefits and shortfalls of permanency planning Compare benefits and shortfalls of family preservation Evaluate child welfare approaches Learning Resources Required Readings Popple, P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2019). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social welfare policy analysis for social workers (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

 

Chapter 10, “Child Welfare: Family Preservation Policy” (pp. 214-244)Edwards, H. R., Bryant, D. U., & Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2011). Participation and influence in federal child welfare policymaking. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 5(2/3), 145–166.Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. (Eds.). (2014). Sessions: Case histories. Baltimore: MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].Part 1, \\\”The Hernandez Family\\\” (pp.3–5)Required MediaLaureate Education (Producer). (2013). Sessions: Hernandez family (Episode 3 of 42) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Credit: Provided courtesy of the Laureate International Network of Universities.Discussion 1: Cultural Influences of Social PolicyCultures, regardless of where they are or how long ago they existed, share a few common characteristics. Among these characteristics is a structure to care for their children and to socialize them in the culture. Children are taught, both directly and indirectly, the values of the culture, their role in the culture, and the expectations the culture has for them. Children absorb the rules, dynamics, and values, which they will later pass these on to subsequent generations.As a social worker, you will deal with families from different cultural backgrounds. Understanding the cultural background of the families you work with will help you to effectively intervene and advocate for policies that support their needs. How prepared are you to identify and advocate for social policies that are just and support families from all cultures?For this Discussion, review this week’s resources, including the Hernandez Family video case. Consider how cultural considerations might affect child welfare policy. Then, think about what your responsibilities, as a social worker, might be in supporting the Hernandez family in addressing their child welfare needs through the accessibility of services.

By Day 3

Post an explanation of how cultural considerations might affect child welfare policy. Then, explain what your responsibilities, as a social worker, might be in supporting the Hernandez family in addressing their child welfare needs through the accessibility of services.Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

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