NCJ Number
142403
Date Published
1992
Length
109 pages
Annotation
Intended primarily for child protection services caseworkers, supervisors, and administrators, this manual describes the basic stages of the child protection services process and the steps necessary to accomplish each stage.
Abstract
The manual first presents the philosophical base on which child protection services is founded. It focuses on parental responsibility for child rearing, the priority of caring for children in their family setting, the assumption that environmental and disease factors rather than willful premeditated behaviors stimulate child abuse, client involvement in casework, and the least intrusive intervention possible in families. An overview of the responsibilities of the child protective services agency focuses on intake, initial assessment/investigation, family assessment, case planning, service provision, evaluation of family progress and case closure, the multidisciplinary nature of child protection, and caseworker competence. This is followed by detailed guidance in each of these areas of casework. The guidelines in each of the areas address purposes, key decisions, and practice issues. Also discussed are the purposes of child protective services and its roles as well as relationships with other community agencies and professionals and the strategies for casework, supervision, training, consultation, and support. Glossary, 69 notes, a 30-item selected bibliography, and an appended child and family assessment outline