NCJ Number
117299
Journal
Child and Youth Care Quarterly Volume: 17 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1988) Pages: 195-206
Date Published
1988
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article presents a discussion of the strategy involved in developing a family-centered model of child care.
Abstract
Two prominent trends in contemporary child welfare, permanency planning and the family-centered model of care, are old theoretical ideas that have had great difficulty in finding corresponding practice methodologies. Developing and implementing a family-centered model by providing an effective parent involvement program in the residential treatment setting is suggested. Parent participation in the residential setting should give close attention to parent education and socialization. To acquire improved child management skills, parents must receive both didactic and experiential structured learning opportunities. Didactic learning opportunities include parent education/support groups which provide a basic understanding of childrens' behavior and introduces the parents to an array of behavior-shaping and relationship-building techniques employed by the agency. Experiential learning opportunities are defined as activities designed and provided by the agency in which parents are invited, encouraged, and assisted to participate actively together with their youngsters in placement. A step toward the prevention of defensive responses on the part of administrative and staff members is to include them in both the planning and implementation stages of the program. Parental resistance and the child's fear for safety are also matters to consider in the implementation of this program. 13 references. (Author abstract modified)