Balancing Family-Centered Services and Child Well-Being

Elaine Walton is associate professor and director of the School of Social Work at Brigham Young University. Patricia Sandau-Beckler is associate professor of social work at New Mexico State University. Marc Mannes is director of research and evaluation for Search Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• Introduction, by Marc Mannes, Elaine Walton, and Patricia Sandau-Beckler Contributors 1. Family-Centered Services: A Typology Brief History, and Overview of Current Program Implementation and Evaluation Challenges, by Peter J. Pecora, Kellie Reed-Ashcraft, and Raymond S. Kirk A Program Typology of Family-Centered Services History of Family-Centered Services Program Limitations and Policy Pitfalls Selected Program Implementation Challenges in Family-Centered Services 2. Values and Ethics for Family-Centered Practice, by John P. Ronnau Theoretical Foundation The Impact of Values in Practice Evolution of Values in Family-Centered Services Historical Backdrop Values That Direct Family-Centered Services Family Plays an Essential Role in Child Development The Family Is Part of a System Clients Are Colleagues Strengths Are to Be Emphasized Home Is the Primary Service Setting The Family's Needs Determine Services The Family and Workers Operate in the Community 3. Cultural Competency in Providing Family-Centered Services, by Rowena Fong History of Culturally Competent Practice Culturally Competent Social Work and Family-Centered Practice Assessing Family-Centered Services for Ethnic Families Planning Culturally Competent Family-Centered Services Cultural Values as Guideposts to Service Development 4. A Conceptual Framework for Family-Centered Services, by Elaine Walton Family Systems Theory Ecological Theory Social Work Models Strength-Based Perspective Empowerment Theory A Conceptual Framework: Integration of Theories 5. Family-Centered Assessment and Goal Setting, by Patricia Sandau-Beckler Expanded Roles of Family Members as Experts on Their History and Challenges Use of Self in Relationship to Family-Centered Practice Principles Maintaining a Nonjudgmental Stance Preparing for Family-Centered Assessment Home Observation Ethical Considerations of Working in the Family's Home Family-Centered Assessment Process Connecting Family Assessment to Goal-Setting Activities Collaborative Team Building to Support Family Assessment and Goal Setting 6. Well-Being and Family-Centered Services: The Value of the Developmental Assets Framework, by Marc Mannes Some Implications and Effects of Attending to Safety Permanency, and Well-Being for Child and Family Services Family-Centered Reforms and Child and Family Services The Empirical Basis for the Developmental Assets Framework The Basis for Defining Thriving Outcomes Measurement of the Developmental Assets and Thriving Indicators Findings Related to the Developmental Assets Framework and Thriving Indicators Adapting the Developmental Assets Framework to Children The Importance of Applying the Developmental Assets Framework to Family-Centered Services 7. Interventions: Hard and Soft Services, by Elizabeth M. Tracy Definitional Issues The Home-Based Worker's Intervention Task Categories of Home-Based Interventions Case Examples Future Issues 8. Formal and Informal Kinship Care: Supporting the Whole Family, by Gary R. Anderson Formal and Informal Support Kinship Family Care Formal Kinship Care Policy Issues 9. Family Group Conferencing: An "Extended Family" Process to Safeguard Children and Strengthen Family Well-Being, by Lisa Merkel-Holguin, with contributions from Kimberly Ribich Historical Roots in New Zealand New Zealand's Legislative Precedence Evolution of Family Group Conferencing The Practice of Family Group Conferencing 10. Targeting the Right Families for Family-Centered Services: Current Dilemmas and Future Directions, by Ramona W. Denby Part 1: The Evolution of Targeting Practices in Family-Centered Services Part 2: Future Direction of Targeting Practices in Family-Centered Services Part 3: Putting the Targeting Criteria Into Action 11. Walking Our Talk in the Neighborhoods: Going Beyond Lip Service in Service Delivery Improvement, by Kim Apple, Sue Bernstein, Katrina Fogg, Larrie Fogg, David Haapala, Edith Johnson, Richard Johnson, Jill Kinney, Janice Nittoli, Daniele Price, Keith Roberts, Robert Smith, Tasha Steele, Kathy Strand, Edwin Trent, Margaret Trent, Venessa Trent, and Ron Vignec Reasons We Need New Approaches to Human Services Delivery Reasons for Forming Professional/Natural Helper Partnerships Reasons We Need Natural Helpers Reasons We Need Professionals Challenges in Developing and Maintaining Professional/Natural Helper Partnerships One Example of a Professional/Natural Helper Partnership A Few of the Unanswered Questions 12. Evaluation in a Dynamic Environment: Assessing Change When Nothing Is Constant, by Marianne Berry, Marian Bussey, and Scottye J. Cash Historical Development in the Evaluation of Family-Centered Services Current Applications: Methods and Meanings The Future in Evaluation of Family-Based Services-The Next Steps 13. Multisystemic Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice,, by Colleen A. Halliday-Boykins and Scott W. Henggeler Theoretical Underpinnings Clinical Features Outcome Studies Current and Future Directions 14. Reclaiming a Family-Centered Services Reform Agenda, by Marc Mannes The Waning of the Family-Centered Services Reform Movement Revitalizing the Family-Centered Services Reform Movement 15. Shaping the Future of Family-Centered Services: Competition or Collaboration?, by Kristine E. Nelson Threats from Without: Privatization and Managed Care Threats from Within Countervailing Forces The Future of Family-Centered Services