NCJ Number
216256
Journal
Child & Youth Services Volume: 27 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2005 Pages: 75-86
Date Published
2005
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article presents a model and corresponding rationale for family work by group care practitioners.
Abstract
The main argument is that group care practitioners need to avoid parent blaming attitudes and shift their focus from exclusively on the child to encompassing the needs of the entire family. Group care programs that refuse to work from a family-focused perspective risk alienating family members who are likely to respond by refusing cooperation with the group care program. The best interests of the child or youth are served by seeking the active involvement of family members in the care and treatment plan. The process of changing from a child-focused practice to a family-focused practice is considered followed by an analysis of the organizational and policy environment of a group care program. Ainsworth’s (1981) seven areas of child and youth worker activity and skills in reference to their work with families are identified: (1) the organization of the care environment; (2) team functioning; (3) activity programming; (4) working with groups; (5) on-the-spot counseling; (6) uses of everyday life events; (7) and developmental scheduling. Examples are offered of what constitutes each skill area before the author moves on to a discussion of the importance of knowledge about the different ways children, youth, and families learn. Three types of learning dyads are described that can be harnessed to address the needs of families: the observational dyad, the joint activity dyad, and the primary dyad. Child and youth care workers are encouraged to use each of the seven areas of skill along with their knowledge of learning dyads to undertake family-centered care work. References