The first edition of this volume successfully applied Bronfenbrenner's "micro-systems" taxonomy to childrearing and family life. Emphasizing how forces in the environment influence children's behavior, Garbarino has staked out an intermediate position between the psychoanalytic and the systems approach to human development. Taking cognizance of new research and of changes in American society, Garbarino has once again carefully analyzed the importance of children's social relationships. For this wholly revised second edition, he has incorporated a greater emphasis on ethnic, cultural, and racial issues.

The first edition of this volume successfully applied Bronfenbrenneras amicro-systemsa taxonomy to childrearing and family life. Emphasizing how forces in the environment influence childrenas behavior, Garbarino has staked out an intermediate position between the psychoanalytic and the systems approach to human development. Taking cognizance of new research and of changes in American society, Garbarino has once again carefully analyzed the importance of childrenas social relationships. For this wholly revised second edition, he has incorporated a greater emphasis on ethnic, cultural, and racial issues.

The chapters in this volume reflect the work and thoughts of a group of researchers interested in studying families as learning environments for children. As we proceed in our quest to identify and understand with some specificity the familial factors associated with the intellectual and social development of children, the time is ripe for the reintroduction of families as units of study in psychological and educational research. With the increasing focus on the changing organization of the modern family, it is of more than academic interest to identify those variables that play a significant role in the child's development. Such knowledge certainly should help in the planning and design of appropriate and credible applications. These chapters, representing a broad spectrum of research, derive from papers presented and discussed at a working conference on families as learning environments sponsored by Educational Testing Service in Prince ton, New Jersey. Following the conference, the papers were revised and edited for inclusion in this volume. We are indebted to a number of people whose contributions helped make the conference a success: Samuel J. Messick and Winton H. Manning for their support; Jan Flaugher, Jessie Cryer, Linda Kozelski, and Betty Clausen for assistance with local arrangements; and William Nemceff, Kathleen Lingle, and Kalina Gonska for help with the audio-recording of the proceedings. LUIS M. LAOSA IRVING E. SIGEL vii Contents Introduction ..................................... Xl Luis M. Laosa Chapter 1. Families as Facilitators of Children's Intellectual Development at 3 Years of Age: A Causal Analysis ........................................ .

Social Work Practice with Children and Families presents the framework for family health social work and its applications in various practice environments. This vital textbook provides a unique blend of academic deliberations and practical service guidelines with topics ranging from forensic social work and community practice to disability, child welfare, and HIV/AIDS. The book is organized into two major sections entitled Practice Interventions and Policy, Programs, and Emerging Families. Case examples or discussion questions are included at the end of each chapter to facilitate more in-depth understanding and discussion among graduate and undergraduate students, professors, and educators in health and human service areas. To view an excerpt online, find the book on our QuickSearch catalog at www.HaworthPress.com.

Meeting the needs of children at the same time as promoting family life is more than a question of resources: it needs a culture change in social services: a rediscovery and a modernization of the social action and community development traditions in social work. In Social Action with Children and Families the authors argue that ways must be found to work together to promote environments in which children can flourish, and to develop forms of public life which are friendly to children and their parents. Recent changes in child care systems have put more pressures on those working in it. Social workers have become more open to public scrutiny and are expected to respond to problems rooted in social and economic aspects of their clients' or services users' lives. Legislation stresses working in partnership with parents, other professionals, and community groups. The central aim of Social Action with Children and Families is to help those working in this field to find a new, more positive sense of direction and purpose. It will be invaluable reading to those studying social work, social policy and public administration as well as to all professionals working in these areas.

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

Winnner of the SRA Social Policy Award for Best Edited Volume 2006-2008′Jenson, Fraser and their impressive contributors have provided us with something all too rare in the child &BAD:amp; family services literature: a truly integrative volume. They argue cogently for a cross-systems perspective, an orientation to developmental ′risk′ &BAD:amp; ′protective′ factors and a strategic process for identifying most favorable targets for intervention .The summaries of different service domains and the editor′s emphasis on crafting the proper policy context for the integration of ′evidence-based′ practices make this volume a ′must read′ for seasoned policy makers, as well as beginning practitioners. This book will be an important resource for all involved in the kind of creative, science-based innovation so desperately needed in the child &BAD:amp; family services field.′á- James K. Whittaker, University of WashingtonôWhat a book! A must read for those who provide services to at-risk children and their families. Jensen and Fraser call attention to the professionÆs blatant unwillingness to systematically draw upon existing research, and translate it to policy to advance the design of programs that remediate and prevent mental and physical health problems among the nation′s youth. The application of the public health framework to programs and policies adds value to the usual suspects of perspectives/frameworks drawn upon by the social work profession. This book is very consistent with the ideas expressed in related professional and social science literatures, as well as that of federal and private funding sources. The authors boldly call for the triangulation of relevant theories and models of risk and resilience, and make a major contribution to social work research by advocating for the translation of empirical evidence into practical application.öá - Paula Allen-Meares, University of Michigan School of Social Workáááááá We now know, more than ever, about why some children and adolescents develop social and health problems such as sexually transmitted diseases, drug use, and delinquency. However, this knowledge is not yet systematically applied to policy or program design, resulting in poorly integrated and often duplicative services for children and families. Social Policy for Children and Families: A Risk and Resilience Perspective uses a unique framework to help students understand effective public policy development. Authors Jeffrey M. Jenson and Mark W. Fraser argue that a public health framework rooted in ecological theory and based on principles of risk, protection, and resilience is essential for the successful design of social policy. This book applies the authorsÆ conceptual model across the substantive areas of social policy, including child welfare, education, mental health, health, developmental disabilities, substance use, and juvenile justice.áá Key Features: Applies a risk and resilience model to help readers understand and develop effective public policies for children, youth, and families Offers recommendations for ways to advance a public health framework in policy design, implementation, and evaluationIncludes case studies, discussion questions, and web-based resources to prompt critical thinking and future research á Social Policy for Children and Families is designed for undergraduate and graduate students studying social welfare policy in the field of Social Work. It can also be used in a variety of Political Science, Public Policy, and Sociology courses. á