Social Policy for Children and Families: A Risk and Resilience Perspective

Incorporating cutting-edge research, the authors of this multidisciplinary text offer new evidence that a public health framework based on ecological theory and principles of risk and resilience is essential for the successful design of social policy. Contributing authors apply the editors’ conceptual model across the substantive domains of child welfare, education, mental health, health, developmental disabilities, substance use, juvenile justice, and now poverty.

This is an ideal core text for graduate and upper level undergraduate courses entitled Social Policy, Advanced Social Policy, or Social Work with Children and Families in departments of social work, family studies, human services, sociology, public health, or psychology. It is also a vital resource for elected officials, policy makers, and others interested in the evolution of policies aimed at preventing problem behaviors and supporting children and families.

Praise for the First Edition of Social Policy for Children and Families

“What a book! A must read for those who provide services to at-risk children and their families…. 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…. 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.”— Paula Allen-Meares, University of Michigan School of Social Work

Jeffrey M. Jenson, PhD, is the Philip D. and Eleanor G. Winn Professor for Children and Youth at Risk in the Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver. His research focuses on the application of a public health approach to preventing child and adolescent health and behavior problems and on the evaluation of preventive interventions aimed at promoting positive youth development. Dr. Jenson has published seven books and numerous articles and chapters on topics of prevention and child and adolescent development. His 2014 book (with K. Bender), Preventing Child and Adolescent Problem Behavior: Evidence-based Strategies In Schools, Families, and Communities (Oxford University Press) is a comprehensive review of empirical evidence pertaining to the efficacy of universal, selected, and indicated preventive interventions for children and youth. Dr. Jenson has received several awards for his scholarship, including the Aaron Rosen Award from the Society for Social Work and Research. He is the recipient of Distinguished Scholar and University Lecturer awards from the University of Denver and is a former editor-in-chief of the journal, Social Work Research. Dr. Jenson is a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and the Society for Social Work and Research.

Mark W. Fraser, PhD, holds the Tate Distinguished Professorship at the School of Social Work, University of North Carolina where he serves as associate dean for research. He has won numerous awards for research and teaching, including the Aaron Rosen Award and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society for Social Work and Research. His work focuses on risk and resilience, child behavior, child and family services, and research methods. Dr. Fraser has published widely, and, in addition to Social Policy for Children and Families, is the co-author or editor of eight books. These include Families in Crisis, a study of intensive family-centered services, and Evaluating Family-Based Services, a text on methods for family research. In Risk and Resilience in Childhood, he and his colleagues describe resilience-based perspectives for child maltreatment, substance abuse, and other social problems. In Making Choices, Dr. Fraser and his co-authors outline a program to help children build sustaining social relationships. In The Context of Youth Violence, he explores violence from the perspective of resilience, risk, and protection, and in Intervention with Children and Adolescents, Dr. Fraser and his colleagues review advances in intervention knowledge for social and health problems. Intervention Research: Developing Social Programs describes the design and development of social programs. His most recent book is Propensity Score Analysis: Statistical Methods and Applications. Dr. Fraser serves as editor of the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. He is a fellow of the National Academies of Practice and the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.