"The fate of one child in the United States today can be the fate of all children. Likewise, we must seek, in the interest of serving all children, to help each individual child. It is this goal toward which the child welfare system strives." -Cynthia Crosson-Tower.
Social Work in Child Welfare.
Every nine seconds a child drops out of school. Every ten seconds a child will be abused or neglected. Every thirty-six seconds a child is born into poverty. Every minute a baby is born to a teen mother. Every thirty-two seconds a child sees his or her parents divorce. Every three minutes a baby is born to a mother who received no prenatal care. Every eighteen minutes a baby dies. Every twenty-three minutes a child is wounded by gunfire. Every 100 minutes a child is killed by firearms (Crosson-Tower, 2001). These are all harsh realities that the children of the world face everyday. Children are the future of this country; and it is the child welfare system's goal to intervene so that all children will have a better future. .
There are many aspects and roles of the child welfare system that social workers must use to reach this goal. Areas in the child welfare system are foster care services, adoption, prevention of abuse, family preservation services, and many more. A safe and permanent home with family members is the best place for a child to grow up. All children have the right to be free from physical, sexual, emotional and other forms of harm by their parents or caregivers. Parents have the responsibility to meet children's needs for adequate food, shelter, clothing, and a safe environment (Casey Outcomes & Decision Making Process [CODMP], 1998).
Buchanan/2.
Parents play a tremendous role in the well being of their children. If children are not being well cared for, that is when social workers intervene to solve and control the.
problem. First a social worker must define the "System of Intervention," or the set of programs, services, and resources that are the focus of the outcome monitoring effort.