U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Who's Watching the Children? - A Collection of Readings on the Legal Aspects of Child Welfare Services for Neglected Children

NCJ Number
75770
Editor(s)
C S Simmons, C S Simmons
Date Published
1980
Length
51 pages
Annotation
This book presents readings that are assigned as part of a course for social workers on the legal aspects of child welfare services for neglected children.
Abstract
An article on definitions of child neglect and abuse and appropriate modes of treatment discusses the work of Norman Polansky. This researcher notes that child neglect is an issue that involves the entire family. As a consequence, the focus of each aspect of intervention must include the total family perspective. In addition, Polansky advises directing attention toward the needs of families rather than primarily on their problems for successful intervention. Another paper examines State intervention on behalf of neglected children, including standards for removal from their homes, monitoring of the status of children in foster care, and termination of parental rights. Other articles focus on working with neglectful parents, supervising the new social worker in the court intervention process, and factors to consider in deciding when to go to court. Several articles are devoted to the juvenile court, counsel for the child protective agency, and the role of attorneys. Particular attention is given to the role of the attorney ad litem. The final article examines the experience for parents of the adjudicated neglected child in court. Reference notes are included for some of the articles. For the other components of the training package of which this manual is a part, see NCJ 75768-69.