School of Social Work
Course: SWK 323
CHILD WELFARE SERVICES
Fall 2015
Tuesdays 5:30pm-8:20pm
[Fall Semester: August 18, 2015- December 15, 2015]
LOCATION: Stdnt Fit Ctr McCormick 260
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Doris M. Houston / OFFICE:
203 Rachel Cooper / OFFICE HOURS:
-Mon 4 pm after class
-Tues 3-5 pm
-Appointment
EMAIL:
/ OFFICE PHONE
309-438-8075
TA: Laura Seidelman EMAIL:
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Services for dependent, neglected, abused, and disabled children and their families.
3 semester hours.
Prerequisites: SWK 222 or Special Education or Family and Consumer Sciences major. Recommended before SWK 398.10 if student wishes placement in a child-serving agency.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
SWK 323 examines contemporary child welfare policies and practices in the United States. The course explores the rights of children, the rights and responsibilities of parents and society and their points of conflict. The nature and impact of child maltreatment, the ways in which society prevents or responds to the social problem of child maltreatment, and the system of response to child maltreatment are addressed.
* Note: For Social Work Majors Only: This course qualifies as “Semester I” of the DCFS child welfare certification program.Qualifying SWK students must also enroll in Semester II: SWK 324 (Spring 2015).
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER COURSES
SWK 323 (Child Welfare Services) is a required course for students pursuing the BSW Child Welfare Certificate, and an elective course for non-certificate students. It is strongly recommended that students take SWK 323 prior to SWK 324 (Topics in Child Welfare). SWK 323 is also strongly recommended for students who wish to do a field placement in a child-serving agency.
COURSE GOALS
The goals for this course are to:
1. Examine the meaning of the term “family”.
2. Examine the philosophy and values of family preservation.
3. Familiarize students with the principal laws, policies and services that address the problem of child maltreatment in the U.S.
4. Explore the impact of social problems such as poverty, family violence, drug abuse and homelessness on children and their families.
5. Introduce the major theories that seek to explain child maltreatment.
6. Review the evidence of differential treatment of families in the child welfare system
based on class, race, and household type.
7. Explore the impact of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia on the delivery of child welfare services.
9. Acquaint students with child welfare research publications.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the course, students will have achieved the following outcomes. Students will be able to:
1. Identify the impact of social values on the definition of family in the U.S.
2. Identify the laws, policies, and services that address child maltreatment in the U.S.
3. Describe the organization of child welfare services in Illinois.
4. Discuss child maltreatment as a social problem, not as the result of individual pathology.
5. Articulate explanatory theories of child maltreatment.
6. Explain problems in family functioning using an ecological framework.
7. Define the types of child maltreatment recognized in law and policy.
8. Discuss barriers to equal treatment for families in the child welfare system.
9. Apply information from the professional literature to child maltreatment
10. Discuss findings from prevention and intervention research with families at risk for maltreatment.
REQUIRED READING(S) AND TEXTBOOK(S)
1) Title: Child Welfare Services Reading Handout E-Packet (Weekly readings posted to Reggienet)2) Title: Conquering Chaos
Author: Catelynn Lowell (Author), Tyler Baltierra (Author)
Publisher: Post Hill Press
ISBN: 2940150306059
*Additional readings may be assigned by the instructor
EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS
Attendance and Participation: Students are expected to attend and participate in all class sessions whether face-to-face or online. A student should not be enrolled in a course if other obligations will interfere with getting to class sessions regularly and punctually.
More than two absences in a sixteen- week course or one in an eight- week course will result in a lowered grade for the course. Repeated tardiness or leaving class early also will result in a lowered grade.
Additional Instructor Expectations:
- To avoid disruptions, students will not be admitted to the classroom once the class starts at 5:30 pm. If there is a pressing emergency that requires a student to be late, please make arrangements with the instructor in advance.
- To gain the most out of the class, students should expect to read and study about 6 to 8 hours per week outside of classroom time. Actual hours of study are expected to vary for individual students.
Class Preparation: You are expected to have prepared thoroughly for each session. Preparation may include reading and/or watching the assigned materials prior to class (see “COURSE SCHEDULE”), summarizing the content and being prepared to discuss it; writing questions or reactions to the material; and making connections between concepts in current readings and earlier readings.
Students are strongly encouraged to read other related materials, make notes on readings and visual material, prepare study questions based on readings, case material, and instructor presentation/lecture materials; discuss readings and class lecture material with other students, form study groups, explain concepts to others, and schedule consultation time with the instructor as needed.
Assignments: All assignments are due on the date assigned (See “ASSIGNMENTS” and “COURSE SCHEDULE”). Late assignments may be accepted at the discretion of the instructor, but usually will be given a reduced grade. One letter grade (10% of the earned grade) may be deducted for each week the assignment is late unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. No assignments will be accepted after the last day of class.
Missed or late work: If a student misses a class, he or she will be responsible for any missed class content. Missed in-class work generally cannot be made up. Make-up tests, quizzes, and examinations, as a rule, will not be permitted. Only in extraordinary circumstances will such work be accepted.
Nondiscriminatory language: Oral presentations and written work should use non-sexist, non-racist, and non-stigmatizing language. Faculty may return papers for revisions in language prior to grading. Be sensitive to your use of language
Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism, cheating, and all other forms of academic misconduct are not only considered a violation of university regulations, but are also considered a serious breach of the ethical code of conduct for the social work profession. Students are expected to remember that they are in the process of becoming professional social workers. As such, they are expected to abide by the ethical standards of the profession. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics is available to students on the Internet at www.naswdc.org.
Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact Disability Concerns at 350 Fell Hall, 438-5853 (voice), 438-8620 (TDD).
Electronics: All cell phones, pagers, and laptops, and other electronics (unless the student has a documented need for assistive technology) should be turned off during class.
EXAMS AND ASSIGNMENTS
The following Exams and assignments are designed to measure progress on the learning objectives for this course. Please see instructor’s handout for writing guidelines and grading criteria.
The following exams and assignments are designed to facilitate and measure students' progress on the learning objectives for this course:
1) Attendance and participation (20%)
On going throughout the semester.
Ø Participation in weekly discussions and exercises is expected and is a key component to this assignment. Perfect attendance without participation may not earn an A grade for this assignment.
Ø Grade is subject to reduction with more than 2 absences.
2) Exam 1: (20%)
Week 8 (October 6, 2015)
3) Exam 2 (20%)
Week 12 (November 3, 2015)
3) Exam 3: (20%)
Exam Credit for DCFS On line Virtual Trainings –
Week 16 (December 1, 2015)
4) Group Project: (20%)
Week 15/16 (December 1 and 8, 2015)
FINAL GROUP PROJECT:Child Welfare Public Awareness Campaign
(20 out of 100 points).
Due Date(s): Weeks 15-16, December 1, 8, 2015
Description:
Students can play an important role in raising community awareness about important issues related to child welfare and child well-being. This project challenges students to use their creativity to develop a fact-based multi-media public service announcement on a child welfare-related topic (e.g. child abuse prevention, family domestic violence, child poverty, homeless youth, etc.). The PSA will be posted on “You-tube and/or other media outlet for public viewing to raise awareness about the selected topic.
Instructions:
Ø For this assignment you will work in small groups (5 students)
Ø Pick a child welfare related topic that has been covered as part of the class. Your topic MUST also be approved by the instructor ahead of time.
Ø Conduct research on your topic: The research should include a description and scope of a selected child welfare problem (e.g. child abuse, teen homelessness, human trafficking, etc.). The research should also a description of the prevalence of the problem, who/how many are affected by the problem, and recommended solutions to the problem.
Ø Identify any false information, stereotypes and/or preconceived notions that the general public may have about this topic.
Ø Develop a multi-media Public Awareness Campaign/ Public Service Announcement (PSA) which creatively describes the problem, solutions to the problem, and how others can create change. The PSA should also dispel stereotypes, myths, and biases. Your PSA should be posted on You Tube for public viewing (see instructor for further instructions).
Ø For the final project, your group should: a) show and discuss your PSA to the class, and b) develop a fact-based handout which includes citations for the research conducted.
GRADING
Grades will be assigned in accord with the following scale. Students must achieve the full value of the lower end of each subscale to be awarded the corresponding letter grade.
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F 59% and below
Grade Allocation:
Grades for the course will be assigned using the following formula:
─ Attendance and Participation 20%
─ Exam 1 20%
─ Exam 2 20%
─ Exam 3 20%
-- Final Project 20%
Total 100%
Additional instructor information regarding grades:
All assignments are due at the beginning of the class session on the due date. The grade for late work will be decreased by one letter grade per week unless the instructor has given prior approval for a late submission. Students are invited to meet with me before assignment and test due dates to make sure you have an understanding of the material and assgnment expectations.
COURSE SCHEDULE (weeks 1-7)
*Note: The class will be broken into 2 parts:
Part I: August 18- September 29, 2015
Part II October 6, 2015- December 8, 2015
Week / Topic / Readings*Readings are posted in
Reggienet
(“ Conquering Chaos” book must be purchased)
Week 1
August 18 / Child welfare overview / ü Child Welfare Definitions handout
Week 2
August 25 / Unit 1 Policy and History / ü Unit 1 reading packet
Week 3
September 1
Out of class:
On line trainings/readings / Unit 2 Values, Professionalism, ethics. / ü Unit 2 reading packet
On line trainings: (in place of class)
- Mandated reporter (public content DCFS site)-
- Burgos (VTC site)
- Working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Families
Week 4
September 8 / Unit 3 Human Development / ü Unit 3 reading packet
ü Seven deadly sins of childhood
Week 5
September 15 / Unit 4 Engaging Children and Families / ü Unit 4 reading packet
On line training (homework):
- Early Childhood Intervention
Week 6
September 22 / Unit 5 Culturally Informed Practice / ü Unit 5 reading packet
Week 7
September 29 / Unit 6 Trauma-Informed Family-Centered Strength-Based Practice / ü Unit 6 reading packet
ü Exam 1 review for October 6 Exam 1
**Part II of the Syllabus covering weeks 8- 16 will be provided by the instructor
SWK 323 Revised: 8/17/2015 School of Social Work Page 8 of 8