Objective: To test the effectiveness of an in-training program for practitioners in public child welfare organizations. Method: The sample consists of practitioners (N = 945) working in youth centers or in local community service centers. Data are collected through self-administered questionnaires prior to and after the program. Results: The data…

Recognizing the importance of understanding the way in which supervisors in child welfare perceive their administrative responsibilities and use of power and authority, an exploratory study was conducted. Supervisors in child welfare agencies in urban and rural settings participated in focus groups and discussed the impact of macro and micro…

Evaluates a new adoption placement program at the Ville Marie Social Service Centre (Montreal, Quebec) in which biological mothers can choose from among three profiles of adoptive parents when selecting a home for their babies. A review of staff observations is also described. (BB)

Summarizes the objectives, conceptual model, results, and implications of a project called Foster Care Training: A Comprehensive Approach, in British Columbia, Canada, which was designed to illustrate ways in which a networking model can provide increased support and training for participating foster parents. (BB)

Tested the hypothesis that placement stability for foster children would improve if they received help in resolving separation conflicts with their biological families from a group treatment program under the leadership of the child's caseworker. Important lacks in agency practice were revealed. (BB)

This book of objectives, one of a series designed to provide a competency-based analysis of employment categories in human services, deals with the core competencies necessary for social workers. Addressed in the individual sections of the volume are the following skill areas: counseling, income assistance, administration, courtwork, government…