About
This course is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to child abuse and neglect from psychological, social, cultural, legal, and economic perspectives. Social workers in all professional work settings must know how to identify child maltreatment and family violence. Students must also be able to practice without discrimination and with respect, knowledge, and skills related to the clients' age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. Students will learn the family dynamics and indicators of maltreatment and effective interventions at the micro, mezzo, and macro level, with an emphasis on strengths based, family-centered intervention strategies. Additionally, students will learn the extent of reported maltreatment of children, effects on children, treatment issues, the social worker's role in a multidisciplinary team approach, how to advocate for individuals and families, and will be introduced to the concept of personal accountability for outcomes. This course will also introduce to students the values and ethics of the social work profession in the child welfare arena, specifically the right of children to appropriate care, to be free of abuse and neglect, and to grow up in a safe environment. This course is available as an elective but is also the first of two specific course requirements for the child services certification available through public universities in Indiana and the Indiana Department of Child Services. These two courses include components of the Core Training curriculum for all new employees of the Department of Child Services.
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