E-Book, Englisch, 368 Seiten
Reihe: Perspectives on Gender
Reich Fixing Families
Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-1-136-07546-9
Verlag: Taylor & Francis
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)
Parents, Power, and the Child Welfare System
E-Book, Englisch, 368 Seiten
Reihe: Perspectives on Gender
ISBN: 978-1-136-07546-9
Verlag: Taylor & Francis
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)
In Fixing Families, Jennifer Reich takes us inside Child Protective Services for an in-depth look at the entire organization. Following families from the beginning of a case to its discharge, Reich shows how parents negotiate with the state for custody of their children, and how being held accountable to the state affects a family.
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Weitere Infos & Material
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
Intervening in Failing Families 11
Intersections of the State and Family 14
The Therapeutic State 18
Overview of the System 22
"We work for the government. We're here to help." 22
"Juvenile Justice" 23
The County 26
Representing "Bad" Parents 29
Overview of the Book 34
CHAPTER 2: CHILD PROTECTION IN A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 41
The Progressive Era: New Responses to New Social Problems 42
Professionalization of Childsaving 48
Creating Public Welfare 50
1920's-1960's: "Battered Child Syndrome" and the First Federal Response to Child
Abuse 54
1970's: Rising Caseloads and Calls for Reform 57
Constructing the "Best Interests" 58
Opposition to Transracial Adoption 60
1980's: Refocusing on Reunification in the Face of New Challenges 63
The Crack Crisis in Child Welfare 64
1990's: Attempts to Address System Failures 70
Color-Blind Child Welfare Policy 71
Rising Attention to System Failures 73
Adoption Reform 75
Understanding the Child Welfare Pendulum 78
CHAPTER 3: THE HATED DO-GOODERS: SOCIAL WORK IN CONTEXT 88
Prelude 88
Social Work as Thankless 92
Social Work as Dangerous 99
Social Work as Stressful 105
CHAPTER 4: EXPECTED PARENTAL BEHAVIOR: THEORIZING SUBORDINATION AND DEFERENCE IN INVESTIGATIONS 113
Prelude 113
Reporters of Suspected Abuse of Neglect 117
Talking (with) Children 121
Assessing Risk Through Zero-Tolerance for Drugs 124
Evaluating the Home 132
Expectations of Deference 135
Dana Brooks 138
Jamila Washington 142
Similar Circumstances, Different Outcomes 146
Candace Williams-Taylor 152
Moving Through the System 161
CHAPTER 5: REFORMING PARENTS, REUNIFYING FAMILIES 169
Prelude 169
The Context and Content of Services 172
The Relative Right to Services 174
The Controversial System 179
The Experience of Reunification Services 182
"Time Is Moving": Deference to the Process As Soon As Possible 182
Material Obstacles to Reunification 186
The Time Bind of Services 187
Housing and Public Assistance 192
Childcare 195
Services and Surveillance 199
Managing State Power: Parental Strategies 202
Parents' Strategies: Resistance and Accommodation 202
Robert Davis 206
Richie Lyons 210
Linda Durrant 213
Activist Parenting and Counter-Productivity 216
Conclusion: Realizing System Goals: Means and Ends 220
CHAPTER 6: COURT-ORDERED EMPOWERMENT AND THE REFORMATION
OF MOTHERS IN CPS 229
Prelude 229
The Bad Mother in Public Imagination and Institutions 233
Resocializing Bad Mothers 236
Contexualizing Maternal Salvation 242
Performing Empowerment 247
Court-Ordered Empowerment: Success Stories 251
Sexual Mothers: Reunification Failures 255
Making Sense of the Empowerment Performance 262
CHAPTER 7: BIOLOGY AND CONFORMITY: EXPECTATIONS OF FATHERS 270
Prelude 270
Becoming a CPS Father 275
Men's Relative Right to Services 280
Legal Constructions of Fatherhood 283
Encouraging Absentee Fatherhood 286
Working to Reunify 288
Employment versus Compliance 290
Proving the Capacity to Parent 295
Bad Men as Good Fathers? 301
Resocializing Bad Men 308
CHAPTER 8: BEYOND REUNIFICATION: WHEN FAMILIES CANNOT BE
FIXED 315
Prelude 315
Beyond Reunification 317
Time Runs Out 318
Demonstrable Rehabilitation 322
Compliance 323
Meaningful Change 327
Accepting Responsibility 331
Developing a "Permanent Plan" 337
When Adoption is Inappropriate 338
Identifying Unbreakable Bonds 342
Defining Adoptability 347
After the Case Ends 353
Court Orders Beyond the Courthouse 356
Conclusion 359
CHAPTER 9: CONCLUSION 365
Good Intentions, Poor Outcomes 372
CPS and the Anti-Parent Culture 378
Addressing System Failures 381
Social Work Workload 382
Giving Voice to Parental Anger 382
Access to Advocacy 383
Relevant Services 384
The State, Feminism, and the Politics of Parenting 385
Looking Forward to Post-Modern Post-CPS Families 389
APPENDIX I: METHODS 395
Becoming a Child Abuse Researcher 396
Collecting Data 399
The Parents 408
Pregnant Pauses in Fieldwork 413
BIBLIOGRAPHY 422
ENDNOTES 435
