Social work
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Multicultural education (MCE) and antiracist education (ARE) are the primary curricula through which school educators are combating the effects of racism and bigotry. To assist in the efforts of the educators, social workers need an understanding of MCE and ARE objectives, assumptions, and current research to guide their practice. ⋯ It examines curricula, policies, and practices used to address racism and bigotry among elementary, middle, and high school students; attempts to discover underlying barriers to implementing antiracist and antibigotry curricula; and reveals the perspectives of teachers, administrators, counselors, and social workers. Implications for social work practice, policy development, and research are discussed.
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Courts often play active roles in the lives of families supervised by child protective services (CPS). Judges adjudicate dependency, mandate services, determine placements of children, and order continued supervision or termination of parental rights or services. This study examined the effects of court orders in preventing recurrence of substance abuse in the cases of 447 children in kinship care while under CPS supervision. ⋯ Levels of compliance with mandated substance abuse and mental health treatment did not appear to influence rates of reabuse or duration of service. Court orders appeared to affect both the number of caretakers and placements the children experienced. Children adjudicated dependent were more likely to have multiple caretakers than those under voluntary supervision.
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Peer sexual harassment is an often overlooked problem for both girls and boys in the educational environment. This article provides a historical framework for defining peer sexual harassment as a sex discrimination issue and a description of peer sexual harassment as a potential mental health issue. The article also reviews the limited empirical research on teenage peer sexual harassment, which has consistently revealed that nearly four of five adolescents are the targets of sexual harassment by their peers. Finally, the authors explore a theoretical context in which to understand sexual harassment and the implications for social work practice in education.
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This article examines the concept of advocacy in child welfare. Definitions of social advocacy and case advocacy are presented that will perhaps give child advocates, child welfare workers, and social workers a better understanding of the concepts and their roles in the protection of children who have been abused or neglected. A historical account of advocacy efforts on behalf of abused and neglected children in the United States is presented, followed by an analysis of current advocacy efforts, highlighting the potential of court-appointed special advocates (CASAs). The article also presents implications and ideas for social workers to assist in case advocacy efforts for children who are part of the child welfare system.