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Caring for the child welfare client: am I good enough?

Resource type
Author/contributor
Title
Caring for the child welfare client: am I good enough?
Abstract
Given the demographics of youth served by the child welfare system, culturally responsive approaches are critical to effective social work practice and desperately needed. Like many adolescents who grow up in the child welfare system, Paul, a White adolescent male in foster care, was beset by a lack of adequate environmental resources and multiple stressors and had little hope or motivation to work on improving his situation. This article highlights the author's use of self as an African American male therapist who worked with Paul, using a Winnicottian and caring framework. Because child welfare workers are often overburdened by the demands of work, including large caseloads and clients with few to no resources, they find it difficult to consistently provide empathic and caring behaviors for their clients. The author highlights his therapeutic work and struggles with Paul and offers cultural insights and Winnicottian strategies when working with adolescents in the child welfare system who are ultimately in need of permanency and stability.
Publication
Smith College Studies in Social Work
Date
2017
Volume
87
Issue
2-3, SI
Pages
170-188
Journal Abbr
Smith Coll. Stud. Soc. Work
Citation Key
pop00236
ISSN
0037-7317
Language
English
Extra
1 citations (Crossref) [2023-10-31] Citation Key Alias: lens.org/007-860-273-285-190 tex.type: [object Object]
Citation
Hoffler, S. J. (2017). Caring for the child welfare client: am I good enough? Smith College Studies in Social Work, 87(2–3, SI), 170–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377317.2017.1324072