SOWK 670: Child Welfare Maltreatment
Credits: (3)Instructional Method: Three hours lecture, demonstration and discussion.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.
Child Maltreatment prepares students for practice in with children who have experienced maltreatment, and their families. This course includes an integrated framework of evidence-based practices, theories, and policies., with emphasis on practice in Virginia. It includes skills for providing services including prevention, family preservation, protective services, foster care, and permanency planning. Emphasis is placed on child welfare practice with vulnerable populations including racial, ethnic, and cultural minorities, and families in poverty, and the systemic effects of oppression and discrimination.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
Thematic outline of content of the course:
a. Introduction: Historical analysis of policies and practices concerning cases of
Child Abuse and Neglect (CA/N)
b. Overview of the prevalence of CA/N nationally and statewide
c. Processes and skill development
d. Context and intervention
e. Values
Detailed description of content of the course
Child Welfare is one of three emphases in the MSW curriculum, this course being one of the three in this emphasis. It is designed to help students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to work with abused and neglected children and their families. Students are encouraged to critically analyze the political and cultural factors attributed to the etiology of child abuse and neglect, including: the populations-at-risk of being referred for and those abusing and neglecting their children, social and economic justice concerns, and values and ethics of the referrer, referred, and others involved in the decision-making process.
A variety of instructional methods will be used in this course such as interactive lecture, group discussion, role-play, teaching videos, student presentations, small group exercises and guest speakers. Students are expected to actively participate in class sessions.
Student Learning Outcomes
Goal: to provide a graduate level introduction to the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for professional practice with abused or neglected children and their families.
Objectives: Having successfully completed this course, students will be able to demonstrate the ability:
Assessment Measures
Faculty will assess attainment of course objectives by evaluating students’ ability to:
Other Course Information
This course utilizes many of teaching materials developed by Virginia Institute for Social Services Activities (VISSTA). Additional reading, exercises, and assignments are required to provide a graduate level learning experience.
Review and Approval
February 2000 New course proposal
Revised June, 2022