학술논문
Structural Violence with Child Welfare Systems
CME ARTICLE
CME ARTICLE
Document Type
Academic Journal
Source
Psychiatric Annals. November 2021, Vol. 51 Issue 11, p507, 6 p.
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
0048-5713
Abstract
Mental health professionals who work with youth are likely to encounter children and families who have been or are currently involved in the child welfare system. Conceptually, the child welfare [...]
The child welfare system is a collection of public and private agencies tasked with ensuring the safety, permanency, and well-being of children in the United States. Historically, child welfare policies have caused harm along economic and racial lines, and they continue to do so. Families engaged with the child welfare system are among the most vulnerable in our society, and yet they are often further harmed by the system in place to protect and support them. This harm is known as structural violence. Mental health professionals and others who care for children engaged with the child welfare system benefit from understanding the role the system has played in communities with poverty and in communities of color. This understanding can inform all levels of work, including assessment, treatment, and advocacy. This article uses an illustrative case to examine how policies, economic systems, and other sociopolitical factors in the child welfare system have inflicted harm on families, particularly at the intersection of mental health services and child welfare. [Psychiatr Ann. 2021;51(11):507?512.]
The child welfare system is a collection of public and private agencies tasked with ensuring the safety, permanency, and well-being of children in the United States. Historically, child welfare policies have caused harm along economic and racial lines, and they continue to do so. Families engaged with the child welfare system are among the most vulnerable in our society, and yet they are often further harmed by the system in place to protect and support them. This harm is known as structural violence. Mental health professionals and others who care for children engaged with the child welfare system benefit from understanding the role the system has played in communities with poverty and in communities of color. This understanding can inform all levels of work, including assessment, treatment, and advocacy. This article uses an illustrative case to examine how policies, economic systems, and other sociopolitical factors in the child welfare system have inflicted harm on families, particularly at the intersection of mental health services and child welfare. [Psychiatr Ann. 2021;51(11):507?512.]