Social Work Practice with Children 

Recommended Readings

Christie, N., & Gauvreau, M. (1996). Full-Orbed Christianity: The protestant churches and social welfare in Canada, 1900–1940 (Vol. 22). Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Doob, A.N., Marinos, V., & Varma, K.N. (1995). Youth crime and the youth justice system in Canada: A research perspective. Toronto: Centre of Criminology, University of Toronto.

Fallon, B., MacLaurin, B., Daciuk, J., Felstiner, C., Black, T., Tonmyr, L., ... & Cloutier, R. (2010). Canadian incidence study of reported child abuse and neglect, 2008. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada.

Peristerakis, J. (2014). We must separate them from their families: Canadian policies of child apprehension and relocation from Indigenous communities. Graduate thesis, University of Manitoba.

Prilleltensky, I., Nelson, G.B., & Peirson, L. (Eds.). (2001). Promoting family wellness and preventing child maltreatment: Fundamentals for thinking and action. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Smith, S.M. (1975). The battered child syndrome. Oxford, UK: Butterworth.

Strega, S., & Esquao, S.A. (2009). Walking this path together: Anti-racist and anti-oppressive child welfare practice. Halifax, NS: Fernwood.

Waldfogel, J. (1998). The future of child protection: How to break the cycle of abuse and neglect. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Wilson-Forsberg, S., & Robinson, A.M. (Eds.). (2018). Immigrant youth in Canada: Theoretical approaches, practical issues, and professional perspectives. Toronto: Oxford University Press.

Recommended Videos

  1. Powerful as God: The Children’s Aid Societies of Ontario (2014). 75 min 29 sec. Documentary Media Program, Ryerson University. http://blakout.ca/htm/viewthedoc.php#.VFO0ZhZs24g

    This intense documentary reveals a child welfare system (Children’s Aid Societies) in Ontario that is struggling with systemic and bureaucratic constraints that require serious public attention.
  1. Foster Child (1987) by Gil Cardinal. 43 min 9 sec. National Film Board.  https://www.nfb.ca/film/foster_child/

    This autobiographical documentary charts the efforts of Gil Cardinal to find his Métis biological mother and to understand why he was removed from her. The documentary addresses the country’s internal colonialism in a profoundly personal manner. Winner of a Special Jury Prize at Banff and multiple international awards.
  1. Four Feet Up (2008) by Nance Ackerman. 46 min 19 sec. National Film Board.  https://www.nfb.ca/film/four_feet_up/

    This personal documentary shares the lives of a determined family for a profound experience of child poverty in one of the richest countries in the world. The documentary explores the responsibilities of Canadians to raise all children as our best investment in the nation’s future. 
  1. Night Children (1956) by Bernard Devlin. 28 min 59 sec. National Film Board. https://www.nfb.ca/film/night-children/

    This short documentary presents the story of a case worker with the Children’s Aid Society, circa 1956, and the children she helps. The documentary sheds light on the cases involving children who were abandoned, uncared for, or otherwise victims of their environment.

Recommended Websites

  1. Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal. http://cwrp.ca/

    This website allows users to obtain information on interventions and prevention, out-of-home services, Indigenous child welfare, policy and legislation, etc. in each province of Canada.
  1. Canadian Red Cross. http://www.redcross.ca/what-we-do/violence-bullying-and-abuse-prevention/educators/child-abuse-and-neglect-prevention/definitions-of-child-abuse-and-neglect

    This website explores definitions of child abuse and neglect, resources on steps to take after such reports, and ways in which child abuse and neglect may be prevented.
  1. First Nations Child & Family Caring Society. https://fncaringsociety.com/welcome

    Working from a reconciliation framework, the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society respectfully engages First Nations and non-Indigenous peoples by providing essential resources to support First Nations communities to empower children, youth, and families. The Caring Society works with partners in Canada and around the world to promote the rights of Indigenous children, youth, and families.
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