Social Work Practice with Children 

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1. What was the “Sixties Scoop”? What population was most affected by it?

The “Sixties Scoop” refers to the practice that occurred from the 1960s–1980s of apprehending unusually high numbers of Indigenous children and fostering or adopting them, largely to non-Indigenous families. The populations most affected by it were Indigenous children and families.

2. What do “least intrusive measures” attempt to promote as much as possible?

“Least intrusive measures” attempted to promote family preservation as much as possible, meaning keeping the family together. At the same time, “least intrusive measures” must nonetheless protect children from harm.

3. What are “in-home services”? Provide two examples.

“In-home services” aim to assist and support families to live together harmoniously in a safe and secure environment. Examples include family counselling, parental support, in-home childcare, homemaker services, and educational services for parents and families.

4. What were the assumptions of each stage in the evolution of perceptions of “children”?

In stage one, children were viewed as possessions and objects of parental authority. In stage two, children were perceived to be vulnerable individuals in need of protection. In stage three, children are regarded as subjects with inherent rights of their own.

5. What is the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal?

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is one of two key mechanisms of the Canadian Human Rights Act. It acts as a special administrative body that receives complaints from the Canadian Human Rights Commission and investigates cases relating to discrimination. A historical example is the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on First Nations Child Welfare, which reviewed the complaint regarding inequitable and insufficient child and family services for First Nations families on reserve.

6. What was the significance of battered child syndrome?

Battered child syndrome was a term coined by C. Henry Kempe, and refers to injuries sustained by a child as the result of physical abuse, usually inflicted by an adult caregiver. This paved the way for child welfare legislation that made it mandatory for professionals to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect.

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