1st Edition

African-American Social Workers and Social Policy

By Carlton Munson, Tricia Bent-Goodley Copyright 2003
    208 Pages
    by Routledge

    208 Pages
    by Routledge

    Critical analyses of policies that significantly affect African-American families and communities!

    African-American Social Workers and Social Policy is the first book of its kind to combine the voices of African-American social work professionals on social policy in one volume. You'll learn about the impact of health, child welfare, and aging, the implications of welfare reform, and the harsh statistics about race and imprisonment from respected practitioners in the field. Each chapter ends with recommendations for policy advocacy, giving you the tools you need to help reform the system.

    The issues addressed in African-American Social Workers and Social Policy include:

    • how proposed Social Security reforms can help or hinder efforts to bridge the wealth gap
    • the role of grandparents as caregivers
    • the implications of child welfare policies, including the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994
    • the effects of race, class, and gender discrimination on African-American women's health
    • the significance of the Human Genome Project
    • how social workers can stand up to the biases of the criminal justice system
    African-American Social Workers and Social Policy also presents an eye-opening review of the history of mental health policies for African Americans and an action agenda focused on knowledge and empowerment as a solution to pervasive institutional racism. This book is a welcome forum for policy educators, advocates, and those committed to social justice.

    You will value African-American Social Workers and Social Policy for its clear identification of issues, thorough analysis of the social policy arena and its impact, and comprehensive description of new goals, directions, and possibilities. This book will help you better understand vital social policies that affect African Americans today.

    • About the Editor
    • Contributors
    • Preface
    • Acknowledgments
    • Chapter 1. The Role of African-American Social Workers in Social Policy
    • Literature Review
    • Methodology
    • Findings
    • Discussion
    • Implications
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 2. Implications of Social Security Reform for Wealth Development Among African Americans
    • Wealth in the African-American Community
    • Social Security Reform and African-American Wealth
    • Meeting the Shortfall
    • Implications for Social Work Practice
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 3. Elderly African-American Grandparent Caregivers: Eliminating Double Jeopardy in Social Policy
    • Guardians of Generations: African-American Grandparents
    • Grandparent Caregivers—Emerging Public Policy
    • The Increase in Grandparent Caregivers: A Combination of Individual and Systemic Factors
    • Double Jeopardy
    • Predatory Practices and Policy Recommendations
    • Special Challenges for the African-American Community
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 4. Child Welfare Policies and African-American Families
    • Background of Selected Problems
    • Prevalence of Foster Care
    • Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980
    • 1994 Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA)
    • Adoption Initiative of 1996
    • Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997
    • Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA)
    • Implications of Child Welfare Policies for African Americans
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 5. From Paper to People: An Analysis of Critical Welfare Reform Issues Affecting the Black Community
    • Unequal Outcomes
    • The Black Perspective and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)
    • Multidimensional Policy Framework
    • Policy Implications
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 6. The Policy Implications of the Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, Race, Culture, and Ethnicity
    • Race and Mental Illness in Historical Perspective: 1763-1963
    • The Quantification and Psychiatric Misery
    • Prevalence and Incidence of Mental Illness by Race
    • Historic Patterns of Utilization of Mental Health Service by Race
    • The Surgeon General’s Report 2001: Correcting the Past, Charting the Future
    • Policy Implications
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 7. African-American Women and Health Disparities: Implications of Race, Class, and Gender
    • Income, Education, and Access
    • Health Care Practices and Policies
    • Health Policy and African-American Women: Opportunities to Advance Black Women’s Health
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 8. Policy Implications of the Criminal Justice System for African-American Families and Communities
    • Current Criminal Justice Statistics
    • Major Criminal Justice Issues for African Americans
    • Implications
    • Systemic Issues to Be Addressed
    • Public Policy Advocacy
    • Lessons from Our History
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 9. Genetics: The Social Policy Implications for African Americans
    • Why African Americans Should Be Concerned About Genetics
    • Background
    • Emerging Opportunities
    • The Challenges
    • Implications
    • Conclusion
    • Chapter 10. A Policy Action Agenda (Tricia B. Bent-Goodley)
    • Index
    • Reference Notes Included

    Biography

    Munson, Carlton; Bent-Goodley, Tricia