Children and Youth in Limbo

The American family structure is complicated, and only becoming more so as time goes on. Finkelstein attributes this complexity, with its accompanying value confusions and inconsistencies, to the voluntary and involuntary, uprooted, migrant, immigrant, multiethnic and multicultural origins of the country itself. As people of different cultures intermarry, the complexities surrounding communications and expectations increase dramatically with each ensuing generation. These changes, coupled with the pressures of a rapidly changing world, place the American family and, therefore, American children in jeopardy. This unique volume does not just examine the troubles that American families face, or demand that changes be made. Finkelstein approaches family problems from a direct practice perspective and speaks to the implementation of needed services.

The author designs an array of family-focused programs, emphasizing wellness, strengths, and assets. She calls on communities as well as individual agencies to organize themselves to create services, from the ordinary, such as housing, day care, education and family counseling, to the very special which includes outreach preventive services for families in trouble, family foster care, adoption, and a variety of residential options for youths with severe problems. Finkelstein stresses that these programs must be family-centered, they must be linked to past family connections, and they must build connections into the future. This work will offer students and scholars in social work, child welfare, and public policy a complete overview of the systemic difficulties of the American family as well as compatible and practical programs designed to meet current family needs.

NADIA EHRLICH FINKELSTEIN is the Associate Executive Director of Parsons Child and Family Center in Albany, New York. A member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, she has contributed to several books on family-centered social work and children's agencies and published articles in professional journals.