As I start to write the preface to this issue, I am reminded of a quote from J. M. Laurence who said “It’s not what we have in our life, but who we have in our life that counts.” More than any other profession, social work has understood the importance of strengthening family bonds and supporting networks. Our efforts to build family resilience can be found in each of the articles in this volume.
When I think about strengthening families, one social worker who comes to mind is Nancy Boyd-Webb. In this issue’s Reflections, I am pleased to be able to share an in-print and online interview with Nancy Boyd-Webb, who is best known for her work with children. Nancy’s books and publications cover a wide spectrum of problems that bring youth to the attention of social workers and deal with issues ranging from trauma to grief. She is a pioneer of play therapy and has always included a focus on parents and family systems in order to provide optimal treatment to children, and create the family context in which children can thrive.
Authors Nathan H. Perkins and Addaline J. Stoll question the role of sibling violence in foster families and draw attention to existing limitations in the ways that cohabiting sibling groups are defined and assessed. Given the importance of placement permanence, the authors argue for ways to better understand the relationships among natural as well as foster siblings dwelling in the same home, in an effort to reduce the frequency of violent acts that too often undermine a successful placement.
Authors Alex D. Colvin and Angela N. Bullock explore the biopsychosocial aspects of care giving for aging family members. Only through understanding the allocation of responsibilities and the outcomes of care giving can we best prepare and assist the caregivers whose activities are indispensable to our society.
Trends in family and network connection are also highly relevant to at-risk populations. Authors Robert Joseph Taylor, Harry Owen Taylor, and Linda M. Chatters examine social isolation from extended family and friends among African Americans. Drawing on a large sample, the authors find that African American women are better able to maintain the relationships that are vital to well-being and discuss the consequences of isolation to African American men.
The final article in this volume examines the use of meals and telephones as incentives for mothers who were referred by Child Protective Services (CPS) for substance abuse. In this research, authors Brad Donohue, Kelsey Bradshaw, Jasmine Fayeghi, Chelsey Wilks, Jason M. Holland, Chad Cross, Christopher P. Plant, and Daniel N. Allen report the increase in attendance to therapy sessions in a program that offered free cellular telephones and free meals contingent upon participation. Given that the majority of parents who receive psychological treatment within CPS abuse substances, their continued participation in treatment is vital for the security of their family.
In total, these articles demonstrate the diversity of family social work, and, at the same time, the importance of preserving and strengthening family relationships in all of social work’s domains.