Teaching Family Preservation

ABSTRACT

The family preservation movement, with its historic emphasis on keeping children with their families, is prominent in social work in the U.S.A. in large part this is due to the profession's enduring commitment to society's most deprived families. In keeping with the importance of this movement, appropriate content should be incorporated throughout the social work curriculum. Accordingly, this article describes three courses that can be integrated into the Child/Youth/Family area of the curriculum: a generic course on intensive family preservation, a specialized course on family reunification of children in out-of-home care, and a specialized course on preparation of foster adolescents for interdependent living.