Investing in Children, Youth, Families, and Communities takes a theoretically exciting and socially critical view of human development and the power of context to shape positive outcomes. Co-editors Kenneth I. Maton, Cynthia J. Schellenbach, Bonnie J. Leadbeater, and Andrea L. Solarz bring together leading social scientists and policy experts to discuss what helps or hinders healthy development. A transformative theme, from deficits to strengths, emerges in this book, as it surveys the mounting evidence that programs that shore up resilience can and do work. Empirically rich chapters show how children, youth, families, and communities can be vital resources in countering the challenges posed by violence, abuse, neglect, and other obstacles to development. It provides concrete examples of programs that recognize, strengthen, and marshal the abilities of individuals and groups traditionally assumed to be deficient or in need of ""fixing."" Uniquely, this book also extends the scientific findings to real-world program and policy implications. Each chapter is co-authored by scholars and policy experts with complementary strengths, bringing together expertise in the psychosocial aspects of an issue and expertise in social policy.
Strengths-Based Research and Policy: An Introduction; Research and Policy for Building Strengths: Processes and Contexts of Individual, Family, and Community Development; Adversities, Strengths and Public Policy; Strengths-Building Public Policy for Children of Divorce; Resilient Outcomes in Abused and Neglected Children: Bases for Strengths-Based Intervention and Prevention Policies; The Strengths, Competence, and Resilience of Women Facing Domestic Violence: How Can Research and Policy Support Them? Enhancing the Developmental Outcomes of Adolescent Parents and Their Children; Fostering Resilience for Children of Alcoholic Parents; Mental Health Services: A Family Systems Approach; Children and Families Coping With Pediatric Chronic Illnesses; Building Protection, Support, and Opportunity for Inner-City Children and Youth and Their Families; Opportunities for Schools in Promoting Resilience in Children and Youth: A Strengths Perspective; The Organization of Schooling and Adolescent Development; Resilience in Children Exposed to Negative Peer Influences; Racial and Ethnic Status: Risk and Protective Processes Among African-American Families; Acculturation and Enculturation among Latino Youths; Community Violence and Children: Preventing Exposure and Reducing Harm; Community Development as a Response to Community-Level Adversity: Ecological Theory and Research and Strengths-Based Policy; A Blueprint for the Future
