Risk and Resilience in Childhood

2nd Edition

Mark Fraser’s second edition of Risk and Resilience in Childhood makes a signicant contribution to the literature that will help to shape the future of social work practice. Without compromising the consistency between chapters that was present in the first edition, this updated and expanded volume advances the ecological perspective by a muli-systemic view that increases our understanding of the development of children and youth. With a more fully explicated theoretical framework, a greater emphasis on the measurement of risk and protective factors, significant consideration paid to the importance of gender, race, and other differences in developmental theory, and more systematic attention paid to the design and implementation of effective interventions, this new edition of a social work classic is critical reading for those concerned with building strengths-based models of assessment and intervention and furthering the development of evidence-based practice.

William Meezan, DSW, ACSW

Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Children and Families, School of Social Work, University of Michigan

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In producing the second edition of Risk and Resilience in Childhood, Mark Fraser assembled a superb group of contributing scholars to address the most vexing challenges to quality of life for children in the United States. The chapters clearly and succinctly delineate national trends, assess pertinent risk and protective factors, review the pros and cons of various assessment methods, and synthesize what is know about the most effective programs for prevention and intervention. The chapters’ critical assessment of age, gender, race, and ethnic differences in risk and protective factors will help social workers tailor services to client and practive diversity. The book will facilitate the use of solid evidence in establishing service priorities and shaping service delivery, and thus marks an important contribution to evidence-based social work practice.

Enola K. Proctor, PhD

Frank J. Bruno Professor of Social Work Research, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University

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Risk and Resilience in Childhood: An Ecological Perspective, 2nd Edition is a veritable “who’s who” and “what’s what” in social work research on children at risk. Drawing upon the latest data on children living in poverty in the United States, this far-fetching book blends ecological and systems theories within a risk and resilience perspective. Each chapter develops this theme and presents up-to-date findings as well as implications for practice for a variety of problems ranging from failure to substance abuse to suicide. In this era of evidence-based practice, Fraser and his co-contributors go beyond lip service to provide an encyclopedic overview that will benefit practitioners, researchers, and chldren’s advocates for years to come.

Deborah K. Padgett, Phd, MPH

Professor, School of Social Work, New York University