Child Welfare League of America Description: This 80 page book consists of seven chapters dealing with the
sensitive issue of parental visiting of their children in foster care. It covers
visits in general, visiting as a plan, case specific considerations involving
the child, parents, and foster parents, coordinating visits, and closes with a
discussion of child care worker stress. The authors are professors of social
work at Indiana University and the University of Denver and their book is based
on a social work ideology. Discussion: Many readers will welcome this book for its practical suggestions, although parents who are erroneously charged with child abuse will be upset by the short coverage of this important topic (two paragraphs on page 39). Workers are told to interfere with any recantation that the alleged victim may want to make and the book appears to espouse a police role for foster parents and child protection workers. However, efforts to maintain or strengthen the parent-child bond are highly recommended and home visitation standards are specified. As more and more child abuse charges — both true and false — are reported there will be an increasing need for a good supply of foster homes and this book will fill a void. The book may also be helpful when visitation plans are ordered in custody cases. Parent groups should buy this book in order to compare the foster home visitation standards recommended to what a child in out-of-home placement may be actually experiencing. Reviewed by LeRoy Schultz, a professor of social work at 708 Allen Hall, Suite 710, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506.
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