Creating Community through Psychoeducational Groups in Family Preservation Work

Abstract

Intensive family preservation services are a specialized form of child welfare services based on the proposition that an intensive, multisystemic intervention can bolster the family's internal and external resources and prevent further child maltreatment and the need for placement of children into foster care. Research on child maltreatment has identified social isolation as a primary correlate of child abuse and neglect but has also found that informal social support from family and friends can be detrimental to family integrity. Formal pychoeducational support groups are presented and described as an alternative method to create supportive networks for families seeking to remain safe and remain together.