Taking Family Policy Seriously : How Policymaking Affects Families and How Professionals Can Affect Policymaking

by Bogenschneider, Karen; Riley, Dave; Doherty, William; Olson, Jonathan

• ISBN13: 9780805835366
• ISBN10: 0805835369
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: LEA, Inc.

Summary

Drawing on hundreds of studies in the last 20 years,Family Policy Mattersprovides a fresh perspective on what family policy is, why it is needed, and whether policymaking would be more effective if approached from a family rather than an individual perspective. A theoretical framework for conceptualizing policy issues is proposed in a way that holds the potential for overcoming controversy and identifying common ground. The author details 26 case studies focusing on what roles professionals can play in the policy arena, two approaches on how these roles can be operationalized, and several examples of which strategies professionals can use to influence policymaking in ways that strengthen and support families. The book includes tools, such as a family impact checklist to help professionals assess the potential effects of policies and programs on family well-being and describes technologies, such as the Family Impact Seminars to transfer knowledge and information to policymakers. The targeted audience includes researchers interested in seeing their research and ideas acted upon in the policy world; family professionals who work to connect research and policymaking; and instructors interested in making family policy come alive for undergraduate and graduate students in their classes.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xi
Theodora Ooms
Foreword	xv
Thomas J. Corbett
Preface: The Floating Opera of Family Policy	xxi
PART I THE RATIONALE FOR FAMILY POLICY
Do We Need a Family Perspective in Policymaking?	3	(10)
Is Policymaking Focused More on Families or Individuals? Are Professionals Adequately Trained in Family Science, Theory, and Methodology?	13	(10)
What Is Family Policy? What Is a Family Perspective in Policymaking?	23	(6)
Do Families Matter?	29	(12)
Are Family Issues a Legitimate Focus of Policymaking?	41	(10)
PART II APPLYING A FAMILY PERSPECTIVE TO CURRENT POLICY ISSUES
Do We Know What Good Parenting Is? Can Public Policy Promote It?	51	(16)
Dave Riley
Karen Bogenschneider
Can a Family-Focused Approach Benefit Health Care?	67	(10)
William J. Doherty
What Family Policy Issues Are Likely to Be Debated in the New Millennium?	77	(10)
PART III USING THEORY AND PRACTICE TO MOVE CONTROVERSIAL POLICIES FORWARD
How Can We Bridge the Controversy and Move Family Policies Forward? The Theory of Paradox	87	(24)
What Can We Learn From Past Successes to Guide Family Policy in the Future?	111	(10)
PART IV STRATEGIES FOR GETTING INVOLVED IN FAMILY POLICYMAKING
What Roles Can Family Professionals Play to Build Family Policy?	121	(48)
Which Approach Is Best for Getting Involved in Family Policy: Advocacy or Education?	169	(18)
How Can We Connect Research and Knowledge With State Policymaking? Lessons From the Wisconsin Family Impact Seminars	187	(32)
Karen Bogenschneider
Jonathan R. Olson
Jessica Mills
Kirsten D. Linney
How Can Professionals Team up With Communities to Influence Local Policymaking? Guidelines From Wisconsin Youth Futures	219	(14)
Is It Time to Take Family Policy Seriously?	233	(8)
Appendix A	241	(4)
References	245	(22)
Author Index	267	(8)
Subject Index	275