The Public Child Welfare System: Discourses on Research, Practice and Policy
A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Childhood and Youth Studies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 35
Special Issue Editors
Interests: mother-child attachment relationship; adult attachment typology; childhood trauma; kinship care; racial disproportionality and disparities in child welfare; and children of incarcerated parents
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue of Social Sciences, “The Public Child Welfare System: Discourses on Research, Practice and Policy”, seeks original manuscripts dedicated to advancing knowledge on child welfare practices and policies. Despite over a century of organized public child welfare, the system still encounters numerous challenges, often failing to meet the complex needs of individuals and families. Legislatively and discursively, there is much debate about whether the child welfare system, in its current state, effectively acts in the best interest of children and youth or utilizes its policies and practices to police, monitor and control children, youth and families, particularly Black, Indigenous, and other children, youth and families of color. We encourage the submission of cutting-edge research studies that discuss child welfare, providing a clear and thorough analysis of various practices and policies and their implications. [EE1] We also welcome manuscripts exploring innovative approaches to delivering child welfare services, from the entry of a child into the system to their exit via family reunification, adoption, legal guardianship, or aging out of the system. [EE2] Papers should highlight the strengths of children, youth and families and investigate ways to enhance child wellbeing, reduce entry into the child welfare system and increase early exits from the system via family reunification, adoption, and legal guardianship.
Interested authors are asked to submit an abstract (200-250 words) discussing their topic, including key factors that will be addressed. Abstracts will be selected within two weeks of submission based on their quality, relevance to the Special Issue, and contribution to the overall child welfare discourse on research, practice, and policy. Selected authors will be invited to submit a completed manuscript for consideration in this Special Issue. All manuscripts, including invited submissions, must undergo a peer-review process prior to the selection of the final manuscripts to be published.
Please submit your abstract via email to the Guest Editor, Dr. Marian S. Harris, mh24@uw.edu and Co-Editor, Dr. Keva M. Miller, PhD, MSSW, kevamill@uw.edu.
Prof. Dr. Marian Harris
Prof. Dr. Keva Miller
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- children
- youth and families
- child welfare
- foster care
- racial disproportionality
- permanency planning
- family reunification
- kinship care
- child abuse and neglect
- trauma informed practice
- child safety
- incarceration
- ACEs
- poverty and child neglect
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