Foster Care Training

Dr. Jill Berrick’s newest book, The Impossible Imperative: Navigating the Competing Principles of Child Protection (Oxford University Press), lays out a framework for conducting principled child welfare practice. Dr. Berrick argues that the field is shaped by competing ideas that force child welfare professionals to make choices that are both contested and contentious. Although the principles serve to animate child welfare practice and policy, they are fraught with contradiction when placed in a real-world context. Joined by 15 co-authors who are former Berkeley students and who have served as child welfare professionals across California, these writers share their stories about working on the front lines of child protection. Using these rich case exemplars, the book draws the reader into that liminal space where ethics, morality, and reasoned choice are challenged. The book can be used as a teaching tool for aspiring professionals and as motivation for those looking to social work to make a difference in children’s and families’ lives.