Child Advocacy and Policy, Public Child Welfare Concentration (M.A.) - Graduate - 2015 University Catalog

This Master of Arts will offer students an applied course of study in child advocacy. As an emerging field, child advocacy includes an understanding of parts of several disciplines: psychology, sociology, law. However, it is a field where the whole is equal to more than the sum of its parts. Briefly stated, this program aims to provide:

  • A comprehensive view of the field of child advocacy that includes both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary components.
  • A particular understanding of the intricacies of the public child welfare system.
  • Competencies in knowledge, methods, and applications needed for careers and professional development in the field of child advocacy.
  • Field work experience in occupational settings such as the offices of the Division of Children & Families (DCF), Child Advocacy Centers, Residential Treatment facilities, the Juvenile Justice System among others.
  • Access to the program to individuals living in the central and southern regions of the state through a distance-learning component.

ADMISSIONS

In order to gain admission into the program students must meet the following criteria:

  • Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 in their undergraduate major
  • Complete an interview by a committee of faculty teaching in the program
  • Include a writing sample to be completed at the time of the interview

In addition, students must meet all standards set by The Graduate School for admission to a graduate program.


CHILD ADVOCACY & POLICYw/Conc:PubChldWlf

Complete 33 semester hours including the following 3 requirement(s):

  1. REQUIRED CORE COURSES

    Complete 5 courses for 15 semester hours: .

    CHAD 501 Introduction to Applied Child Advocacy (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 502 Child Abuse and Neglect (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 503 Current Social Issues in Child Advocacy (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 504 Children and Justice (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 505 Forensic Interviewing of Children (3 hours lecture) 3
  2. REQUIRED CONCENTRATION SEQUENCE

    Complete the following 2 requirements:

    1. Complete for 3 semester hours.

      CHAD 620 Practicum in Public Child Welfare 3
    2. Complete for 3 semester hours. (This course is the culminating experience for this program).

      CHAD 680 Seminar in Child Advocacy (3 hours lecture) 3
  3. CONCENTRATION ELECTIVES

    Complete 4 courses for 12 semester hours from the following list.

    CHAD 510 Culturally Competent Practice in Child Advocacy (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 512 The Bullying Spectrum (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 516 Introduction to Adolescent Advocacy (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 518 Development and Trauma in Adolescence (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 520 Adolescents and the System (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 521 Substance Abuse and Family Crisis (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 522 Family Empowerment Models for Child Advocates (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 530 Child Protective Service Investigation (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 531 Permanency Planning (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 540 Child Welfare Policy (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 545 Advocacy in Child Behavioral Health (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 560 Engaging the Adolescent (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 602 Child Advocacy Policy and Practice (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 603 Research and Evaluation (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 610 Seminar: Selected Topics in Child Advocacy (3 hours lecture) 3
    CHAD 682 Seminar in Adolescent Advocacy 3
    CHAD 698 Master's Thesis 4

Course Descriptions:

CHAD501: Introduction to Applied Child Advocacy (3 hours lecture)

This course will examine the maltreatment of children from both a historical and contemporary perspective. It will discuss the three major reform movements of the Progressive Era that shaped the field of child advocacy. Students will also explore recent trends in legislation that affect abused and neglected children. Emphasis will be on the historical and current role of the child advocate. Empirical and applied research will be reviewed. 3 sh.

CHAD502: Child Abuse and Neglect (3 hours lecture)

This course will take a comprehensive look at the social and psychological development of children caught in the child welfare system. It will compare normal and pathological models of child rearing. Special consideration will be given to the impact of family and social systems on the development and behavior of abused and neglected children. 3 sh.

CHAD503: Current Social Issues in Child Advocacy (3 hours lecture)

This course will focus on current social issues in the field of child advocacy. Poverty, drug abuse, illnesses and violence will be explored. Strategies for social change will be highlighted and discussed. 3 sh.

CHAD504: Children and Justice (3 hours lecture)

This course will provide students will a multisystems view of children's rights and the justice system. Advocacy protocols and practice will be examined. Confidentiality, expert-testimony, and child abuse reporting laws will be studied. 3 sh.

CHAD505: Forensic Interviewing of Children (3 hours lecture)

This course will provide students with an understanding of various theoretical and applied models for interviewing children who may have been abused. Recent research on the communication process and the significance of integrating age-appropriate interviewing strategies and child development will be explored. Appropriate models for interviewing children of diverse backgrounds will be presented. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501.

CHAD510: Culturally Competent Practice in Child Advocacy (3 hours lecture)

This course will explore the three major components of cultural competency necessary for effective child advocacy: value base, knowledge, and skills. The course will focus on enabling students to examine the values that are necessary for a culturally competent understanding and response to children and families, specifically accepting the existence of biases and developing a commitment to stregths-based models that rely on respect for diversity and working toward empowerment as a goal for intervention. Culture is defined broadly, and the course will expose students to a range of belief systems common in different groups concerning child rearing, child maltreatment, and health and mental health. Students will work on issues in interviewing and engaging children and families from different cultural groups. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501.

CHAD512: The Bullying Spectrum (3 hours lecture)

Students will analyze contemporary research and theory on the role of the child advocate in preventing and intervening in children's bullying. Readings will increase students understanding of the social-ecological theory of bullying, which includes influences of the individual, family, peer group, school and community. This will enable students to critically evaluate research-based approaches to anti-bullying advocacy in the areas of law, education, counseling, and child welfare services delivery. 3 sh.

CHAD516: Introduction to Adolescent Advocacy (3 hours lecture)

Through the text and journal articles, student will analyze issues of advocacy and autonomy for adolescents, focusing on those adolescents who interact with Child Protective System (CPS). This broad, introductory course will consider the need for advocacy in order to empower adolescents to gain autonomy, and will apply these insights to adolescent development, adolescents in the family, adolescents amongst their peers, as well as in the fields of basic needs, abuse and neglect, crime and violence, education, CPS and aging out, work, physical health care, mental health care and family dissolution. This will enable students to use their new, more sophisticated understanding of the struggles of adolescence in practical aspects of advocacy, both within and without of CPS. 3 sh.

CHAD518: Development and Trauma in Adolescence (3 hours lecture)

Through the text, journal articles, class lecture and class discussion, students will gain an understanding of the various forms of trauma affecting adolescents. Particular focus will be placed on familial (e.g., incest, physical abuse), non-familial (e.g., gang related violence, sexual and non-sexual assault), as well as other forms of trauma, such as those that may emanate from the service delivery system, interpersonal losses associated with termination of parental rights and removal from the home, among others. 3 sh.

CHAD520: Adolescents and the System (3 hours lecture)

This course will take a comprehensive approach to understanding the variety of issues and circumstances that bring adolescents to the attention of different systems, including child welfare, juvenile justice, immigration, and emotional/behavioral health, among others. Special issues related to aging out of foster care will be reviewed, as well as issues related to the educational needs of adolescents involved in these systems. A special emphasis will be placed on reviewing best practices in these different systems and collaborating among the systems. 3 sh.

CHAD521: Substance Abuse and Family Crisis (3 hours lecture)

This course will explore the impact of substance abuse on families involved with the child welfare system. Current research regarding the connection between substance abuse, domestic violence and child abuse will be reviewed. Residential and outpatient models of treatment will be evaluated. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501, CHAD 502, CHAD 503.

CHAD522: Family Empowerment Models for Child Advocates (3 hours lecture)

This course will focus on techniques that will empower families in crisis. Model programs grounded in a strengths-based approach will be analyzed. Strategies to help families utilize their unique human and social capital to build community and kinship support systems will be discussed. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501, CHAD 502, CHAD 503.

CHAD530: Child Protective Service Investigation (3 hours lecture)

This course will examine the investigatory process set down by Title 9 and Title 30. Methods and techniques for interviewing parents and children who come to the attention of the child protective service system will be reviewed. Proceedings such as the Order to Show Cause, Fact Finding, Permanency Hearings, and Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) will be discussed. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501, CHAD 502, CHAD 503.

CHAD531: Permanency Planning (3 hours lecture)

This course will define and review the various meanings of permanency. Age appropriate and comprehensive plans for children in out-of-home placement will be explored. Consideration will be given to attachment and separation issues that result from broken familial bonds. Concurrent planning and adoption practices will be reviewed and critiqued. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501, CHAD 502, CHAD 503.

CHAD540: Child Welfare Policy (3 hours lecture)

The course will compare and contrast historical and contemporary trends in child welfare policy. Factors that contribute to legislative decision-making as well as the role of the media in shaping public opinion will be considered. Community perceptions of the child welfare system will be examined. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501, CHAD 502, CHAD 503.

CHAD545: Advocacy in Child Behavioral Health (3 hours lecture)

This course will explore major issues in accessing behavioral health care of children, with particular emphasis on advocacy within the public behavioral health care system in New Jersey. Students will be introduced to the common language of behavioral health providers, and major issues in assessment and treatment. The course will provide an overview of evidence based interventions, including the use of psychotropic medication, as well as the principles and values of the current system of care. Students will explore the appropriateness of various levels of care for different kinds of difficulties. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501.

CHAD560: Engaging the Adolescent (3 hours lecture)

Through the text journal articles, class lecture and class discussion, students will gain an understanding of the best methods of engaging adolescents who have or may have experienced trauma. Students will also explore appropriate methods of questioning and building rapport with adolescents in order to obtain reliable information and promote positive working relations with adolescents. 3 sh.

CHAD602: Child Advocacy Policy and Practice (3 hours lecture)

Students will explore concepts, history and development of major federal and state legislation relating to children. In addition students will understand how these laws are translated into local policies that influence the development of systems of service, funding authority, and patterns of service delivery for children. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501.

CHAD603: Research and Evaluation (3 hours lecture)

The major aim of this course is to provide students with essential critical thinking and analytical skills in the context of scientific inquiry and in application to their work as child advocates. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501.

CHAD610: Seminar: Selected Topics in Child Advocacy (3 hours lecture)

This course will focus on current and relevant issues in child advocacy. It will rely on specialists in the field to present their research or area of expertise to interested students. It will also provide students with an opportunity to research the literature within their fields of interest. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6.0 credits. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501, CHAD 502, CHAD 503 and three other graduate courses in Child Advocacy.

CHAD620: Practicum in Public Child Welfare

The course will provide students with a supervised field placement at a child advocacy agency. The seminar will provide classroom instruction on issues related to the students' experiences. Site supervisors will provide on-the-job guidance and supervision. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6.0 credits. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501, CHAD 502, CHAD 503 and matriculation in MA in Child Advocacy.

CHAD680: Seminar in Child Advocacy (3 hours lecture)

Students will complete an applied project that addresses an area of child advocacy and makes a contribution to a local agency, program, community group, or some other relevant body. The seminar will provide classroom instruction and guidance. Students will also work with one other faculty member on the project. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501 and 502 and 503 and 504 and 505.

CHAD682: Seminar in Adolescent Advocacy

This course is designed to meet the needs of the post-BA students who see an in depth, integrative understanding of the field of adolescent advocacy and its relationship to other disciplines that serve the needs of children and families. This course will rely on specialists in the field to present research, relevant policy and legislation, knowledge of their field, and opportunities for post-BA graduates. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: CHAD 501 and CHAD 516 for students in MA in Child Advocacy. CHAD 516 and CHAD 518 for students in Post-BA in Adolescent Advocacy.

CHAD698: Master's Thesis

Independent research project done under faculty advisement. Students must follow the MSU Thesis Guidelines, which may be obtained from the Graduate School. Students should take CHAD 699 if they don't complete CHAD 698 within the semester. 4 sh.

Prerequisites: Department approval.

Output generated in 0.00106 seconds.