Although AIDS was originally viewed as a disease afflicting only homosexual men and intravenous drug users, HIV infection is now rising most rapidly among heterosexual women. Present estimates show that pediatric AIDS cases have also increased: there are approximately 20,000 children with AIDS in the United States alone. As the disease continues to spread, most rapidly among women and racial minorities, social workers and other service providers are forced to confront a wide range of new public policy problems.
The Social Welfare of Women and Children with HIV and AIDS examines...

An essential resource for students of social policy and social welfare as well as for social welfare practitioners and other human services professionals, this text examines the policymaking activity of the different branches of the American government and of the public-at-large as well as the interactions between the branches of government and the general public in the formation and implementation of social policy.

In addition to examining the role of the legislative and executive branches of government, Theodore J. Stein covers the often-overlooked role of the judiciary in policymaking....

The strong nexus between law and social work is beyond dispute: the law informs day-to-day social work practice and administration, and social workers are employed by the courts. Moreover, they work collaboratively with attorneys in legal aid offices, public defenders'offices, and other law enforcement settings, interviewing clients, preparing reports for use in court, interpreting social science information, and providing consultation on how best to approach client problems. This book addresses the relationship between the professions of social work and law and helps social workers develop...

All countries confront the problem of providing for dependent, neglected, and 1 abused children. While the exact form of institutional response will differ in relation to a country's political and economic structure, its culture and its tradition, the same general kinds of child welfare services have been developed 2 everywhere. Literature from the United States, Canada, and several Western European countries reflects a shared concern about children who reside in unplanned, substitute care arrangements and a growing recognition of the importance of 3 making permanent plans for these children....