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Chapter seven examines the effects of the Great Recession on U.S. children. It opens with a discussion of various methods for measuring national well-being. Each measure, from Gross Domestic Product and the Global Competitiveness Index to the Human Development Index, the GINI Index of inequality, reflects different priorities. In measuring changes in child well-being, poverty is a key factor. The author reviews leading methods for measuring child poverty, including absolute versus relative benchmarks, market child poverty versus poverty after government benefits, the poverty gap between children and other groups, and boundaries between poverty and extreme poverty. In measuring changes in child well-being, in addition to poverty, researchers study food insecurity, housing instability, health-care gaps, and child maltreatment. In each category, the author uses a comparative lens to explore the long term effects of recession and the national response in the U.S. and Europe. At the macro level, national “politics”—defined as the authoritative allocation of values and distribution of rewards in wealth, power, and status—shaped the government response. The author documents the U.S. government’s failure to address rising levels of child poverty, malnutrition, homelessness, infant and maternal mortality, and child maltreatment associated with the recession.

This chapter introduces definitions of child maltreatment and the prevalence of child abuse investigations. The introduction also maps the early history of both public and medical interest in the intentional harm to children.

This chapter examines the application of solution-focused brief therapy by school social workers working with youth that have experienced child maltreatment. It provides an overview of child maltreatment, the role of the school social worker when working with this population, the neurological impact of child maltreatment and two case examples. The case examples offer practical insight into the solution-focused techniques that may be applied as well as a discussion around appropriate conversations regarding age and mandated reporting. The chapter also makes a distinction between the services provided by agencies that specialize in treating child abuse and neglect versus the role of the school social worker. For example, once a claim is substantiated, treatment is provided by an agency that specialize in treating abuse and neglect, and the role of the school social worker is to focus on the child in the school environment.