Fourteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

The family-in-environment (FIE) perspective represents a paradigmatic shift in how social welfare programs and practices are conceptualized and delivered. FIE, and its goal of family-focused services, has had an “uneven but persistent and growing influence on social welfare policy and practice world-wide (Gasker & Vafeas, 2010). A family-centered approach seeks to empower families by redefining their role as experts and equal participants in structuring services and policies that directly affect them. The family policy continuum (Lawson, Briar-Lawson, Hennon, & Jones, 2001) provides a useful framework for analyzing how current policy debates reflect this family-centered ideal. This paper describes the process of applying the family policy continuum to state-level legislative policy debates in order to identify public discourses that support or undermine family-centered initiatives. Such an analysis is critical for advocates who wish to promote the development of sustainable, family-centered policies that support and strengthen family well-being.