从“拯救儿童”到“促进安全稳定的家庭”:美国受虐儿童家庭维系服务的演进历程与启示

From “Saving Children” to “Promoting Safe and Stable Families” : the Evolution of Family Preservation Services for Abused Children in the U.S.A.

美国家庭维系服务是为预防儿童受虐的家外安置,同时保证儿童在家安全而出现的,起源于19世纪末期慈善组织协会的家庭探访服务和睦邻组织运动扎根于社区的家庭服务,发展至今经历了三个阶段:家庭维系发端与家庭维系正式出现(19世纪末～1979年),家庭维系服务法律地位的确立与快速发展(1980～1996年),平衡儿童安全与家庭维系(1997年至今)。这是一个相关学术研究、家庭服务实践与有关政策不断互动的过程,从聚焦于指责父母、以个体为本进行干预、将儿童从原生家庭中移走,到重视家庭服务、以家庭为本进行干预、在保证儿童安全的原则下维系家庭,再到平衡儿童保护与家庭维系,其主要价值原则、干预视角和干预模式都处于不断的反思与调整之中,可以为我国儿童保护提供价值原则、服务内容、场域生态、制度保障等方面的有益启示。

In the U.S.A., the family preservation services were designed to prevent out-of-home placement of abused children and enable children to stay safe at home. These originated in the late 19th century, in the family visitation services of the Charity Organization Societies and the community services of the Settlement House Movement. It has gone through three stages so far： the beginning and the formal appearance, of family preservation （late 19th century-1979）, the establishment of the family preservation＇ s legal status and its rapid development （1980-1996）, and the work to balance children＇s safety and family preservation （1997-Present）. It is an ongoing interaction between academic- studies, practice, and policy. There has been a shift from focusing on blaming parents, individual -based intervention, and removing children away from the biological family, to attaching importance to family services, to family-based intervention and keeping the family together under the principle of ensuring children＇s safety, and then to balancing child protection and family preservation. The principal approaches being used, and the inter- Vention perspective and mode are constantly being evaluated about their effectiveness, and adjusted when change is needed. For children protection in China, this dynamic process provides enlightenment on principles of value, service content, field ecology, and institutional guarantee.