Although public child welfare agencies, as well as contracted private providers, conduct extensive amounts of training, the evaluation evidence for effectiveness of training interventions is sparse. This article provides a critical review of published reports of the child welfare training evaluation literature. When we conducted a search of the literature published since 1990, 14 articles met the criteria for inclusion. These articles are reviewed according to: training audience, training duration, research design, sample size, outcome measures, and reported results. Our conclusions identify strengths and weaknesses in evaluation approaches to date and suggest strategies for enhancing the evidence base of this core intervention in child welfare.

English This article describes the implementation of a course module devoted to international child welfare for social work students. The module utilized adult learning theory and was guided by three perspectives: an ecological model of practice, social and economic justice, and cultural competence. The article describes successes and challenges and offers guidance to social work educators. French Cet article décrit la mise en oeuvre d’un module de formation consacré à la protection internationale de l’enfance, destiné aux étudiants en travail social. Le module utilise la théorie de la formation d’adultes et est orienté selon trois perspectives: le modèle écologique des pratiques, la justice sociale et économique, et la compétence culturelle. L’article décrit les succès et les défis et offre une guidance des formateurs en travail social. Spanish Se describe la implementación de un módulo en un curso para trabajadores sociales dedicado al bienestar infantil internacional. El módulo utilizó teoría de aprendizaje adulto bajo tres perspectivas: un modelo ecológico de práctica, justicia social y económica, y competencia cultural. Se describen los éxitos y los retos y se ofrecen sugerencias a los educadores de trabajo social.

While child welfare practitioners in many countries are struggling to develop methods of effective family engagement, they operate within different national and cultural contexts which influence, both positively and negatively, the ability to engage with families.Increasingly, international comparisons are necessary to further understanding of the development of social work practice. This is particularly necessary because most countries utilize international frameworks (such as the United National Convention on the Rights of the Child) to provide guidance in the development of policies, programs, and interventions. Each country (and locality) struggles to advance practice to be more effective and humane. Our paper offers a comparative analysis focused on familyoriented and rights-based frameworks of different countries. Based on a review of current national policies and a review of the literature regarding family based practices, we examine similarities and differences among four countries: the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States, and South Korea. These countries were selected because they have some similarities (advanced industrialized democracies, professional social work, formal child protection systems) but have some differences in their social welfare systems (policies, specific practices, socio-cultural context). These differences can be 3 utilized to advance understanding regarding the promise and potential for family engagement strategies. We then discuss the utility of this comparison for theorybuilding in the arena of child care practice and conclude by identifying the challenges and limitations of this work.

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