Restorative Justice as a Pedagogical Intervention Embedded in Social Work Education, to Combat the Post Removal Child Welfare Experience
This theoretical paper argues that integrating restorative justice into social work education can disrupt harmful "rescue narratives" in child welfare by addressing systemic inequities and preparing future practitioners to prioritize accountability, relational repair, and justice-oriented practices for marginalized youth.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
For decades, the story told about child welfare in the United States has been one of rescue. When a child is in danger, the system steps in to pull them from a harmful home and place them in a safe one. This narrative is rooted in compassion, but it often stops there, focusing almost entirely on the moment of removal rather than what happens next. Once a child enters the foster care system, they face a new set of challenges. Many of these young people carry the weight of trauma from their past, but they also encounter new difficulties within the system itself. They may face instability, frequent moves between homes, and a lack of understanding regarding their specific identities, such as their race, gender, or disability. This paper explores a different way of thinking about this problem. It suggests that the system itself has caused harm, not through malice, but through rigid structures and policies that have failed to repair the damage they create. To fix this, the author proposes a shift in how future social workers are trained, introducing a framework called restorative justice. This approach moves away from simply punishing mistakes or removing children, and instead focuses on acknowledging harm, taking responsibility, and healing relationships.
The author, Christina Barksdale, argues that the current education for social workers reinforces the "rescue" mindset, which can unintentionally blind students to the deeper, systemic issues that hurt families. The paper examines how the child welfare system has historically targeted marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, as well as LGBTQ+ youth and those with disabilities. These groups often experience what the author calls "dual marginalization." This means they are already vulnerable in society, and when they enter the foster care system, their disadvantages are compounded. For instance, Black children are significantly less likely to be adopted or reunified with their families compared to white children, and they often remain in care for longer periods. LGBTQ+ youth face high rates of rejection from foster families, leading to homelessness and involvement in the juvenile justice system. The paper notes that nearly half of all foster youth have physical health conditions, and up to 80% suffer from significant mental health challenges, with suicide rates far higher than in the general population. The system, designed to protect, often fails to address these complex needs, leaving young people to cycle through placements without finding stability.
To address these failures, the paper suggests integrating restorative justice into social work education. Unlike traditional justice models that focus on punishment, restorative justice is a method for repairing harm. It operates on three main principles: encounter, repair, and transformation. The first step, encounter, involves bringing together those who have been harmed and those responsible to have honest, facilitated conversations. In a classroom setting, this means social work students would not just read case studies but would engage directly with community members, including former foster youth and parents who have navigated the system. They would listen to these lived experiences without judgment, learning to see the system through the eyes of those it affects. The second step, repair, moves beyond simply saying sorry. It requires students to understand their own position and power, and to take concrete actions to make things right. This could involve role-playing scenarios where students practice accountability or designing projects that address the specific needs of the communities they serve. The final step, transformation, asks students to look at the bigger picture. They are encouraged to analyze how laws, funding, and policies create inequality and to imagine ways to change these structures for the better.
The paper does not claim that the child welfare system is inherently evil or that all social workers are harmful. Instead, it argues that the system is built on structures that have caused unintended but lasting damage. By training future practitioners in restorative justice, the author believes we can create a new generation of social workers who are equipped to recognize these harms and work toward healing. This approach shifts the focus from simply removing children to understanding the root causes of family vulnerability and building stronger, more supportive communities. The author suggests that by starting this work in the classroom, before students enter the field, we can prepare them to challenge old habits and build a system that truly honors the dignity and humanity of every child and family. The goal is not just to fix individual cases, but to transform the entire way society thinks about care, accountability, and justice.
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