I. Course： Social Work with Families
II. Instructor：Li-Chen Cheng, Associate Professor（Office-R402；tel#-02-33661256；e-mail：lccheng@ntu.edu.tw）
III. Open to: Social Work Third or Fourth Year
Students
IV. Enrollment：25 Students
V. Day and Time：Tuesday（14:20 - 17:20）
VI. Location: Department of Social Work, Room
209
VII. Syllabus
From a system perspective, family is
key element of a society in which family
members join and leave. The family of origin
has developed through generations over time
in which elicit deep and far-reaching effects
on its members. And the network of intimate
relationship as it exits in the present
plays a vital role in the lives of most
family members. However, consistent with
the system perspective, the family system
itself has an environment and must seen
it I that context as well.
For the past two decades, families in Taiwan
have been undertaking a series of transformation
due to the rapid social, economic, and political
changes. As a result, families become smaller,
neutralized, and vulnerable in terms of
supporting its members. As a result of rapid
changes, family members, no exception, face
immediately sharp challenges and adjustment
issues in terms of social functioning. In
a long term, life chances and psychosocial
wellbeing of maladjusted family members
are hindered or restrained by the predisposed
conditions. In helping families to cope
with the challenges of adjustment issues,
social work practice with families has been
renewed to help all forms of families in
countering against social impacts due to
rapid transformation and to strengthen and
regain family functions. Despite direct
or indirect approach, social work practice
locates the family in the center of attention
or the field of action.
The aim of the course intends to provide
students with a cutting edge specific to
social services in Taiwan for families.
The domain of the course covers theoretical
foundation, assessment scheme, and intervention
strategies in family-centered practice.
First, historical background, knowledge
base, and service trend of social work with
families are included into the course schedule
as a family-centered framework of social
work practice. Second, Issues and trends
in family-centered or family-based practice
are discussed. Culturally sensitive adaptation
of different practice model is addressed
along with the need to build partnership
and collaboration to successfully deliver
services. The objectives of the course is
to acquaint knowledge and values consonant
with family support services, understand
basic skills to enhance family support and
empowerment principles at the family and
community level, understand of cultural
variance in delivering of family support
services, and develop knowledge to promote
family and community development a way addressing
rich factors to children.
The class includes lecturing, presentation,
and discussion. Students are encouraged
to read the suggested papers before the
class, actively participate in class discussion,
and complete required assignments. As an
active learner, students are encouraged
to attend every class session, read suggested
literatures before the class, participate
actively in class discussion, and complete
the assigned homework. As a total, two assignments
are required to be completed in the course.
The first assignment, due on October 25,
2005, requires students to write up a personal
life story about the family of origin using
course materials provided. To a voluntary
extent, students are suggested to share
family history, family organization, individual
experiences of growing up, and one or two
significant life event with family members.
The story telling lasts no more than 3,000words.
The second assignment requires a team of
4 or 6 students to develop a role-playing
project in which each team selects a family
story, intervention module, writes the play
story, assigns each team member a role set
of playing, video tapes the role playing,
and shows in the designated course session.
As a result of the learning in this course,
I expect students will identify and give
examples of the main principles of different
intervention approaches, demonstrates an
ability to mobilize and to enhance family
functions, learn to practice effective collaboration
and coalition relationship with related
programs and other professionals. interviewing
skills, and demonstrate awareness of ethical
issues and coping strategies.
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VIII. Course Schedule
09/20 Introduction：Every family is different!
Every family is similar!
1. From different perspectives, every family is
different, what is the heterogeneousness？
2. From the perspective of family systems, every
family is similar, where is the homogeneousness？
3. How does family social work encounter with
the heterogeneousness and homogeneousness of family?
09/27 The Definition of Family and Social Work
with Families
1. What does the so-called 「Family」mean？How does
my conception of「Family」 impact my definition？
2. What kinds of social changes have Taiwanese
families experienced in recent years? What impacts
did these changes bring to families?
3. How does Social Work with Families intervene
with families? What is the role of Social Work
with Families?
Recommendation Texts:
Li-Chen Cheng（2002）Chapter 10：Social Work with
Families, Social Work and Taiwanese Society ,Taipei,
Taiwan: Chuliu, pp. 391-443.
10/04 Family Policy and Social Work with Families
1. Does we have「Family Policy」in Taiwan？What are
the contents of 「Family Policy」in Taiwan？
2. How does 「Family Policy」in Taiwan impact social
work practice？
Recommendation Texts:
Wan-I Lin（2002）. On Policy Change and Family Policy
in Taiwan, NTU Social Work Review, 6：35-88。
Yi, Chin-Chun（1998）How does family policy formulate?
Take the family protective network as an example,
Social Welfare，136：16-29。
10/11 Family Systems Theory and Family Dynamics
Analysis
1. How does「Family Systems Theory」illustrate family
dynamics？
2. How do the family dynamics systems function?
What are the impacts on an individual family
member?
Recommendation Texts:
Hsieh, Hsiu-Fen（2004）, Family Social Work: Theory
and Practice. Chapter 3: The Theory Framework
of Family Intervention. Taipei, Taiwan: Yeh-Yeh
Gallery.
10/18 Family Therapy Approach and the Intervention
of Family Systems
1. How do different 「Family Therapy」Approaches
see family systems？
2. How does「Family Therapy」encounter with the
families？
Recommendation Texts:
Lien-Chien Yang & Hsiu-Chu Tung（1997）, Structural-Strategy
Approach Family Therapy, Chapter 5：The Origin,
Development and Major Approaches of Family Therapy,
pp. 77-108, Taipei, Taiwan: Psychological Publishing.
Salvador Minuchin, Wai-Yung Lee, George M. Simon
(1996). Mastering Family Therapy: Journeys of
growth and transformation, Chapter 5. New York
: John Wiley & Sons. 劉瓊英和黃漢耀譯（2003）第五章：治療性的交會，學習家族治療，心靈工坊，pp.
101-128。
10/25 Family Life Cycle and Stress Coping Strategies
1. What are the development and tasks of 「Family
Life Cycle」？What are the life stress events
in the life cycle?
2. What are the family stress coping strategies
and outcomes?
Recommendation Texts:
Hsieh, Hsiu-Fen（2004）Family Social Work: Theory
and Practice. Chapter 5: Family Stress and Crisis,
pp. 87-118. Taipei, Taiwan: Yeh-Yeh Gallery.
Alan Kemp (1998). Abuse in the Family-An Introduction,
Chapter 2. Pacific Grove, CA : Brooks/Cole.
周月清譯（1994）第二章：定義：家庭壓力理論入門，家庭壓力管理，桂冠書局，pp. 25-61。
Assignment 1：My Grow-up and Family Story
11/01 Eco System Theory and Family Resource
Management
1. What does「Eco System Theory」say about knowing
families？
2. What are the statement and suggestion of
「Eco System Theory」about facilitate and manage
family resources？
Recommendation Texts：
Li-Chen Cheng（2002）Chapter 9: The perspectives
of Eco System, pp. 249-280, Social Work Theory，Taipei,
Taiwan: Hungyeh.。
11/08 Midterm Exam，Good luck！
11/15 NTU Holiday!
11/22 Methods of Family Assessment
1. What are the methods to assess family dynamics
systems and resources network？
2. How do these methods be conducted? Any possible
limitation？
Recommendation Texts：
Chen, Li-In（1995）Family Function Assessment,
Chinese Journal of Mental Health, 8（3）: 31-44。
Lin, Fang-hao（1996) Dealing with Child Abused
Issues in Family Therapy, Chinese Journal of
Medical Social Work，6: 49-58。
11/29 Home Visit Skills
1. What are the importance and function of home
visit?
2. What are the skills and emphasis of home
visit？
Recommendation Texts：
Wasik, B. H., Bryant, D. M., and Lyons, C. M.（1990）Chapter
6: Managing and Maintaining Home Visits, Home
Visiting, pp.147-171, Sage Publications.
12/06 The Process of Family Intervention
1. What are the strategies and goals of family
intervention？
2. What are the approaches and process of family
intervention?
Recommendation Texts：
Hsieh, Hsiu-Fen （2004）, Family Social Work:
Theory and Practice. Chapter 6: The Strategies
and Goals of Family Intervention, pp. 119-142.
Taipei, Taiwan: Yeh-Yeh Gallery.
Hsieh, Hsiu-Fen（2004）, Family Social Work: Theory
and Practice. Chapter 7: The approaches and
process of family intervention, pp. 143-177.
Taipei, Taiwan: Yeh-Yeh Gallery.
12/13 Case Presentation and Seminar Discussion
(1)
12/20 Case Presentation and Seminar Discussion
(2)
12/27 Case Presentation and Seminar Discussion
(3)
01/03 Ending and Feedback
01/10 Final Examination，Good luck！
IX. Recommendation Texts
1. Hsieh, Hsiu-Fen（2004）, Family Social Work:
Theory and Practice. Taipei, Taiwan: Yeh-Yeh
Gallery.
2. Additional readings may be assigned due to
course development, please copy and read them
before attending the class。
3. The instructor may give handouts in class
due to the course design.
X. Class Assignments and Grading Criteria：
1. Attendance and Class Discussion（20%）：Measuring
by class quizzes, discussion, and participation.
2. Exam（50%）：Midterm exam（25%）、Final Exam（25%）
3. Class Assignments（30%）：
My Grow-up and My Family （10％）：
Each student is asked to write up a personal
life story about the family of origin using
course materials provided. To a voluntary extent,
students are suggested to share family history,
family organization, individual experiences
of growing up, and one or two significant life
event with family members. The story telling
lasts no more than 3,000 words. Please Turn
in no later than 10/25. The grading of this
assignment is based on how well you integrate
the materials you have learned in this course.
Family Case Demonstration and Seminar Discussion（20％）：
Each student is required to participate in a
team of 4 or 6 to develop a role-playing project
in which each team selects a family story, intervention
module, writes the play story, assigns each
team member a role set of playing, video tapes
the role playing, and shows in the designated
course session. The topics of family types may
include family in poverty, family violence,
elderly parents care, single families, step-families,
aboriginal families, and etc.. The video should
be played within 30 minutes in the class. You
may refer Hsieh, Hsiu-Fen（2004）, Family Social
Work: Theory and Practice, Chapter8-12. You
may also visit social workers in social welfare
agencies or edited your personal fieldwork casework
experiences. As for seminar discussion, you
may also refer Hsieh's (2004) book or look for
some related materials to support your discussion.
The grading of this assignment includes the
case demonstration evaluated by classmates and
the participation evaluated by the team members.
