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JAKE TERPSTRA
Jake Terpstra is a social worker. He graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the University of Michigan, where he received a Master's degree in Social Work.
His career of more ...ver maisJake Terpstra is a social worker. He graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the University of Michigan, where he received a Master's degree in Social Work.
His career of more than a half century, began as a child welfare caseworker in a rural area for the Michigan Department of Public Welfare, now the Department of Human Services. Then he administered the Washtenaw County Juvenile Detention Home and following that, a private residential treatment program for children. He next went to the Lansing central office of the state agency and administered the program for licensing child welfare services in Michigan.
After his statewide experience, Mr. Terpstra was appointed by the U.S Children's Bureau as a national specialist in state licensing of child welfare services. With government downsizing, he was asked to also serve as the government specialist for group care of children and for family foster care. These responsibilities included establishing and monitoring federal grants in those specialty areas and monitoring the grants.
His responsibilities also were open ended, responding to child welfare administrators throughout the country, to provide training, consultation or assistance with conference planning. Sometimes consultation included legislators. He initiated the National Association of State Foster Care Managers and edited a national newsletter on state licensing. During this time he wrote many articles on subjects he believed had not been adequately addressed. After retirement he served on two agency boards of directors, county and state child welfare committees, a foster care review board and continued to provide consultation.
His experience began as a caseworker, then moved to administrative positions with statewide and national responsibility that included contacts with thousands of people working in child welfare throughout this country and also in other countries. He recognized that at all levels the core values of child welfare services are basic even though different methods are required. His writing this book is an attempt to share those experiences and observations with anyone interested in child welfare service, about what it is and what it could be.ver menos