Researchers have identified four common co-occurring parental risk factors--substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence, and child conduct problems--that lead to child maltreatment. The extent to which maltreatment prevention programs must directly address these risk factors to improve responsiveness to parenting programs or can directly…

The education, recruitment, training, and retention of a quality child welfare workforce is critical to the successful implementation of public policy and programs for the nation's most vulnerable children. Yet, national information about child welfare workers has never been collected. The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being is a…

Although much is known about the mental health and behavioral functioning of youth who enter residential care programs, very little research has focused on examining the family characteristics of this population. Knowledge about family characteristics is important, however, as it can aid in tailoring programs to meet the needs of families who are…

This article presents propensity score matching as a method to implement randomized conditions to analyze service effects using nonexperimental data. Most social work research is challenged to implement randomized clinical trials, whereas administrative and survey data are often available and can provide valuable information about services…

Reports a test of the efficacy of time-limited, cognitive-behavioral group treatment with parents who maltreat their children. Intervention focused on providing access to models of effective parenting, giving detailed feedback on parenting skills, building social skills, promoting awareness of cognitive precursors of anger, and enhancing…

Clarifies policy options for reporting and serving children testing positive at birth for controlled substances. Advocates the strengthening of existing state policies regarding child abuse reporting and response. (JPB)

Objective: This study tests the hypothesis that information typically collected during a maltreatment investigation can be used to screen children for mental health problems. Method: Data are from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Cumulative risk scores were created for 3,022 children and compared to reports of clinical-level…

This study compared the incidence of later incarceration of 159,549 California children who had been investigated as victims of abuse and neglect and either received or did not receive child welfare services. Findings varied significantly for different population subgroups such as African Americans, Hispanics, or females; for children initially…

This study examines cognitive functioning and academic achievement in maltreated children. The data are from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a national probability study of children receiving child welfare services due to alleged child maltreatment. Assessments of the cognitive and academic functioning of school-age…

Examined school-age children after leaving child welfare foster or group care. Instability in placements significantly increased risk of transition to probation foster care. Among children exiting placements, those who first entered care at ages 12-14 or were first removed because of sexual abuse or neglect were at greater risk of probation…

Used data on 496 children who had been in foster care before adoption to examine effects of child characteristics on odds that child would remain in long-term foster care and length of time for adoption agreement to be legalized. Age, history of abuse/neglect, ethnicity, and planned foster parent adoption program were major determinants of…

A study compared 26,460 maltreated infants who entered foster care between 1989 and 1994 with a random sample of 68,401 other infants. Infants in care were more than twice as likely to have single parents and low birth weight, and twice as likely to have been born with a birth abnormality. (Author/CR)

Women (n=97) identified as at risk for engaging in child abuse were referred to the Child Parent Enrichment Project (CPEP) during or just after pregnancy. CPEP services involve home visits and linkage to community resources. No advantages on self-report measures or child abuse reports were found for the CPEP group compared to a control group. (DB)

The purpose of this study is to examine the longitudinal course of intimate partner violence (IPV) among female caregivers of children receiving child welfare services. Data are derived from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a national probability study of children investigated for child abuse and neglect in the United…

Although the United States has seen a record influx of infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children into the foster care system in the past decade, there has not been an accompanying shift in policy or practice to attend to the developmental issues these younger children bring to child welfare. This textbook addresses the spectrum of child…