In this report, the Child Welfare Project (CWP) of the Office of the Public Advocate examines New York City's child welfare social services infrastructure and the family court. It is based on child fatality reports for the year 2000 submitted to the Office of the Public Advocate by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services; child…

Examined young runaways' current risk behaviors, knowledge of AIDS, and beliefs about preventing AIDS by questioning 130 male and female subjects from shelters in New York City in 1988-89. Results did not explain the 6.7 percent seroprevalence rate reported in l988. Recommends closer inquiries regarding IV drug use and prostitution. (DM)

Explores the need for drug-abuse treatment among drug-using arrestees in four U.S. cities. Results show that 30% to 55% of drug-using arrestees perceived a need for treatment. Explains that the most important predictors for perceived need for treatment are previous experience with drug treatment, having previously injected a drug, and having no…

This report compares dropout prevention programs in six cities. Questionnaires were completed by program coordinators, staff members, and students in order to determine what might make such a program succeed. The report includes a review of the literature, a description of methods employed in research, and summaries of survey responses in…

Analyzes the incidence of low birth weight in New York City using monthly time-series statistical data from 1968 through 1988. Finds that a downward trend before 1984 for both Blacks and Whites has reversed, with 3,110 additional low birth weight births to Blacks and 1,385 additional low birth weight births to Whites over the numbers expected.…

This study examined 72 children at risk of abuse and the relevant adults, to identify variables predictive of child abuse risk. The measures used (New York Child Protective Services Review Document, Magura-Moses Child Well-Being Scales, and Beck and Jones List of Problems and Conditions) each had predictive value for case decision making.…

Analyzed real estate market trends of low-income area of Manhattan which revealed increases in residential property values. Results revealed a depletion of over one-half of the single-room-occupancy stock. A survey of seniors (n=115) indicated a population at risk of displacement and vulnerable to homelessness. (Author/ABL)

Examined nature and distribution of HIV-risk behavior in a broad, street-based sample of homeless and runaway youths in New York City (N=929). Found street youths in general to be at high risk, with the highest risks within older age segments of the male street youth population; paradoxically, these youths are least likely to be in contact with…

Results of a study of physically abused elementary school children in the four urban boroughs of New York City are reported. The study recruited 106 families with a physically abused child between the ages of 8 and 12 years. A matched control sample was recruited from classmates. The abuse sample was highly representative of the New York City…

Until recently, teen pregnancy and birth rates had declined steadily in the United States in recent years. Despite these declines, the United States has the highest teen birth rate and one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among all industrialized nations. To help young people reduce their risk for pregnancy and STIs,…

Until recently, teen pregnancy and birth rates had declined in the United States. Despite these declines, U.S. teen birth and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates remain among the highest in the industrialized world. Given the need to focus limited prevention resources on effective programs, Advocates for Youth undertook exhaustive reviews…

The lives of poor minority city residents demonstrate the diversity, multiple potentials, and vulnerability to external structures. In spite of the stereotypes of failure and the very real problems of the urban poor, there are many strengths among the so-called urban underclass and there are aspects of life that are successful and productive. In…

A study examined the association between sexual risk behaviors of 110 psychiatrically referred Latino girls aged 13-18 and their HIV knowledge. Questionnaires completed by the girls indicated that girls engaging in higher levels of sexual activity had clearly acquired accurate knowledge concerning HIV transmission but had not integrated it into…

This report explores the circumstances and opinions of 71 parents from Baltimore, Maryland), Grand Rapids (Michigan), and New York City who were interviewed as part of a project aimed at increasing the employment opportunities and earnings of disadvantaged fathers, and the amount of the fathers' child support payments. This project, the Parents'…

This report summarizes a study conducted by the New York Family Services Project (NYFSP) of Bank Street College. The study's principal objectives were the following: (1) to document the developmental status of preschool-aged homeless children in comparison to a group of poor housed children, and the special contribution of exposure to early…