Qualitative research has documented strategic behavior in response to child support policy. Parents of children on welfare have an incentive to avoid formal child support, since most states limit the amount of formal child support that women on welfare can receive (the "disregard") and have relatively high child support orders for low-income…

This article critically examines the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) as a mechanism of social inclusion for Irish welfare recipients through participation in third-level education. The article is based on empirical data from focus group and in-depth qualitative interviews with third-level students on the BTEA, and key informants. The article…

Reviewed general outcome indicators using a conceptual framework from the program evaluation literature to summarize findings and issues from the domain of welfare policy in the United States. The review illustrates the new knowledge gained about the effects of requiring work and suggests questions that must be answered. (SLD)

Presents a comprehensive evaluation framework and applies it to a family empowerment program in Montana that was developed as an aspect of welfare reform. The framework encompasses seven areas from developing objectives to developing a sound conceptual framework. (SLD)

The issue of providing individual services historically has been a major dilemma for social action, Alinsky-style community organizations. Empirical evidence suggests that most action organizations that moved into service provision lost mass-based participation, militant tactics, and a power-building orientation. The author presents a case study…

Presents a resiliency model of job training that emphasizes applicant recruitment, assessment, and development. The model can increase program success rates by using psychological assessment and professional development goals of the individual. Discusses the effectiveness of federal jobs training and the need for training versus the ability to use…

An evaluation of case management services to families on public assistance suggests that a "logic model" and an "open systems" evaluation approach might be useful in program evaluation. A second study describes how the logic model and open systems evaluation were used to develop an evaluation plan for services to homeless…

This article details a consensus-building initiative to develop a statewide research agenda responding to needs of Illinois's child welfare community. Researchers conducted this process through a university-community partnership to engage those interested in child welfare services, and produced a document to guide child welfare research throughout…

The following two opposing models of the underclass are critically evaluated: (1) the culturally deficient model, which focuses on culture, family, or welfare; and (2) the opportunity structures in decline model, which focuses on employment, marriage, and community pattern changes. (JS)

This paper uses data from the 1970, 1980, and 1990 Censuses to investigate the impact of welfare benefits across Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) on the incidence of single motherhood and headship for young women. A contribution of the paper is the inclusion of both MSA fixed effects and MSA-specific time trends to account for fixed and…

This study investigated how African American women from low-income, single-parent female-headed households conceptualize work and transitions to work, and how these conceptualizations relate to the dominant discourse of work underlying policies and practices in education-for-work. The study used the construct of cultural models as a conceptual…

Examined effects of time-limited welfare on children ages 5- to 17-years at a 4-year follow-up. Found that effects were moderated by families' risk of long-term welfare dependency. Found few effects for children of parents most likely to reach the welfare time limit. Found consistent negative effects for children of parents with the largest…

Jobs for the Future (JFF) has identified the following best practice programs that support what is known to work best in moving women into family-supporting employment: (1) Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas, trains welfare recipients to work as sheet metal assemblers while providing a support services counselor and support for child care…