Partnering With Parents, an infant mental health (IMH) intervention program at Starfish Family Services (SFS), is dedicated to improving social-emotional outcomes, supporting wellness, and strengthening relationships between infants and families. Families served by SFS experience a myriad of societal, community, and relational stressors that can…

As cities across the country and globe continue to generate new solutions to a wide variety of vexing problems, sharing information about what works and what doesn't has become more important than ever. Yet, outside of a few prominent policies, the vast majority of successful municipal experiments never reach a national audience or, for that…

Evidence linking alcohol and other drug abuse with child maltreatment, particularly neglect, is strong. But does substance abuse cause maltreatment? According to Mark Testa and Brenda Smith, such co-occurring risk factors as parental depression, social isolation, homelessness, or domestic violence may be more directly responsible than substance…

This publication is intended to help ensure full and prompt implementation of the improvements in the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act for children being raised by grandparents and other relatives. It was prepared by 18 organizations, many of whom have been working individually and together for a number of years to…

This report attempts to improve the capacity of teachers, counselors, and other professionals to serve families whose children are at risk due to substance abuse and maltreatment on the part of the caretakers. Any professional coming into contact with these children needs to be aware of the scope of the problem and understand what these children…

While abusive parents appear to be much like non-abusive parents, some characteristics of the most abusive parents can be described. These abusive parents exhibit traits which include: (1) isolation from close family and friends; (2) unrealistic expectations; (3) a childhood marked by abuse, lack of love, and inconsistent caregiving; (4) negative…

In order to increase the knowledge base on the public policy issues pertaining to family homelessness, Columbia University and the Institute for Children & Poverty designed and implemented an extensive survey on the demographics of homeless families. Data on more than 140 variables were collected from 743 homeless heads-of-households in the spring…

The majority of parents now living in homeless shelters, typically young single mothers with one or two children under the age of six, have spent their lives spiraling downward through a complex and self-perpetuating cycle of family violence, community violence, and poverty. Sixty-three percent of homeless parents, a survey has found, live with…

It is estimated that between 3.3 million and 10 million children in the U.S. witness physical violence between their parents each year. This type of violence ranges from overhearing some form of violent behavior from their bedrooms, to seeing severe acts of violence such as beatings or assaults with guns and knives. In many cases, these youth…

Research examining the epidemiology and etiology of child abuse, parent and child characteristics, and the effects of maltreatment is reviewed. Unemployment, lower social class status, marital discord, and health problems are more common among abusive families. Increased knowledge improves the clinician's ability to intervene, treat, and prevent…

The issue of physical punishment is a particularly controversial one at the moment as child advocates are engaged in a struggle to persuade the New Zealand government to repeal a defence in law (section 59 of the 1961 "Crimes Act") which justifies parents hitting their children provided the force used is "reasonable in the…

As part of the mission of the Start Smart, Stay Smart Milwaukee program to ensure that all Milwaukee area children enter school with the skills necessary for academic achievement and a lifetime of growth and development, the organization is tracking key indicators across the years of growth and development to young adulthood to better assess the…

This Kids Count report examines trends in the well-being of Rhode Island's children, highlighting progress made in reaching the goals for children set by the Rhode Island Children's Cabinet in 1997 and discussing the remaining challenges. This statistical portrait is based on trends in 24 indicators of child well being: (1) prenatal care; (2)…