The meaning of human rights for children is a contested issue; the notion of rights for unborn babies poses additional complexity. Drawing on data from a prospective case study of a specialist drug and alcohol obstetric provider and the statutory child protection service, this article discusses family engagement within a child-rights framework,…

Describes a process and instrument developed by the Children's Bureau of Los Angeles to evaluate its in-home family support program. The agency has combined case assessment, reporting and recording, evaluation structure, and research data collection in one instrument and one case-long process. (RJC)

Reviews the literature that identifies substance abuse as a primary contributing factor to child abuse and neglect. Describes a three-year research demonstration project currently in its second year that is designed to identify substance-abusing families; stabilize families' current situation; and improve the likelihood of families' long-term…

Describes a caseload weighting system used by a voluntary child welfare agency which successfully increased caseworker-client contact and improved the quality of the delivery of child and family services. (BB)

Describes a three-month study of a family reunification program for abused and neglected children that explored the process and outcomes of service delivery. The coding scheme measured both the time used in and purposes of activities of the service workers. Discusses the implications of this method for practice, planning, and research. (TM)

Presents an overview of the Minneapolis Domestic Abuse Project's program of support and education groups for children of battered women. Discusses clinical issues involved in working with these children. (BB)

Describes the development, implementation, and replication of a group-based parenting program for families affected by substance abuse, called the Nurturing Program for Families in Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery in Massachusetts. Highlights early evaluation results showing that the program improves parenting and enhances parents'…

Although fundamental in helping multiproblem families avoid placement, social support is a complex construct not easy to define and difficult to carry out conceptually and practically. Four family support programs are described that illustrate certain common denominators for implementation. (Author/RWB)

Examines problems related to child sexual abuse assessment and intervention methods, especially in instances of intrafamilial offenses. Discusses the benefits of alternative strategies in use today, and the adaptations that child welfare workers, social workers, and other professionals have made to enhance intervention effectiveness. Suggests that…

Identifies factors contributing to difficulties involved in developing ethnic sensitivity training for child protective services caseworkers. Examines frameworks for training caseworkers in ethnic sensitivity. Proposes a new approach to improving caseworkers' ability to complete ethnically sensitive assessments and discusses implications of this…

The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 has made child safety an explicit focus in child welfare. The authors describe an automated critical incident reporting program designed for use in foster care and family-support programs. The program, which is based in Lotus Notes and uses e-mail to route incident reports from direct service staff to…

Evaluates the Family Program, a family-centered program in northern Virginia which provides intensive in-home support and treatment to families with children in the custody of county child welfare departments. The sample comprises 42 closed cases. Results show that families that are at risk benefit significantly from extensive support systems.…

Presents findings of a World Rehabilitation Fund Fellowship study on the intersection of child abuse, family support, and disability in England. These findings are then compared to the American picture in this arena. Implications for new directions are delineated. (Author/BB)

Noting that risk assessment models are controversial and vary in definition, purposes, and risk criteria, reviews and contrasts 10 models used to guide decision making concerning the placement of maltreated children in out-of-home care. Found that models varied on pertinent criteria for assessing child risk, and identified six areas for further…

A study of outcomes of child protection services for children and families in Oregon investigated the congruence between parental reports and data from case records, services parents perceived to be most helpful, and the capacity of protection services for future protection. (BB)