Describes a child welfare program that used outcome information to support a learning organization to achieve better outcomes for children and their families. Considers factors that facilitate the use of outcome data and which should be included in an outcome orientation to management practice. (JPB)

Reviews child welfare research studies and discusses empirical literature on relationships among race, services, and outcomes in selected child welfare domains. Provides summary of previous research. Presents conceptual and methodological considerations for future research on role of race in child welfare and development of culturally competent…

Discusses issues for child welfare workers seeking to preserve the relationship between incarcerated parents and their children in the wake of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997; the Act advocates swift separation of parent and child and placement of children for adoption. Discusses this public policy, suggesting strategies for permanency…

Discusses the value of administrative data to child welfare researchers. Considers issues in using client records--confidentiality, selection of data, historical data, sampling reliability, replication of findings, and access to data--that can be resolved in standardized ways. Notes other problematic issues, such as greater distance from subject,…

Analyzed the relationship between elements of child welfare and an index of social well-being in Minnesota counties. Found that all except two rural counties and only two urban counties had negative social well-being scores. Counties with low social well-being scores tended to have larger numbers of child welfare recipients. Findings suggest that…

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…

Interviewed 1,343 single mothers in California who received Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) concerning available child day care options and subsidies. Results suggested that efforts to increase target efficiency in public child day care subsidies by narrowly restricting eligibility may be reducing effectiveness on related policy…

Surveyed 207 parents who were using the Transitional Child Care subsidy 6 months after leaving welfare to examine their characteristics and demographics and illustrate the life circumstances they faced. Findings suggest that income, erratic schedules, and ages of children contribute to the complexities parents face in accessing and using child day…

Examined the validity and reliability of the Strengths and Stressors Tracking Device (SSTD), a rapid assessment measure of family well-being to help guide case planning and evaluate treatment effectiveness. Found high internal consistency in all domains measured: environmental conditions, social support, caregiver skills, and child well-being.…

Claims that children of color are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system and links this condition to the Flemming Rule implemented during the Eisenhower administration. Suggests that the Flemming Rule, although intended to be constructive, was negatively implemented, leading to long-term serious consequences for African…

Presents a case study of the development of kinship care policy in Illinois due to court decisions regarding the provision of financial support to relatives acting as foster parents. Compares recent reform of kinship care policies in Illinois with welfare reform efforts across the country and their national implications. (SD)