Early life adversity influences the diurnal cortisol rhythm, yet the relative influence of different characteristics of adversity remains unknown. In this study, we examine how developmental timing (childhood vs. adolescence), severity (major vs. minor), and domain of early life adversity relate to diurnal cortisol rhythms in late adolescence. We…

About one-fifth of children involved in investigations for abuse or neglect are placed in foster care. Although some return to their families quickly, others may remain in foster care for years without permanent family relationships. In this article, Mark Testa, Kristen Woodruff, Roseana Bess, Jerry Milner, and Maria Woolverton examine the…

Abuse or neglect and disability often go hand in hand. Unfortunately, most professionals who work with maltreated young children are not aware of early childhood and disability-related resources and services available. In order to raise awareness across early childhood and child welfare systems, a five-week advanced training for volunteer child…

While only a minority of children who have been abused or neglected engage in delinquent behavior, they are at a significantly higher risk. When youth do become involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, they present unique needs that require collaboration between the numerous systems and people involved in their lives. The…

Whether parents can overcome the problems that led to abuse and neglect of their children is the essence of questions surrounding efforts to return children to their parents once legal custody of a child has been granted to the child welfare agency. Consistent with a legal and policy framework protecting parental rights in the United States, the…

Strengthening Families is a relationship-based child abuse and neglect prevention initiative started nationally in 2001 through a partnership between the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) in Washington, DC. Thirty-five states and several thousand early childhood programs nationwide implement…

This study investigated the independent impact of child sexual abuse on five dimensions of adulthood parenting after controlling for other forms of childhood adversity in a predominantly African-American sample of mothers receiving public assistance (N = 483). An analysis of data previously collected as part of the Illinois Families Study Child…

Objectives: To determine whether traumatic experiences of children entering the child welfare system have an impact on their risk behaviors and whether these behaviors are moderated by children's strengths. Method: The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services administered the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) measure to…

This statistical report aims to convey a clear picture of the scope, nature, and seriousness of the child abuse problem in Illinois for fiscal year 1985. Because special efforts were made in regard to child sexual abuse, this problem is treated as a separate category in the report. Discussed in six sections are data concerning (1) the nature of…

Describes two state initiatives (in Virginia and Illinois) which illustrate the type of program components that have been designed to assist the identification, treatment, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. (CMG)

Describes provisions of the Illinois law entitled The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, first passed in 1965 and broadened by amendments. The law includes definitions of child abuse and neglect, lists professionals who are required to report, and also provides reporting instructions for any person who has a reasonable suspicion of abuse or…

This study suggests that court procedures in Illinois must improve to assure that more children are placed in permanent homes in a timely way. The University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children examined the timeliness of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois' Child Protection Division in completing the sequence of hearings and…

Based on 24 tables of data, this report provides a detailed account of the scope of the problem of child abuse and neglect in the State of Illinois in 1987, and the actions taken by the Department of Children and Family Services to protect the state's vulnerable children. In fiscal year 1987, the number of children reported as abused and neglected…

Alcohol and other drug abuse is a major problem for children and families involved with public child welfare. Substance abuse compromises appropriate parenting practices and increases the risk of child maltreatment. A substantial proportion of substantiated child abuse and neglect reports involve parental substance abuse. Once in the system,…

Data on child abuse and neglect in Illinois during fiscal year 1986 are collected in this report. Statistical highlights indicate that in 1986 a total of 70,422 Illinois children were reported as victims of child abuse or neglect: a rate of 21.7 alleged victims per 1,000 children. Credible evidence indicated that 33,959 children were abused or…