This paper addresses the potential impact of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) on the incidence of child maltreatment. Potential risks include maltreatment related to poverty, loss of benefits because of sanctions or time limits, and problems finding child care. While the total number of substantiated cases of maltreatment decreased…

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…

Summarizes the status of public funding for child protection, contrasts expenditures for foster care versus family services, and traces the links between public assistance and child protection policies. The possibility that the 1996 federal welfare reform law may increase the need for child welfare services and drive up costs of child protection…

This report examines the potential impact of federal welfare legislation, Public Law 104-193, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, on vulnerable families already in or at risk of entering the child welfare/child protection systems. The report includes an overview of the challenges states face; questions for state…

This report discusses the impact of federal budget cuts, program restructuring, and rescissions in programs crucial to child survival. It summarizes the changes voted in by House committees, including changes in school meal programs; combining the Child and Adult Care Food Program with the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program; removing…

Identifies reasons (institutional racism, poverty, cultural differences, professional bias) for the overrepresentation of minority group children and poor children in the child protective system. Analyzes issues of race and class in child welfare. Discusses implications for social work practice and policy. Contains 60 references. (Author/SAS)

This book consists of a compilation of brief descriptions of legislation on issues critical to children and families enacted during 1995 by the states and the District of Columbia. The laws pertaining to various issues are listed by state. The issues are: (1) abuse and neglect (including screening, court procedures and considerations, offenses and…

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.…

This report from the Children's Defense Fund lists statistics on child and youth well-being for each of the states and the United States as a whole. Statistics are provided in the following categories: (1) children participating in federally subsidized programs (including Title 1 Education for the Disadvantaged, bilingual education programs,…

This Kids Count Report details statewide trends in the well-being of Maine's children, with particular focus on child health care access. The statistical portrait is based on a variety of indicators in five areas: (1) child health care access; (2) physical and mental health; (3) community and family environment; (4) social and economic…

This Kids Count fact book describes services that are designed to protect the health, education, and safety of children in each county in Texas. It begins with a brief overview of each service program, describing the services, giving eligibility requirements, and analyzing regional differences in service provision across the state. The overview is…

This data book provides statistics on a range of indicators that measure critical aspects of children's lives in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Statistics are provided in the following categories: (1) child health, including uninsured children, low birth weight babies, infant deaths, and immunizations; (2) child care and early…

This report is the third to document the condition of children in the state of Illinois and the performance of the policies and programs designed to serve them over the past decade. One of the main themes emerging from the findings is the increasing diversity of the Illinois child population, in terms of both racial and ethnic groups and the…

This KIDS COUNT Report details statewide trends in the well-being of Maine's children. The statistical portrait is based on a variety of indicators in the areas of: (1) physical and mental health; (2) social and economic opportunity; (3) education and learning; and (4) child health care access. The report contains a special section on Maine…

This Kids Count report provides information on state and county-wide trends in the well-being of New Jersey's children from 1990 to 2000. The statistical portrait is social indicators in the areas of families in need, child health, troubled teens, abused and neglected children, school enrollment, and early care and education. The 23 indicators…