This brief examines how decreased program participation has affected poverty since welfare reform, reviewing changes in poverty from 1996-1998 and comparing families' current economic status with a scenario that assumes full participation in government support programs. Data come from the 1997 and 1999 National Surveys of America's Families (NSAF)…

To examine the experiences of black children and poverty, researchers conducted a computer analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, the source of official government poverty statistics. The data are through 2001. Results indicated that nearly 1 million black children were living in extreme poverty, with after-tax…

This report tests the hypothesis that strong child support collection is associated with lower welfare caseloads. It uses annual state panel data from 1980-96 to replicate previous models and incorporate the effects of child support. The primary analysis technique is fixed effects regression of welfare caseloads with welfare caseloads as the…

Advocates, policymakers, and researchers have predicted that changes in the welfare system brought about by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 would increase the number of children who are abused and neglected, referred to child protective services, and placed in foster care. This study examined how welfare…

Examines gaps in child support among welfare recipients in Wisconsin. Documented is the extent to which breakdowns at various stages--including paternity establishment, support orders, and payments--contribute to the low rate of child support receipt. Few welfare recipients are able to successfully negotiate the child support system, and mothers…

Discusses relation of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) to problems of unwed motherhood. Shows that extension of AFDC to unwed mothers was unintended development and has been demise of residential homes for unwed mothers. Urges renewed attention be given to public support of maternity homes as means of socializing young mothers and…

Notes that, although early approach to welfare encouraged women to remain at home and raise their children, emphasis is now on moving adult welfare recipients into labor market. Provides brief historical development of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), along with specific policy recommendations that address the child care needs of…

This paper reports the characteristics of women who have remained on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio. Data come from the Three-City Study of 2,400 low income families with children. The study collected data on employment, income, family structure, and caregiver characteristics. Results indicate…

This exploratory study examined the level of involvement of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) applicants in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin with the child welfare system both before and after their application for TANF assistance and inclusion in the study. The study found a high level of involvement of TANF applicants with child…

Substance use by welfare recipients is frequently mentioned as an important barrier to well-being and social performance. This article uses nationally representative cross-sectional data and Michigan-specific panel data to summarize trends in substance use among Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Temporary Assistance to Needy…

The 1996 welfare reform law restricted immigrants' eligibility for public assistance, although many states have at least partially restored their eligibility. However, about three-fourths of the children of non-citizen immigrants were born in the United States and are therefore eligible for all government benefits. This brief examines whether…

This research assessed the effectiveness of a family-centered approach to out-of-home care in reunifying children with their families by comparing differential exit rates of children whose families received family-centered services with children whose families received routine child welfare services. The sample included 472 children who were in…

This manuscript reports on a study of how low-income employed single mothers and young adolescents manage household daily life. Analysis is based on longitudinal ethnographic data collected from families of 35 young adolescents over 3 years following the 1996 welfare reforms. Although mothers worked, young adolescents spent time unsupervised,…

This report uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (a nationwide survey that collects data on married and non-married parents at the time of the child's birth) to determine how much marriage could reduce poverty among couples who are not married at the time of birth. To determine the impact of marriage on children's and…

The child support reform provisions within the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) have been markedly successful in improving child support enforcement efforts. Child support is an important part of the mix of supports necessary to assist welfare recipients to make the transition to work and…