Examined the status of children living in families leaving welfare, including closed child-only cases. Describes the child and the adult outcomes that predict long-term child outcomes. Data for about 2,210 single-parent leaver families and about 660 child-only cases provide details about how these families joined the working poor. (SLD)

While the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 included many provision of concern to child advocates, the Act also gave states increased flexibility to design welfare programs in ways that support children, or that ameliorate some of the harshest provisions of the Act. This issue brief describes innovative…

States with family cap public assistance policies deny or reduce additional welfare benefits to mothers who conceive and give birth to additional children while they are receiving aid. By 1999, 22 states had family cap policies in place. This paper reports estimates of the number and cost implications of infants conceived by mothers receiving…

This report presents key findings from a review of data focusing on child care arrangements among people who have left welfare. Most states have conducted studies of former welfare recipients using administrative data, surveys of welfare leavers, or a combination of the two. Data from these surveys indicate that most people who have left welfare…

The dramatic decline in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseloads in the 1990s has focused attention on the process of exit from, and, to a lesser extent, entry into, the welfare system. This paper charts the process of turnover in the TANF program in three major U.S. cities over an 18-month, post-PWORA period and documents its…

While most American children are not poor, the proportion of children living in poverty has remained at or near 20 percent since the early 1980s. Childhood poverty can have short- and long-term negative consequences for children. Growing up at or near the poverty line can affect the quality of a family's housing, children's access to nutritious…

This study examines the status of former welfare recipients in the District of Columbia (DC), highlighting families who left Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in the last quarter of 1997 and of 1998. Researchers used data from the DC Department of Human Services and interviews with people who left in 1998. Between 1997-99, DC's cash…

Critiques recent welfare reform proposals and recommends social work practices that humanize Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). The critique deconstructs the labels "dependent,""addict," and "illegitimate" as they are applied to AFDC mothers and explores the reproduction of stigma through social work…

This paper analyzes the approaches that states can take to address the needs of families facing the loss of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits due to time limits. Ways in which these approaches can be funded with state or federal welfare funds are discussed. The paper examines how states can use federal TANF or state…

Research continues to provide valuable information about the effects of welfare changes on families receiving public assistance. This working paper is the second in a series of three examining what has been learned since the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. Following an introduction…

In response to federal welfare reform legislation, Arkansas created the Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) program in April 1997. The goal of this Kids Count report is to increase awareness regarding issues underlying the early implementation of TEA, focusing on caseload reductions, demographic composition of the caseload, level of support…

Research continues to provide valuable information about the effects of welfare changes on families receiving public assistance. This working paper is the third in a series of three examining what has been learned since the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. Following an introduction…

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and Illegal Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act of 1996 revised laws governing privacy and confidentiality of information that government agencies collect from immigrants during the benefits application process. Noting that these changes evoked confusion and anxiety in the…

Used a three-group design to determine the effects on child development of the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), a state welfare reform program. Findings showed that MFIP increased employment rates and decreased poverty. According to mother-reports, children were less likely to exhibit problem behaviors and more likely to perform better…

The concept of social exclusion has been widely debated in Europe, though there has been little discussion of its application to children. This paper examines what is meant by exclusion of children, considering the choice of reference group, the geographical dimensions of exclusion, and the issue of who is responsible for any exclusion of…