The nation's child protection system (CPS) has historically focused on preventing maltreatment in high-risk families, whose children have already been maltreated. But, as Jane Waldfogel explains, it has also begun developing prevention procedures for children at lower risk--those who are referred to CPS but whose cases do not meet the criteria for…

Children with disabilities receive most of their support from families. While most family caregivers are mothers or fathers, grandparents are increasingly providing care for children with disabilities. In addition, family caregivers come from diverse cultural backgrounds that impact their views on disability. This paper reviews the literature on…

The challenges that families face in caring for a child with a disability or a chronic illness are reviewed in this report on respite care. A parent's narrative describes the difficulties in providing around-the-clock care to a child with a chronic illness. The benefits of respite care are outlined as follows: gives the family peace of mind,…

This booklet documents the ability of parents of children with special health needs and disabilities to achieve balance in their lives, by moving from crisis to control, from challenge to opportunity, from questions to answers. The booklet discusses concerns that confront parents of children with special needs, and answers the most common…

This annotated bibliography presents a selective overview of materials on the topic of children with special health needs. Materials are divided into the following topics: (1) early identification and intervention (21 resources); (2) family-centered, community-based, culturally competent care (23 resources); (3) financing services (10 resources);…