Contents of this keynote address provide current information about services offered by the Administration for Children, Youth and Families (ACYF). In fiscal years 1984 and 1985, ACYF will continue with program initiatives to improve the quality and effectiveness of Head Start. In addition, ACYF has established a number of initiatives to help…

Examination of friendships in 51 high-risk preschool-age children, of whom 38 were in foster care, found that most of the children had a "best friend" but the foster children all had friends who were quasi-siblings. Results suggest that foster care placement and the presence of siblings may influence a child's interactions with nonrelated peers.…

This study compared the characteristics, health, and functioning parameters of 78 children with substantiated maltreatment in an urban foster care program. Compared to nonmaltreated controls, children sexually abused while in care were significantly more likely to have mental health and developmental problems. Physical abuse and neglect while in…

From October 1982 through May 1984, the Council for Community Services--a private, not-for-profit community planning council--carried out an Institutional Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Project, in close cooperation with the state of Rhode Island's Office of the Child Advocate. The project approach relied heavily on monitoring teams of…

Evaluates the Family Program, a family-centered program in northern Virginia which provides intensive in-home support and treatment to families with children in the custody of county child welfare departments. The sample comprises 42 closed cases. Results show that families that are at risk benefit significantly from extensive support systems.…