This report provides a comprehensive portrait of America's most vulnerable children and families, gathered as a quick reference to national and state data on the U.S. child welfare system. Data were derived from the Child Welfare League of America's 1996 State Survey of Child Welfare and from U.S. Government agencies and other national sources. The report documents the differences and disparities among state data collection, providing a useful baseline for measuring the effects of child welfare service experiments and cutbacks. The figures and tables presented in the report provide child welfare data based on rates for children in each state, comparisons over time to show child well-being and related trend data, and state child welfare budgets and related financial information. Chapter 1 of the report examines child abuse and neglect in general, while chapter 2 addresses child abuse fatalities. Chapter 3 addresses out-of-home care, while chapter 4 looks at adoption. Chapter 5 addresses finance and administration. Chapter 6 addresses family preservation and family support. Chapter 7 addresses risk factors, conditions, and trends related to child well-being. (SD)