Mark F. Testa and John Poertner
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195321302
- eISBN:
- 9780199777457
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195321302.003.0002
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Communities and Organizations
This chapter provides a general overview of key public interests and organizational principles that shape and define the public role in child welfare. Public child welfare is concerned largely with ...
More
This chapter provides a general overview of key public interests and organizational principles that shape and define the public role in child welfare. Public child welfare is concerned largely with three major issues: (1) the safety issue of what minimal standards of child protection should be enforced in order to reduce agency risks to the life and health of children; (2) the permanency issue of who should be delegated the discretion to act as agents of children's care and guardianship when protective standards are violated; and (3) the wellbeing issue of how the performance of parents, guardians, and other child-caring agents can be enhanced to promote children's optimal development. These three issues supply a general framework for defining the scope of public child welfare interest and for building a results-oriented accountability (ROA) system that can advance the safety, permanence, and wellbeing of abused and neglected children.Less
This chapter provides a general overview of key public interests and organizational principles that shape and define the public role in child welfare. Public child welfare is concerned largely with three major issues: (1) the safety issue of what minimal standards of child protection should be enforced in order to reduce agency risks to the life and health of children; (2) the permanency issue of who should be delegated the discretion to act as agents of children's care and guardianship when protective standards are violated; and (3) the wellbeing issue of how the performance of parents, guardians, and other child-caring agents can be enhanced to promote children's optimal development. These three issues supply a general framework for defining the scope of public child welfare interest and for building a results-oriented accountability (ROA) system that can advance the safety, permanence, and wellbeing of abused and neglected children.
Joan Levy Zlotnik
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195321302
- eISBN:
- 9780199777457
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195321302.003.0011
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Communities and Organizations
This chapter reviews the history of university/agency partnerships in child welfare research and training. The establishment of closer research ties between universities and public agencies has ...
More
This chapter reviews the history of university/agency partnerships in child welfare research and training. The establishment of closer research ties between universities and public agencies has frequently grown out of the desire to forge tighter linkages between universities and child welfare departments in the training of students and staff for public service careers. Many of the obstacles that have impeded educational collaborations in the past can also affect research partnerships. Thus, the chapter's review of the past record of these relations can help to clarify the opportunities and challenges involved in translating evidence-based research and education, from the academy to the field of public child welfare.Less
This chapter reviews the history of university/agency partnerships in child welfare research and training. The establishment of closer research ties between universities and public agencies has frequently grown out of the desire to forge tighter linkages between universities and child welfare departments in the training of students and staff for public service careers. Many of the obstacles that have impeded educational collaborations in the past can also affect research partnerships. Thus, the chapter's review of the past record of these relations can help to clarify the opportunities and challenges involved in translating evidence-based research and education, from the academy to the field of public child welfare.
AMY CONLEY
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199732326
- eISBN:
- 9780199863471
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199732326.003.0002
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy, Communities and Organizations
The American child welfare system has traditionally taken a residual approach to serving families, intervening only in the worst cases of child maltreatment. A number of scathing indictments have ...
More
The American child welfare system has traditionally taken a residual approach to serving families, intervening only in the worst cases of child maltreatment. A number of scathing indictments have been leveled against the traditional American child welfare system, suggesting that new ideas are needed to better meet the needs of children and families. By contrast, a social development approach enhances the capacities of parents and communities to care for children and addresses the problem of poverty, which is endemic to child maltreatment. This chapter first describes conventional child welfare practices and then compares them to a social development approach. While the social development approach to child welfare is still being formulated, potential strategies can be drawn from American and international experiences in child care and family support. These consist of linking child welfare practice with building community capacity, improving economic self-sufficiency, and promoting early child care and development.Less
The American child welfare system has traditionally taken a residual approach to serving families, intervening only in the worst cases of child maltreatment. A number of scathing indictments have been leveled against the traditional American child welfare system, suggesting that new ideas are needed to better meet the needs of children and families. By contrast, a social development approach enhances the capacities of parents and communities to care for children and addresses the problem of poverty, which is endemic to child maltreatment. This chapter first describes conventional child welfare practices and then compares them to a social development approach. While the social development approach to child welfare is still being formulated, potential strategies can be drawn from American and international experiences in child care and family support. These consist of linking child welfare practice with building community capacity, improving economic self-sufficiency, and promoting early child care and development.
Duncan Lindsey and Aron Shlonsky (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195304961
- eISBN:
- 9780199863648
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195304961.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Research and Evaluation
Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this book demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. The chapters ...
More
Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this book demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. The chapters in this book assess the effect of research on the full spectrum of child welfare services. The book covers every base. The opening chapters situate child welfare research in the modern context; they are followed by discussions of evidence-based practice in the field, arguably its most pressing concern now. Recent years have seen historic rises in the number of children adopted through public agencies and, accordingly, permanent placement and family ties are critical topics that occupy the book's core, along with chapters broaching the thorny questions that surround decision-making and risk assessment. The urgent need for a more effective use of research and evidence is highlighted again with looks at the future of child protection and how concrete data can influence policy and help children. Finally, in recognition of the growing importance of a global view, closing chapters address international issues in child welfare research, including an examination of policies from abroad and a multinational comparison of the economic challenges facing single mothers and their children.Less
Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this book demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. The chapters in this book assess the effect of research on the full spectrum of child welfare services. The book covers every base. The opening chapters situate child welfare research in the modern context; they are followed by discussions of evidence-based practice in the field, arguably its most pressing concern now. Recent years have seen historic rises in the number of children adopted through public agencies and, accordingly, permanent placement and family ties are critical topics that occupy the book's core, along with chapters broaching the thorny questions that surround decision-making and risk assessment. The urgent need for a more effective use of research and evidence is highlighted again with looks at the future of child protection and how concrete data can influence policy and help children. Finally, in recognition of the growing importance of a global view, closing chapters address international issues in child welfare research, including an examination of policies from abroad and a multinational comparison of the economic challenges facing single mothers and their children.
Robert M. Ortega, Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, Mary Ruffolo, Jenell Clarke, and Rebecca Karb
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195398465
- eISBN:
- 9780199863426
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195398465.003.0009
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Health and Mental Health
This chapter considers the issue of racial disparities in child services. Although much attention has been given to racial and ethnic differences in child welfare service receipt, the chapter looks ...
More
This chapter considers the issue of racial disparities in child services. Although much attention has been given to racial and ethnic differences in child welfare service receipt, the chapter looks at each major racial and ethnic group separately. In delineating the special cultural characteristics policy makers and practitioners should keep in mind when planning programs or services for U.S. children, the chapter found an otherwise almost completely unexplored research possibility within the culture and race discourse: within-group comparisons. Although the attention to cross-race comparisons is warranted, it can obscure critical variation within groups.Less
This chapter considers the issue of racial disparities in child services. Although much attention has been given to racial and ethnic differences in child welfare service receipt, the chapter looks at each major racial and ethnic group separately. In delineating the special cultural characteristics policy makers and practitioners should keep in mind when planning programs or services for U.S. children, the chapter found an otherwise almost completely unexplored research possibility within the culture and race discourse: within-group comparisons. Although the attention to cross-race comparisons is warranted, it can obscure critical variation within groups.
Shenyang Guo
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195337518
- eISBN:
- 9780199864256
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195337518.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
Survival analysis is a class of statistical methods for studying the occurrence and timing of events. Statistical analysis of longitudinal data, particularly censored data, lies at the heart of ...
More
Survival analysis is a class of statistical methods for studying the occurrence and timing of events. Statistical analysis of longitudinal data, particularly censored data, lies at the heart of social work research, and many of social work research's empirical problems, such as child welfare, welfare policy, evaluation of welfare-to-work programs, and mental health, can be formulated as investigations of timing of event occurrence. Social work researchers also often need to analyze multilevel or grouped data (for example, event times formed by sibling groups or mother-child dyads or recurrences of events such as re-entries into foster care), but these and other more robust methods can be challenging to social work researchers without a background in higher math. With clearly written summaries and plentiful examples, all written with social work issues and social work researchers in mind, this pocket guide will put this important statistical tool in the hands of many more social work researchers than have been able to use it before, to the field's benefit.Less
Survival analysis is a class of statistical methods for studying the occurrence and timing of events. Statistical analysis of longitudinal data, particularly censored data, lies at the heart of social work research, and many of social work research's empirical problems, such as child welfare, welfare policy, evaluation of welfare-to-work programs, and mental health, can be formulated as investigations of timing of event occurrence. Social work researchers also often need to analyze multilevel or grouped data (for example, event times formed by sibling groups or mother-child dyads or recurrences of events such as re-entries into foster care), but these and other more robust methods can be challenging to social work researchers without a background in higher math. With clearly written summaries and plentiful examples, all written with social work issues and social work researchers in mind, this pocket guide will put this important statistical tool in the hands of many more social work researchers than have been able to use it before, to the field's benefit.
John E. B. Myers
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195169355
- eISBN:
- 9780199893348
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195169355.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Crime and Justice
Child abuse and neglect are serious social problems. Preventing maltreatment from occurring and, when prevention fails, intervening to protect children, are vital concerns for policy makers, the ...
More
Child abuse and neglect are serious social problems. Preventing maltreatment from occurring and, when prevention fails, intervening to protect children, are vital concerns for policy makers, the public, and professionals in social work, mental health, medicine, nursing, law enforcement, and law. Millions of dollars are spent on the child protection system. Yet, maltreatment continues. To appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of today's child protection system, it is important to understand the historical development of child protection. Part I traces the history of child protection in America from colonial times to the present. With the history in place, Part II begins with an analysis of the numerous causes of child abuse and neglect. Once the causes of maltreatment are revealed, the discussion shifts to roadblocks to reducing maltreatment. Despite roadblocks, progress is possible, and Part II outlines broad strategies for reducing the amount of maltreatment. The book ends with specific recommendations to improve the child protection system, including proposals to strengthen foster care and reform the juvenile court.Less
Child abuse and neglect are serious social problems. Preventing maltreatment from occurring and, when prevention fails, intervening to protect children, are vital concerns for policy makers, the public, and professionals in social work, mental health, medicine, nursing, law enforcement, and law. Millions of dollars are spent on the child protection system. Yet, maltreatment continues. To appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of today's child protection system, it is important to understand the historical development of child protection. Part I traces the history of child protection in America from colonial times to the present. With the history in place, Part II begins with an analysis of the numerous causes of child abuse and neglect. Once the causes of maltreatment are revealed, the discussion shifts to roadblocks to reducing maltreatment. Despite roadblocks, progress is possible, and Part II outlines broad strategies for reducing the amount of maltreatment. The book ends with specific recommendations to improve the child protection system, including proposals to strengthen foster care and reform the juvenile court.
Sarah McCue Horwitz, Michael S. Hurlburt, and Jinjin Zhang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195398465
- eISBN:
- 9780199863426
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195398465.003.0010
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Health and Mental Health
This chapter reviews studies of mental health service need and use in children involved in the child welfare system. It presents two comprehensive views: one of the research literature leading up to ...
More
This chapter reviews studies of mental health service need and use in children involved in the child welfare system. It presents two comprehensive views: one of the research literature leading up to the NSCAW study, and another that depicts mental health service use in this population over a full 36 months. It considers three distinct age groups of children: those aged 2 to 5 years, those 5 to 10 years, and those 11 years or older. In addition to offering the most detailed examination of the use of mental health care by the younger children involved in child welfare, the chapter is perhaps the first study that uses a measure of developmental functioning to examine need for care in the youngest group (2-5 year olds). The striking finding is the larger gap between need and use for this youngest segment of the NSCAW cohort. Meanwhile, the findings about the powerful role of race/ethnicity in use patterns confirms at the nationwide level major findings from all local studies that have examined this question.Less
This chapter reviews studies of mental health service need and use in children involved in the child welfare system. It presents two comprehensive views: one of the research literature leading up to the NSCAW study, and another that depicts mental health service use in this population over a full 36 months. It considers three distinct age groups of children: those aged 2 to 5 years, those 5 to 10 years, and those 11 years or older. In addition to offering the most detailed examination of the use of mental health care by the younger children involved in child welfare, the chapter is perhaps the first study that uses a measure of developmental functioning to examine need for care in the youngest group (2-5 year olds). The striking finding is the larger gap between need and use for this youngest segment of the NSCAW cohort. Meanwhile, the findings about the powerful role of race/ethnicity in use patterns confirms at the nationwide level major findings from all local studies that have examined this question.
Mark F. Testa and John Poertner
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195321302
- eISBN:
- 9780199777457
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195321302.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Communities and Organizations
Fostering Accountability presents a model of child welfare decision-making that holds public officials answerable for the integrity and validity of the actions they take on behalf of the ...
More
Fostering Accountability presents a model of child welfare decision-making that holds public officials answerable for the integrity and validity of the actions they take on behalf of the children and families in their care. It operationalizes the concept of results-oriented accountability, which demands that administrators and practitioners show valid evidence of their success in improving child and family outcomes, not do not merely demonstrate mechanical procedural compliance. Drawing on the experiences of directors, staff, and evaluators, this timely and practical book describes the emergence of results-oriented accountability in child welfare with a special focus on the editors' role in establishing a university-agency research partnership under a federal consent decree. Chapters elaborate on the five successive stages of the results-oriented accountability framework — outcomes monitoring, data analysis, research review, evaluation, and quality improvement — and provide examples of applications of each stage for agency managers. By re-focusing the emphasis on developing policies based on agency data, instead of purely reactive approaches that grasp at solutions and often fall short, Fostering Accountability guides administrators in monitoring outcomes, using evidence to select interventions to enhance results, and applying management strategies to evaluate and improve these efforts. The result is a pragmatic implementation guide for administrators seeking to bring safety, stability, continuity, permanence, and well-being to the lives of abused and neglected children in the United States.Less
Fostering Accountability presents a model of child welfare decision-making that holds public officials answerable for the integrity and validity of the actions they take on behalf of the children and families in their care. It operationalizes the concept of results-oriented accountability, which demands that administrators and practitioners show valid evidence of their success in improving child and family outcomes, not do not merely demonstrate mechanical procedural compliance. Drawing on the experiences of directors, staff, and evaluators, this timely and practical book describes the emergence of results-oriented accountability in child welfare with a special focus on the editors' role in establishing a university-agency research partnership under a federal consent decree. Chapters elaborate on the five successive stages of the results-oriented accountability framework — outcomes monitoring, data analysis, research review, evaluation, and quality improvement — and provide examples of applications of each stage for agency managers. By re-focusing the emphasis on developing policies based on agency data, instead of purely reactive approaches that grasp at solutions and often fall short, Fostering Accountability guides administrators in monitoring outcomes, using evidence to select interventions to enhance results, and applying management strategies to evaluate and improve these efforts. The result is a pragmatic implementation guide for administrators seeking to bring safety, stability, continuity, permanence, and well-being to the lives of abused and neglected children in the United States.
Mark F. Testa
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195321302
- eISBN:
- 9780199777457
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195321302.003.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Communities and Organizations
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of results-oriented accountability (ROA), which is about holding professionals and organizations answerable for the results (outcome) of a chosen ...
More
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of results-oriented accountability (ROA), which is about holding professionals and organizations answerable for the results (outcome) of a chosen course of action rather than just for the fulfillment of assigned activities and duties (processes). It then discusses dimensions of accountability and the framework of ROA. An overview of the subsequent chapters is presented.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of results-oriented accountability (ROA), which is about holding professionals and organizations answerable for the results (outcome) of a chosen course of action rather than just for the fulfillment of assigned activities and duties (processes). It then discusses dimensions of accountability and the framework of ROA. An overview of the subsequent chapters is presented.
Brenda Jones Harden, Jessica Vick Whittaker, Gregory Hancock, and Kevin Wang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195398465
- eISBN:
- 9780199863426
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195398465.003.0002
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Health and Mental Health
This chapter examines outcomes for infants and the youngest children in the NSCAW sample. In particular, it examines placement stability and the quality of the caregiving environment. ...
More
This chapter examines outcomes for infants and the youngest children in the NSCAW sample. In particular, it examines placement stability and the quality of the caregiving environment. Developmentalists have identified the early childhood period as particularly important for children's language development, social development, and readiness for formal schooling. Researchers who study the development of young children have been especially concerned about the effects of children's early attachment to caregivers, as well as the cognitive and emotional stimulation in the caregiving environment. Children who encounter child welfare services are thought to be at a particular disadvantage in both regards, because economic deprivation and unstable caregiving relationships are thought to be all too typical of their environments. The chapter illustrates that these two factors—attachment and quality of the caregiving environment—are complex: when both are considered, their respective influences are not straightforward.Less
This chapter examines outcomes for infants and the youngest children in the NSCAW sample. In particular, it examines placement stability and the quality of the caregiving environment. Developmentalists have identified the early childhood period as particularly important for children's language development, social development, and readiness for formal schooling. Researchers who study the development of young children have been especially concerned about the effects of children's early attachment to caregivers, as well as the cognitive and emotional stimulation in the caregiving environment. Children who encounter child welfare services are thought to be at a particular disadvantage in both regards, because economic deprivation and unstable caregiving relationships are thought to be all too typical of their environments. The chapter illustrates that these two factors—attachment and quality of the caregiving environment—are complex: when both are considered, their respective influences are not straightforward.
Mark F. Testa and John Poertner
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195321302
- eISBN:
- 9780199777457
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195321302.003.0012
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Communities and Organizations
This chapter considers the future of results-oriented accountability (ROA) and the use of empirical evidence to guide and improve child welfare policy. It assesses where current child welfare policy ...
More
This chapter considers the future of results-oriented accountability (ROA) and the use of empirical evidence to guide and improve child welfare policy. It assesses where current child welfare policy stands on each of the five dimensions of ROA outlined in Chapter 1. It considers the alternative directions that ROA might take in child welfare with respect to the accountability mismatch between the enlarged scope of public interest and the limited technical capacity of states to meet rigorous standards of evidence. The chapter offers some thoughts about the future of waivers and the flexible funding of child welfare interventions, the continued viability of market-oriented solutions to the principal-agent/principal-agent problem, and the role of university-agency partnerships in fostering accountability in child welfare.Less
This chapter considers the future of results-oriented accountability (ROA) and the use of empirical evidence to guide and improve child welfare policy. It assesses where current child welfare policy stands on each of the five dimensions of ROA outlined in Chapter 1. It considers the alternative directions that ROA might take in child welfare with respect to the accountability mismatch between the enlarged scope of public interest and the limited technical capacity of states to meet rigorous standards of evidence. The chapter offers some thoughts about the future of waivers and the flexible funding of child welfare interventions, the continued viability of market-oriented solutions to the principal-agent/principal-agent problem, and the role of university-agency partnerships in fostering accountability in child welfare.
Duncan Lindsey
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195136715
- eISBN:
- 9780199894079
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195136715.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Social Policy
According to the United Nations' latest data, the United States has more children living in poverty than any other industrialized nation in the world. More than a fifth of all children grow up in ...
More
According to the United Nations' latest data, the United States has more children living in poverty than any other industrialized nation in the world. More than a fifth of all children grow up in poverty. The poverty rates for African American and Latino children often exceed 40 percent. Furthermore, the United States — a country that once pioneered strategies to prevent child abuse and which now spends more money fighting child abuse than any other industrialized country — also has the highest rate of child abuse in the industrialized world. Against this background, the author, an authority on child welfare, takes a critical look at the current welfare system. He traces the transformation of child welfare into child protective services, arguing that the current focus on abuse has produced a system which is designed to protect children from physical and sexual abuse, and therefore functions as a last resort for only the worst and most dramatic cases in child welfare. In a close analysis of the process of investigating child abuse, the author finds that there is no evidence that the transformation into protective services has reduced child abuse fatalities or that it has provided a safer environment for children. He makes an argument for the criminal justice system to assume responsibility for the problem of child abuse in order for the child welfare system to be able to adequately address the wellbeing of a much larger number of children now growing up in poverty. This new edition of The Welfare of Children takes into account a major legislative change since the publication of the first edition: the welfare reform legislation of 1996. This legislation has fundamentally altered the public child welfare system as broadly understood, and the author of this book examines its implications on policy and practice, refuting the claim that welfare reform has actually reduced child poverty. The Welfare of Children, 2nd Edition is a blueprint for the comprehensive reform of the current child welfare system to one that administers to the economic security of the larger number of disadvantaged and impoverished children.Less
According to the United Nations' latest data, the United States has more children living in poverty than any other industrialized nation in the world. More than a fifth of all children grow up in poverty. The poverty rates for African American and Latino children often exceed 40 percent. Furthermore, the United States — a country that once pioneered strategies to prevent child abuse and which now spends more money fighting child abuse than any other industrialized country — also has the highest rate of child abuse in the industrialized world. Against this background, the author, an authority on child welfare, takes a critical look at the current welfare system. He traces the transformation of child welfare into child protective services, arguing that the current focus on abuse has produced a system which is designed to protect children from physical and sexual abuse, and therefore functions as a last resort for only the worst and most dramatic cases in child welfare. In a close analysis of the process of investigating child abuse, the author finds that there is no evidence that the transformation into protective services has reduced child abuse fatalities or that it has provided a safer environment for children. He makes an argument for the criminal justice system to assume responsibility for the problem of child abuse in order for the child welfare system to be able to adequately address the wellbeing of a much larger number of children now growing up in poverty. This new edition of The Welfare of Children takes into account a major legislative change since the publication of the first edition: the welfare reform legislation of 1996. This legislation has fundamentally altered the public child welfare system as broadly understood, and the author of this book examines its implications on policy and practice, refuting the claim that welfare reform has actually reduced child poverty. The Welfare of Children, 2nd Edition is a blueprint for the comprehensive reform of the current child welfare system to one that administers to the economic security of the larger number of disadvantaged and impoverished children.
Tom McDonald and Mark F. Testa
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195321302
- eISBN:
- 9780199777457
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195321302.003.0004
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Communities and Organizations
This chapter provides an overview of the first stage of results-oriented accountability (ROA): the routine monitoring of child welfare outcomes. It focuses on the federal Child and Family Services ...
More
This chapter provides an overview of the first stage of results-oriented accountability (ROA): the routine monitoring of child welfare outcomes. It focuses on the federal Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) and the proposed Chafee National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD). The chapter calls for strengthening these monitoring systems by adopting the methods of longitudinal data analysis and by tracking entry cohorts in order to facilitate this type of analyses. It draws attention to the problems of selectivity, truncation and censoring, which if not properly taken into account, can misguide practitioners' and administrators' assessment of child welfare trends and system performance. It also considers what may be necessary to shore up the weakest area of the CFSR process, which is the monitoring of child wellbeing. The current reliance on small samples of case reviews is insufficient for drawing reliable or valid conclusions about agency performance in promoting child wellbeing. A set of criteria for assessing both the validity and integrity of an outcomes-monitoring system is presented.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the first stage of results-oriented accountability (ROA): the routine monitoring of child welfare outcomes. It focuses on the federal Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) and the proposed Chafee National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD). The chapter calls for strengthening these monitoring systems by adopting the methods of longitudinal data analysis and by tracking entry cohorts in order to facilitate this type of analyses. It draws attention to the problems of selectivity, truncation and censoring, which if not properly taken into account, can misguide practitioners' and administrators' assessment of child welfare trends and system performance. It also considers what may be necessary to shore up the weakest area of the CFSR process, which is the monitoring of child wellbeing. The current reliance on small samples of case reviews is insufficient for drawing reliable or valid conclusions about agency performance in promoting child wellbeing. A set of criteria for assessing both the validity and integrity of an outcomes-monitoring system is presented.
Mark E. Courtney, Amy Dworsky, Irving Piliavin, and Steven McMurtry
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195304961
- eISBN:
- 9780199863648
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195304961.003.0017
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Research and Evaluation
This chapter uses data from two ongoing studies in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, to provide empirical evidence supporting the claim that workfare and child welfare programs serve increasingly similar ...
More
This chapter uses data from two ongoing studies in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, to provide empirical evidence supporting the claim that workfare and child welfare programs serve increasingly similar populations with similar needs. It begins with a history of the separation of income maintenance from social services, then briefly describes the current situation. It is shown that workfare and child welfare programs serve increasingly similar populations with similar needs. However, despite the similar needs of these populations, indeed, even a large overlap between the populations, these two systems continue to operate largely independently, if not at cross-purposes. These findings call into question both the structure of service systems in jurisdictions like Milwaukee and the federal welfare and child welfare policies that lead state and local policy makers to create such misaligned systems.Less
This chapter uses data from two ongoing studies in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, to provide empirical evidence supporting the claim that workfare and child welfare programs serve increasingly similar populations with similar needs. It begins with a history of the separation of income maintenance from social services, then briefly describes the current situation. It is shown that workfare and child welfare programs serve increasingly similar populations with similar needs. However, despite the similar needs of these populations, indeed, even a large overlap between the populations, these two systems continue to operate largely independently, if not at cross-purposes. These findings call into question both the structure of service systems in jurisdictions like Milwaukee and the federal welfare and child welfare policies that lead state and local policy makers to create such misaligned systems.
John Landsverk, Michael S. Hurlburt, Laurel Leslie, Jennifer Rolls, and Jinjin Zhang
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195398465
- eISBN:
- 9780199863426
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195398465.003.0011
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Health and Mental Health
This chapter shows a high level of continuity in mental health care use over the 36-month NSCAW study period. The pattern of continuity is robust across methods, which confers additional confidence ...
More
This chapter shows a high level of continuity in mental health care use over the 36-month NSCAW study period. The pattern of continuity is robust across methods, which confers additional confidence in the finding. This hopeful finding suggests not only that the child welfare system serves as a gateway to the mental health system, but also that the pathway through it to mental health service survives termination of child welfare system involvement.Less
This chapter shows a high level of continuity in mental health care use over the 36-month NSCAW study period. The pattern of continuity is robust across methods, which confers additional confidence in the finding. This hopeful finding suggests not only that the child welfare system serves as a gateway to the mental health system, but also that the pathway through it to mental health service survives termination of child welfare system involvement.
E. Michael Foster, Rebecca Wells, and Yu Bai
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195398465
- eISBN:
- 9780199863426
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195398465.003.0014
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Health and Mental Health
This presents a multiple-level contextual approach to test the impact of contextual variables on child-level outcomes. It is hypothesized that child welfare agencies with high levels of both ...
More
This presents a multiple-level contextual approach to test the impact of contextual variables on child-level outcomes. It is hypothesized that child welfare agencies with high levels of both information processing and interagency collaboration will be associated with better child functioning outcomes.Less
This presents a multiple-level contextual approach to test the impact of contextual variables on child-level outcomes. It is hypothesized that child welfare agencies with high levels of both information processing and interagency collaboration will be associated with better child functioning outcomes.
Stephen Wilkinson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199273966
- eISBN:
- 9780191706585
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199273966.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This chapter addresses two questions. First, is there anything wrong with deliberately creating a child with a disability (such as deafness)? Second, what is the proper role of child welfare ...
More
This chapter addresses two questions. First, is there anything wrong with deliberately creating a child with a disability (such as deafness)? Second, what is the proper role of child welfare considerations in reproductive decision-making? The chapter concludes that child welfare arguments do have a role, but one that is more limited and less decisive than is commonly assumed. One reason for this is that the idea of harm only applies in very extreme cases, cases where the person created has a life that is so awful that she would be ‘better off dead’. Another is that the relationship between disability and quality of life is more complicated and less direct than is sometimes thought. For these reasons (amongst others) the chapter concludes that a general legal prohibition on selecting for disability is unwarranted, or at least cannot be justified on child welfare grounds alone.Less
This chapter addresses two questions. First, is there anything wrong with deliberately creating a child with a disability (such as deafness)? Second, what is the proper role of child welfare considerations in reproductive decision-making? The chapter concludes that child welfare arguments do have a role, but one that is more limited and less decisive than is commonly assumed. One reason for this is that the idea of harm only applies in very extreme cases, cases where the person created has a life that is so awful that she would be ‘better off dead’. Another is that the relationship between disability and quality of life is more complicated and less direct than is sometimes thought. For these reasons (amongst others) the chapter concludes that a general legal prohibition on selecting for disability is unwarranted, or at least cannot be justified on child welfare grounds alone.
Duncan Lindsey
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195136715
- eISBN:
- 9780199894079
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195136715.003.0011
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Social Policy
This chapter examines the effects of the most important event affecting poor children in the last several decades: the welfare reform of 1996. It is now possible to examine the consequences of this ...
More
This chapter examines the effects of the most important event affecting poor children in the last several decades: the welfare reform of 1996. It is now possible to examine the consequences of this reform for children. Proponents of the reform herald the dramatic drop in the welfare caseload. In most states, the number of children receiving welfare has been cut in half. Several states have achieved a more than three-quarters reduction. What has been the consequence of this dramatic end of welfare as we know it? The chapter looks at the economic circumstance of poor children post-welfare reform.Less
This chapter examines the effects of the most important event affecting poor children in the last several decades: the welfare reform of 1996. It is now possible to examine the consequences of this reform for children. Proponents of the reform herald the dramatic drop in the welfare caseload. In most states, the number of children receiving welfare has been cut in half. Several states have achieved a more than three-quarters reduction. What has been the consequence of this dramatic end of welfare as we know it? The chapter looks at the economic circumstance of poor children post-welfare reform.
Jill Duerr Berrick
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195322620
- eISBN:
- 9780199864607
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195322620.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Social Policy
There is a profound crisis in the United States’ foster care system according to this book. No state has passed the federally mandated Child and Family Service Review; two-thirds of the state systems ...
More
There is a profound crisis in the United States’ foster care system according to this book. No state has passed the federally mandated Child and Family Service Review; two-thirds of the state systems have faced class-action lawsuits demanding change; and most tellingly, almost half of all children who enter foster care never go home. The field of child welfare has lost its way and is neglecting its fundamental responsibility to the most vulnerable children and families in America. The family stories this book weaves throughout the chapters provide a backdrop for the statistics presented. Amanda, raised in foster care, began having children of her own while still a teen and lost them to the system when she became addicted to drugs. Tracy, brought up by her schizophrenic single mother, gave birth to the first of eight children at age fourteen and saw them all shuffled through foster care as she dealt drugs and went to prison. Both they and the other individuals that are featured in the book spent years without adequate support from social workers or the government before finally achieving a healthier life; many people never do. But despite the clear crisis in child welfare, most calls for reform have focused on unproven prevention methods, not on improving the situation for those already caught in the system. The book argues that real child welfare reform will only occur when the centerpiece of child welfare — reunification, permanency, and foster care — is reaffirmed.Less
There is a profound crisis in the United States’ foster care system according to this book. No state has passed the federally mandated Child and Family Service Review; two-thirds of the state systems have faced class-action lawsuits demanding change; and most tellingly, almost half of all children who enter foster care never go home. The field of child welfare has lost its way and is neglecting its fundamental responsibility to the most vulnerable children and families in America. The family stories this book weaves throughout the chapters provide a backdrop for the statistics presented. Amanda, raised in foster care, began having children of her own while still a teen and lost them to the system when she became addicted to drugs. Tracy, brought up by her schizophrenic single mother, gave birth to the first of eight children at age fourteen and saw them all shuffled through foster care as she dealt drugs and went to prison. Both they and the other individuals that are featured in the book spent years without adequate support from social workers or the government before finally achieving a healthier life; many people never do. But despite the clear crisis in child welfare, most calls for reform have focused on unproven prevention methods, not on improving the situation for those already caught in the system. The book argues that real child welfare reform will only occur when the centerpiece of child welfare — reunification, permanency, and foster care — is reaffirmed.
