In spite of the growing awareness and development of respite services, many families in need of them have little or no access. This is especially true for families whose children have emotional handicaps. A rationale for respite services supports parents' entitlement to respite care, its importance to all family members, and its help in improving…

This guide is designed to show group leaders how to organize a program on single parents and their families and present this program in two meetings. At the first meeting, presenters provide information about single-parent families; at the second they suggest ways to involve the school, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), and other community…

This conference proceedings reports on a 1989 meeting addressing respite care for families of children with mental, emotional or behavioral disorders. The conference addressed: (1) respite care concepts, programs, and issues; and (2) planning for designing, financing, and implementing state and local respite programs. The report contains the…

This booklet examines the plight of homeless families who have children who need special educational services. It explores the magnitude of homelessness among families, provides empirical descriptions of homeless populations, and identifies factors contributing to the rising incidence of homelessness in the United States. Specific effects of…

Fundamental changes in the family unit have led to ineffective and inadequate parenting, and to increasing isolation among families, placing family members at risk for such social problems as child abuse/neglect and school failure. To prevent and treat these problems, parents need knowledge of child development and tools for responding…

This report offers materials from a project proposing a conceptual framework for teacher preparation for clothing program instruction. The project reflects contemporary and future concerns of individuals and families as well as the state of the art of clothing and textiles. The data collection procedures are described as well as questions that…

The paper presents the multi-factorial problem of sexual abuse of children within their families, provides definitions of relevant terms (incest, sexual abuse, sexual misuse, molestation, sexual assault, rape), reviews the epidemiology of sexual abuse and its effects, and traces development of a Sexual Abuse Resource Team in a rural/resort New…

The effects of stress in families of very young handicapped or at-risk children are pervasive, multiple, and sometimes unsuspected. Stress reduction strategies include building on family strengths, empowering families and children, arranging for medical stabilization, providing social and economic stabilization, providing a functional curriculum,…

Crisis nursery programs were developed to offer temporary relief from child care responsibilities for parents experiencing a crisis or extreme stress. While the programs focus on being helpful and supportive, they may seem threatening to some parents. Service providers need to understand parents' fears and concerns about using crisis nurseries and…

This guide advocates an alliance among diverse groups for the purpose of decreasing the incidence of adolescent pregnancy and improving the outcome of pregnancies that do occur. It provides useful information for communities interested in developing pregnancy prevention activities. Statistics about adolescent pregnancies are given and the…

The problems facing students and families in Alberta, Canada, have been recognized as community problems that require community solutions. Interagency collaboration has become a necessity indicative of the changing times and the global focus on integration rather than isolation. Interagency collaboration is an arrangement in which agencies work…

This guide has been prepared to illustrate the development and implementation of a program offering comprehensive employment and training services for young parents. The guide is based on the experiences of the Parent Employment Program of 735, Inc., which was launched as a demonstration project with funds from the Massachusetts Governor's Youth…

This manual is intended to assist in the establishment, facilitation, leadership, and evaluation of support programs for fathers of children with disabilities. The manual begins with a foreword written by a father of a child with severe disabilities and a preface by the project director of the National Fathers' Network. An introductory chapter…

On the Northern Cheyenne Reservation--where the alcoholism rate for Cheyenne persons 14 years and older is approximately 80%--there are numerous resources available to the recovering alcoholic, but children in alcoholic families are sometimes forgotten. There is a need for preventive programs to insure that today's children do not become the next…