The instrumental utilization of evaluation findings to assist in the development of program policy is discussed, drawing examples from an innovative human service program/policy that involves multiple funding ministries and participating agencies. Evaluation practices that enhance utilization, including pre- and postevaluation activities, are…

There is currently movement internationally towards the integration of services for young children and their families, incorporating childcare, education, health and family support. Shifting service provision towards partnership between services, and between these services and families, has been the subject of policy formation at various levels.…

The report examines implications of applying a functional rather than categorical definition of disabilities to Connecticut's services for the developmentally disabled. Specific objectives included preparation of an overview of services available, an analysis of policy options and system constraints, an analysis of the implications of reorganizing…

The decline of agriculture in the 1920s and 1930s was compounded by the subsequent collapse of the rural social community, leaving the rural poor without a community and thus exacerbating and prolonging their poverty. Present restructuring of agriculture in the United States may have a similar impact on rural communities. (JHZ)

Presents an ecological systems model and a family perspective framework to explain policies that guide the development of integrated services for persons experiencing multiple interrelated problems. Reviews the history and purposes of integrated services and suggests a role for family professionals in policy development, program implementation,…

Thirty-five state plans for the education of homeless children and youth as mandated by the 1987 Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act are reviewed and analyzed in this report. Specifically, the act requires that states designate agency authorization for a child's educational placement, procedures for placement dispute resolution, assurances…

Summarizes and analyzes the following issues in developing policy to address the problems of drug-exposed infants: (1) degree of harm; (2) identification; (3) interventions; (4) needs assessment; (5) child protection; and (6) drug treatment. Significant interventions, including expanded prenatal care and drug treatment programs, are proposed. (SLD)

This report constitutes a step toward designing an integrated strategy for rural poverty reduction in Brazil. The report contains an updated and detailed profile of the rural poor in the northeast and southeast regions of Brazil; identifies key components of rural poverty in those regions; and proposes a five-pronged strategic framework in which…

This paper analyzes the potential of a specific public policy tool to further principles of programs devoted exclusively to the Integration of Education and Human Services (IEHS). Section 1 describes the nature of the problem in establishing the need for IEHS. Section 2 describes policy tools currently used to implement IEHS, introducing the…

These appendices accompany a study that was conducted to determine whether the state and federal performance standards for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs have influenced Service Delivery Area (SDA) and service provider decisions about program design and implementation practices in ways that have affected the clients served, the types…

A study examined whether the state and federal performance standards for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs have influenced Service Delivery Area (SDA) and service provider decisions about program design and implementation practices in ways that have affected the clients served, the types of services provided, and the costs of the…

Illinois Senate Joint Resolution 173 resulted in the appointment in 1994 of a 53-member Work Group on Early Childhood Education. This group was mandated to report to the Senate on the development and implementation of a statewide early childhood education and care program. The group identified key issues, delimited legislative objectives, offered…

This report addresses key questions concerning the effectiveness of midwifery education in preparing midwives to meet the needs of women from minority or disadvantaged groups in England. Chapter 1 sets out the methodological context within which the work was undertaken and provides an overview of data sources and sample sizes. Chapters 3 and 4…

In February 1999, the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission initiated the National Inquiry into Rural and Remote Education, which investigated the provision of education for children in rural and remote Australia. The inquiry took evidence at formal public hearings in every state and territory and at less formal meetings with…

The impact of California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKS), which was passed to increase California welfare recipients' participation in welfare-to-work (WTW) activities, was examined. The impact study consisted of a nonexperimental program evaluation that used statistical models to estimate causal effects and a simulation…