Describes the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program, a volunteer program sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women. CASA volunteers oversee individual cases brought up for foster care or adoption, making sure that the system operates as fairly as possible and that everything is done to establish a permanent home for the child.…

Discusses the use of judicial review in breaking the cycle of multiplacements of children in foster homes. Also discusses the Court Appointed Special Advocate program which screens and trains volunteers to provide the attention necessary for cases of abused and neglected children. (RJC)

Considers the lack of opportunities for meaningful interactions between male prisoners and their children. The family-related policies of the New York State Department of Correction Services and their implementation in local institutions are given as examples of the problem. (Author/BB)

Describes the role of the guardian "ad litem"--a person invested with the power and duty to protect the rights and interests of a child (or incompetent person) involved in litigation. Areas of consensus arrived at during the first national policy conference on the use of guardians "ad litem" are listed. (Author/RH)

Reviews four child custody cases in which reports of peer reviewers differed from those of psychologists and psychiatrists involved in the cases. Included are five reasons for judging reports as substandard. (RJC)

Presents the results of a 1988 conference designed to develop and implement a consensus on how to improve child protective services. Offers specific recommendations and describes implementation plans being carried out by dozens of national organizations. (MDM)

Describes the development and implementation of an organization for foster children designed to help foster children express their needs and concerns and exert influence on agency policy. (SB)

Discusses the way in which child abuse cases should be dealt with legally in order to improve the effectiveness of intervention programs. Suggests the tightening of legal standards for parental rights to custody of their children in neglect cases. (RJC)

Describes funding and types of research done at the National Children's Bureau in Britian, an independent organization concerned with all aspects of children's needs. (SB)

Presents data which document widespread discriminatory practices against families with children in rental housing in metropolitan areas. (DB)

Argues that our society has neglected the needs of children and examines our "cultural ambivalence" towards children. (BF/JH)

Briefly discusses the establishment of a community-based child protection team for working with abused and neglected rural children in a county of 18,000 people. Lists five resources for advocacy groups to contact. (BR)

Discusses the changing community and legal attitudes towards medical treatment for minors without parental consent. New state statutes and recent court decisions pertaining to this issue are cited. (ED)

Discussion of U.S. Supreme Court decision (Ingrahm V. Wright) asserting that the Constitution's Eighth Amendment does not protect school children against cruel and unusual punishment and that the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment does not require notice and a hearing prior to the imposition of corporal punishment in the public…

Discusses the influence that parents have had on state agencies in developing services for children and adolescents with severe emotional problems through the Family Input Program in Kansas. The program provides a forum for parents to meet together and decide what actions to take in advocating for particular issues. (BB)