Using an ecological framework, this study identified which factors related to out-of-home placements significantly influenced multiple placements for children in Utah during 2000, 2001, and 2002. Multinomial logistic regression statistical procedures and a geographical information system (GIS) were used to analyze the data. The final model…

Understanding models of multidisciplinary collaborations in child welfare has become essential for policy development, program success, and improving outcomes for children in foster care. The authors present the state of Maryland's Guardianship Assistance Project (GAP) as a model of multidisciplinary collaboration in child welfare and describe the…

Investigated 17 custodial and 18 noncustodial fathers of abused or neglected children to determine: (1) how fathers get custody; (2) how situations in which fathers get custody differ from those in which they do not; and (3) the degree to which father placements are satisfactory. (SAK)

Describes the addiction recovery process and its impact on parenting behaviors, as this information pertains to child welfare workers involved in family reunification decisions. Reviews two models of recovery, one from alcoholism and one from cocaine addiction, and discusses women's recovery issues, case examples, and child welfare applications.…

Explored the impact of caregiver alcohol and other drugs (AOD) use on child protective services (CPS) case substantiation: cases with indications of AOD use were more likely to be substantiated than those without. Compared CPS-involved and non- involved women in AOD treatment; increasing numbers of children and younger maternal ages are risk…

Investigated fathers' involvement in planning permanent kinship foster care for their children, examining frequency of contact between fathers and caseworkers, content of these contacts, and fathers' participation in permanency planning. Found that most fathers had no contact with caseworkers and had never participated in planning. Paternal…

Investigated outreach and interventions of caseworkers in out-of-home care agencies to determine whether the birthfather was involved as a resource for discharge planning. Found that casework activity levels were higher for birthmothers than for birthfathers, the number of problems identified for mothers was greater, and the number of services…

Draws from research on custody planning with HIV-infected parents, from clinical literature and experience, and from a training curriculum for child welfare workers developed and implemented by the author. Presents practical applications of the lessons learned about custody planning with HIV-involved families who are also involved with the state…

Discusses factors in providing safe, supervised setting for visits between parents and children who have been removed from them by child protective services. Presents common overestimations of parental capacity that doom visits, principles for effective visiting, and practical and inexpensive suggestions that are easy to implement and enjoyable…

Describes survey of households that uncovered cases of missing children that did not fall into the four federally defined categories of missing children. Suggests two of these categories, injured and lost children, should particularly be included in missing children's typologies. Notes that vulnerability to all four kinds of episodes was…

This study examined postadoption experiences of parents who adopted children in state custody 18-24 months prior to interview. Parents rated the adjustment year as being more smooth than stressful. They saw how the child contributed to their lives, but were less positive about available social supports, and were dissatisfied with the speed of…

Recounts circumstances of Minnesota parents whose extreme neglect and abuse of their young children caused the state to terminate parental rights. Highlights profiles of parents and children using administrative data, and reviews mothers', fathers' and children's characteristics; permanency plans; and agency services provided. Offers guidelines to…

Studied the influence of maternal substance abuse upon the placement of children in out-of-home care and the subsequent effects on mother-child visitation. Found five major factors that can promote or inhibit visiting: (1) mother's drug use and health status; (2) effect of visits on child; (3) transportation; (4) scheduling/visit settings; and (5)…

Examined placement stability among a cohort of children in out-of-home care. Found that children in kinship care, regardless of age, had fewer placement moves than those in nonkinship care. Children who had more than one placement move during their first year were more likely to experience placement instability in long-term out-of-home care. (JPB)

Presents a decision-making model which is based on selected philosophical concepts and professional ethical guidelines and is designed to help child welfare practitioners deal with ethical issues in all aspects of their work. Use of the model is demonstrated in its application to selected aspects of a case study involving child custody…