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)

Objectives: Children are often considered a primary motivator for women seeking substance abuse treatment. This study tested a model predicting treatment motivation in substance-abusing mothers. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study (DATOS). It used structural equation modeling to describe factors…

This study suggests that court procedures in Illinois must improve to assure that more children are placed in permanent homes in a timely way. The University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children examined the timeliness of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois' Child Protection Division in completing the sequence of hearings and…

Examined the relationship between divorced noncustodial fathers and their children from the perspective of both the mother and the father. Results indicate that divorced fathers are not necessarily absent parents and that both mothers and fathers consider post-divorce father involvement desirable. The only perceived change in paternal influence…

Objective: The 1998 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-98) is the first national study to document the rate of intentionally false allegations of abuse and neglect investigated by child welfare services in Canada. This paper provides a detailed summary of the characteristics associated with intentionally false…

Highlights four key areas of case law in which courts have begun to examine the effects of domestic violence on children: child custody and visitation; restraining orders; failure to protect a child from harm; and termination of parental rights. A survey of appellate court decisions since 1990 shows the ongoing need for mandatory judicial training…

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…

This study examines the experiences of loss among parents whose children were in child protective custody that resulted from false accusations of abuse or neglect. In practice, child protective service assessments more times than not clear parents of charges of wrongdoing, however the impact of these investigations on parents has not yet been…

Thirty-three mothers with mental retardation with or without a history of child abuse/neglect were compared. Abusing mothers had higher intelligence quotients, were married, and had at least two children. Removal of abused children occurred if the mother had a problem in addition to retardation or was unwilling to participate in a training…

Public awareness of the problem of child abuse and public willingness to participate in solving the problem have grown in recent years. To further the success of advocacy efforts, volunteer recruitment, fund-raising, and implementing programs for child abuse prevention and treatment, an understanding of both non-professionals' and professionals'…

Studied 205 children who were subjects of child protection investigations in 1995 in England. Found that for the vast majority, welfare needs were ignored in the process of investigation. Identified the need to refocus investigations and suggested criteria to be used to provide a clearer focus on whether to investigate a referral. (Author/LPP)

This Congressional report found that today's social and economic conditions harm large numbers of American families in ways that the child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice systems were not created and are ill-prepared to address. The following findings are reported: (1) the number of children placed outside of their homes during the…

Follow-up of 64 neglected and abused children, seen one to seven years earlier, with mentally retarded parent revealed that six children had been relinquished voluntarily for adoption; that courts had terminated parental rights for 34 children; and that nine had been placed in foster care. Cognitive limitations prevented parents from utilizing…

Placement outcomes for 206 severely maltreated Boston (Massachusetts) children 7.5 years after arraignment on care and protection petitions were examined, with attention to the percent permanently removed from parents, cases dismissed, temporary custody, drifting back to parents despite removal, time spent in probate proceedings, and rate of court…

Discusses development of indicators for the safety of children in out-of-home care using administrative data from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Reports rates of abuse and neglect from 1996 to 1999, and presents an alternative that accounts for the length of time children are exposed to abuse or neglect. (JPB)