Despite recent improvements in child welfare placement stability, youth in foster care still experience high rates of school moves. Although these findings are well documented in the literature, few studies have considered the interplay between child welfare placements and school moves. The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of…

California is one of the early adopters of extended foster care. The California Fostering Connections Act (AB12) was signed into law on September 30, 2010. The law ensured that, starting January 1, 2012, eligible foster youth had the right to stay in care until their 21st birthday. In addition to having the largest state foster care population in…

This issue brief is one of three that focus on programs providing services to youth transitioning out of foster care in three common service domains: education, employment, and financial literacy and asset building. This brief highlights why employment services are important to youth currently or formerly in foster care, what we know about the…

This is the first brief in a series, "Building a Post-Care Service System in Child Welfare: Lessons Learned from the Frontlines of Implementation Science in Catawba County." This brief sets the stage for a three-part series on the Catawba County Child Wellbeing Project by describing the Project's origins and historical context. Topics…

Differential response (DR), also referred to as alternative response (AR), family assessment response (FAR), or multiple track response, was developed to incorporate family-centered, strengths-based practices into child protective services (CPS), primarily by diverting lower risk families into an assessment track rather than requiring the…

This report responds to the legislative requirement of Public Law 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of State and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Under direct certification, children are determined eligible for free school meals without the need for household applications by using data from other means-tested…

In 2003, Congress amended the Child Abuse Protection and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to require that all child victims of substantiated abuse or neglect under the age of 3 years be assessed for developmental concerns. To date, there has been little study of CAPTA's implementation in Part C early intervention programs. The "Professional…

President Clinton signed the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997, Public Law 105-89 105th Congress, 1st session on November 19, 1997. The ambitious new law aimed to reaffirm the focus on child safety in case decision making and to ensure that children did not languish and grow up in foster care but instead were connected with permanent…

This document contains testimonies and prepared statements from the Congressional oversight hearing called to examine the implementation and operation of the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984. Opening statements are included by Representatives Dale Kildee and Thomas Tauke. Witnesses providing testimony include: (1) Verne Speirs and…

The 1987 Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act and amendments provide considerable protection for the education of homeless children and youth. They also provide formula grants to state education agencies to carry out the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. This article reviews major program components and critiques these…

Describes elements of Sweden's child support system, such as provisions relating to eligibility, benefits, absent parent liability, enforcement and financing. Analyzes the role of child support in the broader context of other kinds of aid to single-parent families. Considers prospects for child support reform in the United States. (Author)

These transcripts present testimony from the first hearing on the reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), focusing on CAPTA's implementation and administration since its last reauthorization, and effective and ineffective practice in child abuse and neglect prevention. Opening statements were made by…

This report takes an in-depth look at the evidence of family well-being since the 1996 federal welfare legislation drawing on new national survey data, a review of studies by states and research institutions, and a compilation of findings from informal community-based monitoring projects. Disturbing findings include: Only a small fraction of…

Examines New Zealand legislation that allows families greater decision-making power when the safety and welfare of their children are seen to be at risk. Discusses the Family Group Conference intervention model and its efficacy, concerns and criticisms that this model has evoked, and the model's potential applicability to child care and protection…

The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 has made child safety an explicit focus in child welfare. The authors describe an automated critical incident reporting program designed for use in foster care and family-support programs. The program, which is based in Lotus Notes and uses e-mail to route incident reports from direct service staff to…