Objective: The measurement of Family Feedback on Child Welfare Services (FF-CWS) is gaining prominence as an efficacy indicator and is coherent with concerns about family-centered practice and empowerment. The aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument that would overcome the scarcity of psychometrically sound measures in this…

This case study describes the Enough Abuse Campaign, a multidisciplinary, statewide effort to prevent child sexual abuse in Massachusetts. The study uses the Institute of Medicine's Framework for Collaborative Community Action on Health to provide a systematic description of the campaign's process of implementation, which includes: (a) developing…

This brief summarizes the working paper, "The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain," and explains why neglect, or the absence of responsive, supportive care, can affect the formation of the developing brain, impairing later learning, behavior, and health. The brief also includes…

The lack of culturally appropriate health and mental health care has contributed to the large number of African American youth and families involved in the child welfare system. This article reviews the consequences of the insufficient access to culturally sensitive, evidence-supported interventions for African American foster youth. The authors…

Examines the concept and application of prevention programs in the child welfare services, and provides a framework for child welfare services based on the public health model of prevention, which focuses on helping program administrators identify and plan services and programs for target populations at different stages in their development. (CM)

Conflict between new child welfare service priorities and underlying attitudes is a major factor contributing to supervisory burnout. Training to prevent or alleviate supervisory burnout should be directed first to the development of realistic coping strategies and secondly to resolving problems of organizational structure in the work place.…

Examines the implications of a family-focused life cycle approach for delivering health and welfare services to developmentally disabled children and their families. (CM)

Focuses on two major and general approaches to analyzing the problems of child abuse; briefly discusses the prevention implications; deals with the individual physical abuse of children, with particular emphasis on the relationship between theoretical formulations of the causes of individual physical abuse and preventative programs; and, finally,…

Written as though the date were 2007 (20 years after a proposal was made to dismantle protective services for abused children and start anew), this paper examines problems with the 1987 service system, outlines a major restructuring of existing programs, and hypothesizes about the impressive results during the ensuing 20 years. (JDD)

Social service workers and artists from 16 cities attended a conference to share their experiences and hopes for child welfare. The conference opened with a theater performance telling the story of an inner city teenager who dreams of dancing professionally but becomes involved in selling crack; the audience helps to create the story's ending.…

This compilation of four annual newsletter issues on services for children with emotional disturbances presents reports of activities, meetings, services, and programs around the country as well as various feature articles. Activities funded under the Child and Adolescent Service System Program are highlighted. In the Winter 1988-89 issue, an…

This report documents the development and progress of Marin City Families First (MCFF), a project undertaken in Marin City (California) in 1993 by the Far West Laboratory's (FWL) Center for Child and Family Studies. Its goal was to develop a model comprehensive child and family support system for low-income communities. In pursuing its objective…

Outlines the experience of a school system in Quincy, Massachusetts to meet the state's mandated responsibility relating to child abuse. The program includes: provision of clear-cut, systemwide guidelines; availability of a resource person; opportunities for staff communication relating to child abuse experiences; and establishing ties to involved…

In spite of the most adverse circumstances, some children manage to survive and even thrive, academically and socially, into adulthood. A complex array of individual, family, and community factors has been identified that best explains resilience and lays the foundation for programs and interventions targeted at fostering the development and…

This manual assists state agencies in developing public policy and programs to address prevention and treatment for the abuse of alcohol and other drugs by women during pregnancy. It stresses the importance of collaborative action among the many agencies involved. The first chapter is a specific call for collaboration, noting several federal…