This article is a 20-year evaluation of the Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) of Child and Family Services in Western Manitoba. Following Levenstein's (1979, 1988) approach, home visitors model parent-child interchanges using books and toys to enhance children's cognitive development through appropriate parenting behaviors. The evaluation provides…

A 3-year study evaluated a program to prevent unnecessary out-of-home placement of children. The program combines family preservation and family support services into a comprehensive yet individualized response to families. Findings indicate that four program elements correspond with those identified as characterizing family preservation programs,…

Describes several innovative types of shared family-care arrangements that demonstrate promise in the protection of children and the promotion of family well-being. Emphasizes the shared-family foster-care model, whereby children and parents are placed with host families rather than separating them. Notes key elements of the model: funding and…

Reviews the literature that identifies substance abuse as a primary contributing factor to child abuse and neglect. Describes a three-year research demonstration project currently in its second year that is designed to identify substance-abusing families; stabilize families' current situation; and improve the likelihood of families' long-term…

Discusses policy and program innovations in toddler day care and family support services in Europe, focusing on educational opportunities in Denmark, France, Italy, Finland, Sweden, and England. Reviews the implications of these innovations for toddler day care and family support services in the United States. (MDM)

Describes a caseload weighting system used by a voluntary child welfare agency which successfully increased caseworker-client contact and improved the quality of the delivery of child and family services. (BB)

Presents an overview of the Minneapolis Domestic Abuse Project's program of support and education groups for children of battered women. Discusses clinical issues involved in working with these children. (BB)

Describes a home-based intervention program that provided time-intensive, supervised, paraprofessional services to a family in which parents and infant had serious disabilities. Programmatic needs and delivery of services to disabled parents and families are discussed. (NH)

Identifies factors contributing to difficulties involved in developing ethnic sensitivity training for child protective services caseworkers. Examines frameworks for training caseworkers in ethnic sensitivity. Proposes a new approach to improving caseworkers' ability to complete ethnically sensitive assessments and discusses implications of this…

Describes the Community Systems initiative, a collaborative project underway in Ontario to involve neighborhood residents, broad community networks, government, and nongovernmental organizations in the support of children and families. The initiative's goal is to improve the well-being of children, youth, and their families by finding ways to use…

Provides descriptive information about visiting services developed by the Family Connection Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, that could serve as a model for the development of similar services in other communities. Describes the center's services to families with children in placement and program variations for divorced parents and their children.…

Describes a special foster care demonstration project--AIDS Foster Care Project--designed to provide foster home care to children with AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and AIDS-Related Complex through the Leake and Watts Children's Home, a New York City multiservice child caring agency. (Author/BB)

Reviews the programs of eight nonprofit agencies in New York State that provide parenting training and direct assistance to parents who are mentally retarded. Briefly profiles the families in these programs. Discusses program experiences and common lessons learned by the programs. Sets forth guidelines for work with similar clients. (AS)

Describes the techniques of future questioning, which can be used as an alternative to placement of adolescents in foster homes. The Child and Family Services of Central Manitoba, Canada, have found the techniques useful in working with parents who abdicate their parental responsibilities. Two case studies highlight the discussion. (BB)

Identifies the major themes that have emerged in this special issue on child welfare in Canada, and presents a critique of the policies and practices now dominating the Canadian child welfare enterprise. Outlines the changes required to move child welfare from its residual stance into an enterprise that develops a capacity for innovative practice.…