The Prevention Initiative Demonstration Project, funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), is a community-specific strategy delivered through eight regional networks designed to address the full spectrum of community-based prevention. This article summarizes a strong and meaningful pattern of improvements…

This article describes a community assessment process designed to evaluate a specific child welfare jurisdiction based on the current definition of trauma-informed child welfare and its essential elements. This process has recently been developed and pilot tested within three diverse child welfare systems in the United States. The purpose of the…

Describes a demonstration project for placement planning and support service in a public agency. Reports program outcomes of increased stability in foster care placements for adolescents who had multiple placement failures and who were alienated from family and other social institutions. (NH)

Describes a behavior modification program that has proved effective with boys with learning and behavior problems. (SB)

A preliminary report on a year-old pilot project attempting to formulate protocols for measuring goal achievement in residential treatment. (SS)

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…

Describes the development and evaluation of a community-based program that provided an alternative to residential care by providing "wraparound" services to children with moderate to severe emotional difficulties. Program goals were preventing admission to residential care, maintaining children in the area, and assisting in early…

A project set up to combine the treatment skills of a voluntary agency and the educational expertise of grade school teachers resulted in improved adjustment by acting-out, underachieving children. The demonstration sheds light on the essentials for away-from-school programs of this kind. (SDH)

Summarizes the objectives, conceptual model, results, and implications of a project called Foster Care Training: A Comprehensive Approach, in British Columbia, Canada, which was designed to illustrate ways in which a networking model can provide increased support and training for participating foster parents. (BB)

Describes the Fresno Amicus Program, a program of volunteer, court-appointed advocates who assist in cases of abuse and neglect involving minority families. Also describes an outcome study of the program. In the amicus group, significantly fewer children were placed in long-term foster care than in the comparison group. Significantly more children…

Describes a program of early mental health services intervention for younger elementary school students who demonstrate moderate to severe behavioral and/or emotional problems. (Author/DB)