Evidence-based programs will be useful to the extent they produce benefits to individuals on a socially significant scale. It appears the combination of effective programs and effective implementation methods is required to assure consistent uses of programs and reliable benefits to children and families. To date, focus has been placed primarily…

Since the first child care Quality Rating System (QRS) was implemented in Oklahoma 11 years ago (in 1998), 16 additional statewide systems have been launched and numerous states are piloting or developing a QRS (Zaslow, Tout, & Martinez-Beck, forthcoming). As QRS stakeholders across the nation look ahead to the next decade, it is important to take…

The North Carolina State Legislature made outpatient commitment (OPC) criteria less restrictive than involuntary hospitalization criteria, provided an enforcement mechanism, gave facilities and staff immunity from liability, and allocated funds for OPC patients. Data collected in a state-wide study of civil commitment respondents in North Carolina…

This report presents an assessment of the implementation and the two-year impacts of a program in Texas that aimed to promote job placement, employment retention, and advancement among applicants and recipients to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The program in Texas is part of the Employment Retention and Advancement…

Identifies and elaborates several programs in British Columbia which have been designed to strengthen the family. The programs are evaluated to assess their impact on family health. Some forces in education which have affected the family-school partnership are also analyzed. (JAC)

Measures of quality are now in widespread use across states as part of quality improvement initiatives. For example, many states are currently using global measures of quality that were first developed for research and practice purposes (such as the Environmental Rating Scales) in their Quality Rating Systems (QRSs). Although global quality…

A hearing was held for the purpose of receiving testimony concerning the Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1990. The first panel provided testimony about: (1) the delivery of human services in northern Iowa that are funded through the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and the need for continued block grant funding; (2) CSBG funding of…

In response to the problems caused by categorical funding for services to children and families, the National Commission on Children recommended a series of changes in the organization, administration, and implementation of programs at all levels of government, to encourage a more collaborative and comprehensive service delivery system, including…

Data were gathered from all state Medicaid programs, 11 health insurance carriers, and 140 firms offering health insurance to employees, concerning coverage of various services needed by young children with disabilities, including ancillary therapies, mental health services, and case management. Results revealed that Medicaid offered the greatest…

During fiscal year (FY) 1993, North Carolina's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services expended $76.2 million to provide vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to 59,821 North Carolinians. These VR services were delivered by 378 caseload-carrying counselors and their required administrative support in 32 unit offices. Of 13,781 persons…

The state of Washington implemented the Readiness to Learn program as part of the state's Family Policy Initiative. The primary goal of the program is to serve as a formal link between education and human services by authorizing grants to local school-linked, community-based consortia to develop and implement strategies that ensure children arrive…

This report highlights the progress of the 15 statewide family advocacy projects funded by the Center for Mental Health Services of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration during the 1993 fiscal year. Section 1 provides an historical background and a summary of the interim report. A qualitative description of the…

A study gathered information on the estimated population eligible to be served by the federal-state vocational rehabilitation (VR) program. It contrasted those accepted and those not, described services clients received, and evaluated the program's outcomes. The study found that, in national surveys in the 1980s, 14-18 million people reported work…

Connecticut's Jobs First program, which began operating in January 1996, combines a time limit on welfare receipt with generous financial work incentives and requires recipients to participate in employment-related services targeted toward rapid job placement. The impacts of the Jobs First program were examined by following several thousand…

This report examines implementation and impacts of Ramsey County's Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), a "work first" program. Chapter 1 lists key findings, provides an overview of the Ramsey County variant (MFIP-R) evaluation, and policy relevance of MFIP-R. Chapter 2 describes key features of MFIP-R and compares them with…