The purpose of the Crimes against Children Series is to improve and expand the national effort to serve child victims by presenting the latest information on child victimization. When a child is assaulted it is not only a child welfare problem, it is a crime, yet there is a lack of data available for researchers to analyze. Use of the National…

This paper suggests that research has shown that street youth are running from homes characterized by domestic violence, parental drug and alcohol abuse, or child abuse or neglect. This packet describes federal support for helping runaway and homeless youth and reviews implementation of the "Street Outreach Program" and best practices.…

This paper provides counselors and other helping professionals with tools for assessment of and intervention in grieving families that have suffered the loss of a child or fetus through illness, accident, violence, or miscarriage. Helping professionals who don't specialize in grief issues can especially benefit from this information, as many…

"Speak Out for Children" is the quarterly newsletter of the Children's Rights Council, Inc. (CRC), a children's rights and family preservation advocacy group. The feature articles for these four issues track the progress of the access/visitation grants included in the welfare reform legislation; the grants are to help establish and…

This article describes the results of an empirical study of the relationship of eligibility criteria and noneligibility factors to the use of public assistance. Some commonly held beliefs about welfare recipients are questioned. (Author)

Outlines the types of separation threats common in troubled families. Signs that threats are being used may include inappropriate clinging behavior, phobias, psychosomatic symptoms, and anxious attachment. Therapists may find other behaviors, often seen as problems in themselves, that are really reactions to perceived separation threats. (JAC)

Presents a model of crisis intervention counseling which outlines a professionally appropriate and realistic structure for effectively treating adolescent suicidal patients and their families. Discusses primary goals of the initial, intervention, and termination sessions which help adolescents communicate their emotional conflicts to their…

Reviews literature on child abuse, wife beating, and incest, and examines social and psychological explanations of these problems. Argues that family violence must be considered in the context of power relations and sex and age inequalities. Suggests that research on family violence requires both qualitative, theoretical analysis and empirical…

Reports on a study addressing two issues: (1) the impact of problem-solving and communication skills training on the conflict-related behavior of parents and their young adolescent children; and (2) the additive effect of homework and session discussions designed to enhance generalized use and impact of skills in the home setting. (CMG)

Giving specific attention to the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of joint custody, this article proposes multilevel-multivariable life cycle guidelines for future child custody research. Critical issues are discussed, empirical questions raised, and salient variables examined for both the divorced family and the social system.…

Categorizes disturbances between parents and their infants as parent-originated, infant-originated and society-originated disturbances. Recommends counseling interventions for preventing and treating such disturbances. (Author/RC)

Studied the role of social networks in parents' decisions to join Parents Anonymous (PA) a self-help group for parents with child abuse problems. Only 80 percent of respondents discussed PA with family and friends before joining and most were selective in telling those they thought would be supportive. (JAC)

Studied factors associated with family treatment: attendance and continuation as related to chronicity of the presenting problem, nature of referral source, initial clinical perceptions of family and predictions about termination, and family attendance in evaluation and treatment sessions. Attendance and continuation were not related with family…

Compared families with an adolescent girl who scored high on maturity, with families with an adolescent girl who scored low. Adolescents in the high scoring group came from families described as flexible and trusting. The high scoring adolescents were less likely to be triangled into the marital relationship. (Author)