The Relationship Between Caseworker Assessments of Clients’ Social Networks and Child Welfare Placement Outcomes

Record Description
In this study, published by the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, caseworkers provided information regarding a mother’s number and quality of social supports and whether an infant was removed from her care. Analyses indicated that infants were less likely to be removed from the mother’s care when caseworkers viewed maternal social supports as positive. This association was strongest when the caseworker identified only positive supports, with no contacts defined as non-positive. Mothers who were assessed to have no intimate relationship or a low level of commitment were nearly twice as likely to have their children in foster care compared to mothers assessed to be in a mid-to-high level of committed relationship. Results suggest that caseworkers’ distinctions between positive and non-positive social networks influence removal decisions. (author abstract)
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2014-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://familiesinsocietyjournal.org/doi/pdf/10.1606/1044-3894.2015.96.4
Publication Date
2015-01-01

Collaborating with Kinship Caregivers: A Competency-Based, Research to Practice Training Program for Child Welfare Workers and Their Supervisors

Record Description
This publication, designed for public and private direct service child welfare workers and community and faith based organizations, outlines a 12-hour curriculum which provides a model of practice for collaborating with kinship caregivers. The purposes of the training program are to: help achieve the outcomes of child safety, well-being, and permanency that are identified in the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA); and provide meaningful support to kinship families, including use of the resources in the 2008 Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act. This curriculum was designed by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) as an integral part of CWLA’s Kinship Care Traditions of Caring and Collaborating Model of Practice.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2014-06-30T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://www.cwla.org/collaborating-with-kinship-caregivers/
Publication Date
2014-07-01

Rural Child Poverty

Record Description
Child Trends provided commentary on the state of rural child poverty. In the commentary, they cite Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers 2015 report, which evaluates the devastating health disparities between the rich and poor living in major cities around the world. Additionally, the report assesses the well-being of mothers and children in 179 countries. Authors also mention a recent analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS), which notes that more than one in four rural children are living in families with incomes below the official poverty line.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2016-01-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
State of the World's Mothers 2015 Report
USDA Economic Research Service Analysis
Publication Date
2016-02-01

Study of Coordination of Tribal TANF and Child Welfare Services: Final Report

Record Description

In 2011, fourteen tribes and tribal organizations received grants from the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) for coordination of Tribal TANF and child welfare services to Tribal families. These grants were designed to provide innovative and relevant approaches to coordinating services between TANF and child welfare systems. This report from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation summarizes the grantees’ experiences with providing culturally-relevant services in Tribal TANF and child welfare. Results show that programs were able to pool resources, share information, and expand services to families served.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2015-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/resource/study-of-coordination-of-tribal-tanf-and-c…
Publication Date
2016-01-01

“It May Be the Missing Piece” – Exploring the Mentoring of Youth in Systems of Care

Record Description
This report from Portland State University summarizes the discussion that took place at the 2011 Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring, a gathering of over 50 mentoring researchers, practitioners, service providers, and policymakers that focused on mentoring youth in the juvenile justice, child welfare, public welfare, mental health, and drug and alcohol treatment systems. For multi-service programs using mentoring, the key takeaways from this gathering include the importance of understanding how mentoring fits into an organization’s theory of change, having high expectations of mentors, researching and testing the mentoring model, and ensuring that the mentoring program is sustainable.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2010-12-31T19:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://www.pdx.edu/mentoring-research/sites/www.pdx.edu.mentoring-research/file…
Publication Date
2011-01-01

Systems of Care Toolkit: Training, Development, and Human Resources

Record Description
This toolkit from the Child Welfare Information Gateway and National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care Resources was developed for the Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau Demonstration Initiative, “Improving Child Welfare Outcomes Through Systems of Care.” The toolkit provides practical information to help communities plan, build, and sustain systems to improve outcomes for children and families. The focus is on staff training, workshops, coaching, mentoring, and other learning opportunities that challenge employees to perform to the best of their ability. The resource also provides real-life examples from states that have implemented systems change models.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2016-06-13T20:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
SFS Category
Region
City/County
URL
https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/management/reform/soc/communicate/initiativ…

National Conference of State Legislatures: Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Record Description
Adolescent pregnancy and parenthood are closely associated with a host of social and economic issues that affect teen parents, their children and society. Teenage mothers are less likely to finish high school and are more likely to live in poverty, depend on public assistance, and be in poor health than slightly older mothers. Their children are more likely to suffer health and cognitive disadvantages, come in contact with the child welfare and correctional systems, live in poverty, drop out of high school and become teen parents themselves. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) examines teen pregnancy prevention and provides statistics and resources related to teen pregnancy and educational achievement, economic wellbeing, youth in foster care, and federally funded initiatives.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2016-05-23T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/teen-pregnancy-prevention.aspx

OFA National Policy Academy Webinar: Family Assessment Tools

Record Description

The Office of Family Assistance and its Systems to Family Stability National Policy Academy hosted a webinar on Assessing Family History, Needs, and Well-Being to Improve TANF Services to Families on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 EDT. Many Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, and other programs serving low-income individuals and families, are seeking ways to better measure and assess how family histories and current family functioning affect service planning and delivery. With the increased focus on intergenerational approaches across human service systems, many are seeking new and improved ways to improve overall family well-being. This webinar was designed to help Systems to Family Stability National Policy Academy, TANF, and other human service system stakeholders understand how assessing family functioning, history, and experience can improve outcomes for TANF and other human service system participants. Speakers discussed how family assessment tools are administered and used by TANF, child welfare, and other stakeholder programs. They also addressed how these tools can be used to measure improvements in family well-being and create opportunities to use data to improve service planning. Presenters included: Lisa Washington-Thomas from the Office of Family Assistance; Jill Tichenor from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services; Debbie Davis from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services; and Karla Aguirre and Marion Eckersley, both from the Utah Department of Workforce Services.

Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2016-05-18T09:00:00
Source
OFA Initiatives
SFS Category
Region
City/County
URL
View Webinar
Publication Date
2016-04-25
Upload Files
Attachment Size
Webinar PowerPoint 4.18 MB

TANF – Child Welfare Collaboration

Record Description
This bibliography from the Child Welfare Information Gateway shares literature and tools on TANF child-only cases and TANF-child welfare collaboration. It includes a wide range of resources, including an online toolkit on strategies to coordinate child welfare and TANF services, as well as literature and research on the right of child-only cases.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2016-04-18T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/TANF_webinar_bibliography.pdf

Protective Factors Approaches in Child Welfare

Record Description
This Child Welfare Information Gateway issue brief provides an overview of protective factors that prevent and treat child abuse and neglect. It is designed to help policymakers, administrators, child welfare and related professionals understand the concepts of risk and protective factors in families and communities and learn ways to decrease child maltreatment risks.
Record Type
Posting Date
Combined Date
2016-04-18T20:00:00
Source
Region
City/County
URL
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/issue-briefs/protective-factors/