From the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, this paper provides an overview of methamphetamine, as social workers are seeing an increasing number of children and families affected by meth. Authors present the most current research on methamphetamine, its effects on families, and treatment options available.

A National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) publication entitled "Broke But Not Deadbeat: Reconnecting Low-Income Fathers and Children" addresses the circumstances faced by low-income fathers who are not able to meet their required child support payments, the implications and consequences for the children, and the opportunities available through the TANF, Welfare-to-Work, and Workforce Investment Act to assist this population.

Child abuse and domestic violence often co-occur in families, and such data has led child welfare programs to re-evaluate service delivery protocols for families. This article reviews Family to Family Grantee experiences and offers guidance on how to better serve families in the child welfare system facing domestic violence issues as well.

In 2002, 2.3 million children across the country resided with a relative -- 1.8 million of whom were not involved with the child welfare system. Using data from the National Survey of American's Families, this brief concludes that the standard of living for children in kinship placement has improved since 1997.

The AARP, Child Welfare League of America, Children's Defense Fund, and Generations United have created fact sheets containing current State information related to grandparents and kinship care. Information includes State census data on the number of grandparent caregivers, a list of kinship care family resources and services, State foster care policies for kinship caregivers, information about key public benefits programs, and State kinship care laws. Please click on the State to download the appropriate fact sheet.

This report was prepared as part of a collaboration between ACF, Caliber Associates, and Howard University School of Social Work. Responding to concerns about the overrepresentation of minority children in the child welfare system, particularly African-American children, this exploratory, qualitative study was initiated to gain insight into the issue of overrepresentation (or racial disproportionality) from the perspective of the child welfare community, including agency administrators, supervisors, and direct service workers. The study was conducted through a series of site visits to nine child welfare agencies to talk with agency administrators, supervisors, and workers, among others, about their perceptions and attitudes about the causes and consequences of racial disproportionalities. The site visits also documented information about the types of programs, practices, and strategies that are being implemented to meet the needs of children and families of color, particularly African-American children and families.

From California's Welfare Policy Research Project, this study was charged with investigating barriers to employment and services accessibility among TANF recipients in San Joaquin County, California. The following potential barriers were surveyed: physical and mental health, family violence, substance abuse, adequate child care, transportation, low education, poor English-language skills, and few work skills. The data is used to address which barriers affect full- and part-time employment among 400 respondents.

This newsletter, from the North Carolina Department of Social Services and the Family and Children's Resource program, gives guidance on best practices to serving families. The article focuses on fatherhood involvement in child welfare and strategies for improving engagement among fathers.

The Urban Institute, with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, conducted the Study of Fathers' Involvement in Permanency Planning and Child Welfare Casework. This study reviewed the extent to which child welfare agencies identify, locate, and involve nonresident fathers in case planning. This paper reviews the results of the study on the steps that child welfare agencies take with engaging nonresidential fathers,; possible barriers, and the policies that affect involvement.

Besides acting as a critical health problem, teen pregnancy is tied to a variety of other social issues, including welfare dependence, overall child well-being, out-of-wedlock births, fatherhood, and workforce development. Over half of all teen mothers go on welfare within five years after the birth of their first child. This resource discusses the importance of preventing teen pregnancy as it relates to these issues and the well-being of children.