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06 2005, Vol. 6, No. 5
Several separate Children's Bureau funding announcements will be published this year, rather than one consolidated announcement.
The first discretionary grant announcement, released on May 4, announced the availability of funds for tribes, tribal organizations, and migrant programs for community-based child abuse prevention programs. The funds must be used to support effective child abuse prevention activities that include an emphasis on strengthening marriages, reaching out to fathers, program evaluation, and enhancing linkages with the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Program State Lead Agency. It is anticipated that three grants will be made (one each for a tribe, tribal organization, and migrant program), and each grant will be $143,000. The deadline for submission of applications is July 5.
For general information about Children's Bureau discretionary grants, visit the Children's Bureau website at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/funding/index.htm. For information on specific grants, visit the following websites:
The Federal Register and Grants.gov websites both have options for requesting automated notification of grant availability. The Federal Register will send its Table of Contents each day; Grants.gov allows users to select multiple categories of funding announcements for automatic notification.
Print copies of funding announcements will not be mailed routinely but will be sent only to those who request them. For print announcements or other information about the grants process, call the ACYF Operations Center at (866) 796-1591.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=976
On December 8, 2003, President George W. Bush signed into law the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-173). Among other provisions, this law offers seniors and individuals with disabilities insurance coverage for prescription drugs. Medicare prescription drug plans may provide significant assistance with prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients involved with the child welfare system, including grandparent caregivers and children with special needs.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offer a monthly update to provide the public and other interested parties with up-to-date information on CMS's efforts to implement the new legislation. This update will contain information on what CMS accomplished in the past month as well as major activities scheduled for the coming month, such as key implementation dates and regulations being published. It is available at www.cms.hhs.gov/mmu. Automatic notification of updates is available.
The Medicare website also offers a number of publications regarding the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 that may help recipients make decisions regarding their coverage: www.medicare.gov/medicarereform.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=975
New guidelines are now available on the Children's Bureau website to help State and tribal agencies conduct comprehensive family assessments for families involved with the child welfare system. Comprehensive family assessments take into account not only presenting symptoms but also underlying causes for behaviors and conditions affecting children. These assessments may help agencies develop plans that match services to real needs and address families' key issues in the timeframes required by law.
Comprehensive family assessments are distinct from traditional assessments that have a more narrow focus on a specific topic, such as safety or development. Instead, comprehensive family assessments incorporate information collected through other assessments to provide a broad picture of family issues. Agency workers conducting family assessments strive to:
The new guidelines focus on these components and outline a 10-step process for comprehensive family assessment. This process is illustrated through an extensive case study. Administrative supports for comprehensive assessment also are discussed, including policies, services, staff training, supervision, coordination with other agencies, and accountability and evaluation.
The Comprehensive Family Assessment Guidelines for Child Welfare were developed through a coordinated effort of the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network (http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/reslist/cbttan/index.cfm). The publication can be accessed on the Children's Bureau website at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/family_assessment/index.htm. For more information, contact the National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning (http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/).
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=990
The National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues (NRCLJI) has collaborated with a number of other national and California-based legal and youth organizations to develop materials to implement California's Assembly Bill 490. This bill is designed to ensure that children and youth in foster care have stable school placements and equal access to necessary educational services and resources. The bill directs education and school placement decisions to be guided by the best interests of the child. It also requires every school agency to have a foster care liaison on staff whose duties include facilitating appropriate educational placements and ensuring that records are transferred and resources are made available.
The materials developed by NRCLJI are designed to be used by court officers, attorneys, agency staff, parents, foster parents, social workers, and school personnel to learn about their specific roles and responsibilities in ensuring that youth in foster care receive their full educational rights. In addition, the duties of the school agency's foster care liaison are described.
To access the materials, visit the NRCLJI website at www.abanet.org/child/rclji/education/ab490.html.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=2230
The National Abandoned Infants Assistance (AIA) Resource Center, together with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Children's Bureau and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, will hold an October conference designed to bring together a diverse set of stakeholders concerned about substance-exposed newborns and their families.
This national conference will provide an opportunity for a broad mix of professionals to discuss Federal, State, and local policies and exemplary practices that address the specialized needs of substance-exposed newborns. Multidisciplinary teams from several States will describe collaborative efforts to identify and address the needs of substance users and their newborns. Plenary sessions, facilitated discussions, community workgroups, and workshops will give attendees the opportunity to exchange information and learn about the most recent research and promising practices in the area of substance-exposed newborns and their families.
For more information on the October 6-7 conference, which will be held in Washington, DC, visit the AIA website at http://aia.berkeley.edu/training/annual_conference.html.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=2231
To help child welfare workers recognize the impact of substance abuse on families, the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare has released a new publication, Understanding Substance Abuse and Facilitating Recovery: A Guide for Child Welfare Workers.
The purpose of the guide is to help child welfare workers:
The guide is available online at www.ncsacw.samhsa.gov/files/understandingSAGuide.pdf. (PDF 416 KB)
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: News From the Children's Bureau
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=2232
With more than 500,000 children in foster care across the country, child welfare agencies are continually challenged to retain qualified foster parents. Understanding Foster Parenting: Using Administrative Data to Explore Retention, a new study published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), uses data from child welfare agencies in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Oregon to explore foster parent retention.
The report presents some surprising findings:
The research team conducted three types of analyses: 1) characteristics of foster parents over multiple years, 2) utilization of licensed homes, and 3) longitudinal analysis modeling the length of service in foster parenting. Consistent patterns of foster parent activity were identified:
Readers should note two important limitations. First, experiences of three States cannot be generalized to foster parents in other States. Second, these analyses do not provide much insight as to why foster parents stay or leave.
Print copies of this report can be ordered from the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov.
Related Item
Another study released in January by ASPE, Male Perpetrators of Child Maltreatment: Findings from NCANDS, explores the characteristics of male perpetrators of child maltreatment, the patterns of maltreatment and outcomes associated with male perpetrators, and a mother co-perpetrator's influence on the circumstances or outcomes. This report is available at http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/05/child-maltreat/ or from the Clearinghouse.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Child Welfare News
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=979
A recent report from the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study provides new information about how foster youth fare as adults and how changes in foster care services could improve their lives.
The study examined case records for 659 youth formerly in foster care (alumni) who were served by Casey Family Programs or the Oregon or Washington State child welfare agencies between 1988 and 1998. Researchers also interviewed 479 of these individuals between September 2000 and January 2002. Findings were collected in three areas: mental health, education, and employment and finances.
Key findings include:
The authors then conducted statistical simulations to estimate the effect that improving specific foster care services might have on youth outcomes. When foster care experiences (such as placement history and experience, education services and experience, and resources upon leaving care) were optimized, estimated outcomes improved, revealing the potential power of targeted program improvements. Based on these findings, the authors make a number of recommendations for policy and program reform.
The full report, Improving Family Foster Care: Findings from the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study, can be found on the Casey Family Programs website at www.casey.org/resources/publications/northwestalumnistudy.htm.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Child Welfare News
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=982
A working paper from the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago explores the effects of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) on children's chances of being adopted and time for adoptions to take place. Adoption Dynamics: An Update on the Impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act suggests that the passage of ASFA enhanced the effect of State policies and practices already in place to speed up the adoption process.
The purpose of the study was both to understand the effects of ASFA and to expand statistical methods of looking at adoption outcomes. Researchers used data from the Multistate Foster Care Data Archive, which includes placement records for about 1.67 million children in foster care. Data from seven archive States (Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio) were used. Instead of looking at data for a particular point in time, researchers looked at how cohorts of children, entering the foster care system during the same year, fared over a longer period.
Conclusions reached by the authors include:
The authors note that as more data become available for later cohorts in the study, findings are subject to substantial change.
Adoption Dynamics: An Update on the Impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, by Fred Wulczyn, Kristen Hislop, and Lijun Chen, is available on the Chapin Hall website at http://www.chapinhall.org/article_abstract.aspx?ar=1384.
Related Item
Read more about the impact of ASFA in earlier issues of Children's Bureau Express:
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Child Welfare News
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=977
Families with infants at risk for abuse or neglect who received home visitors as part of the Healthy Families New York program showed positive effects in parenting, child health and development, and parental life course development. The impact of this home visiting program was apparent at the 1-year evaluation, according to a recent report by the Center for Human Services Research at the University of Albany.
While home visiting programs are widely used throughout the country as a prevention strategy for child abuse and neglect, their results have been mixed. The evaluation of the Healthy Families New York program was designed to provide data on the Healthy Families model, using rigorous randomized design methodology that compared 1,157 eligible families assigned to intervention or control groups. Families in the intervention group were enrolled in established Healthy Families programs in one of three locations in New York. Most were enrolled before the target child was born.
During the first enrollment year, intervention families received home visits from specially trained paraprofessionals who lived in the community. These visits were designed to:
Compared to the control group, families in the intervention group reported having engaged in fewer acts of abuse and neglect of their children, although there were no significant differences between the groups in the percentages of parents with substantiated CPS reports. Parents in the program delivered significantly fewer babies with low birth weights and were more likely to have health insurance for their children than were control parents. In addition, the program was able to assist some parents in reducing depression and use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.
Recommendations are made to continue the Healthy Families New York program with certain modifications. These modifications include:
The full report, Evaluation of Healthy Families New York (HFNY): First Year Program Impacts, is available online at www.albany.edu/chsr/reports/25561_inside_88.qxd.pdf. (PDF 480 KB)
Related Items
More information about home visiting is available on the Home Visit Forum, a website supported by a consortium of administrators, practitioners, and researchers representing six nationally based programs: Early Head Start, Healthy Families America, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, the Nurse-Family Partnership, Parents As Teachers, and the Parent-Child Home Program. The website offers information about research and collaborative home visiting projects. For more information, visit www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/home-visit/index.html.
In addition, Children's Bureau Express has covered the topic of home visiting in previous issues:
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Strategies and Tools for Practice
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=980
Children in foster care face a number of experiences—including abuse, neglect, separation from family members, and frequent changes of foster homes and schools—that place them at risk for educational difficulties. Yet the educational needs of children in foster care often go unmet. Project Achieve, a model program developed by Advocates for Children (AFC) of New York, has shown promise in ensuring children in, or at risk of, foster care placement receive appropriate educational services. The program is documented in a new report, Project Achieve: A Model Project Providing Education Advocacy for Children in the Child Welfare System.
Conceived as a model for bringing AFC's education expertise and advocacy directly to families and staff members at foster care and preventive services agencies, the program employs three key strategies:
The Project Achieve model was first piloted at Louise Wise Services (LWS), a private preventive services and foster care agency in New York City, from the fall of 2002 to the spring of 2004. During that period, Project Achieve responded to 134 requests for assistance. Preliminary findings include:
AFC is currently replicating the model project at two other foster care and preventive services agencies in New York City. The full report can be downloaded at www.advocatesforchildren.org/pubs/ProjectAchievefinal.doc.
Related Items
Read more about educational supports for children in foster care in previous issues of Children's Bureau Express:
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Strategies and Tools for Practice
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=981
The use, sale, and manufacture of methamphetamine (meth) is a growing problem across the United States. Children whose parents are meth users are at an increased risk of being abused or neglected. In addition, children who are present in home labs where meth is commonly manufactured are at risk of exposure to toxic chemicals and other hazards.
The April 2005 issue of Children's Services Practice Notes, a quarterly newsletter published by the North Carolina Division of Social Services, is devoted entirely to helping child welfare workers respond to the impact of meth on families and children. This issue, "Meth and Family-Centered Child Welfare Practice," offers practical information on what meth is, how to recognize signs of meth use, how to recognize a meth lab, and how to respond to clients without sacrificing the safety of the client, child, or worker. Changes to law and policy also are discussed.
The issue can be downloaded at www.practicenotes.org/vol10_n2/cspnv10n2.pdf. (PDF 286 KB)
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=2223
In recent years, child welfare agencies have placed increasing emphasis on preserving and maintaining sibling relationships for children in foster care. The July 2005 issue of Children and Youth Services Review is devoted entirely to this topic. Much of the research shows a distinct difference in outcomes for children who are placed with at least one sibling on such dimensions as the stability of placements, mental health and socialization, and dealing with the trauma of separation from the family.
Children and Youth Services Review is published by Elsevier Science, Inc. Ordering information is available online at www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01907409.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=2224
Among the provisions of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 is the requirement that a petition for termination of a parent's rights be filed when a child has been in out-of-home care for 15 of the most recent 22 months. A few exceptions are permitted; one is when the State agency can document a compelling reason that termination would not be in the child's best interest.
Amid concern that the "compelling reason" exception has been overused, the Child and Family Services Agency of the District of Columbia asked the Center for the Study of Social Policy to review the situation across the country and develop recommendations. The resulting paper, Criteria and Procedures for Determining a "Compelling Reason" Not to File a TPR: Discussion Paper and Approved Recommendations, looks at the laws, policies, and practices of several States. It provides criteria for making a "compelling reason" determination and outlines a process for documenting and reviewing those determinations.
The paper can be found online at www.cssp.org/uploadFiles/compellingReasons.pdf. (PDF 126 KB)
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=2225
A considerable body of research confirms the connection between child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency, as evidenced by the high number of maltreated children who later commit delinquent acts and the number of juvenile delinquents who have histories of CPS involvement. A new publication from the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), Guidebook for Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare System Coordination and Integration: Framework for Improved Outcomes, offers practical guidance for promoting integration and coordination of services between two systems that have historically operated quite separately.
The guidebook is designed to help jurisdictions determine what efforts will best achieve improved outcomes for children and families. The book divides the process into five stages: initiation, data collection, assessment, strategy building, and implementation. Appendices offer information on Federal child welfare and juvenile justice laws and programs.
The Guidebook is available on the CWLA website at www.cwla.org/programs/juvenilejustice/jjguidebook.htm.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=2226
The National Data Analysis System, maintained by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), offers a comprehensive collection of statistics and data on State child welfare services. The system was recently updated to include 2002 Urban Institute data and 2003 CWLA State agency survey data (part 2). Users can customize the data output by requesting data for a particular State and time period, and public child welfare agency users can access another level of data through a login function. Visit the website at http://ndas.cwla.org/ and click on the "What's New" section to view these recent updates.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=2227
Adoption professionals can utilize a new online resource that promotes and supports the use of evidence-based practices. The Virginia-based website, "The Adoption Professionals' Resource," focuses primarily on the adoption of children from foster care. Resources include links for innovative practices, publications, and the needs assessment and first year evaluation report from the Children's Bureau-funded Quality Improvement Center on Adoption. View the website at www.bestadoptva.org/index.xhtml.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=2228
ACTION for Child Protection (ACTION) provides consultation, training, and technical assistance to child welfare agencies and also operates the National Resource Center for Child Protective Services. One highlight of the ACTION website is a series of monthly articles on child safety in the child protective services system. Past articles, available through the "article archive," cover such diverse topics as child safety and the legal process, supervising the safety intervention, and unexplained injuries. Learn more about ACTION from their website at www.actionchildprotection.org. The child safety articles can be found at www.actionchildprotection.org/cs_articles.htm.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=2229
The Grantsmanship Center website offers one-stop shopping for State funding resources. Visitors to the funding section of the website (www.tgci.com/funding/states.asp) can click on their State to find information on:
Information also is provided on upcoming Grantsmanship Center trainings in that State.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Resources
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=985
The Center for the Improvement of Child Caring (CICC) offers an ongoing series of workshops around the country to prepare instructors to lead Effective Black Parenting classes. The workshops for instructors are intensive 5-day sessions that provide staff with training, materials, and certification to lead these classes in the community.
Effective Black Parenting is an evidence-based national model program developed by CICC that approaches African-American parenting with an achievement orientation. The program covers the topics of culturally sensitive parenting strategies, general parenting strategies, parenting using African-American language expressions and African proverbs, and special topics such as single parenting and drug abuse.
In addition to its Effective Black Parenting training for instructors, CICC offers workshops for instructors in their Confident Parenting program, Los Niños Bien Educados program, and Steps to Independence for Young Children with Special Needs.
For more information, visit the CICC website at www.ciccparenting.org.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Training and Conferences
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=986
15th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect Website
The website for the 15th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, held April 18 to 23, 2005, is now available at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/profess/conferences/cbconference/index.cfm. View online videos of plenary speeches, read abstracts of all conference presentations, find contact information for all speakers and presenters, and more. Sponsored by the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this conference provided opportunities to hear nationally known experts in child abuse and neglect and discuss the latest research and programs in the field. The conference theme, "Supporting Promising Practices and Positive Outcomes: A Shared Responsibility," promoted interagency collaboration, as well as collaboration across disciplines, to maximize resources and provide more effective services to protect children and strengthen families.
Upcoming national conferences on adoption and child welfare through September 2005 include:
July
August
September
Further details about national and regional adoption and child welfare conferences can be found through the "Conference Calendar Search" feature on the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information (http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/profess/conferences/index.cfm) and National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/conferences/index.cfm) websites.
Issue Date:
06 2005
Section: Training and Conferences
URL: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm?event=website.viewArticles&issueid=65&articleid=987
Child Welfare Information Gateway
www.childwelfare.gov
800.394.3366
Children's Bureau, 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW, Eighth Floor
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EMAIL: cb_express@childwelfare.gov