Intended for workshop planners, the document offers guidelines to organizing and designing a family education workshop or inservice program for families of developmentally disabled individuals. Section I focuses on steps in developing a family education workshop including identifying needs, determining goals and objectives, organizing the program,…

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday, February 17, 2009. It is the broadest and largest funding package in American history. The intent of the statute is to stimulate the economy both through direct spending on a range of programs and to create tax relief. The package makes investments…

This collection of materials presents "Grandletters," a correspondence program designed to strengthen the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren separated by distance, by having them exchange 10 letters on special topics, keep a scrapbook and a journal, and do other optional activities. The materials include three separate…

Describes four successful public library programs for families and gives suggestions for planning programs and measuring their success. (LLS)

Family support programs have proliferated in many different settings in response to an increasing emphasis in the public policy arena on a family support strategy. These guidelines for effective family support practice represent the consensus of family support practitioners as assessed in focus groups with over 2,000 staff and parent participants.…

In compliance with California's Proposition 10 (Children and Families First Act), county commissions are being asked to monitor what differences the family support programs they are funding are making in the lives of the children and families they serve. Each commission has the responsibility of selecting a set of indicators to measure the impact…

This guide outlines 10 basic steps for policymakers and practitioners interested in creating Second Chance Homes in their areas. Second Chance Homes provide stable, nurturing environments for teen families with access to child care, education, job training, counseling, and advice on parenting and life skills. The guide is based on interviews with…

Noting that family resource centers (FRC) embody the comprehensive approach needed to respect families and meet their needs for providing their children with a healthy, nurturing beginning, and that financing issues fundamentally affect how responsive family resource centers will be to the needs of the people they serve, this guide was developed…

Many communities are rethinking their ideas of mutual support, social economy, and community economic development and are using "Time Dollars" strategies to build on their existing support networks and create a strong and valued social economy. This book provides an introduction to the social capital strategy of Time Dollars and presents…

Noting that over 90 percent of private child welfare agencies in the United States are church related, this book expands the rather limited professional literature on the distinctive characteristics of a church context for providing social services to children and families. The two parts of the book deal with the foundations of the church's care…

A bilingual pamphlet containing practical law-related information for recent Russian Jewish immigrants to New York City, this document concerns family matters. Following a brief description of the Newcomer series, 9 questions are listed, each followed by an answer. Questions asked include a definition of the family; legal requirements for getting…

One requirement of The California Children and Families First Act (Proposition 10) is "to facilitate the creation and implementation of an integrated, comprehensive, and collaborative system of information and services to enhance optimal early childhood development." This report provides policymakers and others with working information…

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is designed to encourage banks and thrifts to meet the financial credit and service needs of low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, requiring that lenders use their private-sector resources to meet the financing needs of all communities in which lenders conduct business. This brief outlines several types of…

Home visiting is a way of providing services to children and families. Based on the experiences of home visitors in Vermont, this booklet discusses promising home visiting practices. Following a preface and introduction, the book's sections are: (1) "The Home Visiting Relationship"; (2) "The Home Visit: Essential Components";…

This approach to developing Individualized Family Support Plans for families of handicapped children is derived from a needs-based family systems model of assessment and intervention. The process and format are designed to be both flexible and functional in order to be continually responsive to the concerns and needs expressed by families. (JDD)