Children who lack health insurance do not have access to preventive care, placing them at greater risk of serious illness. This special report of the Voices for Illinois Children describes federal and state efforts to address the problem of uninsured children and issues that will need to be monitored as Illinois begins to help children access…

This pamphlet presents the concerns of child advocates related to the use of Kansas' portion of the Master Tobacco Settlement for improving the health and well-being of children and youth as legislated in 1999. This state legislation created the Kansas Endowment for Youth Fund (KEY) to receive the tobacco monies, the Children's Initiative Fund…

Stresses the need for increased federal, state, and local support for child immunizations resulting from the alarming increases in the incidence of rubella and other infectious diseases, and endorses the Standards for Pediatric Immunization Practices recently published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association." (MDM)

This issue brief explores the problem of child pornography and teenage prostitution and examines some of the strategies federal, state, and local governments employ to address these social problems. After a brief review of Congressional actions and Supreme Court decisions, state statutes affecting pornography and prostitution are reviewed, and…

This special report discusses the budget allocations of the proposed Illinois Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 budget. The report highlights two critical issues with far-reaching implications: the use of tobacco settlement monies and phased-in tax relief measures. The report describes steady growth across most agency-level appropriations, with the Department…

Unemployment insurance is a cooperative federal and state program that provides temporary, partial wage replacement to formerly employed people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. This issue brief discusses the program and its importance as an approach to ameliorate the effects of welfare reform on struggling families. The brief…

Addressed to advocates and decision makers, this agenda identifies state services in Michigan that will be most vital to the state's children and families in fiscal year 1991. Initial contents provide general policy recommendations of the Michigan Coalition for Children and Families. Policy recommendations for the programs of the departments of…

This report creates a framework for child welfare reform in Arizona that balances continued improvements in the current system with simultaneous testing of a more fundamentally restructured system. A new service delivery system that integrates the separate child welfare, juvenile justice, and children's mental health systems is recommended.…

Years of categorical funding have led to fragmented service delivery systems related to children and families. States have had to devise mechanisms to coordinate the variety of funding streams which finance the array of children's programs. Creation of a single focal point for children's policy at the national level is recommended. Attempts to…

Since fiscal year (FY) 1997, states have used funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to supplement other funds in efforts to provide more child care assistance. This report provides an overview of the rules governing the use of TANF funds for child care. The report also describes how states used TANF funds to…

Summarizes state-level activities in Illinois, Connecticut, Nevada, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, Florida, and Wisconsin that influenced recommendations at state pre-White House Conference on Library and Information Services meetings for improved library services to children and young adults. A position…

Policies and problems of education for the homeless are discussed. The analysis is organized in four main sections. The first describes trends, dimensions, and difficulties of homelessness among children and youth. This section is based on various reports, especially those required by federal legislation. The second section reports and interprets…

The author presents several factors which pertain to state involvement in family life. Among these factors are social diversity, social agency usurpation of family roles, the need for parent and family involvement in child rearing, conducting needs assessment, conducting hearings prior to policy decisions, and making social services relevant. (DB)

This report describes an array of innovative strategies and practical ideas for helping low-income families with children. There is a window of opportunity for these new strategies as many states have tremendous financial resources available. The Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF) program rules have been clarified, and families are…

This paper examines the role that public policy and practice play in supporting the efforts of natural, adoptive, and foster families who have children and youth with disabilities in keeping their families intact. Obstacles and barriers to implementing the philosophy of permanence planning, especially for children and youth with disabilities, are…