Boys Town has created a program called In-Home Family Services to deliver help to families in stress. In-home family intervention programs have become widely used to help more families who are at risk and experiencing difficulties with a wide range of problems including domestic violence, child behavior problems, parent-child and family…

HOMEBUILDERS, a home-based crisis intervention model, is described. The core beliefs of the program are listed; therapists' availability and caseloads are discussed; and reasons for limiting intervention to a four-week period are indicated. (BC)

The family adventure program merges traditional family therapy and adventure therapy to provide a more effective therapeutic process for the troubled adolescent. Family adventure programming is based on the assumption that the family has the skills and resources for positive change and growth. The stressful nature of adventure activities removes…

Annotates four books related to child welfare: (1) "Removing Risks from Children: Shifting the Paradigm" (Alma J. Carten, James R. Dumpson); (2) "Turmoil to Turning Points: Building Hope for Children in Crisis Placements" (Richard Kagan); (3) "Wrongful Adoption: Law, Policy, and Practice" (Madelyn Freundlich, Lisa…

This manual is designed to help child care providers develop, implement, and evaluate a family development plan for at-risk families. The plan's five components are designed to: (1) identify family strengths; (2) identify family needs; (3) identify community resources; (4) develop and implement a family action plan; and (5) monitor family…

This report was written in an effort to establish a new strategy for reducing the odds of failure for thousands of Arizona's vulnerable children and their families. It echoes the sentiments of a growing number of policymakers, concerned citizens, and parents who hold that the cost of child and family problems is so dramatic, and the amount of…

Fundamental changes in the family unit have led to ineffective and inadequate parenting, and to increasing isolation among families, placing family members at risk for such social problems as child abuse/neglect and school failure. To prevent and treat these problems, parents need knowledge of child development and tools for responding…

Examines New Zealand legislation that allows families greater decision-making power when the safety and welfare of their children are seen to be at risk. Discusses the Family Group Conference intervention model and its efficacy, concerns and criticisms that this model has evoked, and the model's potential applicability to child care and protection…

In 1989-90, Full Circle Program's Family Consulting Services (FCS) staff provided family reunification services to 50 children and their families in San Francisco and Marin counties. Staff members developed individualized treatment strategies for each family, acting as advocates for the needs of the child. These services included medical and…

Reviews three books on family preservation and welfare services: (1) "Families in Crisis: The Impact of Intensive Family Preservation Services" (Mark Frases and others); (2) "Together Again: Family Reunification in Foster Care" (Barbara Pine and others); and (3) "Rethinking Child Welfare in Canada" (Brian Wharf,…

Three case studies describe intervention with infants/toddlers who were exposed to methadone in utero. Intervention included providing therapeutic nursery services and addressing developmental and mental health needs of the children and the high-risk family systems, including parents' knowledge of child development and parents' emotional support…

Describes an approach to welfare services based on a home visitor model. Notes that child welfare agencies have moved to a decidedly short-term orientation toward service delivery, whereas the problems faced by many families require a more long-term approach, with services designed to address problems with roots in a host of social, economic, and…

This essay examines the challenges that today's children and families face due to the rapidly changing nature of modern society, and suggests some solutions to help ensure the optimal development of children and adolescents. Rapid technological change, the decline of the extended family, the increased number of women in the workplace, and…

Presents an exploratory, descriptive study on family-centered, home-based services, involving a secondary analysis of an existing database. Suggests that both these services are effective in the prevention of placement for both high- and low-risk clients. Notes, however, that home-based services seemed to be more effective with multi-problem…

This report covers the first phase of the Illinois Children's Mental Health Project and establishes principles for helping children with emotional disturbances and their families based upon their actual needs. Section I examines the problem with a discussion of identification of those children at greatest risk, the role of the mental health…