Asserts that the strengths perspective, which posits that the strengths and resources of people and their environment should be the central focus of the helping process in social work, can be used to reformulate problem-focused, pathology-centered approaches to social policy development. Discusses methods for initiating this integration. (JPS)

Presents a brief analytic summary of all readily available social and psychological research concerning apparent causes and consequences of adolescent childbearing. Existing federal programs addressed to this problem are listed with recommendations for further development of public policies and programs. (Author)

Presents a study of 207 employed AFDC recipients whose benefits were terminated or reduced by 1981 federal policy changes. Findings report respondents' source of income, household characteristics, employment history, expense patterns, child care, coping and social support strategies, health and health care, and psychosocial outlook on life.…

The rate at which retarded children are deinstitutionalized is being slowed by this country's failure to emphasize programs supportive of these children's families. The author proposes changes in policy to increase assistance and support to the family as a unit. (Author)

Because welfare entitlements are increasingly unpopular, social work advocates need to place greater emphasis on job growth and alternate mechanisms for wealth redistribution, including refundable tax credits for working poor people. The Internal Revenue Code can be an effective weapon in combating poverty if antipoverty approaches in the code are…

Highlights issues in funding, service availability, child care services, and mandated participation in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) training program. Suggests full implementation of the Family Support Act of 1988 and the expansion of other income supports for low-income families rather than further development of welfare benefits…

Social workers understand that assessing the implications of a policy for individual citizens like Veronica, a 51 year-old African American woman whose retirement will be jeopardized by President Bush's plan for social security, is often a good yardstick by which to measure the impact of a change. Moreover, social workers understand that policy…