Key working is a way of supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families, and is highly regarded by families and practitioners. However, there is a lack of up-to-date research exploring key working in the current context of policy reforms in England. This article reports an evaluation…

Making Connections was the Annie E. Casey Foundation's signature place-based, community-change initiative of the 2000s. It sought to build on previous work and launch an effort focused firmly on the framework of family strengthening. The Foundation started Making Connections in 22 places, focusing eventually on first 10, then seven sites. It…

Individuals of color with disabilities and/or their family members need access to services and supports that will assist them with daily life and a way to advocate for these services. Disability organizations, whose core mission is advocacy, have had difficulty attracting and maintaining persons of color with disabilities or their family members…

Describes the self-help movement in Britain among parents and relatives of children in public care and considers the achievements, problems, and hopes of local groups. (RJC)

This article explores the current status in the United States of support to families who care for children with disabilities at home. It summarizes essential program features, program effects, and outstanding issues (such as, ensuring family involvement in policy formation, sufficient funding, and system collaboration). (DB)

Parents are children's first and foremost teachers. In today's world, a second significant influence on children ages 0 to 5 is the teachers or caregivers who provide child care and early education. Wisconsin's young children typically spend significant amounts of time in early care and education (ECE) programs, like family child care homes, child…

These transcripts provide testimony given on the implementation of the Even Start Family Literacy Program, a program designed to help parents work with their children to improve the educational opportunities for both. Prepared statements and testimony was given by John T. MacDonald, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education,…

The role of psychologists in helping families of the one in five Americans suffering from mental illness is described. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill has been active in bridge building between psychologists and families through enhanced communication and improvements in support systems. An agenda of 15 recommendations for further…

This project summary focuses on the emerging social policy trend toward providing services which assist families in providing home care for their developmentally disabled family members, rather than encouraging out-of-home placement. Three project objectives encompass the issues of innovative approaches to family involvement in caring for disabled…

Describes a successful effort to develop services for ex-offenders and their children and families that enhance community integration, build social support networks, and assist community institutions in mobilizing services for this population. Considers program components, the development of the program through a school of social work, and…

Factors that make autism a vexing public policy issue are identified, including incidence increases, lack of consensus on etiology and methodology for clinical intervention, coincidence of the age of diagnosis with the upper age limit of early intervention programs, a shift to a family-centered decision-making paradigm, and litigation. (Contains…

A longitudinal evaluation of the Child and Family Resource Program (CFRP) was conducted to describe programs and their operations, identify program models, link family outcomes to participation or nonparticipation, and relate family outcomes to aspects of CFRP treatment and family characteristics. An experimental design supplemented by descriptive…

The report presents results of a 1-year project whose purposes were to explore issues surrounding service provision to families with developmentally disabled members, to assess the status of family support programs nationwide, and to apply this information to the task of developing a family support program in Virginia. Part 1 reflects findings of…

The mission of the Center of Families, Communities, Schools & Children's Learning is to conduct research, evaluation, and policy analyses aimed at increasing knowledge about how families, schools, and communities influence student motivation, learning, and development, as well as how to strengthen the connections between these three major…

This report discusses policies and practices for family-directed child evaluation and assessment under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The scope of the report includes practices across the early childhood spectrum, from birth through 5 years. Commonly used terminology is defined. Issues discussed include: the primacy of…