Child fatality review teams (CFRTs) have existed since the 1970s; yet, a comprehensive understanding of their procedures, practices, and outcomes is lacking. This article addresses that gap in this study of CFRT state statutes. Findings indicate CFRT laws address nine areas of practice, from team composition, to purpose, to outcomes. Results also…

Enactment of Alaska's new Children's Code, a breakthrough in welfare legislation for children, was achieved after years of struggle involving professional and public forces. (Author/SE)

The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 includes provisions to deny reunification services under specified conditions and gives states latitude to develop any number of additional "aggravated circumstances" in which parents need not be offered services. California legislators have developed a relatively large number of…

Reviews the specific provisions of state and federal statutes relating to parental visiting, contrasts provisions with those in several model acts, discusses the purpose of visiting as reflected in the statutes, and concludes with recommendations for statutory reform practices offering a compromise between terminating parents' visiting rights and…

Reviews legislation related to defining emotional neglect and abuse, classifies those cases frequently reported to child welfare agencies, and suggests case management approaches to this type of abuse and neglect. (Author/RH)

Describes the arguments of those supporting removal of the juvenile status offender from court jurisdiction, as well as the case presented by defenders of the system for retaining court jurisdiction over status offenders. (CM)

Explains the state legislative process and suggests ways in which children's advocates can work for passage of progressive child welfare laws at the state level. (BR)

Offers information on the 1977 law passed by the Minnesota legislature which supported adoptive parents' right to open the sealed birth certificates of their adopted children. (CM)

Describes the design and implementation of a mediation program for the resolution of child protection disputes in Nova Scotia. Focuses on the legal mandate for mediation, training programs for mediators, orientation programs for child protective workers, and the actual mediation process. (MDM)

Historically, a shortage of skilled and dedicated foster parents has existed in America. Lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LBG) foster parents have received little attention in the published literature. This article documents the challenges and successes of a group of 60 LGB foster parents. All participants provided foster parenting for public (state or…

Describes the way in which six major private organizations in South Carolina were instrumental in setting up three major welfare programs and in establishing a new state office of child advocacy. (GO)

Examines the basic tenets of a l983 Texas law permitting videotaped interviews of child victims of abuse to be admissible in civil and criminal proceedings. Discusses how the law is being implemented and how it protects legal rights of child victims, alleged perpetrators, and society at large. (Author/NH)

Paper was presented at the CWLA Southwest Regional Conference at Fort Worth, Texas, 1970 (JE)

Describes a survey which assessed the impact of the Pennsylvania State Child Protective Services Law (Act 124) on the caseworker's ability to carry out procedural guidelines. (CM)

State and federal budget cuts make it increasingly important for child welfare organizations to influence policy development. Accurate knowledge of legislators' beliefs about child welfare issues allows agencies and advocacy groups to develop positive means of promoting positive legislation. (SAK)