In this paper, old and new ways of thinking about day care are described as "oldthink" and "newthink." Major points of oldthink are that: (1) day care is a social service; (2) day care users are recipients, or at best, clients; (3) day care must be limited to low-income families; (4) licensing should protect children in day…

A study was done of California employers' family policies and benefits. The study surveyed a representative sample of employers from the public and private sectors and documented current employer practices regarding family policies and benefits, employer knowledge and use of the California State Child Care Tax Credit, and employer attitudes and…

Noting the while there may be much support for the principle that families on welfare should have access to 2 years of education and training and then be expected to work, this paper contends that it will be extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, to design a coherent and constructive program within the probable federal budget constraints. In…

Noting that the skills of community-building are some of the same skills needed to help families, this newsletter issue focuses on enhancing the resources and leadership in the community as the best way to provide support for families. The articles in the newsletter include: (1) "Building on the Strengths of Communities"; (2)…

This issue of a monthly newsletter is devoted to an overview of employee benefits that assist families, including child care, extended unpaid personal leave, and flexible work options. Findings are discussed from a recent study analyzing the distribution of two of those family benefits (child care assistance and flexible work practices) among…

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.…

This 60-item annotated bibliography focuses on case management as it relates to welfare, Medicaid, and/or the Family Support Act of 1988. While specific definitions, types of practice, and goals of case management vary greatly, the term here refers to a strategy of coordinating or integrating services for a client or group of clients in the social…

This document reports on proposed Federal reform of the welfare system. Amendments are suggested to proposed legislation that would accomplish the following goals: (1) replace the existing Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with a new Family Support Program that emphasizes work, child support, and a need-based family support…

This document contains a summary of a policy seminar, "Family Centered Social Policy: The Emerging Agenda," a background briefing report on the seminar, and a 50-item reference list. The first section summarizes presentations by K. M. Harris on a Baltimore study of teen mothers' welfare experience; Robert Lerman on young fathers; and…

This paper discusses CEDEN's Parent-Child Program (PCP) and its external evaluation. The program promotes healthy child development among multi-problem, predominantly young families living at or below the poverty level in Austin, Texas. The goals of the PCP are to teach low-income parents in a culturally appropriate manner to encourage their…

This report documents the develoment of a two-pronged, model approach to early intervention with families in low-income communities. Since 1988, the Far West Laboratory's Center for Child and Family Studies and agencies in two low-income communities have been collaborating members of the Bay Area Early Intervention Program (BAEIP). BAEIP organizes…

This report focuses on positive practices in providing support services to families of children with severe disabilities and chronic illnesses, based on visits to three sites in Maryland: the Family Support Program at the Kennedy Institute in Baltimore, the Coordinating Center for Home and Community Care, and Sick Kids Need Involved People (SKIP).…

The Oakland Crack Task Force (OCTF) was created by concerned citizens to combat the problems caused by crack cocaine and ensure the future existence of the family, especially the black family, using community resources and no outside funding. Goals are to educate the community about crack; identify and access prevention, intervention, treatment,…

Home based family centered (HBFC) service programs have been developed as alternatives to out-of-home placement. These programs have reported relatively high service success rates at costs signficantly lower than foster home and institutional care while, at the same time, avoiding the social and psychological risks of out-of-home placement.…

The manual is based on experience with a program developed by the Volunteers in Partnership with Parents Project (VIPP), in which volunteers were used as partners to families with young handicapped children. Preparation factors are considered, including planning for specific tasks of volunteers and providing adequate training to the staff. The…