The Family Assessment Planning Team Observation Form was used to assess the family friendliness of the admissions treatment team process at an inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric hospital. The overall rating across 35 case presentations was moderately family friendly and showed marginally higher family friendliness than comparable services…

This article discusses a participatory action research (PAR) approach to conducting family research. It proposes a model of PAR implementation level including the options of family members as research leaders and researchers as ongoing advisors, researchers and family members as coresearchers, and researches as leaders, and family members as…

Describes the development, implementation, and replication of a group-based parenting program for families affected by substance abuse, called the Nurturing Program for Families in Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery in Massachusetts. Highlights early evaluation results showing that the program improves parenting and enhances parents'…

Describes Bedtime Story Nights, a county-wide project where parents could observe techniques for reading aloud to their children. Parents and 2- to 8-year-olds met monthly in the evenings for 30 minutes of stories, rhymes, and snack. Details benefits for children and parents, site variations, and family reactions to the program. Includes tips for…

The 1996 welfare reform made extended welfare stays more difficult. One of the most notable provisions was the 60-month lifetime limit on cash benefits through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. This study investigated the personal characteristics associated with accumulating more months on TANF. Using four waves of data…

This study re-examined the ability of intensive family preservation services (IFPS) to prevent out-of-home placements of children in abusive or neglectful families. A retrospective, population-based design was used. The sample comprised a statewide, six-year, archival population of high-risk child protective services children. The study ensured a…

Recent Government policy has advocated universal support services for parents, including a national telephone helpline (for example, Department for Education and Skills, 2003). The Home Office funded just such a helpline--Parentline Plus--as part of the "Supporting Families" initiative. The efficiency and effectiveness of this service in…

Grandparents raising grandchildren face many challenges including dealing with the complicated systems of child welfare, education, healthcare, and the aging network. They must contend with maintaining financial resources for their grandchildren, enrolling the children in school, accessing healthcare and insurance, and obtaining safe, affordable…

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to use an ecological assessment model to obtain a better understanding of difficult situations that home visitors confront when implementing home visitation services. Method: A mixed method study was used which included conducting focus groups to identify specific situations faced by home visitors…

This article presents information on treatment services received by women participating in an initial multistate evaluation of CASAWORKS families. Results indicated most women received services to address medical, employment, basic needs, alcohol and drug, family, and psychiatric problems during the first six months of the program. The clients…

Objective: To describe the effects of a controlled family-based health education/counseling intervention on health behaviors of children with a familial history of cardiovascular diseases (FH-CVDs). Methods: The intervention group (IG, n=432) received 5 counseling sessions. The control groups 1 (CG1, n=200) and 2 (CG2, n=423) received no…

Parents are one of the most important influences in positive child and youth development, yet too many caregivers, especially those in higher risk families, fail to receive supports that would improve parenting and family functioning. By strengthening parent/caregivers and their connections to resources, communities can improve child and youth…

There is a need to train professionals across disciplines to work collaboratively on program development and implementation to address the caregiving issues prevalent in our aging society. The North Carolina State University Departments of Social Work and Family and Consumer Sciences provided a training opportunity for social workers and county…

This paper is a draft of Chapter 8 of a planned book, "Preschool and Jobs: Human Development as Economic Development, and Vice Versa". This book analyzes early childhood programs' effects on regional economic development. Four early childhood programs are considered: (1) universally accessible preschool for four-year-olds of similar…

The number of U.S. children living in poverty increased in 2007--continuing an upward trend dating back to 2000: in 2007, 13.3 million children were living in poverty, up from 11.6 million children in 2000. The percentage of children living in families with incomes below the poverty line has increased from 16.2 percent in 2000 to 18.0 percent in…