In order to effectively meet the needs of families, this paper argues that there is a need for people working in the arena of family support to incorporate theory and research into their practice and to engage in a process of reflective practice. An inter-disciplinary cyclical model of training for experienced family support practitioners is…

Based on a survey of public assistance and child welfare agency staff, this article examines how state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) policy decisions have affected kinship care providers. Findings indicate that most states have continued using TANF to provide income support to kinship caregivers, and some have used TANF to find…

Reliable and valid longitudinal residential histories are needed to assess interventions to reduce homelessness and increase community tenure. This study examined the test-retest reliability, sensitivity to change, and concurrent validity of the Residential Time-Line Follow-Back (TLFB) Inventory, a method used to record residential histories in…

Using grounded theory, this study identified factors that contributed to children's ability to utilize their resilient attributes. Children between the ages of 9 and 12 from high-conflict separated or divorced families participated in a study that examined how family and community interactions promote resilient behaviour. Substantive-level theory…

This article reports on how integrated services can provide coordinated support for children with AD/HD and their families. The author reports on the effectiveness of a problem-based approach to interagency working by exploring the use of two models of good practice from education, health and social care to provide a framework for working across…

Recommended early intervention practices emphasize family-centered approaches provided within natural settings through interventionist interactions with caregivers. We defined this approach as participation-based and used the Home Visiting Observation Form (HVOF) and the Natural Environments Rating Scale (NERS) to describe 50 home visits and to…

In this study, eight mothers of pre-term infants under the care of nursing staff and neonatologists in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Children's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, were observed and interviewed about their birth experience and their images of themselves as mothers during their stay. Patterns and themes in the…

Noncustodial fathers have an essential role to play--both financially and emotionally--in the lives of their children. However, of the 11 million noncustodial fathers in the US, two thirds do not pay any formal child support. Many of these fathers are poor themselves and face multiple barriers, including low education levels, limited work…

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an online professional development course designed to develop an understanding of the foundations, perspectives, and strategies used by key disciplines (e.g., occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, early childhood special education, visual…

Research has shown the extent of social exclusion among children and young people of Traveller, Irish Traveller, Gypsy, Roma and Showpeople (GRT) communities, in terms of education, health, and accommodation, and that many mainstream services have little experience of working effectively with these communities. The Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda…

"Data Trends" reports present summaries of research on mental health services for children and adolescents and their families. The article summarized in this "Data Trends" describes child maltreatment prevention programs designed to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors in families who may otherwise succumb to…

Marin City Families First (MCFF) provides advocacy and case management for 25 residents of Marin City (Marin County, California) with young children as it works to develop service and decision-making links among community agencies and networks. In this report, principles that relate to the successful delivery of comprehensive community-based child…

This quarterly journal issue (in English and French versions) includes the following articles: (1) "Canada's Kids: Thriving? Or Just Surviving?" (McCloskey, Donna), an overview of the latest research on the well-being of Canada's children; (2) "The Fence at the Edge of the Cliff: Approaching Family Policy in Canada" (Mirabelli,…

This report highlights the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) states' efforts in integrated services and provides commentaries by experts on their experiences in the field. Steven Preister's "Overview" from Report No. 1 serves as the framework for the report, describing NCREL states' current and future agendas,…

A lack of parent education programs in a rural midwestern county has denied rural families the support, advice, and education a parenting program would provide. Questionnaires were provided to 7 professionals and 13 parents in the county to determine if there was a need for parenting classes. The survey determined a need and concluded that no…