Child Welfare最新文献

This descriptive study examines the prevalence of comorbid physical and mental health issues among young clients at a large mental health agency. Health status data was collected from the intake process of youth seeking mental health services at a Northeast Ohio agency (n = 1,076). The results show a higher prevalence of asthma and obesity among clients with known mental health diagnoses at this agency compared to national averages. The results could help the agency develop strategies for implementation of an integrated care model to better meet the complex needs of the clients served.

This study uses nationally representative survey data to describe differences in characteristics, adverse family experiences, and child well-being among children in kinship care with varying levels of involvement with the child welfare system. Well-being is examined in the domains of physical and mental health, education, and permanency. Comparisons provide insight on kinship care arrangements inside and outside the child welfare system, as well as the variability among nonfoster kinship care arrangements.

The study tests the short-term impact on housing stability of the Family Unification Program (FUP), a permanent housing program for child welfare- involved families at risk of separation from children due to inadequate housing. Families eligible for FUP (n = 150) received housing case management services as usual, and half were referred for permanent housing vouchers made available through FUP. Families referred for FUP secured more enriched home learning environments, while more precariously housed families exhibited greater housing, stability when referred for FUP. The intervention did not relate with housing affordability or improvements in neighborhood quality. Findings suggest benefits of FUP-especially for more vulnerable families--in key areas that support child developmet; however, families continue to struggle in the context of poverty.

There is growing acknowledgement that housing can provide more than shelter, a basic need. Housing can also act as a foundation, helping families stay together.The provision of housing as a prevention or protective strategy against child maltreatment has not been widely used by child welfare agencies. A small subset of child welfare agencies across the country, however, is incorporating housing into their response to cases of child abuse and neglect. Using qualitative data from ongoing studies of HUD's Family Unification Program (FUP) and the Children's Bureau supportive housing demonstration for high-need child welfare involved families, we describe some of the promising practices agencies are implementing and testing. Though evaluations of these programs are not yet complete, there is a lot the field can learn from these approaches. This paper provides an overview of seven promising strategies: (1) partnering with public housing agencies and leveraging resources; (2) assessing the housing needs of child welfare involved families; (3) triaging and providing housing resources based on needs; (4) providing housing first, not. last; (5) developing housing stability plans and shared case plans; (6) screening families into housing, rather than screening out; and (7) providing housing search assistance.

This article examines the effectiveness of supportive housing in fostering family preservation and reunification for homeless families with multiple housing barriers. Results indicate that more thanhalfofthe supportive housing program families who are separated from their families by Child Protective Services prior to entering the program are reunified during the 12-month period after entering housing. The rate of reunification for supportive housing families is significantly higher than the rate for matched families who enter shelters, but not significantly different than the rate experienced by matched families entering public housing. This study provides encouraging evidence that housing for families in the child welfare system, including but necessarily limited to supportive housing, can facilitate the reunification of children.

This study examines the extent and correlates of family separations in families experiencing homelessness. Of 2,307 parents recruited in family shelters across 12 sites, a tenth were separated from partners and a quarter from one or more children. Additional separations before and after shelter entry and reasons, from parents' perspectives, were documented in qualitative interviews with a subsample of 80 parents. Separations were associated with economic hardship, shelter conditions, and family characteristics.

The quality and safety of the home environment is a common focus of Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations.Yet little is known about whether such conditions influence CPS outcomes. The present study uses a sample of low-income families to assess the relative importance of housing conditions and other common risk and protective factors associated with child maltreatment. Results show that hazardous conditions predict investigated child neglect, but not physical abuse or indicated reports.

Research suggests that youth aging out of foster care may be at higher risk of experiencing homelessness than other youth. Among this already at-risk population there may be certain characteristics that further exacerbate the risk. This paper uses data collected from various local and state agencies to further examine significant predictors of homelessness among youth who have aged out of foster care.

This study focuses on longitudinal housing trends for males and females among transitional youth who were participants of a transitional living program (2010 to 2014). Results indicate that young women were more likely to transition to secure independent housing than young men. Demographic characteristics, education, and employment predicted time to secure independent housing. Additionally, results indicate that more highly educated young women transitioned to independence at a faster rate than young men with lower education status.