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In December 2011, the Sierra Health Foundation board of directors approved a framework for a new youth development initiative. The framework built upon the foundation's recently concluded REACH Youth Development Program and incorporated findings and recommendations from the highly regarded "Healthy Youth/Healthy Regions" and "Renewing Juvenile Justice" reports released by the foundation earlier in the year. The "Healthy Youth/Healthy Regions" and "Renewing Juvenile Justice" findings also supported an important lesson that emerged from the REACH Program: While inclusive youth development approaches are important, one of their shortcomings is the likelihood for young people most at risk for poor health, education and economic outcomes to be unengaged. In response to this information, the foundation pursued a course of inquiry that sought to combine on-the-ground experience and research to design a program for youth who have experienced documented neglect, abuse and/or trauma, have been formally involved in the child welfare system and who currently are engaged in the juvenile justice system. Often referred to as "crossover youth," the initiative seeks to affect developmental paths--repeat criminal behavior, education failure, lack of employment experience, untreated trauma, social and familial disconnection--that have been shown to have negative long-term effects for this extraordinarily vulnerable population. The initiative seeks to set a new path for juvenile justice in California by establishing a vanguard of select county systems and leaders to produce what noted researcher Jeffrey Butts and his colleagues describe as "Positive Youth Justice." In seeking to foster this major shift in juvenile justice practice and policy, the risk of falling short of expectations is balanced with the fortuitous opportunity to improve the health and life chances of one of California's most vulnerable youth populations--youth with child welfare histories who are currently engaged in the juvenile justice system. Accordingly, this briefing paper describes the policy context in which the Positive Youth Justice Initiative will operate and presents the rationale for the targeted population and selected design elements.

Effectively meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse population of students presents challenges for educators across the United States, including the Texas and Southeast Comprehensive Center regions. Increasingly rigorous achievement expectations must be supported with flexible, accessible curricula, offering multiple pathways to success in order to secure opportunities for all children. Key points of this briefing paper include the following: (1) Multi-tier systems of support offer a research-based approach to addressing the myriad needs of youth struggling with school success; and (2) Application of the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can make curriculum and instruction both accessible and engaging for all learners, resulting in increased opportunities for learning success. The success of any public education reform effort will be tied, at least in part, to the ability to address appropriately the academic and social-behavior needs of diverse learners. By redefining the focus from one of "fixing students" to one of providing high-quality education that is responsive to individual needs (Riele, p. 141) the system will invariably improve experiences and outcomes for all students.

This paper explores some of the psychological and other issues associated with HIV infection in children. Although the majority of studies are in the West, a growing core of information is emerging from other centres. This paper attempts to summarise the complexity of who the children are, examine emerging orphan and vulnerability issues, explore HIV/AIDS treatment interventions and how they affect the emerging scenario in terms of child and parent infection, and then focus on the widespread psychological effects of HIV/AIDS on the young child. (Contains 4 tables.)

Recent research has provided great insight into the impact of early experience on brain development. It is now believed that brain growth is highly dependent upon early experiences. Neurons allow communication and coordinated functioning among various brain areas. Brain development after birth consists of an ongoing process of wiring and rewiring the connections among neurons. The forming and breaking of neural connections depends directly on the child's experiences; only those connections and pathways frequently activated are retained. Children who have little opportunity to explore and experiment with their environment may fail to fully develop neural connections and pathways that facilitate later learning and thus may be at a permanent intellectual disadvantage. Further, exposure to trauma or chronic stress can make children more prone to emotional disturbances and less able to learn because they have overactive neural pathways that control the fear response, causing their brains to be organized primarily for survival. It is possible to influence disadvantaged children's development through early intervention programs as evidenced by the results of the Abecedarian Project. Communities can help families promote their children's brain development by: (1) educating them about the importance of early experience; (2) preventing abuse and neglect; (3) providing accessible quality mental health services; and (4) ensuring adequate early nutrition. Child care providers need training in devising appropriate environments, and parents need information on choosing quality child care. (Recommended readings are included. Contains 14 references.) (KDFB)

This study used data from the Rochester Youth Development Study to examine linkages between childhood maltreatment and later delinquency. Three central issues were addressed: (1) the magnitude of the relationship between early child maltreatment and later official and self-reported delinquency; (2) the possibility of spuriousness in this relationship; and (3) the impact of more extensive measurement of maltreatment on later delinquency. The final sample was comprised of 1,000 students attending seventh or eighth grade in 1988 and their primary caretakers, with males and students from high crime areas overrepresented. Data were collected through separate interviews with adolescents and caretakers. The child maltreatment measure was based on information from Child Protective Services records. Five indicators of maltreatment were used, prevalence and frequency of maltreatment, duration, number of types of maltreatment, and total severity score. Outcome measures included official measures of number of police contacts as a juvenile or arrests as an adult and self-report of delinquency from eighth through twelfth grades. Delinquency indices were general, serious, moderate, minor, and violent delinquency. Results revealed a significant relationship between child maltreatment occurring before age 12 and subsequent self-reported and official delinquency and the relationship, especially for more serious forms of delinquency, remained when controlling for other factors such as race/ethnicity, sex, underclass status, and family structure. The results also suggested that more extensive maltreatment is related to higher rates of delinquency. Appendices provide exemplars of levels of abuse severity and the delinquency scales. (Four tables delineate findings. Contains 65 references.) (AA)

This report details results of an early 1991 national survey of federal liaisons for state child abuse and neglect programs. Nationwide, child abuse reports increased 31% between 1985 and 1990. An estimated 39 out of every 1,000 U.S. children were reported as victims of child maltreatment, an average 4% increase over the previous year which is a slower growth rate than reported in the first half of the previous decade. A table presents reports by state for each of the past 5 years. The state showing the greatest decline in reports (Virginia) reported this might be due to elimination of duplicate reports as a result of a new computer system. Notable increases in reports were usually attributed to both a real increase in the incidence of maltreatment (often attributed to increased substance abuse) and more accurate reporting. Substantiation rates were not standardized across states. Only 26 states could provide an estimate as to the percentage of substantiated cases which received services (a mean of 78%). Data on type of maltreatment is summarized for 22 states. Also reported are child maltreatment fatalities by state (a national total of 1,211 during 1990). Briefly discussed are effects of increased substance abuse, child welfare services, and policy implications. Footnotes are included. (DB)

Continuing the practice of conducting an annual national survey to monitor trends in the number and characteristics of child abuse reports nationwide and in the funding and scope of child welfare services, this report summarizes results of the January, 1990 survey. Specific information of interest was: (1) the actual number of reports filed during 1987, 1988, and 1989; (2) the perecentage of these reports involving physical abuse, child neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional maltreatment; (3) state procedures or policies for screening reports and the impact of such screening on caseload size and characteristics; (4) the percentage of reported families presenting substance abuse problems; (5) the number of child abuse fatalities reported for 1987, 1988, and 1989; (6) the existing barriers to effective implementation of child protective services; and (7) funding levels for child welfare services in general. Representatives of all 50 states and the District of Columbia were contacted by telephone to obtain the above data. Of those interviewed, 49 respondents knew or were able to project their child abuse reporting statistics for 1989 and 41 states had 1989 statistics with respect to child abuse fatalities. All state representatives responded to general questions on their state's reporting procedures and child welfare practices. Specific findings are presented and prevention efforts are briefly discussed. (RH)

Young children who experience severe deprivation or neglect can experience a range of negative consequences. Neglect can delay brain development, impair executive function skills, and disrupt the body's stress response. This working paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child explains why neglect is so harmful in the earliest years of life, and why effective interventions can improve long-term outcomes in learning, health, and the parenting of the next generation.

There has been widespread acceptance of the principles of family preservation as congruent with the best interests of children in situations of abuse and neglect. This paper discusses the "best interest" ideas articulated by Joseph Goldstein, Anna Freud, and Albert Solnit in the books "Before the Best Interests of the Child" and "Beyond the Best Interests of the Child." The paper compares those ideas with the principles underlying child welfare decision-making. These principles are: reasonable efforts, permanency planning, and the least restrictive alternative. The paper addresses some of the problems in the implementation of these principles, particularly as manifested in the family preservation ideal. The backlash against family preservation is considered, and some considerations for the reform of the child welfare system are suggested. (JPB)

ISFAR (Intensive Services to Families at Risk Project), a program designed to prevent foster care among children at risk for placement because of documented or suspected abuse or neglect, is described, and its effectiveness evaluated. ISFAR's staffing patterns, guiding philosophy of helping parents become more adequate in their interaction with their children, and positive organizational climate are discussed. Program operations are viewed in terms of intake and screening procedures, case assessment, parent's commitment, use of consensus as a decisionmaking tool, problem identification, case planning, individualized client services (including parenting education, home visits involving close friends and extended family, and group activities), case monitoring and evaluation, and followup. Project evaluation findings focus on system impact, client perceptions of services, and measures of individual and family functioning. Comparison with the county protective services revealed that ISFAR cases had lower rates of recidivism and resulted in fewer days in foster care. ISFAR cases were found to be more expensive, at least in short-term consideration. Process analysis underline the importance of support in casework decisionmaking. Characteristics of clients and of the services leading to successful outcomes are analyzed. More than half of the document is composed of appendixes: the actual project evaluation report, ISFAR entry criteria, a copy of a family interview instrument, a description of treatment groups, guidelines for staffing and restaffing, and descriptions of dissemination activities. (CL)

This study suggests that court procedures in Illinois must improve to assure that more children are placed in permanent homes in a timely way. The University of Chicago's Chapin Hall Center for Children examined the timeliness of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois' Child Protection Division in completing the sequence of hearings and adjudications necessary to achieve permanence (either through permanent placement or family reunification) for children who are abused or neglected. The analysis also identified practices and procedures that appear to influence the Court's ability to achieve timely permanence for children. The analysis found that although the Court is not, overall, in compliance with statutory timeliness guidelines, substantial progress has been made in improving compliance over the last few years and the improvement seems to be continuing. The analysis further found that the Court was not effective in moving toward permanent homes for children in a timely fashion once they have been placed in custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Meeting statutory guidelines for timeliness was negatively associated with achieving a timely permanent placement. This negative association may be due to the small number of adoptions completed and the Court's tendency to delay cases where there is a perception that a return home is at all possible. (This document is relevant to the field of education in that permanent placement and family reunification are two strategies that can contribute to children's readiness to learn by increasing stability in their lives.) (JPB)

This article commences with a review of the issues in the empirical literature surrounding the concept of 'bonding,' and notes some particular parallels with the concept of 'attachment,' demonstrating links between the two. The comparison is followed by a review of empirical findings of studies involving animals and humans, including those dealing with methodological problems of the research as well as practical issues such as breast feeding and child abuse and neglect. Implications of the bonding doctrine are then discussed. It is concluded that, since almost one half of Australian married women are in the workforce, practical considerations in addition to empirical issues argue for promoting the concept of 'parent love' rather than that of 'mother love.' A five-page reference list is appended. (RH)

This paper, first in a series of special reports concerning disability and the family, presents a review of the relationship between abuse and disabilities, arguing that roughly 25 percent of all disabilities are caused by child or spousal abuse. A national survey revealed that 12 states have legislation addressing these issues, and the paper includes excerpts, with comments from the relevant statutes of each of these states. The states are: Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming; a 13th state, California, has pending legislation. Recommended components of model legislation are identified. The paper also provides a synopsis of a literature search investigating incidence, prevalence and extent of disability caused by abuse and neglect. An analysis of associated fiscal costs is provided suggesting the cost effectiveness of greater prevention efforts. Finally, observations are made regarding the need for a national program to confront this problem. (Contains 60 references.) (PB)

The number of young children who have suffered from maltreatment has risen in recent years. This paper describes the negative neurological, psychological, and cognitive effects from this maltreatment. Interventions that can prevent abuse and neglect and promote resilience in the child victims are examined and discussed. The paper concludes by calling for concerned citizens to advocate for preventive efforts that promote resilience in child victims. (Contains 27 references.) (Author/HTH)

This paper synthesizes findings of major research studies on development of learning impairment and its prevention in children from birth to age 5. The paper's scope does not include children who died or suffered major retardation. The paper attempts to demystify the language of research and medicine to clarify the prevalence of health, environmental, and poverty-based risk factors; their impact on a child's ability; and ways to prevent the risk factor or ameliorate the learning impairment once it occurs. Major preventable factors associated with learning impairment are low birthweight, prenatal alcohol exposure, maternal smoking, prenatal exposure to drugs, lead poisoning, child abuse and neglect, and malnutrition: each of these factors is discussed in turn. Prevention strategies include, among others, access for all women to early and informative prenatal care, health care before pregnancy and between pregnancies, developmentally stimulating infant day care with parent involvement, school health education, and societal commitment to diminish poverty. A separately printed 3-page summary is appended. (JDD)

Noting that negligence and maltreatment of children is a phenomenon that hinders child development and causes damage to society, this paper deals with segments of parent-child relationships within the complex context of children and youth in a society of risks. The paper reviews recent studies pointing to the importance of certain sociological, psychological, medical, and educational facts as well as economic conditions posing risk. Particularly highlighted is a study conducted with pupils attending elementary schools in Rijeka, Slovenia, that reveals the complexity of the problem, which is magnified by parents' lack of control of children as one form of child negligence. The paper derives from the studies reviewed a model or hierarchy of problems constituting risk of negligence which tend to accumulate, including: inadequate relationships of parents toward children, punishment in families, children's fear of parents, children's fear of school, poor performance in school, younger parents, and addictions in the family. The model also spells out additional risk factors posed by a society indifferent to family risks, and ameliorating factors in a society providing help, protection, and better advancement. (Contains 11 references.) (HTH)