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Byline: Sandra K. Danziger, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109; email: sandrakd@umich.edu Keywords: public assistance, single-mother families, employment Abstract This article highlights the scope of cash welfare as a poverty program and the policy context that led to the legislative distinctions between pre- and post-1996. Trends in welfare, employment, and poverty for single-mother families are presented, as are hypotheses that guide studies of the effects of welfare reform. Social science and policy research on how the reforms have affected economic outcomes, how reform has been implemented, and how it affects children are highlighted. I next summarize research on child care subsidies, an example of an effective family support that was part of welfare reform. I also highlight lessons from studies of recipient perspectives and those focused on how leavers get by without welfare. I identify gaps in understanding the reduced role of cash welfare for low-income families and offer continuing policy and research questions for addressing poverty in the current economic crisis and recovery.

Comprehensive Family Services (CFS) is a strengths-based and partnership-oriented approach to casework implemented through multiple initiatives. This study examines the relationship between the practice of CFS and satisfaction of clients, foster parents, and community partners. CFS indicators are paired with statewide customer satisfaction survey results. CFS practices are associated with significantly higher customer satisfaction that improved over time for all groups. Although causality cannot be determined, the relationship is consistent, robust, and meaningful.

The proportion of mothers participating in the paid workforce has increased dramatically over recent years, from 45.3 per cent in 1983 to 64.2 per cent in 2003 (ABS 2003). As [...]

This study addressed the following questions: Did adolescent mothers who were randomly assigned to receive more intensive family support services have lower rates of early subsequent pregnancies and second births than adolescent mothers who received less intensive services? What factors assessed early in the program were predictive of which adolescents (N = 99) had subsequent pregnancies or second births by the time the firstborn child was 24 months old? Potential predictors of these outcomes were assessed at enrollment and when the firstborn children were 6 months old. No differences were found between the two treatment groups on rates of second pregnancies or second births. A number of factors were associated with having an early subsequent pregnancy or second birth. The best predictor of both outcomes was the family advocates' rating of the teens' personal resources at the 6-month assessment.

Byline: Matthew R. Sanders (1), Karen M. T. Turner (1), Carol Markie-Dadds (1) Keywords: dissemination; Positive Parenting Program; multilevel; family support Abstract: This paper describes the theoretical and empirical basis of a unique multilevel system of parenting and family support known as the Triple P--Positive Parenting Program. The program incorporates five levels of intervention on a tiered continuum of increasing strength and narrowing population reach. The self-regulation framework of the program is discussed and an ecological or systems-contextual approach to dissemination of the program to service providers is highlighted. Implementation issues to consider in effective program dissemination are discussed including managing the 'politics' of family support, strategies for coping with changes in government, maintaining quality, balancing cost and sustainability, and remaining data responsive. Future research directions are identified. Author Affiliation: (1) Parenting and Family Support Centre, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia Article History: Registration Date: 13/10/2004

The increased life expectancy of people with intellectual disability raises the dual issues of supporting aging parental carers to continue in their role and ensuring a smooth transition for middle-aged adults with intellectual disability to non-parental care. However, few services are specifically designed to respond to these issues and older carers are not generally dissagregated from other groups. Two pilot programs, 'Options for Older Families,' were funded by the Victorian Department of Human Services in 1995 to work with older carers on immediate needs and planning for the future. The pilots utilised intensive case management with access to discretionary funds. This paper reports on an evaluation that examined the characteristics of these families, the outcomes for carers and adults, and the strategies adopted to achieve these. The elements of successful case management practice with older carers demonstrated in the programs were proactively and prevention with a dual emphasis on maintenance and change for both the carer and their adult child with intellectual disability. Demands on carers were reduced by the introduction of formal services such as 'recreation as respite' whilst the environmental demands for adults were increased, thus effecting change and providing vital ingredients for preparation for the future. The pilots did not duplicate the type of support offered or the clients targeted by more traditional generic case management programs operating in Victoria.

The authors use previously compiled family research statistics to identify current trends in family studies research. Topics that saw increased research include marital satisfaction, gender roles in marriage, the equalization of parental roles in child-rearing, and the social ecology of the family.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Charles Edmund Degeneffe, MSSW, ACSW, CRC, is a doctoral candidate in rehabilitation counseling psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is a project assistant, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Waisman Center. The author thanks Marsha Seltzer, professor of social work, for her editorial assistance and encouragement in the completion of this article., ********** This article discusses the extensive challenges faced by those providing long-term care for family members with traumatic brain injury Areas reviewed include the nature of care needs, stress and [...]

Issues concerning the reliability of the Self-Report Family Inventory (SFI), which measures the dynamics of family life especially as they relate to family intervention, with Chinese families are examined. Topics include the internal consistency of the SFI when it is used at two different times in the period of one year, factors which indicate family health, and differences in applying the SFI to Chinese and Western cultures.

The present investigation extended prior work by R. Spoth, C. Redmond, and C. Shin (1998). These researchers reported findings that 2 universal family-focused preventive intervention programs each had direct effects on a proximal parenting outcome (intervention-targeted parenting behaviors) and indirect effects on 2 global and distal outcomes (parent-child affective quality and general child management) at posttesting. A replication of the previously tested parenting outcome model was conducted with 1-year follow-up data and procedures identical to those used in the earlier study. Results of the present study (N = 404 families) indicate that statistically significant effects on parenting outcomes were sustained through a 1-year period following the posttest.

In the current study we examined the impact of family support programs for adults with developmental disabilities. Results of the study indicated that participants had fewer unmet needs and used more services than the control group. Participant caregivers were more satisfied with the services their relative received, experienced greater self-efficacy, and were less likely to desire an out-of-home placement than the control group. Participants with developmental disabilities experienced increases in community integration and monthly wage.

This study examined the effects of the Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP) and the Preparing for the Drug-Free Years program (PDFY) on young adolescent transitions from nonuse of substances to initiation and progression of substance use. Analyses incorporated 3 waves of data collected over a 2.5-year period from 329 rural young adolescents. Outcomes were analyzed by using log-linear models that incorporated substance use status frequencies derived from latent transition analyses. Effects on delayed substance use initiation were shown for both the ISFP and the PDFY at a 2-year follow-up. Also at this follow-up, the PDFY showed effects on delayed progression of use among those previously reporting initiation.

Respite care is generally acknowledged to be a crucial support service for families raising a child with a disability or with serious emotional disturbances. A study was conducted on the efficacy of in-home crisis intervention services and the use of respite care services for families of children experiencing a psychiatric crisis. Results suggest that information about respite care must be provided to families in an accessible way, on several occasions and with an aim to problem solving in order for these families to capitalize the use of an available resource.

The child welfare system experienced substantial reform in the 1990s and this overhaul was characterized by an emphasis on home-based services that were designed to prevent unnecessary placements outside the home. A study was conducted to study the characteristics and service utilization experiences of families with children and youth at risk for or already in foster care that were being served by one urban, home-based child welfare program. The results in relation to those of similar studies and their implications for future research efforts and service delivery are discussed.

This study examined prosecution and post-prosecution elements of a coordinated community intervention approach to male perpetrators of adult domestic violence. In a sample of 235 cases, recidivism was assessed from official criminal justice data during a 12- to 18-month period after cases were initially handled by the Baltimore, Maryland State's Attorney's Domestic Violence Unit. Court orders for domestic violence counseling were associated with significantly lower criminal recidivism for battery or violation of a civil order of protection. Lower criminal recidivism was also associated with the cumulative effects of successful prosecution, probation monitoring; receiving a court order to counseling, attending counseling intake, and completion of counseling. Individuals with greater involvement in this intervention system had lower recidivism rates, even though offenders with more extensive abuse histories experienced more intervention. Results provide qualified support for coordinated community intervention for domestic violence perpetrators. KEY WORDS: community intervention; domestic violence; legal system; counseling; recidivism.

This paper gives an account of the development and testing of a nutrition education program aimed at low-income families in the United Kingdom (U.K.), named locally 'Friends with Food' (FWF). The study, a demonstration project, implemented in an urban area of a town in the North of England, was subject to extensive evaluation. It was modelled after the largest nutrition education program for low-income people in North America, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). EFNEP aims to assist low-income families to acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to adopt nutritionally sound diets, thus contributing to dietary improvements for the family. Like EFNEP, guided 'hands-on' food preparation and cooking sessions were complemented by formal information. Allowing participants to acquire both the knowledge and skills needed to translate theoretical nutrition messages into practice was shown to be effective. Results suggest that a significant measure of success, in terms of improving nutrition knowledge and self-reported changes in dietary behavior, is possible using this approach. Considerable difficulties are imposed, however, by the lifestyle and financial constraints of people with limited income. Cooperation of partners and family are critical to success, as are the skills of the nutrition educator. Programs aimed at more than just the dissemination of nutrition information are, however, relatively labour intensive, and the authors recommend that the use of nonprofessionals similar in background to clients (paraprofessionals), as exemplified by EFNEP, is worthy of further investigation in the U.K.

Based on a cross-disciplinary review of the literature, the concept of family-centered service delivery is traced historically. A new definition is presented that extends the current model by highlighting three core elements - the family as the unit of attention, informed family choice, and a family-strengths perspective. Practice, policy, and research implications, and the challenge they represent to prevailing professional practice, are discussed.

In this article I examine constraints to the provision of responsive and coherent services to poor families. These constraints include Americans' ambivalence about how to interpret and respond to family poverty and an inappropriate reliance on services to address deeply rooted societal problems.

A key to determining a permanent plan for children in placement lies in determining and working with the history and relative intensity of parental ambivalence in the parent-child relationship as it is acted out in the placement experience. A study of cases in a public department disclosed not only indicators of parental ambivalence but also the reinforcement of that ambivalence by agency policy, working conditions, and lack of resources.

1,334 counselors from 123 Family Service America (FSA) agencies participated in a survey to assess which theories of counseling and psychotherapy were used in their day-to-day work with clients. Counselors were not asked directly which theories they used. Rather, use was ascertained from the interventions they employed in the counseling process. Although 3 theories predominated, findings showed that FSA practitioners were eclectic in their practice--they chose certain interventions from 11 theories. Comparison of subgroup scores for demographic characteristics with total group scores for theory use showed remarkable consistency in the order of theories used.

This study examines psychosocial adaptation of 38 Hispanic mothers to the presence of orthopedic disability in their child. Results indicate that maternal emotional and attitudinal adaptation is most closely correlated with the disabled child's psycho-behavioral adjustment. Maternal stress appears relatd to emotional (but not attitudinal) adaptation, while the inverse is true for family function. Maternal communication patterns which focused on problem solving and information seeking are correlated with more positive maternal attitudes toward disability, while emotion-focused communication styles are related to decreases in maternal depression. Implications for physicians and therapists working with Hispanic patients and families are discussed.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies is undertaking research about the changes to the family law system introduced by the Australian Government in July 2006. A key component of the [...]

A study to examine the hurdles that families with disabled children faced due to structural and communication problems was conducted. Results showed that communication hurdles between parents and social workers led to the family facing difficulty in assimilation into the mainstream of society.

A study to assess the level of informal support that young people leaving care could expect from social networks was conducted. Results showed that individual leaving care to start their own lives need continued support to help them overcome the changeover to adulthood and family life.

A study to examine the similarities and differences besides situations that may arise during family group conferences in Wales that provided family therapy sessions is conducted. Results show that family members attending these therapeutic sessions need to be forewarned about emotional outbursts that might occur during the sessions.

The move towards evidence-based practice and policy in the human services has been accompanied by an increasing recognition of the common goals and key differences between the three distinct cultures [...]

We identify two distinct components of parent participation in intensive family preservation services: collaboration in treatment planning and compliance with program expectations. Using hierarchical linear models, we explore influences on collaboration and compliance at the case, worker, and program levels. Effects of cross-level interactions are also examined. Parental substance abuse, mental health problems, minority status, and lack of extended family support predict lower levels of participation. Workers' perceptions of their clients and of their own working conditions appear to influence client participation. Program factors matter as well, although some operate in tandem with case characteristics and worker perceptions.

The purpose of this article is to present one model's approach to program evaluation of early intervention programs. The model presented requires implementation by a trained program evaluator and utilises clear and simple data collection methods. The model is based on measures of parental and staff satisfaction resulting in qualitative and quantitative information. Such flexible and accurate measures are necessary for stakeholders to use in making practical policy decisions for program improvement., The issue of program evaluation is critical for early intervention programs, as a measure of consumer satisfaction, compliance with regulations, and in providing effective services to families. Many programs internationally [...]

This study examined the ways remarried adults with children prepared for remarriage. One hundred men and 105 women were asked about their methods of preparing, pre-remarriage concerns, and issues discussed prior to marriage. An attempt was also made to determine if preparation was helpful.

Three Institute researchers recently presented papers at a large international conference on work and family life. Titled 'Work-Life Balance Across the Lifecourse', the conference was held at the Centre for [...]

Family conferences will only be useful in helping the families resolve their difficulties if their needs are made central to the process rather than the aims of the professionals. Families should not be requested to make plans which at a later date will not be supported by resources. Families are prevented from making workable plans if they are given insufficient information. Methods used by families to cope with problems will not always be in line with those used by the professionals. The article was written in support of C. Lupton's article, in the Feb 1998 issue of the journal.

The increasing attention being paid to family preservation services prompted a study to analyze the family preservation model from workers' viewpoints involved in a pilot program using the model. Workers described several coping strategies, such as cognitive mechanisms, self reflection and role clarification, that were used in tackling concerns relating to boundaries and termination. The study also focused on the way these workers viewed the families with whom they worked.

The services provided to 120 children (62 experimental and 58 control) by state welfare agencies were followed for six years. When identified initially, all of the children were in out-of-home [...]