Child Welfare

Child Welfare and the Courts: An Exploratory Study of the Relationship Between Two Complex Systems

Carnochan, S.
Taylor, S.
Abramson-Madden, A.
Han, M.
Rashid, S.
Maney, J.
Teuwen, S.
Austin, M.J.
2008

This exploratory study focuses on the relationships between professionals working in the juvenile dependency system, including judicial officers, attorneys, social workers, and court-appointed special advocates. It includes an examination of the quality of professional relationships, factors contributing to tensions, the consequences of difficult relationships, and strategies for improving relationships. It utilizes interviews and focus groups with professionals and focus groups with clients involved in the juvenile dependency system. The major findings address: (a) the nature and quality...

Assessing Child and Youth Well-Being

Lou, C.
Anthony, E.K.
Stone, S.
Vu, C.
Austin, M.J.
2008

The measurement of child well-being has become increasingly important in child welfare practice in the past ten years with the federal emphasis on measuring positive outcomes for children and families. Practical and methodological barriers to evaluating well-being exist alongside positive developments in the field. This article reviews the research literature related to child and youth well-being, providing a context for the discussion of measurement issues in child welfare settings. Based on a structured review of the literature, the article discusses instruments that appear to be most...

Receiving Centers and Informal Emergency Assessment Settings in Child Welfare: Child, Family, Service and Placement Characteristics

Choice, P.
Diechert, K.
Legry, C.
Austin, M.J.
2000

No abstract is available for this publication.

Promising Bay Area Practices for the Redesign of Child Welfare Services.

De Marco, A.
Austin, M.J.
2002

No abstract is available for this publication.

Preventing the Recurrence of Maltreatment

Carnochan, S.
Rizik-Baer, D.
Austin, M.J.
2013

In the context of the federal child welfare performance measurement system, recurrence of maltreatment refers to circumstances in which children that have previously been substantiated as victims of abuse or neglect experience another incident of substantiated maltreatment. Multiple episodes of maltreatment can lead to: (1) more serious short and long term negative consequences, (2) entry into the juvenile justice system, and (3) juvenile delinquency. In this literature review the authors summarize the research on child, family, and systemic factors related to maltreatment recurrence and...

Preventing Re-entry to Foster Care

Carnochan, S.
Rizik-Baer, D.
Lawson, J.
Austin, M.J.
2013

Re-entry to foster care generally refers to circumstances in which children who have been discharged from foster care to be reunified with their family of origin, adopted, or provided kinship guardianship are returned to foster care. In the context of the federal performance measurement system, re-entry refers specifically to a return to foster care following an unsuccessful reunification. The federal Children and Family Services Review measures re-entry to foster care with a single indicator, called the permanency of reunification indicator, one of four indicators comprising the...

Overview: The Context of Child Welfare Performance Measures

Carnochan, S.
Samples, M.
Lawson, J.
Austin, M.J.
2010

No abstract is available for this publication.

Outcomes-Based Delivery of Child Welfare Programs

Goldberg, S.
D'andrade, A.
Kramer, K.
Buddenhagen, P.
1998

No abstract is available for this publication.

Using Performance Measures to Manage Child Welfare Outcomes: Local Strategies and Decision-Making

Samples, M.
Carnochan, S.
Austin, M.J.
2013

The federal child welfare performance measurement system exerts a profound influence over the design, delivery, and evaluation of child welfare services at the local level, with funding contingent upon participation in the federally mandated Child and Family Services Review. In this exploratory study the authors focus on local efforts to respond to and comply with the federal child welfare performance measurement system in 11 northern California counties. The authors review the System Improvement Plans of each county and the findings from focus groups with child welfare staff conducted in...

Foster Parent Recruitment, Retention, and Rate Setting

Simmel, C.
Brodowski, M.
Goldberg, S.
Austin, M.J.
1997

No abstract is available for this publication.