On any given day, nearly half a million children are served by foster care services in the U.S. at an annual cost of over $25 billion. Growing demand and shrinking funds have so greatly stressed the child welfare system that calls for orphanages have re-entered the public debate for the first time in nearly half a century. New ideas are desperately needed to transform a system in crisis, guarantee better outcomes for children in foster care, and reduce the need for out-of-home care in the first place. Yet little is known about what works in foster care. Very few studies have examined how alumni have fared as adults or tracked long-term health effects, and even fewer have directly compared different foster care services. In one of the most comprehensive studies of adults formerly in foster care ever conducted, the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study found that quality foster care services for children pay big dividends when they grow into adults. Key investments in highly trained staff, low caseloads, and robust supplementary services can dramatically reduce the rates of mental disorders and substance abuse later in life and increase the likelihood of completing education beyond high school and remaining employed. The results of this unparalleled study document not only the more favorable outcomes for youth who receive better services but the overall return when an investment is made in high quality foster care: every dollar invested in a child generates $1.50 in benefits to society. These findings form the core of this book's blueprint for reform. By keeping more children with their families and investing additional funds in enhanced foster care services, child welfare agencies have the opportunity to greatly improve the health, well being, and economic prospects for foster care alumni. What Works in Foster Care? presents a model foster care program that promises to revolutionize the way policymakers, administrators, case workers, and researchers think about protecting our most vulnerable youth.

"A Concise Companion to Contemporary British Fiction" offers an authoritative overview of contemporary British fiction in its social, political, and economic contexts.
Focuses on the fiction that has emerged since the late 1970s, roughly since the start of the Thatcher era.
Comprises original essays from major scholars.
Topics range from the rise and fall of the postcolonial novel to controversies over the celebrity author.
The emphasis is on the whole fiction scene, from bookstores and prizes to the changing economics of film adaptation.
Enables students to read contemporary works of British fiction with a much clearer sense of where they fit within British cultural life.

"A Concise Companion to Contemporary British Fiction" offers an authoritative overview of contemporary British fiction in its social, political, and economic contexts.
Focuses on the fiction that has emerged since the late 1970s, roughly since the start of the Thatcher era.
Comprises original essays from major scholars.
Topics range from the rise and fall of the postcolonial novel to controversies over the celebrity author.
The emphasis is on the whole fiction scene, from bookstores and prizes to the changing economics of film adaptation.
Enables students to read contemporary works of British fiction with a much clearer sense of where they fit within British cultural life.

As a Peace Corps volunteer, Sean struggles to gain acceptance into a small island community in the Philippines. Upon arrival on the island, Sean realizes that he is an outsider and must prove himself a loyal member of the community if he is to contribute to the island's environmental initiatives. Although he gains the trust of many community members, no good deed goes unpunished. Jealousies and misperceptions sabotage his efforts and vilify his reputation. The island's fisherfolk face great challenges trying to attain their daily sustenance amid environmental degradation and abject poverty. By telling the story of this small island community, the novel describes the lives and dreams of a multitude of characters that Sean meets during his stay in the Central Visayas. Those characters include a snakeboy, a teenage girl with synesthesia, dynamite fishermen, a reformed poacher, scuba divers, environmentalists, an island medic, several benevolent foreigners, some shady expats, ladies of the evening, two schoolteachers, street children, boatmen, some drug addicts and a murderer. Sean finds relief from the physical and psychological challenges of living on a small island by taking short trips to Cebu City. Although the excursions are under the pretext of Peace Corps training and duties, his absence further alienates him from the community on Gilutongan, his Peace Corps site. In Cebu, he befriends a group of expats from a local pub. They broaden Sean's perspective of life in a country with seven thousand islands. Sean also meets Nick, a benevolent American that owns a modest beach-bungalow resort on Mactan. Nick introduces Sean to Rachael. His relationship with Rachael offers solace from the growing hopelessness and dejection he experiences on Gilutongan. However, his inner conflict intensifies as he tries to balance his commitment to the community and his time with Rachael. Just as he is falling in love with Rachael, Sean becomes entangled in a murder investigation. On a deeper level, Sean's experiences expose the complexities of how a community battles to find a balance between their immediate needs and those of their future generations. The line between need and greed comes into question. The line between taking control and being controlled comes into question. The line between good intentions and selfish motives comes into question. The line between reality and perception comes into question. And since this is a story about dreams, the line between carnal desires and love has to come into question. The novel maintains an environmental theme while illuminating connections between environmental degradation and greed. The story emphasizes that it is the poor, especially women and children, who suffer the most when resources become scarce. The story also draws parallels between class domination and environmental degradation. Tides Ebb as Islands Dream is literary fiction that offers some historical background on the Philippines. Although it is an environmental novel, it uses romance, humor, irony, pain, suffering and death to provide insight into the human condition. For more info on the book the characters and the Philippines: http: //www.brianenglish.net/philippinedreams/tides_ebb_as_islands_dream.htm