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More than two million child abuse reports are filed annually on
behalf of children in the United States. Each of the reported
children becomes a concern, at least temporarily, of the
professional who files the report, and each family is assessed by
additional professionals. A substantial number of children in these
families will subsequently enter foster care. Until now, the
relationships between the performance of our child welfare system
and the growth and outcomes of foster care have not been
understood. In an effort to clarify them, Barth and his colleagues
have synthesized the results of their longitudinal study in
California of the paths taken by children after the initial abuse
report: foster care, a return to their homes, or placement for
adoption. Because of the outcomes of child welfare services in
California have national significance, this is far more than a
regional study. It provides a comprehensive picture of children's
experiences in the child welfare system and a gauge of the
effectiveness of that system. The policy implications of the
California study have bearing on major federal and state
initiatives to prevent child abuse and reduce unnecessary foster
and group home care.
More than two million child abuse reports are filed annually on
behalf of children in the United States. Each of the reported
children becomes a concern, at least temporarily, of the
professional who files the report, and each family is assessed by
additional professionals. A substantial number of children in these
families will subsequently enter foster care. Until now, the
relationships between the performance of our child welfare system
and the growth and outcomes of foster care have not been
understood. In an effort to clarify them, Barth and his colleagues
have synthesized the results of their longitudinal study in
California of the paths taken by children after the initial abuse
report: foster care, a return to their homes, or placement for
adoption. Because of the outcomes of child welfare services in
California have national significance, this is far more than a
regional study. It provides a comprehensive picture of children's
experiences in the child welfare system and a gauge of the
effectiveness of that system. The policy implications of the
California study have bearing on major federal and state
initiatives to prevent child abuse and reduce unnecessary foster
and group home care.
A pioneering contribution to the literature, this book studies
welfare dependence among families eligible for assistance under Aid
to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), the most controversial
income-maintenance program in the nation. In contrast to most works
in this area, which rely solely on household data, Vicky Albert
uses aggregate data and time-series forecasting techniques to
analyze the movement of low-income families to and from welfare.
Through Albert's longitudinal perspective and close analysis of
such factors as changing welfare policies, labor-market conditions,
and demographics, a broad picture of the dynamics of welfare
receipt emerges. Particular attention is given to the effects of
recent welfare policy shifts brought about by the Reagan
administration. Albert's study performs three major functions:
descriptive, modeling, and forecasting. She thoroughly analyzes the
welfare system and its policies, examines trends in AFDC need and
benefit standards, and compares California's AFDC program with
those of other states. Albert then develops an analytic structure
for investigating determinants of change in California's welfare
caseload. Finally, the model is used to predict consequences for
the welfare caseload under alternative assumptions about external
developments. Numerous tables and figures amplify points made in
the discussion. An excellent supplemental text for courses in
social welfare, public policy, and welfare ecomomics, this book
adds an important new dimension to the continiuing debate on the
relative merits of the AFDC program. It should be read by anyone
involved in policy-making for administration of the welfare system.
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