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8th Annual Wells Conference on Adoption Law
About CAPTA: A Legislative History | |
Series Title: | Factsheets |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 94KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 3 pages |
Summarizes the legislative history and purpose of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), the key Federal legislation addressing child abuse and neglect. CAPTA was originally enacted in P.L. 93-247 and was most recently amended and reauthorized on December 20, 2010, by the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-320). |
Adoption Disruption and Dissolution | |
Series Title: | Numbers and Trends |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 437KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2012 - 11 pages |
This factsheet reports statistics about adoption disruption (before finalization of the placement) and dissolution (after legal finalization). Differences in disruption rates by age of the child and placement history, reasons why disruption and dissolution occur, and disruption and dissolution trends are noted. |
Adoption USA: A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents | |
Author(s): | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Vandivere, Malm, Radel |
Availability: | View Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2009 - 91 pages |
The National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) is a nationally representative survey of U.S. children under age 18. In each sampled household, one child under age 18 was randomly selected. A parent or guardian knowledgeable about the child's health answered questions by telephone regarding the child's and the family's health and well-being and provided information about demographic characteristics. The 2007 NSCH includes information on 91,642 focal children, representing 73.8 million children throughout the United States. |
The Basics of Adoption Practice | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 307KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2006 - 13 pages |
Adoption is a highly specialized field that focuses on placing children with families and providing services to ensure that these placements are permanent. In recent decades, the emphasis of adoption practice has shifted from helping families find children to finding safe and permanent families for children. Adoption workers are now expected to have extensive knowledge and understanding of the recruitment and assessment of adoptive families, the placement of children with a variety of strengths and needs, and supportive postadoption services to promote attachment and permanency for children. This bulletin provides an overview of the basics of adoption practice and the ... |
Child Welfare Outcomes 2006-2009: Executive Summary Brochure | |
Author(s): | Children's Bureau. |
Availability: | Download (PDF - 1,000KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 12 pages |
Child Welfare Outcomes reports provide information on the performance of States in seven outcome categories. The outcomes used in this report reflect widely accepted performance objectives for child welfare practice. |
Court Performance Measures in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases: OJJDP Packet. | |
Author(s): | United States. Dept. of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention., National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges., National Center for State Courts., ABA Center on Children and the Law. Hardin, Yuan, Larsen, Gatowski, Rubio |
Availability: | |
Year Published: | 2008 - 400 pages |
The Toolkit for Court Performance Measures in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases provides practical and comprehensive guidance on how dependency courts can institute a system of performance measurement and create more efficient and effective operations. The result of a collaborative, broad-based effort between the Children's Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services and OJJDP, the Toolkit provides practical, comprehensive guidance on how to undertake performance measurement to improve child and family outcomes of safety, permanence, and well-being and move toward more efficient and effective dependency court operations. Three leading court reform organizations -- the American Bar Association, the ... |
Decision-Making in Unsubstantiated Child Protective Services Cases: Synthesis of Recent Research | |
Series Title: | Grantee Lessons Learned |
Author(s): | Children's Bureau (DHHS) |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 265KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2003 - 14 pages |
This paper synthesizes the findings of three Children's Bureau funded research grants on unsubstantiated child protective services (CPS) cases. It specifically addresses the case, decision-maker, organizational, and external factors that influence the decision to substantiate or unsubstantiate a CPS referral and how that decision impacts outcomes for children. Researchers' suggestions for practical implications and future research also are presented. 1 table, 1 figure. |
Domestic Violence and the Child Welfare System | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 1,359KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2009 - 14 pages |
System responses to domestic violence have typically been targeted toward adult victims of abuse. However, increased attention is now being focused on children who witness domestic violence. This bulletin addresses the impact of domestic violence on children and the resulting implications on professional practice. Resources such as websites and additional publications are also provided for further information. |
Drug Testing in Child Welfare: Practice and Policy Considerations. | |
Author(s): | National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare., United States. Children's Bureau., United States. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Young |
Availability: | Download (PDF - 904KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2010 - 49 pages |
The purpose of this paper is to guide child welfare agency policymakers in developing practice and policy protocols regarding the use of drug testing in child welfare practice. This guidance describes the practice and policy issues that policymakers must address to include drug testing in the comprehensive assessment and monitoring that child welfare agencies provide. The paper focuses primarily on drug testing of parents who come to the attention of child welfare agencies and courts through reports of child abuse or neglect. However, court practices and policies might use testing in other child welfare contexts. For example, drug testing might ... |
Frequently Asked Questions From Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Prospective Foster and Adoptive Parents | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 281KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 5 pages |
This factsheet answers questions that many prospective lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) parents ask. |
Honor National Adoption Month All Year /Honre el mes nacional de adopción durante todo el año | |
Author(s): | |
Availability: | Download (PDF - 0KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2010 - 2 pages |
2010 National Adoption Month Poster Honor National Adoption Month All YearHonre el mes nacional de adopción durante todo el año English at: http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/nam_poster_english.pdf Spanish at: http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam/nam_poster_spanish.pdf |
How Federal Legislation Impacts Child Welfare Service Delivery | |
Series Title: | Factsheets |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 522KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2012 - 14 pages |
This factsheet provides an overview of the process by which legislative actions and policy changes at the Federal level impact State and Tribal child welfare systems and service delivery. Links to pertinent resources are provided for each step of the process. |
How Many Children Were Adopted in 2007 and 2008? | |
Series Title: | Numbers and Trends |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 629KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 32 pages |
Provides national statistical estimates for the total number of children adopted in the United States in fiscal years 2007 and 2008. The report includes highlights of the data; findings on the numbers of public agency, intercountry, and other adoptions; and data aggregations in exhibits, tables, and appendices. Data were collected by State courts, State bureaus of vital records, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs. |
How the Child Welfare System Works | |
Series Title: | Factsheets |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 565KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2012 - 9 pages |
Provides an overview of the purposes and functions of child welfare systems. It explains what happens when abuse or neglect are reported, how those reports are processed, and what happens to the adults and children who are involved in the child welfare system. A flowchart illustrates how cases may move through the child welfare system. |
How to work with your court : a guide for child welfare agency administrators. 2nd ed. | |
Author(s): | Hardin, Rauber |
Availability: |
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Year Published: | 2004 - 168 pages |
Federal laws such as the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 and the Adoption and Safe Families Act increased the role of courts in the implementation of child welfare cases to ensure that agencies are achieving permanency for children. This book for child welfare administrators explains how to establish effective and efficient relationships between their agency and the courts. Tips are provided for meeting with judges to resolve administrative problems, cooperating with other key court staff, working on joint projects with the court, and informing judges and agency attorneys about child welfare service delivery issues. Supervisors also must ... |
Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 248KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2004 - 8 pages |
As discussion of the adoption process becomes more open and accepted in American society, and as more Americans have experience with adoption, there is also more attention focused on those involved in adoption -- the adopted person, the birth parents, and the adoptive parents (often referred to as the adoption triad or, more recently, the adoption constellation). People who have experienced adoption firsthand are coming forward to talk or write about their experiences, and researchers are conducting scientific studies to find out about the impact of adoption on all members of the adoption triad. This factsheet examines the impact of ... |
Impact of Adoption on Adoptive Parents | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway. |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 401KB) |
Year Published: | 2010 - 14 pages |
This factsheet explores some of the emotional ups and downs that adoptive parents may experience as they approach the decision to adopt, during the adoptive process, and after the adoption. It explores some stresses that adoptive parents may experience, including depression, issues related to identity and attachment, and issues related to the child's adjustment, such as contact with the birth family. Useful resources and suggestions for finding help are included. |
Introduction to Cross-System Data Sources in Child Welfare, Alcohol and Other Drug Services, and Courts. | |
Author(s): | United States. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration., National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare., Children's Bureau. |
Availability: | Download (PDF - 0KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 48 pages |
This guide describes the primary data-reporting systems used in the child welfare, alcohol and other drug services, and court systems. The document describes 15 data-reporting systems, including 8 child welfare systems, 5 alcohol and other drug service systems, 2 initiatives to implement a national data reporting system in the courts, and 1 enterprise health information system for data on American Indian and Alaska Native families. (Author abstract) |
Kinship Caregivers and the Child Welfare System | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 335KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2010 - 15 pages |
Informal and formal kinship care arrangements help to ensure stability and protection for children within their extended family. This fact sheet describes the benefits of kinship care as a child protection alternative and examines the agency's responsibility for the placement. The placement decision-making process, what to expect from the child welfare service and court system, and financial support, available services, and permanency planning are discussed. Questions for new kin caregivers to ask and a list of additional references are provided. |
Parental Substance Use and the Child Welfare System | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 332KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2009 - 11 pages |
Substance abuse has a major impact on the child welfare system. It is estimated that 9 percent of children in the United States live with at least one parent who abuses alcohol or other drugs. Research has demonstrated that children of substance abusing parents are more likely to experience abuse or neglect than children in non-substance abusing households. This fact sheet addresses the scope of the problem, the impact of parental substance abuse on children, service delivery issues, and agency practice implications. Resources for further information also are provided. 29 references. |
Post-Legal Adoption Services For Children with Special Needs and Their Families : Challenges and Lessons Learned | |
Series Title: | Grantee Lessons Learned |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 318KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2005 - 15 pages |
With the goal of expanding and enhancing services to adoptive families of children with special needs, post-legal adoption services have been established in annual adoption discretionary grant announcements. Under that priority area in 1998, 15 3-year grants were awarded to increase permanency and well-being for children with special needs by preventing adoption disruption, dissolution, or out-of-home placement. This briefing paper synthesizes the final reports of those 15 projects. The projects targeted post-legal adoptive families and their children with special needs, pre-adoptive families, single adoptive parents, transracial adoptive families, kinship families. Core services included parent support and educational groups, children s ... |
Providing Background Information to Adoptive Parents | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 278KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2003 - 8 pages |
This bulletin explains the importance of providing background information about a child to prospective adoptive parents so that they can be prepared to address the child's emotional, health, and behavioral needs. The briefing describes the liability of agencies in cases of wrongful adoption and identifies the types of information that families should receive. Issues regarding sensitive information and right to privacy also are discussed. |
Psychotropic Medication and Children in Foster Care: Tips for Advocates and Judges. | |
Author(s): | American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law. Solchany |
Availability: | Download (PDF - 1,065KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 36 pages |
Addresses common child and adolescent mental health diagnoses and presents a multimodal approach to managing mental health disorders for children and youth in foster care. The benefits, drawbacks, and side effects of psychotropic medications are discussed and presented in a table. Recommendations for best practice are listed, and questions that judges and advocates should ask about medication use with children in foster care are included. |
Searching for Birth Relatives | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 445KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 18 pages |
Provides guidance to adopted persons and birth families on the search process and information access, as well as resources for further help in conducting a successful search. This factsheet is designed to address the concerns of both adopted persons who are searching for birth parents or other birth relatives, as well as birth parents (both mothers and fathers) who want to locate a child who was adopted. While not a complete "how to" guide to searching, this factsheet provides information on the decision to search, steps in the search process, hiring a professional searcher, international searching, using social media to ... |
Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 356KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2006 - 15 pages |
This bulletin explores research, intervention strategies, and resources to assist professionals in preserving connections among siblings placed in foster care. The importance and benefits of placing siblings together is discussed, and strategies are offered for addressing the barriers that often keep siblings apart. Ways to maintain sibling connections among siblings living in different homes are also described. A final section provides articles, curricula, sample State policies, and more resources to help professionals. |
"Special Needs" Adoption: What Does It Mean? | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 281KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2010 - 6 pages |
This factsheet presents some common questions about adopting a child or youth with special needs and provides resources that will give you detailed answers. |
Stay Connected to Adoption Information | |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 226KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2007 - 2 pages |
Child Welfare Information Gateway promotes the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families by connecting adoption and other child welfare professionals to information and resources that help them address the needs of children and families in their communities. This flier highlights the resources and services that Child Welfare Information Gateway offers. |
Strengthening Families and Communities: 2011 Resource Guide. | |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway, Children's Bureau, FRIENDS National Resource Center For Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, Center for the Study of Social Policy-Strengthening Families |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 2,632KB) |
Year Published: | 2011 - 94 pages |
This Resource Guide was written to support service providers in their work with parents, caregivers, and their children to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. The guide includes information about protective factors that help reduce the risk of child maltreatment, strategies for changing how communities support families, and evidence-informed practices. It also offers suggestions for enhancing protective factors in families, tools to build awareness and develop community partnerships, information about child abuse and neglect, a directory of national organizations that work to strengthen families, and tip sheets in English and Spanish on specific parenting topics. |
Substance Abuse Specialists in Child Welfare Agencies and Dependency Courts: Considerations for Program Designers and Evaluators. | |
Author(s): | National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare., United States. Children's Bureau., United States. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Young |
Availability: | Download (PDF - 1,516KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2010 - 58 pages |
This paper focuses on the placing of substance abuse specialists in either child welfare offices or dependency courts. The purpose of co-locating substance abuse specialists is to ensure that parents are assessed as quickly as possible, to improve parent engagement and retention in treatment, to streamline entry into treatment, and to provide consultation to child welfare and dependency court workers. In addition to briefly describing substance abuse specialist programs and their various components, this paper includes findings from eight qualitative interviews of programs that place substance abuse specialists in child welfare offices or dependency courts. The interviews highlight ways in ... |
Supporting Brain Development in Traumatized Children and Youth | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 438KB) |
Year Published: | 2011 - 24 pages |
Summarizes what child welfare professionals can do to support the identification and assessment of the impact of maltreatment and trauma on brain development, including what to look for at different ages and stages of child development. The bulletin also addresses how to work effectively with children, youth, and families to support healthy brain development and how to improve services through cross-system collaboration and trauma-informed practice. |
Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development | |
Series Title: | Issue Briefs |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 365KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2009 - 17 pages |
This issue brief provides basic information on brain development and the effects of abuse and neglect on that development. The information is designed to help professionals understand the emotional, mental, and behavioral impact of early abuse and neglect in children who come to the attention of the child welfare system. |
Working With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Families in Adoption | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 315KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 14 pages |
This bulletin is designed to help child welfare and adoption professionals expand their cultural competence and build their skills for working effectively and fairly with LGBT families as prospective adoptive parents. It examines issues, laws, and policies on LGBT families in adoption. |
Working With Military Families as They Pursue Adoption | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 276KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2010 - 7 pages |
This bulletin explains the benefits of using military families as adoptive resources for children. It discusses the challenges in working with military families, ways these challenges have been overcome, and provides a list of resources and organizations that support families in their adoption pursuits. |
Working With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Families in Adoption | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 315KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2011 - 14 pages |
This bulletin is designed to help child welfare and adoption professionals expand their cultural competence and build their skills for working effectively and fairly with LGBT families as prospective adoptive parents. It examines issues, laws, and policies on LGBT families in adoption. |