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Presents a summary of Federal legislation since 1974 that has had a significant impact on the child welfare field. It provides an overview of each act and its major provisions. To browse or search the summaries of acts included in this publication, visit the Major Federal Legislation Index and Search. The full text of the acts included in this publication can be found on Information Gateway's Index of Federal Child Welfare Laws. The PDF version presents an overview of the legislative history of the included acts. For a Spanish summary of the text related to the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 included in this publication, see Ley de 2008 Sobre el Promover de las Conexiones Para Lograr el Éxito y el Aumento de las Adopciones: Un Resumen.

Discusses state laws and regulations that specify the procedures that state child protection agencies must follow when responding to reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. The issues addressed include individual responsibility to report, content of reports, screening reports, investigation procedures, timeframes for completing investigations, and classification of investigative findings. Special procedures for handling child fatalities and drug-exposed children also are addressed. Summaries of laws for all states and U.S. territories are included.

Presents valuable information for youth in foster care related to making decisions about their mental health, treatment options, and the use of psychotropic medications. The guide walks through the steps of recognizing the need for help, finding help and considering treatment options, making treatment decisions, and managing treatment. Checklists and worksheets are included to help youth organize their thoughts.

Using case-level data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect System (NCANDS) for 2002, analyses of the characteristics of male perpetrators of maltreatment were conducted. The study utilized an 18-State data set of 192,392 perpetrators identified by the child protective services system during 2002. The relationship of the perpetrators to the child victims, as well as whether the perpetrator acted alone or with another person, was considered along with demographic characteristics of both perpetrators and victims, and circumstances of the maltreatment. Research questions were: 1) What are the characteristics of male perpetrators of child maltreatment? 2) What specific patterns of child maltreatment are associated with male perpetrators? 3) What outcomes are associated with male perpetrators of child maltreatment? and 4) How does the presence of a mother coperpetrator influence the circumstances surrounding the child maltreatment or the outcomes? Findings indicate that females outnumbered male perpetrators among cases investigated by CPS, by a margin of 10 percent; more than one-half of the male perpetrators where biological fathers; patterns of sexual abuse were more common among male perpetrators; with the exception of mothers' boyfriends, more than one-half of male perpetrators in all father categories received some services; and although recidivism rates were low, biological fathers were more likely to be perpetrators of maltreatment again than were most other male perpetrators. Policy implications are addressed. 27 references, numerous tables.

Discusses laws that designate the groups of professionals that are required to report cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. The factsheet also addresses reporting by other persons, the responsibilities of institutions in making reports, standards for making a report, and confidentiality of the reporter's identity. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories also are included.

Provides basic information to help military families learn about the adoption process. Adoption is a realistic option for military personnel who want to expand their families, and many military families adopt children from the foster care system.

Provides child welfare professionals with an overview of motivational interviewing, describes circumstances when it could be applied, and highlights the basics of the method. It also provides links to additional resources.