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Explores the prevalence of racial disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare system. It also describes strategies that can assist child welfare administrators, program managers, and policymakers with addressing these issues in general and at specific decision points in the child welfare process (e.g., prevention, reporting, investigation, service provision, out-of-home care, permanency). Examples of State and local initiatives that address disproportionality also are highlighted.

Esta guía describe los efectos del trauma en los jóvenes y sugiere estrategias para ayudar a las victimas y de la violencia a que puedan curarse. Basados en conceptos presentados por expertos que asistieron un instituto que se llevo acabo durante la conferencia de entrenamiento de la Asociación de Head Start Nacional (National Head Start Association) en abril del 2000, la discusión enfatiza la importancia de animar a niños y adultos para expresar sus temores. Los maestros y otros adultos son animados para identificar cambios en el comportamiento t pico de los niños y de proporcionar oportunidades para que ellos comuniquen sus sentimientos mediante las artes, historias, y drama. Los adultos deben también asegurar que los niños se sientan salvos y en control. Los expertos hacen recuerdo a los adultos a reconocer sus propias reacciones a trauma para que ellos estén preparados a ayudar a sus hijos. Ayuda profesional debe ser obtenida cuando sea necesario.

This factsheet discusses laws that require child welfare agencies to make reasonable efforts to provide services that will help families remedy the conditions that brought the child and family into the child welfare system. The issues examined include what constitutes reasonable efforts, when reasonable efforts are required to be made, and the circumstances under which reasonable efforts to reunify the family are not required. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

Provides an overview of State laws regarding the regulation of the fees and expenses that adoptive parents are expected to pay when arranging a private adoptive placement. Some of the fees and expenses that are typically addressed include placement costs, such as agency fees; legal fees and attorney expenses for adoptive and birth parents; and some of the expenses of the birth mother during pregnancy. Requirements for reporting adoption-related expenses to the court also are addressed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

This report to Congress outlines the findings of two adoption-research studies conducted as part of The Collaboration to AdoptUsKids. In the first study, a nationwide purposive sample of 300 families seeking to adopt children with special needs from the public child welfare system was selected, interviewed, and surveyed to determine actual and potential barriers to the completion of the adoption process. In addition, a nationwide sample of 382 private -- and public-agency adoption staff members were surveyed to assess their opinions regarding barriers to the adoption process. This first study is referred to as the "Barriers" study in this report. In the second study, a four-year prospective examination of a nationwide sample of 161 families who had adopted children with special needs was conducted in order to determine factors that contributed to successful adoption outcomes. This research study is referred to as the "Success Factors" study in this report. When all represented States are counted in both studies, family and staff participants came from all ten standard Federal regions, 47 States and the District of Columbia. (Author abstract)

In response to a legislative requirement under the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services conducted a survey of all States and territories to identify promising practices and possible strategies to overcome barriers to interjurisdictional placements. The survey was the first comprehensive compilation of current, promising strategies, and supports required to improve the interjurisdictional placement process for children in the child welfare system. This report provides background information on children in foster care, especially those for whom interjurisdictional adoptive placements are viable options, and describes key steps in the process to achieve permanent placements for children exiting foster care. The legal and procedural frameworks that govern the movement of children in foster care to homes in jurisdictions outside their State or county of residence are presented. Barriers that interfere with or delay interjurisdictional placements are then described, and strategies States are using to address them are summarized from the national survey on interjurisdictional placement. A synopsis of strategies employed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support improvements in interjurisdictional adoptive placements is also presented and include Child and Family Service Reviews, the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network, and discretionary grants. The report concludes with a summary of the issues and the strategies employed to improve outcomes for children in foster care whose permanent families reside across jurisdictional lines. 37 references. (Author abstract modified)

Examines State laws that specify when a state court must provide legal representation for a child involved in child abuse and neglect proceedings and whether that representative must be an attorney, guardian ad litem, or a court-appointed special advocate. The qualifications, training, specific duties, and compensation of the representative also are addressed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

Most children who are subjects of a report of maltreatment to the State or local child protective services (CPS) agency are involved just once with CPS during their lives. Other children are referred more than once and their referrals result in repeated investigations or assessments (rereporting). Some of these children are found to have been revictimized (recurrence). This paper focuses on rereporting and recurrence, and on gaining a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding these children with repeated involvement with CPS. Most previous studies of subvsequent reports alleging maltreatment of the same child or of revictimization have included only small populations, administrative data from only one State, or relatively short observation periods. This study follows children for up to 5 years, using a multiyear, multistate case-level National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) data set that spans the time period from 1998 to 2002.

Ofrece una visión general del proceso de reunificación, incluyendo lo que pueden esperar los padres mientras sus hijos estén en cuidado de crianza, qué pueden hacer para ayudar a que sus hijos vuelvan a casa y qué esperar luego de que sus hijos hayan vuelto a casa. También presenta recursos para ayudar a familias durante y después de la reunificación familiar. Provides a general overview of the reunification process, including what parents can expect while their children are in foster care, what they can do to help their children return home, and what to expect after children return home. Resources available to help families during and after reunification also are included.

Provides a general overview of the reunification process, including what parents can expect while their children are in foster care, what they can do to help their children return home, and what to expect after children return home. Resources available to help families during and after reunification also are included.

Examines State laws and procedures that provide persons who are named as alleged perpetrators in central registry reports the right to review the records and to request administrative hearings to contest the findings and have inaccurate records removed from the registry. Laws that provide for the expunction of old or unsubstantiated reports also are discussed. Summaries of relevant laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

Provides an overview of State laws related to the rights of unmarried fathers and the methods by which a man may establish a legal parent-child relationship with his child. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional protection of an unmarried father's parental rights when he has established a substantial relationship with his child. The circumstances in which a man may be presumed to be the father of a child, the use of putative fathers' registries, the use of genetic tests to establish parentage, and the right of rescission of paternity claims also are discussed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

Examines the statistics and research related to maltreatment of children with disabilities, risk factors, and strategies for prevention. Issues encountered when assessing a child with a disability for maltreatment are explored; and information about promising prevention, collaboration, and training approaches are outlined.

This manual, designed to examine the roles that teachers, school counselors, school social workers, school nurses, special education professionals, administrators, and other school personnel have in helping maltreated children, provides the basis for the involvement of educators in combating the problem of child abuse and neglect. It also may be used by other professionals involved in child abuse and neglect interventions, such as child protective services, mental health, law enforcement, health care, and early childhood professionals, to gain a better understanding of the role of educators in child protection. Specifically, this manual addresses the following topics: Identifying reasons why educators are concerned; Recognizing child abuse and neglect; Reporting child abuse and neglect; Providing support after the report; and Preventing child abuse and neglect. Appendices include an educators' checklist for recognizing possible child maltreatment and a sample report of suspected child abuse and neglect.

This manual is for professionals, such as emergency medical technicians, child protective services caseworkers, and law enforcement officers, who have the primary responsibility for the initial on-scene response to situations in which child abuse or neglect may have occurred. The manual describes the various types of child maltreatment and the signs that may indicate that maltreatment has occurred, provides an overview of the initial response and investigation in cases of suspected maltreatment, explains how first responders should prepare for and provide testimony in court for maltreatment cases, and outlines how first responders and their agencies can respond to child maltreatment cases in emergencies and disasters, including how to prepare for such situations.

This manual was designed to train State and local law enforcement officials for intervention in and investigation of child abuse and neglect cases. It explains the rules of law enforcement, the nature of team investigations, the investigative process, relationships with other disciplines, interview techniques, and specialized types of investigations. Topics include risk assessment, removal from home, interviewing tools, cross-cultural investigations, foster care, investigation of child deaths, monitoring telephone or personal conversations, polygraph evaluations, and arrest issues. A glossary of terms and a selected bibliography are provided. 1 figure and 54 notes.

This manual provides mental health professionals with a knowledge base about preventing and treating child abuse and neglect and helps them understand their roles and responsibilities in this area. Sections provide information on mental health disciplines and child abuse intervention; identify the roles of the mental health professional who works with maltreated children and their families, including preventing abuse on a primary and secondary level, providing tertiary intervention services, evaluating and treating children and their families, serving as an advocate and source of information, acting as an educator, helping clients prepare for testifying in court, being a consultant to county or State departments of social services, and testifying as an expert witness; and describe the responsibilities of the mental health professional, including reporting child maltreatment, referring children for medical evaluations, preventing sexual abuse of clients by therapists, acquiring knowledge and skills through training, establishing quality assurance practices and standards, and participating on a multidisciplinary team. Sections also provide operational definitions of abuse, summarize the problems associated with various forms of child maltreatment, and explain forensic and clinical evaluations; address mental health treatment issues and models as they relate to incestuous and neglecting families; and examine treatment modalities. Appendices identify crime victim compensation and victim assistance programs and list other user manuals in the series. 67 references.

This manual provides information on the roles and responsibilities of child care providers in preventing, recognizing, and reporting child abuse and neglect within and outside early childhood programs. It also presents an overview of prevention efforts, reporting laws, caring for maltreated children, and ways to support parents and professionals who work with families.

Highlights the importance of understanding the concerns and needs of children and families in rural communities, their strengths and resources, and the cultural sensitivity required of child welfare professionals as they work to achieve safety, permanency, and well-being for rural children.