Many factors affect a family's ability to care for their children. Families who can meet their own basic needs for food, clothing, housing, and transportation - and who know how to access essential services such as childcare, health care, and mental health services to address family-specific needs - are better able to ensure the safety and well-being of their children.
Partnering with parents to identify and access resources in the community may help prevent the stress that sometimes precipitates child maltreatment. Providing concrete supports may also help prevent the unintended neglect that sometimes occurs when parents are unable to provide for their children.
Child Well-Being and Noncustodial Fathers (PDF - 736 KB)
Solomon-Fears, Falk, & Fernandes-Alcantara (2013)
Congressional Research Service
Offers information on Federal programs that provide noncustodial fathers with economic assistance, family support, and job training and employment to address poverty of children and increase well-being.
Collaboration Between TANF and Child Welfare to Improve Child Welfare Outcomes Discretionary Grant Cluster
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Discusses projects funded that demonstrate models of effective collaboration between public assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and child welfare agencies that will improve outcomes for children and youth who are in, or are at risk of entering, the child welfare system.
Economic Security for Extremely Vulnerable Families: Themes and Options for Workforce Development and Asset Strategies (PDF - 854 KB)
Golden, Loprest, & Mills (2012)
Explores workforce and asset development strategies for improving the economic security of extremely vulnerable families, those facing major challenges beyond poverty. The paper also highlights opportunities to inform policy and support targeted research to advance this agenda.
Family Economic Success
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Describes an approach for addressing the difficulties that low-income working families face trying to improve themselves economically. The website offers information on a range of topics of interest to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public.
How Couple- and Parenting-Focused Programs Affect Child Behavioral Problems: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Zemp, Milek, Cummings, & Bodenmann (2016)
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25
Compares the effects of a couple-focused program and a parenting training program on enhancing parenting skills to reduce child behavioral problems.
Integrating Family Support Services into Schools: Lessons from the Elev8 Initiative (PDF - 298 KB)
D'Angelo, Rich, & Kwiatt (2013)
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Presents findings from Chapin Hall's evaluation of the Elev8 Full-Service Schools Initiative as a case study to reflect on the potential challenges and benefits of offering economic support services to families at schools.
Making Connections
Annie E. Casey Foundation
This initiative operates on the premise that families do better when they live in communities that help them to succeed. Information on theory, sites, results, and reading materials are provided.
Partnering With Families and Communities
National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (2013)
Offers a webcast on the Prevention Initiative Demonstration Project (PIDP) in Los Angeles, CA, and discusses three strategies to support positive outcomes for children, youth, and families: decreasing social isolation by connecting families to each other; addressing issues of economic security; and increasing access to available resources.
Spotlight on Child Neglect Prevention (PDF - 431 KB)
O'Connor & McKenna (2012)
National Alliance of Children's Trust and Prevention Funds
Research Review, 2(1)
Presents findings from a literature review on child neglect, including information on the definition of child neglect, risk factors for child neglect, and parent and child characteristics that are related to child neglect. This brief also reports findings related to community and cultural influences on child and Project Getting Access to Income Now (GAIN) in Wisconsin is highlighted as an innovative effort to test whether economic supports can reduce child maltreatment.
Strengthening Families: Concrete Support in Times of Need (PDF - 504 KB)
Forthun, Carannante, & Diehl (2015)
University of Florida, UF/IFAS Extension
Provides information on available Federal programs, benefits, and assistance for families in need in the State of Florida.
Supporting Parents Who Work and Go to School: A Portrait of Low-Income Students Who Are Employed (PDF - 429 KB)
Spaulding, Derrick-Mills, & Callan (2016)
Urban Institute
Describes the characteristics of the 1 million low-income parents who attend school and also work. This resource analyzes the ways in which this population balances competing priorities, the supports available, and how existing Federal policy initiatives can better support working parents in their educational pursuits.
Texas Registry of Parent Educator Resources (ROPER)
Office of Family Science Education, Research and Policy (2016)
Unifies parent education resources into one searchable database. The database can be used by parents, agencies, and parenting professionals to search for parent educators in Texas based on topics they are experienced in teaching, language, or parenting program. ROPER also provides topic-specific resources, a calendar of conferences, and a question forum in order to bring cohesion to Texas parent education.