What's Working in Family-Based Services--or, What's Left to Believe in During a Time of Such Doubt?

This article is a qualitative, personal report from the field, designed to highlight current developments in family-based theory and practice that bring hopefulness to workers and clients. The author, an experienced human services consultant and family therapist, draws from his recent experience in a number of states to identify exemplars of practice in the following areas: integrative theory building, functional family assessment, systems change in regard to inter-agency coordination and foster care, community building in low income neighborhoods, developing humility as helpers, and addressing issues of hope and spirituality with clients and with co-workers. Given the turbulent and hostile political environment for family-based services, this article challenges us to remember that effectiveness in helping others is directly related to our feelings of hopefulness about ourselves and our world.

A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Evaluating Family Preservation Programs

The current study evaluates the effectiveness of family preservation programs funded by the Mississippi Department of Human Services. This venture encompassed scrutiny and assessment of improvements in child functioning, positive changes in parental functioning and family functioning and the decrease in foster care placement. Further, this evaluation assessed client and staff satisfaction. It also included an assessment of the perceived impact this program had on the community. Results indicate that the family preservation programs were effective in improving the self-esteem of participants, family cohesion, and adaptability. There were no significant changes in child placement, teen births, or abuse rates. Client and staff satisfaction were high on all quality dimensions. The majority of the sample of community members felt that the family preservation programs were effective in the community.

Intensive Family Preservation in Children's Mental Health: Predictors of Placement

This article examines the predictors of placement following IFPSfor a sample of child mental health service recipients and their families. Risk and protective factors vary depending on the time frame under consideration. Immediately following service, children 's level of Social/Legal functioning, a previous group home placement, and the presence of mental health problems for other family members increase risk of placement, while the number of follow-up services serves to lessen risk. Three to six months after service, the presence of a child behavior presenting problem and a projected placement in foster care serve as protective factors, while two service targets, alcohol monitoring and time management, serve to increase risk. Appropriate use of results for program design and for structuring access to services is discussed.

Targeting Special Populations for Family Preservation: The Influence of Worker Competence and Organizational Culture

Today there are approximately 581,000 children in the United States foster care system. Children of color, one special population group, are disproportionately represented in the foster care system. Family preservation, a program that aims to improve family functioning and thus decrease the need for foster care, has been examined closely. Some researchers believe that family preservation programs have failed partly due to practitioners' inability to target appropriate families (Feldman, 1990; Schuerman, Rzepnicki & Littell, 1994). Additionally, research confirms that children of color are not the target of family preservation services (Denby, Curtis, & Alford, 1998). Improvements in the effectiveness of family preservation will require many types of reform both internal and external to the program. Among the types of internal reform needed is accurate "targeting of services. " Given the overrepresentation of children of color in the foster care system, this group must be among those who are targeted for services. The results of a national survey of 254 family preservation workers reveal a "profile" of the worker who is likely to target special populations, including children of color, for family preservation services. A case is made for service improvements and training to facilitate the "profiled" workers' competencies.

Supporting Families through Short-Term Foster Care: An Essay Review

Aldgate, J. and Bradley, M. (1999). Supporting families through short-term fostering. London: The Stationery Office. This essay reviews a British qualitative study of short-term foster care from the perspectives of birth parents, children, foster parents, and social workers. Respondents highlighted the value of short-term foster care as a family support service and also offered many recommendations for improving service delivery. The study provides useful implications for restructuring child welfare services in the United States and for promoting cross-national collaboration in future research activities in the area of child and family services.

Family Preservation Journal, 2002, Volume 6, Issue 2. (Entire issue)

Entire issue (large pdf file) Articles include: Applying the Strengths Perspective to Increase Safety and Well-Being: Views from Families and Providers. Diane DePanfilis, Joshua Okundaye, Esta Glazer-Semmel, Lisa Kelly, and Joy Swanson Ernst Changing Tides and Changing Focus: Mapping the Challenges and Successes of One State's Implementation Of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. Scottye J. Cash, Scott D. Ryan, and Alison Glover Promising Practices to Engage Families and Support Family Preservation. Marianne Berry Implementing Intensive Family Preservation Services: A Case of lnfidelity. Raymond S. Kirk, Kellie Reed-Ashcrafi, and Peter J. Pecora Supporting Families through Short-Term Foster Care: An Essay Review. Anthony Maluccio Failed Child Welfare Policy: An Essay Review. Anthony Maluccio

Preserving Family: Themes from a Qualitative Study of Kin Caregivers

This article presents themes from a qualitative study of 58 African American female kinship caregivers in San Francisco. Core concepts that emerged describe various paths along which children move into kin homes, and caregivers' mixed emotional reactions to becoming surrogate parents. Women also discussed multiple family roles they assumed after taking in children. Responses highlight three primary reasons for becoming caregivers that center on providing for and protecting these children—particularly from the perceived threat of the public foster care system—and ultimately preserving the family unit. Paradoxically, caregivers' reasons mirror the stated goals of the public foster care system, which they view as a threat to family stability. We discuss the problems of implementing practice and policy recommendations for permanency and family preservation and how to bridge the gap between the deeply held negative beliefs of African American caregivers towards the public system and begin to build trust.

Adverse family experiences among children in nonparental care, 2011-2012 /

Mode of access: Internet.

The Dameron-Damron genealogy; the descendants of Lawrence Dameron of Virginia, with notes on the related Northumberland county families of Gaskins, Harvey, Bledsoe, Tignor, Ball, Coppedge-Coppage, Waddy, Taylor, Smith, and the John Ladd Family originating Lower Norfolk county, Virginia.

Kept up by appendices issued at irregular intervals.

Illinois families now and forever : families by foster care, adoption and guardianship /

Expands the audience served by the Fostering Illinois newsletter (which provided DCFS policy updates and other useful information for foster families), to include adoptive and guardianship families.

The last of his family; and other poems, occasional and miscellaneous.

Mode of access: Internet.

Involving the family in higher education:do they really matter?

In an ever-changing higher education (HE) environment, institutions are seeing the involvement of parents in students' education increasing. This may partly be due to tuition fees and the introduction of deferred variable tuition fees ("top-up fees") from 2006, and also because of the increased number of students choosing to remain in the family home for the duration of their studies. Many students see their families as the most important source of motivation and advice right through from school age to when they make decisions about HE. In the light of this increase in involvement, institutions need to provide information about, and access to, university to ensure that families are fully prepared and able to support their children throughout the university experience. In recognition of the vital role parents play, the Involving the Family project focuses on parents or key family members from groups currently under-represented in HE in order to increase their awareness and understanding of HE. This article evaluates research undertaken to investigate the views, perceptions and key concerns held by minority ethnic parents with regards to their children and participation in HE. The article then details how these results were utilised in the development of the Involving the Family project.