RESEARCH UPDATE
More about the Dads: Exploring Associations between Nonresident Father Involvement and Child Welfare Case Outcomes
This study follows up on the "What About the Dads" study conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Servcies' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation through the Urban Institute, which analyzed child welfare agencies' efforts to identify, locate, and involve nonresident fathers of children in foster care. Using information from the original survey and administrative data on case outcomes, this study explores whether nonresident father involvement is associated with case length, foster care discharge outcomes, and/or subsequent child maltreatment allegations. The findings show that increased non-resident father engagement is associated with shorter case length and a greater likelihood of reunification.
» Download the report (PDF).
Family and Neighborhood Risks: How They Relate to Involvement in Out-of-School Time Activities
A new Research-to-Results Fact Sheet from Child Trends cites that many studies find that children in high-risk neighborhoods and high-risk families are less likely to participate in out-of-school time programs and are more likely to have poor outcomes than are their peers from more advantaged neighborhoods. The brief’s authors argue that these poorer outcomes may result from "the lower levels of resources, social cohesion, and trust present in high-risk neighborhoods." The results, the brief’s authors argue, reflect the multiple disadvantages experienced by children in high-risk families and neighborhoods. The authors conclude that these results are troubling as an increasing number of studies have found that participation in an out-of-school time program is related to better outcomes for children.
» Access the Fact Sheet (PDF).
Studying Family Participation in System-of-care Evaluations: Using Qualitative Methods to Examine a National Mandate in Local Contexts
Local communities are required to involve families as partners in systems of care, but are often given little guidance on how to effectively do so. Consequently, there is a lack of knowledge about how family participation is actually implemented in local communities. This article, written by P. Jivanjee and A. Robinson and published in the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, reports on a qualitative study of family participation in evaluations of systems of care from the perspectives of both evaluators and family members. The article discusses the experiences and perceptions of evaluators and family members working on evaluation teams, challenges they encountered, and effective strategies to meet those challenges.
» Order a free copy of this article.
Juvenile Delinquency in Child Welfare: Investigating Group Home Effects
A recent study in the Children and Youth Services Review reviewed administrative records from a large urban county to investigate the relationship between group home placements in child welfare and the risk of delinquency. Group homes fall into the broad category of residential care, a category that also includes half-way homes, campus based homes, emergency shelters, self-contained settings, and staff-secured settings. The study’s authors contend that residential care services are often an option of last resort for meeting the needs of neglected youth. The results of this study indicate that the relative risk of delinquency is approximately two and one half times greater for adolescents with at least one group home placement as compared with youth in foster care settings. The authors assert that this finding raises serious questions about the use of group homes for victims of physical abuse and neglect.
» Access this report (PDF).
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Addressing the Mental Health of Sexually Abused Children
Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF/CBT) is an evidence-based treatment approach shown to help children, adolescents, and their caretakers overcome trauma-related difficulties. This issue brief from the Child Welfare Information Gateway is intended to build a better understanding of the characteristics and benefits of TF/CBT. It was written primarily to help child welfare caseworkers and other professionals who work with at-risk families make more informed decisions about when to refer children and their parents and caregivers to TF/CBT programs, but may also help parents and other caregivers understand what they and their children can gain from TF/CBT and what to expect during treatment.
» Access the brief (PDF).
Commonwealth Fund Examines Racial and Ethnic Disparities in U.S. Health Care
The Commonwealth Fund finances an annual study entitled Racial and Ethnic Disparities in US Health Care: A Chartbook. In addition to the study, they recently conducted a Webinar that featured Chartbook co-author, Bruce Siegal, MD, MPH, of The George Washington University, Dora Hughes, MD, MPH, Health Policy Advisor to Senator Barack Obama, and Carolyn Clancy, MD, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Chartbook documents progress in closing some gaps but contends that there is much left to be done in both physical and mental health for all age groups. One of the major causes, according to the Chartbook, continues to be the fact that there are 47 million Americans who are uninsured. A disproportionate number of adults and children who are uninsured are people who encompass racial and ethnic minorities. Chartbook authors assert that the gap could be substantially close with Americans access to health insurance.
» Access the Chartbook (PDF) | View the Webinar.
Parental Monitoring Yields Reduction in Teen Drinking Rates
A new study published in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy shows that teens whose parents monitored them during high school tended to drink less as high-school seniors. In addition, students who drank less in high school also drank less in college, which may indicate that there is an indirect carryover benefit of parental monitoring.
» Access the abstract.
Teen Prescription Drug Abuse: An Emerging Threat
Research has shown an overall reduction in teen drug use nationwide. However, research also shows that more teens now abuse prescription drugs than any illicit drug except marijuana. Prescription drugs, when used as prescribed, can be powerful and effective medicines but many teens are abusing prescription drugs to get high. According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), more than 2.1 million teens ages 12 to 17 reported abusing prescription drugs in 2006. The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy offers strategies to prevent prescription drug abuse, myths and facts on prescription drug abuse and more.
» Access this information.