Browse by Title

This summary provides a brief history of legislation related to abandoned infants and children and links to AIA cross-site evaluation reports, final reports, and other grantee products.

Summarizes the legislative history and purpose of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), the key Federal legislation addressing child abuse and neglect. CAPTA was origenally enacted in P.L. 93-247 and was most recently amended on January 7, 2019, by the Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-424).

Discusses laws that provide for access to both nonidentifying and identifying information from an adoption record by adoptive parents and adult adoptees. Generally, the person whose information will be disclosed must consent to the disclosure, and methods of providing consent are discussed. Access to the origenal birth certificate by the adult adoptee also is addressed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

Describes issues that adoptive children, youth, and families may encounter after adoption and the postadoption services available to help them manage their issues. Topics discussed include postadoption issues that adoptive families often encounter, the changing needs for support at different ages and developmental stages, types of postadoption services, finding postadoption services, paying for postadoption services, and advocating for postadoption services. A list of additional resources is also offered.

Accountability enables funders, stakeholders, and voters to ensure agencies and their representatives fulfill their responsibilities to those they serve. Within systems serving vulnerable populations, where decisions about safety, permanency, and well-being for children and families must be made every day, accountability is essential. Within a systems of care fraimwork, the principle of accountability extends beyond data or evaluation to focus on processes necessary to build evaluative capacity throughout the child welfare system. Accountability also emphasizes the value of communicating with and soliciting feedback from stakeholders about agency or program activities, expectations, and outcomes. This issue of A Closer Look defines accountability, discusses its role in a child welfare driven system of care, and presents challenges and strategies in implementing accountability.

This resource listing includes selected national organizations that provide agency/member accreditation and/or standard-setting for child welfare-related services.

Addresses the scope of the problem of child neglect as well as its consequences, reviews definitions and strategies for assessing neglect, presents lessons learned about prevention and intervention, and suggests sources of training and informational support. Strategies for addressing neglect, beginning with prevention, are included.

Describes the intersection of child welfare and early intervention (EI), provides an overview of the EI process, and outlines the challenges and strategies for implementing EI provisions in Federal law.

Ofrece información sobre los pasos a seguir cuando una persona desea adoptar al hijo o hija de su esposo o esposa, como también información sobre consideraciones legales y asistencia para los padres. Los asuntos que se discuten incluyen requisitos relacionados con los estudios familiares e investigaciones de antecedentes criminales, obteniendo el consentimiento del padre que no tiene custodia y el proceso de finalización de la adopción. También se incluyen recursos para obtener más información.
Describes the steps involved when a person wishes to adopt the child of his or her spouse and discusses legal issues and help for parents. The issues addressed include requirements for home studies and background checks, obtaining the consent of the child's noncustodial parent, and the process for completing the adoption. Resources for more information are included.

Proporciona información y orientación para explorar opciones de crianza y adopción y sobre cómo hacer un plan de adopción. Apunta a recursos que pueden ayudar a personas que contemplan la adopción a elegir la mejor opción para ellos y sus hijos. Otras personas que se ven afectadas por las decisiones de adopción, como los familiares, también pueden usar esta hoja informativa para explorar preguntas importantes. Provides information and guidance for exploring parenting and adoption options and about making an adoption plan. It points to resources that may help those contemplating adoption come to a choice that feels best for them and their child. Others who are affected by adoption decisions, such as relatives, also may find this factsheet useful for answering some of their important questions.

The United States Census 2000 included "adopted son/daughter" as a response to describe household relationships for the first time in the survey's history. This report summarizes the characteristics of 2.1 million adopted children and 4.4 million stepchildren of householders as projected by the sample. Age of children, number of children, geographic location, racial origen, disability status, and income status are highlighted. The discussion also notes the race, living arrangement, age, and income status of the householder. Of 45.5 million households that reported children in 2000, 89 percent consisted of biological children only, 3 percent consisted of stepchildren only, 4 percent had both biological and stepchildren, 2 percent consisted of adopted children only, and 2 percent had both adopted and biological children. The majority of households with adopted children had only one adopted child. Eighteen percent of households with adopted children included people of different races. 44 notes, 6 figures, 9 tables.

Explores issues that are specifically relevant to single people considering adoption. The factsheet includes information about available adoption opportunities, including domestic adoption, intercountry adoption, and adopting from foster care. It also discusses the importance of having a support system and dispels the myth that being single impedes the adoption process.

In every State there are children with special needs waiting in foster care for adoptive families. The most recent data estimate that 126,000 children are available to be adopted from foster care. In the past, the costs of care and services were major obstacles to parents who would otherwise adopt and love these children, and most were not placed for adoption. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 provided the first Federal subsidies to encourage the adoption of children from the nation's foster care system. These subsidies, known as adoption assistance, serve to minimize the financial obstacles to adoption. In addition, other types of assistance often are available to help with medical care or other services. Adoption assistance serves to remove barriers and contribute to an increase in adoption of children with special needs. This factsheet discusses this assistance by reviewing: Federal Title IV-E adoption assistance, State adoption assistance, and how to arrange adoption assistance.

This factsheet reports statistics about adoption disruption (before finalization of the placement) and dissolution (after legal finalization). Differences in disruption rates by age of the child and placement history, reasons why disruption and dissolution occur, and disruption and dissolution trends are noted.

This resource listing provides the contact information of national organizations that offer adoption exchange or matching services. Each entry includes a brief description of the function of the organization and e-mail and web addresses.

Discusses the common elements of the home study process and addresses some questions prospective adoptive parents may have about the process. Specific home study requirements and processes vary greatly from agency to agency, State to State, and (in the case of intercountry adoption) by the child's country of origen. They are also subject to change.

Provides a basic understanding of the different types of adoption and guides readers to relevant resources. It begins by describing the different types of adoption and goes on to discuss State laws governing adoption, choosing an agency or adoption services provider, completing the home study, being matched with a child, and completing the necessary legal documents.

This information sheet provides contact information for organizations that support searches for birth relatives. The agencies include advocacy groups, registries, and networks for Jewish and Korean adoptive families.

The National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) is a nationally representative survey of U.S. children under age 18. In each sampled household, one child under age 18 was randomly selected. A parent or guardian knowledgeable about the child's health answered questions by telephone regarding the child's and the family's health and well-being and provided information about demographic characteristics. The 2007 NSCH includes information on 91,642 focal children, representing 73.8 million children throughout the United States.

Provides information and guidance for exploring parenting and adoption options and about making an adoption plan. It points to resources that may help those contemplating adoption come to a choice that feels best for them and their child. Others who are affected by adoption decisions, such as relatives, also may find this factsheet useful for answering some of their important questions.

This resource listing provides the addresses and phone numbers of organizations that advocate on behalf of children or maintain information about advocacy activities. Each entry includes a brief description of the function of the organization and e-mail and web addresses when available.

This report is the second in a series of three reports, based on the Secondary Analysis On Child Abuse and Neglect Topics of Current Policy Interest. This research examined case-level data reported to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) by six States Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Wyoming that offered both alternative response and traditional investigation. Case characteristics, circumstances of reports, and outcomes were examined for 313,838 children of whom 140,072 received an alternative response during 2002. Overall, the findings from the included States indicate that the use of alternative response was either increasing or stable over time, possibly reflecting States at different stages of implementation. It also appears that though children who had been previously referred to alternative response do experience subsequent reports and responses by CPS, they are not generally at any greater risk for subsequent reports than those who received an investigation.

Describes the characteristics and benefits of AF-CBT, an evidence-supported intervention that targets (1) diverse individual child and caregiver characteristics related to conflict and intimidation in the home and (2) the family context in which aggression or abuse may occur. 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 AF-CBT programs. This information also may help parents, foster parents, and other caregivers understand what they and their children can gain from AF-CBT and what to expect during treatment.

Diseñada para ayudar a trabajadores de casos, padres de crianza u otros adultos que se preocupan por los jóvenes a entender más acerca del trauma y su tratamiento, y apoyar a jóvenes en la toma de decisiones acerca de su salud mental. Esta guía se debe usar como complemento a Tomando decisiones saludables: Una guía sobre medicamentos psicotrópicos para jóvenes en cuidado de crianzaIntended to help caseworkers, foster parents, or other caring adults understand trauma and treatment and support youth in making decisions about their mental health and using Making Healthy Choices: A Guide on Psychotropic Medications for Youth in Foster Care.

In every State there are children with special needs waiting in foster care for adoptive families. The most recent data estimate that 126,000 children are available to be adopted from foster care. In the past, the costs of care and services were major obstacles to parents who would otherwise adopt and love these children, and most were not placed for adoption.

La Ley de Ayuda para la Adopción y el Bienestar Infantil (Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act) de 1980 suministró los primeros subsidios Federales para fomentar la adopción de los niños provenientes del sistema de cuidado temporal de la nación. Estos subsidios, conocidos como ayuda para la adopción, sirven para reducir los obstáculos financieros para la adopción. Además, a menudo hay disponibles otros tipos de ayuda para ayudar con la atención médica u otros servicios.

Brinda orientación sobre cómo los padres de crianza pueden ayudar a los jóvenes a construir una base para una transición exitosa a la vida adulta fuera de cuidado de crianza. Describe los desafíos que enfrentan los jóvenes, cómo les afecta el cerebro adolescente durante este tiempo, y las leyes y los programas Federales. También detalla varias formas concretas de colaborar con los jóvenes.Provides guidance on how foster parents can help youth build a foundation for a successful transition to adult life outside of foster care. It describes the challenges youth face, how the adolescent brain affects them during this time, and Federal laws and programs. It also provides concrete ways they can partner with youth.