Every year the National CASA Association surveys both state organizations and local programs to get an accurate reflection of the structure, operation and services provided by programs across the country. In 2011, there were 46 statewide CASA/GAL organizations. The entire CASA/GAL network consisted of 946 local and state programs. This year’s state organization survey drew 42 responses for a 91% response rate. Link to pdf Report
Tag Archives: child welfare
9758: Child Abuse in Ethnic Minority and Immigrant Communities
Online Course for CE credits: Ethnic minority children (e.g., African Americans, Native American Indians/Alaskan Natives, and Pacific Islander children) have higher rates of reported child abuse and neglect compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts. It has been argued that health practitioners, social workers, and mental health counselors should take into account race, ethnicity, and sociocultural factors when working with child abuse and neglect cases. This course will review the historical backdrop of the child welfare system and definitions of child abuse and neglect, including variations in definitions in various cultures internationally. An overview of the role of culture in child-rearing practices, child disciplining, and perceptions and definitions of child abuse will also be provided. Assessments and interventions based on culturally relevant theories will be reviewed. Finally, the importance of practitioners’ self-care in child abuse cases is emphasized. This course is designed for nurses, social workers, therapists, mental health counselors, and other allied health professionals who may intervene in suspected cases of child abuse. Link to Course Web Page which has a link to the pdf version.
Drug Court Programs Factsheet
A new factsheet from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs describes drug courts, in which court-directed programs aim to reduce drug use relapse. The factsheet highlights an array of multidisciplinary services, including risk and needs assessment, judicial monitoring and supervision, and treatment and rehabilitation services. Drug courts are tailored to address the specific needs of different populations. For example, family drug courts apply the drug court model to child welfare cases in which substance abuse is identified as a contributing factor to child abuse or neglect. These programs emphasize treatment to aid in the reunification and stabilization of families. The factsheet goes on to describe available DOJ programs that provide financial grants and other assistance to help States build drug court capacity and increase participation among the targeted populations. Link to pdf Factsheet
Home Visiting Toolkit for Children in Child Care
As home visiting programs have gained popularity over the past few years, attention is now moving to the children who spend substantial time being cared for by adults other than their parents. In response to the growing interest, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) created a toolkit for State policymakers and advocates, offering tips and strategies for expanding access to State and federally funded home visiting models via coordination with family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) child care providers. Link to pdf Toolkit
Comparing CA&N in Rural and Urban Areas
Certain child and family characteristics make cases of abuse and neglect more likely to be substantiated—or confirmed—by child protective services (CPS) in rural versus urban settings, according to a new issue brief by the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire. Using data collected in 2008 and 2009 for the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II), researchers found many similarities in confirmed cases across settings. However, cases of abuse and neglect with the following three characteristics were more likely to be confirmed in rural than in urban areas:
- Children age 11 or older (35 percent of rural cases confirmed versus 23 percent of urban cases)
- Parents experiencing cognitive impairments or domestic violence (72 percent of rural versus 54 percent of urban cases)
- Families with income greater than 200 percent of the Federal poverty level (36 percent of rural versus 26 percent of urban cases)
The authors explain that abuse and neglect confirmation often affects whether families will receive support services, but that most children with reported cases experience the same outcomes regardless of confirmation. Therefore, professionals should strive to provide similar services to families with unconfirmed cases in order to improve child outcomes and reduce risks for another report. Because CPS agencies in rural settings often are challenged by finding and keeping skilled workers and providing services across long distances, the issue brief concludes with recommendations for service providers in those areas. Link to Issue Brief
Evaluation Designs for Assessing Practice Models
When nonprofit agencies, counties, and States embark on implementation of a practice model, it is important to plan the evaluation of its effectiveness right from the beginning. Indeed, one of the first objectives for the team should be a decision about the evaluation design. It is imperative that the organization choose the most rigorous evaluation design that it can accommodate. This brief article describes a few rigorous evaluation designs that could be or have been utilized in assessing child welfare practice models. Link to Article