CSSP Awards $5.4 Million to Test Promising Approaches to Reducing Abuse of Young Children

The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) is awarding $5.4 million to organizations to test four promising approaches to preventing abuse of infants and young children whose families live in high-poverty neighborhoods and face numerous stressors. The projects aim to find effective approaches for reducing the likelihood of abuse and neglect in infants and young children because they face the highest rates of maltreatment.

CSSP is awarding each project nearly $1.4 million over 40 months to implement new models and evaluate their effectiveness. Selected from 41 highly competitive proposals, the four projects are located in Denver, Boston, Oregon and South Carolina.

This research is part of the National Quality Improvement Center on Early Childhood, a five-year project launched in late 2008 to develop and disseminate new knowledge about programs and strategies that prevent child maltreatment and promote optimal development of infants and children younger than five. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau awarded $10 million to CSSP to develop the Center with its partners ZERO to THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families; and the National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds.

Read the full press release and descriptions of the projects.

Enhancing Home Visitation Policy and Practice with Domestic Violence Prevention Efforts

Following substantial funding for home visitation programs in recent federal health care reform, a new brief by the Family Violence Prevention Fund encourages policymakers to embrace the opportunity to address the needs of mothers and children experiencing or at risk of experiencing domestic violence through more effective home visiting programs.

Home visitation programs have demonstrated success in improving child and family outcomes but do not realized their full potential without addressing domestic violence, which is often co-occurring with child maltreatment in a home and, according to the brief, is “the single most common precursor to child deaths” in the country. With domestic violence training for home visitors and appropriate program infrastructure, home visiting programs may more effectively reduce child maltreatment, improve maternal health and child outcomes, and improve school readiness, as well as reduce intergenerational cycles of violence.

The brief provides evidence of the effectiveness of home visiting programs and the effect of domestic violence on child and maternal well-being, promising programs, and practice recommendations.

For policies to support building strong and stable families. Visit our http://www.policyforresults.org/ to sign up for email updates on strategies to prevent child abuse and neglect—coming soon!

Defining Poverty: Developing a Supplemental Poverty Measure

The way that poverty is defined and measured has a significant impact on families living at or near the “poverty line.” According to the current population survey, in 2008, 13.2 % of Americans were living in poverty. Unfortunately, in the current economic climate this number has likely only increased.

The poverty thresholds estimate the rate of poverty in the United States by determining the number of households whose annual income is below the set threshold for the household’s size. The original U.S. poverty measure was developed by Molly Orshansky at the Social Security Administration in 1964. The Orshansky Measure, which has changed only to adjust for inflation, is inadequate in measuring both family income and need. When developed, the poverty thresholds were presented as a measure of income inadequacy, Orshansky stated that "if it is not possible to state unequivocally 'how much is enough,' it should be possible to assert with confidence how much, on an average, is too little." Unfortunately, these underestimates are used as the official poverty measure – and while program benefit eligibility is not tied directly to the poverty thresholds – the measure determines the Department of Health and Human Services’ poverty guidelines, which have serious consequences for low-income families.

To address this matter, the U.S. Census Bureau is planning to develop a supplemental poverty measure. The new supplemental measure is going to be released with the Census Bureau’s annual poverty report in 2011. The supplemental measure will address several factors that the current measure does not take into consideration. The new measure will consider not only income but also cash assistance and the cash value of benefits from government programs (including food stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the child tax credit and housing asistance). The new measure will also take into account the basic cost of housing, food, transportation, child care and health care. State policymakers should follow this process closely because it will have an impact on the funding available to provide families with the assistance they need.

For a summary on the new measure read: Census to Redefine Poverty from the Brookings Institution.

For the history of the definition and measure of poverty in the U.S.

For a primer on poverty thresholds and the poverty measure.

For policies to support Family Economic Success.

New State Child Welfare Policy Database

Child Trends, with support from Casey Family Programs, recently launched a new clearinghouse for state child welfare policy. The Child Welfare Policy Database catalogues information about laws, procedures, and agency guidance for every state and the District of Columbia. You can review information by topic or by state for a variety of policies including kinship laws, child welfare expenditures, and policies related to older foster youth. Policyforresults.org will be using and linking to this great resource as we help elected officials (as well as administrators, advocates, practitioners, and researchers) remain current on the most effective policies that protect the nation's most vulnerable children.

For policies to support Building Strong and Stable Families.

Washington State Partners to Improve Child Welfare

Washington State’s Department of Social and Health Services, Children’s Administration recently implemented a new system-wide practice model called Solution-Based Casework (SBC). In making this system change – the state requested an independent, ongoing implementation study and impact evaluation from Partners for Our Children. The study and evaluation seek to determine the degree to which implementing SBC is successful in improving child and family outcomes in Washington State. The partnership includes parents, state leadership, child welfare administrators and staff, The University of Washington School of Social Work, and the private sector. The partnership is working together in order to improve the lives of children in foster care based on research, testing and evaluation.

The role of partnership is a critical one in successfully implementing and thoroughly evaluating wide-scale change. For state policymakers seeking to partner across agencies (with members of the community, academics, and practitioners) Washington State’s evidence-based approach might serve as a valuable resource.

For related news coverage regarding Washington States initial findings.

To read the Interim Report: Evaluation of Washington’s Solution Based Casework practice model: Baseline parent survey analysis by state, region, and service context.

For a Framework on Connecting Policy to Results.

Job Opening for Senior-level Communications Director

The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) is seeking a senior-level communications director with 8 to 10 years of broad experience in communications planning, strategic marketing, and media relations as well as outstanding writing and communications skills. CSSP seeks a professional who can implement a comprehensive communications plan, ensure consistent branding across all aspects of CSSP’s work, develop dissemination and outreach strategies for CSSP’s work, manage the development and delivery of all print materials and maintain media relationships. Knowledge of reaching key federal, state and local policymaker audiences desired. Competitive salary and benefits. For more information.

Women and the Changing Workforce

The Center for American Progress, just issued a new report, How Working Women Are Reshaping America’s Families and Economy and What It Means for Policymakers. The report addresses the impact of an increasingly female workforce and states that women are now half of all workers on U.S payrolls, that two-thirds of mothers are bringing home at least a quarter of the family’s earnings, and 4 in 10 mothers are either the sole breadwinner or are bringing home as much or more than their spouse The report also points out that while workforce participation and family income have increased for all women, it is particularly noteworthy among women with low-incomes who are now primary breadwinners in two-thirds of their families.

The report states that while the workforce has changed dramatically, that government, business, education and other social institutions need to make changes to support this new reality. The report suggests a policy agenda that includes; updating labor standards to account for employees’ family responsibilities, improving basic fairness in the workplace, providing support to families with childcare and eldercare needs, and improving our knowledge on work – life policies by collecting data and analyzing the effectiveness of state and local policies.

For the executive summary of this report.

For policies on expanding work support benefits.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization

Cross-posted from the Strengthening Families Blog on 3/15/2010

This week President Obama sent his “blueprint” for the renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to Congress for consideration. The blueprint outlines principles that the White House hopes Congress will incorporate into the Act’s reauthorization to overhaul some of the less popular provisions in No Child Left Behind (NCLB), improve struggling schools, and ensure that students graduate from high school “college and career-ready.”

While ESEA and Obama’s blueprint focus primarily on K-12 learning, the goals of the act and proposed reforms rely heavily on children starting school ready to learn. Children are far more likely to be “college and career-ready” when they graduate if they participate in quality early care and education that both promotes their growth and development and connects their families to the support they need (see the Chicago Parent Child Centers research and “Early Childhood Education Quality and Child Outcomes”, Child Trends).

Although ESEA is not likely to impact early childhood education significantly, the administration has expressed a commitment to increasing access and improving quality in early care and education as well as supporting families. At a weekend forum in Cedar Rapids, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan highlighted the importance of early childhood in connection with the blueprint.

Visit CSSP's project on Strengthening Families for more information on the importance of early care and education.

For policies Ensuring Children are Healthy and Prepared to Succeed in School.

Mapping the Reccession: A Graphic Transformation of the U.S. Economy

Labor writer Latoya Egwuekwe has compiled U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment data from January 2007 to February 2010, animating it to show the change in unemployment over the course of the recession. The graphic is a powerful representation of the deterioration of the U.S. economy and the hardships facing families across the country.

A New Issue Brief: The NIS 4 and Child Welfare in Context

Chapin Hall recently released an issue brief, Child Abuse Prevention: A Job Half Done. The brief addresses the recently released Fourth National Incidence Study on Child Maltreatment (NIS 4) which found significant reductions in the rate of sexual abuse, physical abuse and emotional abuse toward children, but no significant changes in the rates of child neglect. The brief also states that the important drop in violence toward children suggests that comprehensive intervention strategies, high-quality clinical interventions, and holding people who harm children accountable – have helped to keep children safe. While the drop in violence toward children is good news, the lack of a reduction in rates of neglect (the most common cause of child maltreatment) suggests there is still a great deal of work to be done.

The brief advocates for those in prevention, practice and policy to look at the results of the NIS 4 in its historical context – because while there has been a reduction in maltreatment since the previously released NIS 3 (1993) the rate of child maltreatment in this recent iteration is still significantly higher than the rates found in the first two NIS reports (1980, 1986).

Maintaining and enhancing the gains that were found in the NIS 4, and addressing the rate of child neglect, will be difficult with state budget gaps and economic crises. The brief addresses the importance of continuing efforts to expand intensive home-based interventions, as a part of strategies to promote child well-being, and lists several other important strategies for policymakers and practitioners to consider when addressing the best ways to protect children.

Edited to add: The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform has issued an examination  of the NIS 4 that highlights questions about the methodology, definitions and conclusions. While noting encouraging trends, the report recommends greater investments in prevention and family preservation.

Policies for Building Strong and Stable Families