Adoption & Foster Care

Submitted to:Department of Health and Human ServicesAssistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Submitted by: Westat Chapin Hall Center for Children James Bell Associates

Issue Papers on Foster Care and Adoption Adoption Dynamics: The Impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act by Fred H. Wulczyn Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago August, 2002

Evaluation of Family Preservation and Reunification Programs Estimating Child Welfare Service Costs: Methods Developed for the Evaluation of Family Preservation and Reunification Programs Submitted to:Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Recent fiscal reform initiatives have attempted to address some of the seemingly chronic problems of the child welfare system in the United States. This report describes how states are implementing fiscal reforms to contain costs or improve system performance. It also identifies issues that the implementation of fiscal reforms faces and describes how well fiscal reforms appear to be working.

Issue Papers on Foster Care and Adoption Growth in the Adoption Population by Fred H. Wulczyn and Kristin Brunner Hislop, Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago March, 2002

Employment Outcomes for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care Final Report Robert M. Goerge, Principal Investigator Lucy Bilaver, Bong Joo Lee Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago Barbara Needell, Alan Brookhart, William Jackman Center for Social Services Research, University of California Berkeley March, 2002

Issue Papers on Foster Care and Adoption Foster Care Dynamics in Urban and Non-Urban Counties February 2002 This paper is available on the Internet at:http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/fostercare-issues02/dynamics/index.htm

1. Introduction and BackgroundMothers Making a Change (MMAC) is a public program serving mothers with a substance abuse problem in Cobb and Douglas counties in Georgia. MMAC came to our attention during a discussion with the Foster Care Unit Manager in the Social Services Section of the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) in Atlanta.

1. Introduction and Background InformationThe Natural Parent Support Program (NPSP) is a publicly funded reunification program provided statewide in New Jersey through private contractors.(1) The program was brought to our attention by the Assistant Director of the Office of Program Support and Permanency.

1. Introduction and BackgroundIn recent years, California has reinvigorated its efforts to preserve and reunify families coming to the attention of its child welfare system through legislative initiatives that enable counties to implement a continuum of services and undertake a number of innovative programs.