Innovations in Child and Family Policy

Innovations in Child and Family Policy tackles many of the common challenges that children and their families throughout the nation face: child care, family medical leave, special needs, parent education, preventing/addressing child maltreatment, witnessing partner violence, father involvement, and the justice system. Social scientists from multiple disciplines examine the efficacy of programs and policies to address such problems, and use their own research as the basis to make recommendations for expanded or new child and family programs or policies.

Innovations in Child and Family Policy tackles many of the common problems and challenges that are considered to be at the heart of child and family policy: family creation, economic support, childrearing, and family care-giving. Innovations begins by defining child and family policy and discussing the history of this growing specialization within the social sciences. The main chapters of Innovations address policy and programmatic solutions to problems that face families by topic area: (1) early childhood and education, (2) government interventions with family violence, children's welfare, and the justice system, and (3) supports for children and families. Specifically, the chapters in Innovations address the availability of child care, family medical leave, special needs children, parent involvement in their children's education, preventing and addressing child abuse and neglect, children who witness partner violence, child support orders, children of incarcerated fathers, and young adults in the justice system. What makes this book unique is that it contains applied research from many program evaluations or assessments of existing state-level legislation. Social scientists from multiple disciplines examine the efficacy such programs and policies to make recommendations for expanded or new child and family policies. For our novice and/or student readers, we hope that Innovations will help them to develop a greater sense of what academics, professionals, and politicians mean when they speak of 'child and family policy' and also an appreciation for how social science research can contribute to policy-making to support children and families. For our more advanced readers, we hope that these chapters make a significant contribution to the conversations regarding how multidisciplinary social science research can inform policy recommendations. For all of our readers, we hope that the use-inspired research presented in Innovations will help to strengthen and support the well-being of children and families through innovative child and family policies.

Chapter 1 Introduction to Innovations
Part 2 Early Childhood and Education
Chapter 3 Hispanic Families and Family Literacy Practices: Differences by Country of Origin
Chapter 4 Effects of Parental Involvement on First-Graders' Approaches to Learning
Chapter 5 Frayed Patchwork: The Need for Public Policy to Address Short Term Child Care Needs
Chapter 6 The Contribution of the Helping Relationship in Promoting Retention in a Home Visitation Program to Prevent Child Maltreatment
Part 7 Government Intervention: Family Violence, Children's Welfare, and Justice Concerns
Chapter 8 Exploring the Effects of California's Shortened Reunification Timeframes for Children Under Three
Chapter 9 The Multidisciplinary Misnomer: A West Virginia Case Study of Multidisciplinary Treatment Teams in Child Welfare
Chapter 10 Identifying and Responding to the Needs of Children Residing in Domestic Violence Shelters: Results from the North Carolina Domestic Violence Shelter Screening Project
Chapter 11 African-American Caregiver Age, Social Support, and the Well-Being of Children in Kinship Foster Care
Chapter 12 Examining "Emerging Adulthood" in the Context of the Justice System
Part 13 Family Support: Policies and Programs
Chapter 14 The Effect of Paternal Incarceration on Early Child Development
Chapter 15 The 'State' of Paid Family Leave: Insights from the 2006 & 2007 Legislative Sessions
Chapter 16 New Parents Taking Time Off: A Look at California Paid Family Leave
Chapter 17 The Relationship Between Non-Resident Fathers' Social Networks and Social Capital and the Establishment of Child Support Orders
Chapter 18 Integrating Mother's Views of Resources that Foster Growth for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders into Policy