May 2000Vol. 1, No. 3Print issueSpotlight on National Foster Care Month

The Oregon Supreme Court has refused to review a ruling by an appellate court that a law giving adult adoptees in the State access to their original birth certificates is constititutional. But, an injunction delaying implementation of the law remains in place as opponents ask the High Court to reconsider.

The 1998 law was the first in the nation approved by voters giving adoptees access to their birth records. More than 2,000 adults have requested their records. The law has been on hold since its enactment as a legal challenge winds its way through the system. The challenge was filed by six birth mothers who argue that the law infringes on the confidentiality they were assured when they relinquished children for adoption.

A history of childhood sexual abuse or domestic violence might place women at greater risk for contracting HIV, reports an article in the April issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

A study led by Dr. Mardge Cohen of Cook County Hospital in Chicago, found that early sexual abuse was strongly linked with increased HIV risk behaviors, including "using drugs, having more than 10 male sexual partners, and having male partners at risk for HIV infection, and exchanging sex for drugs, money or shelter." The researchers also found a strong association between sexual abuse in childhood and domestic violence later in life.

In light of their findings, the researchers recommend that when assessing women for HIV risk, professionals should inquire about childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence.

Single issues of the journal cost $15. For information, contact:

American Public Health Assocation
Subscriptions
Department 5037
Washington, DC 20061-5037
Tel.: (202) 777-2462

Over the years, "social indicators" have been developed as a way to track progress in a wide variety of economic, quality of life, and other types of issues affecting children and families. A new research brief from Child Trends outlines why indicators are used and what constitutes an effective measurement. Building a Better System of Child and Family Indicators proposes criteria to improve the social indicators used to assess the well-being of children. According to the document, social indicators should:

• Comprehensively cover outcomes, behavior, and processes
• Include children of all ages
• Be clear and comprehensible to the public
• Measure positive as well as negative outcomes
• Assess depth, breadth, and duration
• Have the same meaning in varied population subgroups
• Provide consistency over time
• Anticipate trends
• Employ rigorous collection methods
• Be geographically detailed
• Be cost-efficient
• Reflect social goals
• Adjust for demographic trends.

Building a Better System of Child and Family Indicators can be obtained online at: http://www.childtrends.org/Files/bettersys.pdf or by contacting the Publications Department at Child Trends, 202-362-5580.

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A new inventory of over 90 child, youth, and family indicator-based projects is available online at http://www.childtrends.org/r_invres.asp (Editor's note: this link is no longer available). A limited number of hard copies are available from Erik Michelson at Child Trends, 202-362-5580.

The handling of child abuse and neglect cases by the nation's Child Victims Act Model Courts continues to improve. The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) recently issued a status report of the 20 courts involved in this project. Covering the time period from October 1998 to October 1999, the profiles of each Model Court include:

• Lead judge contact information
• Court and social demographics
• Child abuse and neglect processing timeline
• Background information and past accomplishments
• Processes and activities by which the court achieved its goals in the reporting period
• How the court overcame stumbling blocks
• Lessons learned
• Advice to other courts
• Goals for 2000.

An analysis of common activities and accomplishments found that the Model Courts focused on improvements in court practice, recognition of the need for improved data management and case tracking ability, alternative dispute resolution methods, foster youth in transition, and continuation and enhancement of collaborative relationships. In implementing the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), the Model Courts were most concerned with resource needs, impacts, and training needs. The courts also identified their need for training that addresses systems change, mediation and family group conferencing, and kinship care, among other topics. Multidisciplinary and skill-building trainings were found to be the most effective formats. The Model Courts learned that effective reform efforts include:

• Designating a lead judge
• Promoting leadership and collaboration
• Including judicial colleagues
• Establishing a team of major stakeholders
• Developing a mission statement
• Holding regular meetings with stakeholders
• Assigning a project coordinator
• Assessing current practices
• Planning for improvement
• Providing NCJFCJ's Permanency Planning for Children Department resources other forms of expertise
• Establishing an evaluation process.

The report concludes with a process for facilitating systems change in the courts. The report emphasizes that the Model Courts are "modeling a process for systems change," which should not be taken as the ideal but which other courts can tailor to fit their own jurisdictions. The Model Courts have followed a similar path to systems change that includes the following elements:

• Cultural readiness for change
• Transformational leadership
• Ideological vision and commitment
• Collaboration and collective action
• Problematizing everyday practice
• Strategic planning
• A systems focus
• Self-reflection and organizational learning.

The Child Victims Act Model Courts Project Status Report 1999 is an NCJFCJ Technical Assistance Bulletin (Volume IV, No. 1, January 2000). Additional information about the Model Court Project and NCJFCJ's Permanency Planning for Children Department can be found in the appendix or by contacting the Department Director Mary Mentaberry at 775-327-5300. For copies of the Status Report, contact Kim Taitano at 775-327-5303 or order online at: http://www.pppncjfcj.org/html/publications.html. The price is $20, including shipping and handling.

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Read "National Videoconference Examines Model Court Practices in Abuse and Neglect Cases" in the March issue of the Children's Bureau Express.

Following are short summaries of current congressional bills of interest to professionals working in child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and adoption. To learn more about any of these bills, visit Thomas, a service of the Library of Congress, at http://thomas.loc.gov.

Improving Child Courts. S. 2271. This bill would amend the Social Security Act to improve the quality and availability of training for judges, attorneys, and volunteers working in the nation's child abuse and neglect courts and for other purposes related to the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.

Status: Referred to Senate Committee on Finance, 3/22/00

Adoption Assistance Act. S.2227 and H.R.2733

These nearly identical bills are both titled "Federal Employee Adoption Assistance Act." The bills would reimburse Federal employees up to $2,000 in adoption expenses per adopted child. Qualifying expenses would include adoption fees, court costs, and attorney fees.

Status: S. 2227 was referred to the Senate Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation, and Federal Services, 4/4/00. H.R. 2733 was referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service last August.

Punishing Sex Offenders. H.R.4047.

This bill would amend title 18 of the U.S. Code to provide life imprisonment for repeat offenders who commit sex crimes against children.

Status: Referred to House Subcommittee on Crime, 4/4/00

Crimes Against Children. H.R.4045.

This bill, also known as "Matthew's Law," would amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to strengthen penalities for crimes of violence committed against children younger than 13.

Status: Referred to House Subcomittee on Crime, 3/31/00

Status: S. 1485 and H.R. 3667 are now before the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims.

A new brief by the Urban Institute examines the 1996 Welfare Reform Act and how it has affected two-parent families. This brief, third in the Strengthening Families series, contends that welfare reform has not encouraged the stability of two-parent families and responsible fatherhood, but rather has discouraged it.

In the upcoming reauthorization of welfare reform programs, authors Elaine Sorensen, Ronald Mincy, and Ariel Halpern urge policy makers to take into consideration demographic and social changes in the last 20 years including:

• An explosion in nonmarital childbearing and single mothers
• A dramatic decline in marriages among poor families
• High paternal involvement among poor children under age 2
• Low paternal involvement among poor older children and teens.

The authors found that the "fragile family," consisting of poor children born outside of marriage whose two natural parents are working to raise them, and married families are poorly served by public assistance programs, which primarily target single-mother families. The eligibility requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance program shut out many poor children from two-parent families. They also lose out on other welfare programs such as food stamps, Medicaid, school lunch programs, and WIC (a nutritional program for women, infants, and children), which require TANF qualification. Rather than encouraging family formation, these policies provide incentives to choose single parenting over co-parenting, the authors contend.

The authors also claim that Child Support Enforcement Laws drive fathers away from their children. Since many nonresident fathers are poor themselves, they would benefit from help in finding and keeping work, rather than saddling them with debt. The Welfare-to-Work program, which ends this year, is currently the only such program.

The brief concludes with illustrative data and three specific recommendations to Congress:

• Consider whether any distinction between single- and two-parent families is warranted within TANF.
• Consider encouraging States to broaden their eligibility criteria within TANF to include all types of poor families, including noncustodial parents.
• Establish a program available at or near a child's birth that helps both poor mothers and fathers overcome the barriers to staying together, regardless of marital status.

A copy of this brief is available online at: http://www.urban.org/family/sf_3.html or by contacting:

Urban Institute Press
2100 M Street NW
Washington, DC 30037
Tel.: 877-UIPRESS
Fax: 202-467-5775
Email: pubs@ui.urban.org

The February 2000 issue of Children and Youth Services Review takes a special look at managed care and child welfare services. The issue includes a report on an annual survey of States conducted by the Child Welfare League of America's (CWLA's) Managed Care Institute's Tracking Project. Authors Charlotte McCullough and Barbara Schmitt of CWLA discuss data collected by the Institute from August 1998 to January 1999. Forty-nine States and the District of Columbia responded to the survey conducted; of these, 29 States reported ongoing or planned managed care or privatization initiatives, although not all of these States used those terms. The article includes a State-by-State summary of 47 current or planned initiatives.

To request reprints of the McCullough and Schmitt article, contact:
Charlotte McCullough
Child Welfare League of America
440 First St., NW
Third Floor
Washington, DC 20001-2085

To order subscriptions or back issues, contact:
Elsevier Science
655 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10010-5107
Tel.: 212-633-3730 or toll-free 888-437-4636
Fax: 212-633-3680
Email: usinfo-f@elsevier.com

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) released a new home page to help in meeting its goals of (1) reducing and preventing crime, violence, and drug abuse and (2) improving the functioning of the criminal justice system. Two databases are particularly useful to criminal justice professionals involved with child abuse and neglect issues.

BJA's Virtual Information Center allows users to search for criminal justice grants and funding, publications, training and technical assistance, links to related websites, and evaluations. For example, several grants are described for closed-circuited televising of child abuse victim testimony in Georgia, New Mexico, and Ohio. Current funding opportunities also include a specialized foster care court in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and for court-based services to abused or at-risk children and adolescents nationwide.

The Law Enforcement Training Database provides a complete listing of federally funded trainings available for State and local law enforcement agencies nationwide. Some of the trainings categorized as "juvenile issues" are:

• Basic Child Abuse Investigation
• Child Abuse and Exploitation Investigative Techniques
• Child Abuse and Exploitation Team Investigative Process
• Child Sexual Exploitation Investigations
• Collection and Preservation of Forensic Evidence in Child Abuse Cases

A link to a separate Evaluation website provides assistance in developing and enhancing evaluation capabilities at the State and local levels. It contains instructional materials, a glossary, a bibliography of evaluation materials, evaluation reports, and useful links.

Access the BJA home page at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA.

Raise awareness about adoption each time you mail a letter by using the new commemorative adoption stamp issued this month by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Two hundred million adoption stamps will be printed.

Designed by Greg Berger, a graphic designer who was himself adopted, the colorful Adoption stamp features two smiling stick figures, hand in hand in front of a house. The image is surrounded by four sayings: "Adopting a Child. Shaping a Life. Building a Home. Creating a World."

To view the adoption stamp and to order copies of the stamp online, visit the USPS website at: http://www.stampsonline.com. To order the stamps by phone call 1-800-STAMP-24.

For an Adoption Stamp Tool Kit, contact:

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
P.O. Box 7164
Dublin, OH 43017
Tel.: 614-764-3009 or 800-443-7266
Fax: 614-764-6707
Email: gaycfa@xtalwind.net

Improve your child interviewing skills in the Latino community with the Child Molestation and Sexual Abuse Interviewer's Guide (Guía bilingüe para entrevistadores de menores víctimas de atentados al pudor y abuso deshonesto). Prepared by Spanish-speaking court interpreters in California with State funding, the guide seeks to:

• Reduce language and cultural barriers children and families face when abuse allegations are made
• Improve skills of child interviewers.
• Promote cultural awareness in child abuse investigations.
• Provide resources for professionals who want to develop special language and child interviewing skills.

The guide outlines skills for spoken language interpreters and non-verbal communication cues to take into consideration, such as body language and the way words are said. It provides a glossary of basic linguistic concepts and reviews the use of Spanish verbs. It also warns against the use of "false cognates" or using direct translations without taking the context into consideration. For example, the guide warns, it is wrong to directly translate the English verb "molest" used in a sexual context into the Spanish verb "molestar," which means to bother, annoy, or disturb someone.

The Guide includes a dictionary that defines the following Spanish words:

• Medical and anatomical terms
• Private body parts
• Sex-related terms
• Ways of touching
• Oral ingestion
• Ways of bothering
• Location.

The guide includes diagrams labeling the parts of the human body, including the hand and the male and femal genitals, with their Spanish names.

A sample forensic interview in Spanish contains strategies to gain the confidence of the child, how to assess development, and specific questions to ask. In talking to the child, the interviewer should explain the process, note the presence of observers and tape recorders, emphasize the importance of truthfulness, use drawings for the child to name body parts, and ask questions which elicit in-depth details of the alleged abuse.

The guide concludes with articles about cultural competency in child interviewing, tips for working with families, misinterpretation of common behaviors, and sociocultural/personal issues regarding rape. A list of questions to prepare for testimony in court and a bibliography are also included.

To purchase a copy of the Guide, send $10 with an 8.5 x 11" envelope to:
Irene Tenney
One Kelton Court, Suite 4F
Oakland, CA 94611
Email: itenney@pacbell.net

A six-hour bilingual workshop is also available to train users in linguistic, cultural, and legal matters.

Adoption professionals can connect to colleagues around the country through a special listserve maintained by the National Adoption Center (http://www.adopt.org). This forum can be used to share information about any aspect of placing foster children into permanent adoptive homes, such as:

• Recruitment issues
• Preparation of children and families
• Interstate and interjurisdictional adoptions
• Post adoption supports
• Technological applications, e.g., email, Internet, video-conferences

Recent postings have included a request for post adoption support for a child with attachment disorder and a job announcement for a child and family therapist for a special needs adoption research program on fetal alcohol syndrome/drug effects. Subscribers have debated the efficacy of splitting up a sibling group of three simply because one of the children is diagnosed as RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder) and is therefore "not bonding" to the adoptive family. In a discussion about the ethics of publicizing children, one worker shared a success story that resulted from featuring children on local TV.

The list is moderated by Sue Badeau, a veteran child welfare professional and Project Manager of "Adoption Technology for the New Millenium," a 3-year, federally funded project of the National Adoption Center. This project, which includes the Special Needs Adoption Professional (SNAP-Talk) listserve, will demonstrate how new technologies can be effective tools for finding families for waiting children. For more information, contact Badeau at 215-735-9988, extension 308.

To join the listserve, send an email to Badeau at: sbadeau@nacenter.adopt.org. Please indicate "SNAP-Talk Registration" as the subject and include the following information in the text:

Your Name
Title
Organization Name
Address
Phone Number
email Address