Provides information of current relevance to child welfare professionals. Published by the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice, this biannual bulletin is a service of the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Family-centered practice includes such features as (1) conducting comprehensive assessments and case planning which involve parents in the process; (2) bringing other systems and agencies into play, including the courts and legal system and the educational and mental health systems; (3) offering individualized services, as opposed to a fixed core set of services; (4) ensuring that community-based services are accessible, affordable, and culturally appropriate; and (5) strengthening family capacity. Each issue of the bulletin focuses on a single pressing topic in the area of family-centered child welfare practice. Among the recent topics covered were father involvement, program improvement plans, facing trauma in the child welfare setting, differential response in child welfare practice, and community collaborations in the child welfare system. Coverage of a given topic includes an overview of key points, a discussion of lessons learned, practical guidance for program development, presentation of relevant data as well quantitative and qualitative measures, highlights of model programs and case studies, and resource lists.
