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Dependent Children (dependent + child)
Selected AbstractsIncentives, challenges, and dilemmas of TANF: A case studyJOURNAL OF POLICY ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2002Barbara L. Wolfe This paper compares the incentives inherent in TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), the U.S. welfare system in place after the 1996 reforms, with those of TANF's predecessor, AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children), using the experience in one state, Wisconsin, as an example. Is the new program successful in avoiding the "poverty trap" of the old welfare system, in which the marginal tax rates imposed on earnings and benefits were so high that they discouraged work effort outside a narrow earnings range? As women receiving assistance begin working more hours and earning more, income-conditioned benefits (Food Stamps, EITC, Medicaid, and subsidies for child care) are reduced and withdrawn, in effect constituting a "tax" on earnings. Under TANF, there is more support for these families, at least in Wisconsin, and so economic well-being should be higher for most women with earning in this range than it was under AFDC. But marginal tax rates under TANF remain high, and in some income ranges they are higher than under AFDC. Once in the work force, former TANF recipients have earnings over the long run that expose them to very high marginal tax rates, which decrease the benefits of working harder and make it very difficult to gain full eonomic independence. Evidence from other sources suggest that most low-skilled women have earnings in the same range and so are likely to face similar reductions in benefits such as child care subsidies or the EITC as their earnings increase, even if they are not receiving welfare-related benefits. © 2002 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. [source] Creating a New Welfare Reality: Early Implementation of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ProgramJOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 4 2000LaDonna A. Pavetti This article describes the new welfare reality that has emerged since the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The author focuses on four key dimensions of this new system: conditional availability of cash assistance, the promotion of rapid entry into the labor market, an increased emphasis on the provision of work supports, and limited expansion of services for nonworking Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) recipients. Stringent work mandates reinforced with tough financial penalties for noncompliance and limits on the number of months families can receive assistance have created a cash assistance system that requires significantly more of families than the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. Although it is true that more is expected of families, many states have also substantially increased the support provided to families as they make the transition to paid employment. [source] Why is the rate of single-parenthood lower in Canada than in the U.S.?CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2009A dynamic equilibrium analysis of welfare policies Restricting aid to single mothers, for instance, has the potential to distort behaviour along three demographic margins: marriage, fertility, and divorce. We contrast the Canadian and the U.S. policies within an equilibrium model of household formation and human capital investment on children. Policy differences we consider are eligibility, dependence of transfers on the number of children, and generosity of transfers. Our simulations indicate that the policy differences can account for the higher rate of single-parenthood in the U.S. They also show that Canadian welfare policy is more effective for fostering human capital accumulation among children from poor families. Interestingly, a majority of agents in our benchmark economy prefers a welfare system that targets single mothers (as the U.S. system does), yet (unlike the U.S. system) does not make transfers dependent on the number of children. Une question critique dans le design des politiques sociales est à savoir s'il faut cibler l'aide selon la composition du ménage, comme on le fait aux Etats-Unis dans le cadre du programme Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) ou s'en remettre exclusivement à une enquête sur les ressources disponibles. Limiter l'aide aux mères monoparentales, par exemple, peut influencer le comportement à la marge selon trois axes démographiques: mariage, fécondité, divorce. On compare les politiques canadienne et américaine dans le cadre d'un modèle d'équilibre de formation des ménages et d'investissement en capital humain dans les enfants. Les différences dans les politiques portent sur l'éligibilité, la dépendance des transferts sur le nombre d'enfants, et la générosité des transferts. Les simulations indiquent que les différences dans les politiques peuvent expliquer le plus haut taux de monoparentalité aux Etats-Unis. On montre aussi que la politique canadienne est plus effective pour encourager l'accumulation du capital humain dans les enfants des familles pauvres. On note qu'une majorité des agents dans l'économie de référence préfère une politique qui cible les mères monoparentales (comme on le fait aux Etats-Unis) mais qui (contrairement à ce qui se fait aux Etats-Unis) ne rend pas les transferts dépendants du nombre d'enfants. [source] The influence of health threat communication and personality traits on personal models of diabetes in newly diagnosed diabetic patientsDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 8 2007V. L. Lawson Abstract Background, Personal models of diabetes, i.e. patients' beliefs about symptoms, treatment effectiveness, consequences (impact on life, seriousness) and emotional response to possible short- and long-term complications, have been associated with diabetes self-care behaviours. Little work has examined potential determinants of personal models. Aims, To examine the influence of health threat communication and personality traits on personal models in newly diagnosed patients. Methods, Newly diagnosed patients (n = 158; 32 Type 1 and 126 Type 2) completed the Big Five Personality Inventory, Diabetes Health Threat Communication Questionnaire (DHTCQ), Personal Models of Diabetes Interview-Adapted (PMDI) and Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R). Results, Emotional responses to diabetes (PMDI) were associated with perceptions of a more threatening health message (22% explained variance), less emotional stability (5%) and the presence of dependent children (3%). Emotional representations (IPQ-R) were associated with a threatening health message (6%) and less emotional stability (15%). An adverse view of consequences (PMDI) was predicted by a more threatening/less reassuring health message (15%), less emotional stability (6%) and Type 1 diabetes (4%). Consequences (IPQ-R) were predicted by perceptions of a more threatening health message (20%), being less agreeable/cooperative (7%) and having dependent children (4%). Treatment effectiveness beliefs (PMDI) were associated with perceptions of a more reassuring health message (31%), younger age (3%) and more openness/intellect (2%). Conclusions, Personal models of diabetes are influenced by health threat communication, demographic and personality factors. These findings support the concept of tailoring health messages to the needs of individual patients and provide information on factors to be taken into account in the education process. [source] A judicial,mental health partnership to heal young children in juvenile courtINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 1 2008Judge Cindy Lederman In this article, we describe the background and issues to be addressed related to dependent children in juvenile court. In an important effort to systematically examine developmental functioning and treatment needs in maltreated and violence-exposed young children, the Prevention and Evaluation of Early Neglect and Trauma (PREVENT) initiative of the Dependency Court Intervention Program for Family Violence, a national demonstration project in the Miami-Dade Juvenile Court, developed a program to evaluate all infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who are adjudicated dependent by the court. The goal of the intervention is to raise awareness of the needs of infants and toddlers in juvenile court and to work toward healing the child. The PREVENT program involved the evolution of a judicial,mental health partnership designed to assist the court in making more informed decisions about the best interest of the child by adding scientific knowledge about development, prevention, intervention, evaluation, and treatment. The outcome of the partnership and multidisciplinary approach is illustrated through presenting a case vignette of a mother and baby showing the challenges and strengths of intervention. Finally, we consider overall outcomes of the intervention and directions for the future. [source] Socio-economic position, household composition, health status and indicators of the well-being of mothers of children with and without intellectual disabilitiesJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 12 2006E. Emerson Abstract Background Many previous studies have reported that mothers of children with intellectual disabilities (IDs) are more likely to show signs of psychological distress and have lower well-being than mothers of ,typically developing' children. Our aim was to estimate the extent to which these differences may be accounted for by between-group differences in socio-economic position. Methods This study involved secondary analysis of happiness, self-esteem and self-efficacy variables in a nationally representative sample of 6954 British mothers with dependent children under the age of 17 years, 514 of whom were supporting a child with an ID. Results Mothers of children with IDs reported lower levels of happiness, self-esteem and self-efficacy than mothers of children without IDs. Statistically controlling for differences in socio-economic position, household composition and maternal characteristics fully accounted for the between-group differences in maternal happiness, and accounted for over 50% of the elevated risk for poorer self-esteem and self-efficacy. Conclusions A socially and statistically significant proportion of the increased risk of poorer well-being among mothers of children with IDs may be attributed to their increased risk of socio-economic disadvantage. [source] Parental mental illness: a review of barriers and issues for working with families and childrenJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 9 2009D. MAYBERY phd Accessible summary For the psychiatric workforce to become family focused (particularly in relation to children) there is a clear need for family sensitive policies and procedures, managerial and organizational support and well-targeted and sustained workforce training. However, there are multiple barriers to the adult mental health workforce becoming family focused including: ,,Some adult mental health services do not identify consumers who are parents and subsequently do not respond to children, parenting and family needs. ,,Organizations often do not have adequate family and child friendly policies and procedures. ,,The adult mental health workforce lacks skills and knowledge about families, children and parenting. ,,The workforce needs to increase encouragement of consumers to include family members and dependent children in treatment of the ill parent including the provision of psycho-education. Abstract Many consumers of psychiatric services are parents, making these services the opportunistic point for supporting consumers' children. While evidence suggests that assisting such children improves their mental health, there is a large gulf between what psychiatric services should (or could) provide and what they do in practice. This paper summarizes the constraining barriers and issues for the psychiatric workforce according to: (1) policy and management; (2) interagency collaboration; (3) worker attitude, skill and knowledge; (4) the parent-consumer; and (5) the consumer's family, including children. Potential solutions are presented, with a particular focus on the hierarchical nature of these barriers. Recommendations are made, including organizational audits to identify the most pressing barriers that impede family sensitive practice. [source] Implementing Equal Justice for Parents in Washington: A Dual ApproachJUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2002JUSTICE BOBBE J. BRIDGE ABSTRACT In many states, legal representation for parents of dependent children is inadequate and can be a source of delays in securing permanency for children and unnecessarily protracted court proceedings. Often, such parents also face barriers to accessing services and independent evaluators. These issues are being addressed in the state of Washington through two approaches. The first is a successful enhanced legal representation program that has substantially improved case outcomes. The second is a statewide committee using innovative means to examine systemic responses to the challenges of the Adoption and Safe Families Act. [source] Partnership Dissolution in the UK , the Role of Economic CircumstancesOXFORD BULLETIN OF ECONOMICS & STATISTICS, Issue 2 2001Rene Boheim Estimates based on couples with dependent children in the first eight years of the British Household Panel Study (1991-98) indicate that changes in a couple's economic circumstances affect the probability that a partnership dissolves. In particular, unexpected improvements in finances substantially reduce the dissolution risk, which strongly supports the importance of new information in decisions concerning partnership dissolution. Measures of a couple's own expectations concerning their financial situation over the coming year have been used in conjunction with realised changes to gauge the impact of unexpected changes. The study also finds that the risk of partnership dissolution increases with the number of children. [source] Trends in Child Poverty in Australia, 1982 to 1995,96THE ECONOMIC RECORD, Issue 234 2000ANN HARDING This study suggests that child poverty in Australia fell by about one-third between 1982 and 1995,96, largely as a result of the very substantial increases in government cash payments to lower income families with children. However, while there were sharp falls in poverty among dependent children, poverty rates among 15 to 18 year-olds who had left the parental home or who were still living at home but not in full-time study increased very sharply. In addition, the after-housing poverty picture did not look so optimistic, apparently due to a compositional shift in the types of families in after-housing poverty. [source] THE DECLINE IN MALE EMPLOYMENT IN AUSTRALIA: A COHORT ANALYSISAUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC PAPERS, Issue 3 2010DAVID BLACK We use Census data to investigate the sources of the decline in the level of employment of working age males in Australia in recent decades. Alternative measures of the male employment rate are considered before settling on two complementary measures: the full-time employment rate and the full-time equivalent employment rate. The latter measure weights part-time jobs according to the fraction of a full-time job they represent. Models of the determinants of these two employment rates are estimated using data from the Censuses conducted between 1971 and 2001. We construct a pseudo panel by ,stacking' the seven Census data sets (Deaton, 1997; Kapteyn, et al., 2005). This facilitates the tracing of birth cohorts over time, in turn making it possible to control for cohort unobserved heterogeneity that may bias cross-sectional estimates of effects of other characteristics, in particular age and year/time period. We produce evidence that a number of factors have contributed to the decline in male employment, including the decline in couple households with dependent children, growth in income taxes and welfare replacement rates and changes in the structure of labour demand away from traditionally male-dominated industries. We also find that, all else (observable) constant, more recent birth cohorts have no lower , and possibly higher , employment rates than earlier birth cohorts. [source] The extent and nature of family alcohol and drug use: findings from the belfast youth development studyCHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 6 2008Andrew Percy Abstract Using data from an ongoing longitudinal study of adolescent drug use, this study examines the proportion of teenagers living with parents who are problem alcohol or drug users. Around two per cent of parents report high levels of problem drinking and one per cent report problem drug use. If a broader definition of hazardous drinking is used, the proportion of teenagers exposed increases to over 15 per cent. When substance use is examined at a family level (taking account of alcohol and drug use amongst dependent children in addition to that of parents), the proportion of families experiencing some form of substance use is considerable. These findings add further support to the call for increased recognition of the needs of dependent children within adult treatment services when working with parents. Likewise, the reduction of harm to children as a result of parental substance use should be an increasingly important priority for family support services. This is likely to be achieved through the closer integration of addiction and family services. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Monitoring poverty and social exclusion 2003CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2004Richard Reading The New Policy Institute has produced its sixth annual report of indicators of poverty and social exclusion. This year's report focuses on regional variations across England, Scotland and Wales. With 5 years of data now available to measure progress since Labour came to office in 1997, it is becoming much clearer where the Government's strategy for combating poverty and social exclusion is being successful , and where it is not. With the number of people living in low-income households now on a steady downward trend, the latest figures (for 2001/2002) passed the notable milestone of taking income poverty lower than at any time in the 1990s. The main reason why the number of people in low-income households fell in the 5 years to 2001/2002 is that there were fewer people in workless households. But, over the same period, the number of people in low-income, working households did not fall. Out-of-work benefits to both working-age families with dependent children and to pensioners have risen by around 30% in real terms since 1998, faster than earnings. This, plus the rise in tax credits, will have had a significant impact on the severity of poverty suffered by some low-income households even when it has not taken them above the low-income threshold. In education, earlier progress in increasing the numbers of those with an adequate minimum level of qualification has stalled, with no further advance since 2000, compared with rapid progress during the second half of the 1990s. Around a quarter of young people at each of the ages of 11, 16 and 19 are still failing to reach a basic level of attainment. There is no sign of any reduction since 1997 in the health inequalities which leave people with low incomes more likely to suffer serious health-related problems. Across the range of indicators, problems of poverty and social exclusion are generally more prevalent in the North-east than in other areas of the country. London has particular problems centred on low income and work and Scotland has particular problems centred on health. [source] | ||||||||||||||||