This report is the latest in a set of NCES reports on young children’s nonparental care arrangements and educational program participation. It presents the most recent data available for children under the age of six, taken from the 2001 administration of the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey, National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES). Variation in participation rates by characteristics of children (age and race/ethnicity) and their families (household income and mother’s education and employment status), as well as by poverty status and geographic region or residence, are examined. Additionally, the report looks at how the child, family, and community characteristics are related to the time children spend in nonparental care each week and to the amount their families pay for care. It provides an in-depth examination of differences among children of different age groups and in different types of care.

View image of which income groups reap the benefits

Sometime early next year, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on the budget reconciliation legislation that the Senate passed on December 21 and the House passed in a slightly different version on December 19. That legislation would make significant cuts in a number of programs serving low- and moderate-income families and individuals, including Medicaid, child support enforcement, and student loans.

This consultation sets out the ODPM's initial strategy for the future development of the Supporting People programme.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits to disabled persons of less than full retirement age and to their dependents. SSA also provides Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments to disabled persons who are under age 65. For both programs, disability is defined as a medically determinable physical or mental impairment” that prevents an individual from engaging in any substantial gainful activity and is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death. As of December 2004, SSA was making disability payments to 10.8 million adults and children based on their own disability and 1.5 million dependents of disabled adults. In fiscal year (FY) 2005, SSA estimated it would process approximately 2.5 million initial claims for disability benefits, 25 percent more than in FY 2000. Assuming that an applicant meets the nonmedical requirements for eligibility (e.g., quarters of covered employment for SSDI; income and asset limits for SSI), the file is sent to the Disability Determination Services (DDS) agency operated by the state in which he or she lives for a determination of medical eligibility.

Important differences exist between communities with respect to their needs, capacities, and circumstances. As central governments are not able to discern these differences fully, they seek to achieve their policy objectives by relying on decentralized mechanisms that use local information. However, household and individual characteristics within communities can also vary substantially. A growing theoretical literature suggests that inequality within communities can influence policy outcomes, and that this influence could be harmful or helpful, depending on the circumstances.

Welfare levels tend to vary among the regions of almost every country of the world. Morocco is no exception: pockets of severe deprivation are a widely acknowledged, albeit only partially documented, phenomenon.1 The existence of such poor areas can be due to differences in geographic capital-biophysical endowment, access to infrastructure and markets, etc.-as well as due to government policies, such as the distribution of centrally allocated resources, or migration policies.

Social outcomes and access to basic services in Ecuador have improved slowly but continuously since 1990, while monetary poverty has increased. The illiteracy rate fell from 11.7 to 10.8 percent, and the number of years of education of the average adult increased from 6.7 to 7.6 between 1990 and 1999. Similarly, the infant mortality rate and the population mortality rate dropped from 30 to 18 per thousand births, and from 5.0 to 4.5 per thousand respectively, during the same period. In contrast, as this report shows, poverty rates have increased from 40 to 45 percent between 1990 and 2001.

Poverty mapping -- the spatial representation and analysis of indicators of human well-being and poverty -- is becoming an increasingly important instrument for investigating and discussing social, economic, and environmental problems. Decision-makers need information tools such as poverty maps to help them identify areas where development lags and where investments in infrastructure and services could have the greatest impact. Once largely the domain of economists and social scientists, poverty maps are now being used by policymakers and many non-governmental entities, including civil society groups, academic institutions, and private businesses. However, the new and diverse applications of poverty mapping emerging over the past five years have not been well documented.

Spatially disaggregated maps of the incidence of poverty can be constructed by combining household survey data and census data. In some cases, however, statistical authorities are reluctant, for reasons of confidentiality, to release household-level census data. This paper examines the loss in precision associated with using aggregated census data, such as village- or district-level means of the data. We show analytically that using aggregated census data will result in poverty rates that are biased downward (upward) if the rate is below (above) 50 percent and that the bias approaches zero as the poverty rate approaches zero, 50 percent, and 100 percent. Using data from Vietnam, we find that the average absolute error in estimating provincial poverty rates is about 2 percentage points if the data are aggregated to the enumeration-area level and around 3-4 percentage points if they are aggregated to the provincial level.

Aggregate, national level indicators often hide important differences between regions or areas . . . The analysis of poverty, its determinants and poverty-reducing interventions therefore requires a focus on poverty information that is further geographically disaggregated. In addition, poverty and inequality are multidimensional – consumption and income, education, health, opportunities, voice, etc. – and have multiple determinants – geographic and agro-climatic factors, services, infrastructure, etc. The plotting of such information on maps – poverty mapping – is useful to display information on the spatial distribution of welfare and its determinants. It is also useful to display simultaneously different dimensions of poverty and/or its determinants. There are many types of poverty maps, a variety of use for these maps, and different ways to create them. This site provides information on the use of poverty maps, and on their construction. It also refers you to country applications and technical information.

This report is concerned with the evaluation of the first two years of the Department for Work and Pension's (DWP) Ethnic Minority Outreach (EMO) initiative. This was introduced in April 2002, with funding initially running for a two-year period. £15 million was earmarked to support the service. EMO aimed to support jobless people from ethnic minority groups who needed help in making the transition into employment. Employment rates for individuals from ethnic minority communities are substantially lower than for the white population, and research has suggested that the New Deal has been less effective with ethnic minority groups than for white groups. EMO was intended to contribute to a narrowing of this gap by engaging people, moving them closer to the labour market and promoting higher employment rates within ethnic minority communities.

Australia's immigration rate is among the highest in the world. Migrants face special challenges integrating into a new country, especially if their language, skin colour, religion or cultural practices set them apart from mainstream society. To assess the experiences of crime among migrants, the Australian component of the 2004 International Crime Victimisation Survey oversampled migrants who were born or whose parents were born in Vietnam or the Middle East. The selected migrant and main community samples reported comparable rates of victimisation overall, but lower rates of personal crime were reported by the migrant sample. However, the migrant samples were more likely to feel that assaults and threats perpetrated against them were racially-motivated, and were more likely to be worried about experiencing a racially-based attack in the future.

Crime victimisation surveys have emerged over the past few decades as an important research tool to help provide a picture of crime that is independent of police statistics. In 2004 the Australian Institute of Criminology managed the Australian component of the International Crime Victim Survey (ICVS) which interviewed 7,000 people about their experience and perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system. Five cycles of the ICVS have been conducted - 1989, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 - and Australia participated in all but the 1996 cycle. This report summarises the key results of the Australian component of the 2004 ICVS, noting that both recent rates of crime victimisation and fear levels have declined since the last survey in 2000. The paper also includes important information on risk factors associated with victimisation, unreported crime and fear of crime that can inform future crime prevention and reduction activities across Australia.

The findings in this report indicate substantial variation in health risk behaviors and use of preventative services among adults at state and local levels, indicating a need for appropriate public health interventions and continued efforts to evaluate public health programs and policies and health-care--related efforts designed to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Presents a breif overview and screening questions for PTSD.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that can trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults such as rape or mugging, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat. PTSD can be extremely disabling.

This series of fact sheets discusses some of the major side effects of anti-HIV medications. The information in this series is based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents and Management of Metabolic Complications Associated with Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV-1 Infection: Recommendations of an International AIDS Society-USA Panel.

This fact sheet identifies HIV medications that are available in different forms, including liquid, IV, capsule, and tablet.

The HIV/AIDS Glossary for Palm PDAs provides easy access to AIDSinfo's Glossary of HIV/AIDS-Related Terms. Users have the option of searching for a term, or listing all the terms in each alphabetical category.

Of the 13,454 facilities that reported in 2004 to SAMHSA's National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), 283 served the American Indian and Alaska Native population specifically and were operated either by a Tribal Government (172 facilities), the Indian Health Services (34 facilities), or another type of public/private organization (77 facilities) that offered substance abuse treatment services in an American Indian or Alaska Native language.

Some New Year’s predictions are, tragically, very reliable. For example, significantly more people are likely to die in alcohol-related traffic crashes on New Year’s Eve than on other mid-week winter evenings.

Use this guide to help you gauge how your parents are doing. Find out what to do if you notice anything that might indicate a health problem.

Inactivity leads to loss of muscle, obesity, and reduced functional ability. Low physical fitness increases risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. Individuals who are physically fit can do more things, have better endurance for activities and tasks, and are healthier than persons who have low fitness. Obesity and low physical fitness are often related, but thin persons are not necessarily physically fit just because they are thin. Even small increases in physical fitness can make a big difference to a person's health.

This bilingual family guide was first printed in December 1998 with the support of the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch of the Center for Mental Health Services, part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. One of the most popular print publications of the Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health Campaign, the Family Guide is intended to inform caregivers and families about how to seek help for children with mental health problems. Information is provided on what caregivers and families need to know, ask, expect, and do to get the most out of their experience with systems of care.

The SAMHSA Model Programs featured on this site have been tested in communities, schools, social service organizations, and workplaces across America, and have provided solid proof that they have prevented or reduced substance abuse and other related high-risk behaviors.

The report gives an overview of the quality of children's services, what the Children's Rights team have done in 2004-05 and what their plans are for 2006. It also shows what percentage of services, such as children's homes and boarding schools, have met or failed to meet key standards like consulting children.

This glossary describes and explains the relationship between two common types of systematic program assessments: performance measures and program evaluations. It is based on GAO publications and program evaluation literature
and was first prepared in 1998.

This report, the second in this two-part series, explores some of the financing options that are available to Connecticut to create a more cost-effective, child- and family-supportive child welfare system. It also highlights proposals by the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care to reform federal funding rules so that the federal government can be a more effective partner in this
effort.

This is the final evaluation report of the Mississippi title IV-E child welfare
demonstration project. The state’s request for a IV-E waiver to operate in eight counties was approved by the Department of Health and Human Services on September 17, 1998. After significant delays, implementation began on April 1, 2001 and the demonstration was approved to run for 60 months. The project was suspended after 42 months, however, and ended on September 30, 2004. The final evaluation report provides findings from the process, impact and cost studies that formed the evaluation. It describes both the challenges faced by the state agency in the operation of the demonstration and the project’s outcomes and successes despite these challenges.

The national minimum standards for adult placement schemes form the basis on which the Commission for Social Care Inspection determines whether adult placements meet the needs of the people who use them, and safeguard and promote the welfare of these people and their quality of life.

Overall, the 2005 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey showed good news. While there was no substantive change in any illicit drug use between 2004 and 2005, analysis of the survey revealed an almost 19 percent decline in past month use of any illicit drug by 8th, 10th, and 12th graders between 2001 and 2005. This trend is driven largely by decreasing rates of marijuana use among these students.

This report describes fertility patterns of American women and is based on data
collected in the June 2004 supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS).

As a whole, law enforcement agencies throughout the Nation reported a decrease of 0.5 percent in the number of violent crimes brought to their attention in the first half of 2005 when compared to figures reported for the first six months of 2004. The violent crime category includes murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The number of property crimes in the United States from January to June of 2005 decreased 2.8 percent when compared to data from the same time period in 2004.

Historically, the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms has been updated on a three-year print cycle. In 2003, APA began updating the online version of the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms on an annual basis with PsycINFO’s database reload. A “reload” is a reformatting of all records in a database to deliver new features, enhancements, or upgrades. In essence, it is a new version of the database.

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) significantly changed the way in which federally funded job training and employment services are accessed and funded. The new structure, designed to increase access to a broader array of services, has had an unintended consequence: a decline in the number of individuals who receive training under WIA. The number of adults exiting the program who received training was 17 percent lower in 2003 than in 1998, the last full year of WIA’s predecessor program, the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA).

The House spending reconciliation bill included deep cuts in federal funding for child support enforcement. There were two major cuts in funding — a cut in the overall federal match rate in the program and a prohibition on receiving federal matching payments when they reinvest their child support performance incentive payments in the child support program.

The fiscal year 2006 federal budget Conference agreement, passed by the House on December 19, contains provisions to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program—including a new mandate that states meet a 50 percent work participation rate in order to avoid federal penalties.

This consultation document sets out the Government's proposed changes to the regulations to address the concerns relating to price transparency raised by the Office of Fair Trading in their market study of care homes for older people.

The new Family Procedure (Adoption) Rules support the Adoption and Children Act 2002, which comprehensively modernised the whole existing legal framework for domestic and inter-country adoption. For the first time, practice and procedure for all elements of adoption proceedings across all levels of courts will now be governed by one set of rules.

This consultation document sets out the Government's proposed changes to the regulations to address the concerns relating to price transparency raised by the Office of Fair Trading in their market study of care homes for older people.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and its Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) are pleased to introduce six Evidence-Based Practice Implementation Resource Kits to encourage the use of evidence-based practices in mental health. The Kits were developed as one of several SAMHSA/CMHS activities critical to its science-to-services strategy. We expect to identify additional practices for future Kits.

• Illness Management and Recovery


• Assertive Community Treatment


• Family Psychoeducation


• Supported Employment


• Co-occuring Disorders: Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment

New TV and radio adverts to raise awareness of the impact of domestic abuse will be broadcast from Boxing Day . . . The television advertising breaks new ground by highlighting the psychological abuse which many women suffer over a long time. It shows how a woman going about her daily routine is constantly reminded by her partner's behaviour and how he makes her feel.

As part of the 'NHS Plan (2000)', the Government's ten-year plan to improve healthcare provision, it was announced that, by April 2002, there would be a Regional Public Health Group attached to each of the nine English regional Government Offices. The aim of public health advocates is to prevent disease, prolong life and promote good health. These pages give information, on a national picture to build expertise, health improvement, improving and protecting health.

It is designed to help those organisations comply with Scotland's smoking ban coming in to effect in March next year, providing practical advice in hospitals and other settings. It includes advice on domiciliary visits and outlines a number of actions which can be taken to prevent or minimise staff exposure to second-hand smoke in these circumstances.

Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage: "A National Conversation - Friends and Family First Toolkit"
This toolkit, which includes a video clip, can be used by family and friends of Medicare beneficiaries to help the beneficiaries understand the new Medicare prescription drug coverage.
Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home
This guide is designed to help consumers find and compare nursing homes. It can help families make the best choice when planning ahead, or when they need to make an unexpected decision.
Enroll in a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan
This tool can be used to assist Medicare beneficiaries enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan.
Anxiety Disorders
This booklet describes the symptoms, causes, and the treatments of the major anxiety disorders, with information on getting help and coping.

Creating an environment in which children and youth can grow up healthy should be a very high priority for the nation. Yet the prevailing pattern of food and beverage marketing to children in America represents, at best, a missed opportunity, and, at worst, a direct threat to the health of the next generation. Dietary patterns that begin in childhood give shape to the health profiles of Americans at all ages. Because those patterns reflect the intersecting influences of our cultural, social, and economic environments, ensuring that those environments are supportive of good
health is a fundamental responsibility, requiring leadership and action from all sectors.

The England ESF Objective 3 programme provides £2.9 billion to support national employment and skills policies in 2000-06. The programme is delivered through a wide range of projects. This research provides useful information about how ESF is adding value to nationally-funded provision, including Jobcentre Plus and Learning and Skills Council programmes.

This report shows the level of fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance benefit payments for April 2005 to March 2005.

The publication contains national level participation estimates for end 2003 and end 2004 (provisional). It combines information from a number of sources to provide participation rates for 16, 17 and 18 year olds in education, training and employment in England from end 1985 to end 2004.

This is a copy of the statement by Minister for Housing and Planning Yvette Cooper in response to 'Building more homes: Improving the delivery of affordable housing in areas of high demand' report by National Audit Office and Audit Commission.

This literature review aims to assess the current state of knowledge about factors influencing work and retirement with particular reference to the 50 to 69 year old age group, identify any gaps in the literature and suggest possible data sources to fill them. It analyses a range of quantitative and qualitative social research studies on work and retirement, published in the UK over the period 1999-2005.

Summarizes findings from the National Youth Gang Surveys for 2002 and 2003, including data on the number of gangs, gang members, and gang related homicides in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Overall, the findings provide evidence that gangs, gang members, and gang related homicides are, in large part, predominantly concentrated in larger cities.

Provides information on the numbers and characteristics of two groups not often recognized in the literature on missing children: children involuntarily missing because they were lost or injured and those missing because of a benign explanation such as a miscommunication or mistaken expectation. The data are from two surveys conducted in 1999 as part of the Second National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART–2). Children missing from their caretakers in circumstances with benign explanations constituted 43 percent of all missing children reported to authorities—the second largest category after those classified as runaway/thrownaway. The authors discuss the policy implications raised by these data.

Summarizes and analyzes national and state juvenile arrest data presented in the FBI report Crime in the United States 2003. As the Bulletin reports, the juvenile violent crime arrest rate in 2003 reached its lowest level since 1980. The rate, which grew substantially during the late 1980s and peaked in 1994, has decreased for 9 consecutive years. In 2003, it was nearly half its 1994 peak level. The juvenile arrest rate for each of the offenses tracked in the FBI’s Violent Crime Index (murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) has been declining steadily since the mid-1990s; for murder, the rate fell 77% from its 1993 peak through 2003.

The Tenth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health presents significant new scientific findings about alcohol abuse and alcoholism since the last Special Report, issued in 1997. These findings clearly demonstrate that alcohol investigators working in fields as diverse as epidemiology, genetics, neuroscience, toxicology, prevention, and treatment are using the very latest tools and techniques of science to expand our knowledge of how to prevent, reduce, and treat alcohol problems. Because alcohol use problems exact such a personal, social, and economic toll on the American
people—an estimated 100,000 lives and $184.6 billion annually—the scientific progress described in the Tenth Special Report is heartening.

It is hoped that the guide will inspire health and social care staff to embrace the principles of independent living and think more freely in applying direct payments to a wider audience. It answers a range of questions through a series of examples, which have been captured by a practice survey undertaken by the Centre for Social Action at De Montfort University. This has been supplemented by information and material from several other sources to provide a comprehensive document for health and social care staff. The guide is designed to answer specific questions easily, as well as provide access to numerous useful websites.

This practice guide, about person-centred approaches in adult placement, is based on three pieces of work commissioned by SCIE in 2004. . . . There is very little formal research in this field, and the guide, therefore, draws on practitioner, user and organisational knowledge. In particular it draws on a comprehensive practice survey of four adult placement schemes.

How we feel and think is central to the way we live our lives.
The Scottish Executive’s National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-being is driving a change in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards mental health. Positive mental health is essential if Scotland is to enjoy a healthier future.

This gives key information on how the Government has made progress in tackling the worst forms of homelessness.

This document aims to: identify all relevant systematic reviews, syntheses, meta-analyses and review-level papers on public health interventions relating to housing; review these papers and highlight what housing-related interventions work to promote health for all population groups, but with particular reference to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups; highlight any gaps in the evidence and provide recommendations for future research.

In addition to carrying out the responsibilities outlined in the National Response Plan, charities served as partners to the federal government in providing both immediate and long-term assistance following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. GAO was asked to provide an overview of lessons learned from charities’ response to previous disasters as well as preliminary observations about the role of charities following the Gulf Coast hurricanes. As part of our ongoing work, GAO will continue to analyze federal and charitable efforts following the hurricanes.

This brief discusses features of Social Security that have greater ramifications for women and considers proposals to make benefit distribution more equitable to women. Since women have diverse work and family experiences, any reform is likely to have disparate effects. We highlight differences among groups of women while recognizing the diversity within them.

While Social Security's long-term financial imbalance has been known for many years, it has recently received increased attention due to the current administration making Social Security reform a legislative priority. Much of 2005's debate has focused on incorporating private accounts into the system, although the accounts themselves would do little to address Social Security's financial shortfall. . . Most analysts agree that either additional revenue needs to be raised or benefits need to be reduced below the levels scheduled in current law. To date, reform proposals introduced in Congress have focused on reducing benefits as the way to achieve solvency, although some experts have developed options that include tax increases. . . The purpose of this study is to examine which demographic and economic groups will be affected more than others in 2050 under various options for reducing benefits.

Every State permits transfer of guardianship authority over a child from a parent to another adult. A traditional guardianship is used to provide for the care of a child in the event of the parent's death or permanent disability and is generally regarded as a permanent transfer of custody and authority from the parent to the guardian. One of the more recent approaches to transferring custody is facilitated through standby guardian laws. Many States developed these laws to address specifically the needs of families living with HIV or other disabling conditions and terminal illnesses who desire to plan a legally secure future for their children. Approximately 21 States and the District of Columbia have made statutory provisions for standby guardianships

The Charity Law Team deals with policy issues relating to charity law and regulation in Scotland. The focus of our work has been the development of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and will now turn to implementation of the Act.

Joseph Rowntree
One hundred years ago, Joseph Rowntree transferred a substantial part of his wealth into three trusts bearing his name. A Quaker as well as a successful businessman, Joseph Rowntree wanted his money to be used to tackle the root causes of social problems, rather than treating their symptoms. In his 'founder's memorandum', he saw it as a continuing objective of the three trusts:
“ … to search out the under-lying causes of weakness or evil in the community, rather than of remedying their more superficial manifestations … ”

The New Policy Institute has produced its seventh annual report of indicators of poverty and social exclusion. Whilst comprehensive in its analysis, a particular theme this year relates to issues concerning disabled people.

While it is recognised that heroin is a dangerous drug causing considerable damage to individuals and communities, there are some people who appear to be able to control their use of the drug. A study, by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, King’s College London, focused on a population of non-dependent and controlled dependent heroin users who saw their use as relatively problem-free. Using in-depth interviews with 51 people and an internet survey of 123 people, this study explored their experiences of heroin use

This detailed analysis of patterns of segregation explains why it has been difficult to achieve a sustainable mix of tenures and incomes. It identifies both the underlying patterns of deprivation and why people choose to move to particular areas. These need to be taken into account if the key policy objective of mixed communities is to be delivered.

The drugs usually prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – a class of drugs known as stimulants – are generally effective and safe. Most children and teens (60% to 80%) who take them become less hyperactive and impulsive, better able to focus, and less disruptive at home or school. Diagnosis of the condition can be difficult, however, and many children and teens taking stimulants either do not have ADHD or have only mild symptoms. They may not need medication. Be sure to get careful diagnosis and a second opinion if you have doubts.

A previous Institute of Medicine report, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century (2001), put forth a strategy for improving health care overall. However, health care for mental and substance-use conditions has a number of distinctive characteristics, such as the greater use of coercion into treatment, separate care delivery systems, a less developed quality measurement infrastructure, and a differently structured marketplace. These and other differences raised questions about whether the Quality Chasm approach is applicable to health care for mental and substance-use conditions and, if so, how it should be applied. This report, Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions: Quality Chasm Series, examines those differences, finds that the Quality Chasm framework is applicable to health care for mental and substance-use conditions, and describes a multifaceted and comprehensive strategy to do so.

Australian National University (ANU) Mental Health Research Centre, in partnership with the New South Wales Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health, have set up MulgaNet. ANU researcher Kylie Brittliffe says many country people suffer from mental health problems and professionals find it difficult to access the latest information on issues such as depression or suicide. She hopes the online service will eliminate that problem and encourage medical staff to stay in country areas.

At Manhattan Psychiatric Center, a State facility on Ward’s Island in New York City, the Mission Statement “A Bridge to Recovery” reflects the goals, hopes and dreams of patients, their family members and staff. In conjunction with the quality psychiatric care offered to patients, MPC offers several specialized units: a Diabetic Ward, a Research Ward, a Spanish speaking Ward, a Polydipsia Ward, a STAIR unit (a cognitive rehabilitation program) and two programs to treat sex offenders.

It’s legitimate to ask questions such as: “How do Asian Indians handle mental health issues? Do Asian Indians view mental illness the same way they view physical illness?” While their perceptions of physical illness or somatic symptoms are almost the same as those of Westerners, their perception of mental illness is different.

In 1954, one year before the founding of NASW, the community mental health movement was launched officially in New York State. While the multiple roles of social workers in community mental health have evolved over time, the profession has maintained a crucial leadership position in its development and success.

For the last 70 years, Social Workers have been the majority (60%) of mental health practitioners in the United States. Just in sheer numbers, Social Work’s influence has been enormous. There is, however, much more to consider in our contribution to mental health theory and the delivery of mental health services.

The NASW-NYC Chapter's Center for Social Work Policy and Practice has released the findings of a series of focus groups of social workers representing the five boroughs that illustrate how social workers serve City residents facing a wide spectrum of problems. The research report — Voices of Social Workers — Saving Lives in New York City — indicates that professionally educated social workers bring about real change in people's lives and help fulfill the missions of the organizations that employ them.

This bi-annual publication focuses on legal issues and disability cases. It includes cases concerning disability discrimination in education and the right to independent living.

This document provides information about restricted patients admitted to, detained in or discharged from hospitals in England and Wales between 1994 and 2004 under mental health legislation. It also gives information on the admission to hospital of mentally disordered offenders not subject to restriction orders (unrestricted patients).

About 65.4 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2004 and September 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The proportion of the population who volunteered was 28.8 percent, the same as in each of the prior 2 years. These data on volunteering were collected through a supplement to the September 2005 Current Population Survey (CPS). Volunteers are defined as persons who did unpaid work (except for expenses) through or for an organization.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides subsidies, known as housing assistance payments, under contracts with privately owned, multifamily projects so that they are affordable to low-income households. Project owners have expressed concern that HUD has chronically made late housing assistance payments in recent years, potentially compromising owners’ ability to pay operating
expenses, make mortgage payments, or set aside funds for repairs. GAO was asked to discuss the timeliness of HUD’s monthly housing assistance payments, the factors that affect payment timeliness, and the effects of delayed payments on project owners.

Results from the Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS) showed that on average general housing expenditure (including rents and mortgage payments but excluding capital payments other than those under repayment mortgage) accounted for 18 per cent household disposable income. For those who have a mortgage and the private renters, their figure is highest reaching a quarter of their income.

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What factors contribute to—or detract from—police officer integrity, and how can police administrators measure integrity? From a national survey of police officers, researchers identified characteristics of agency culture that encourage officers to resist or tolerate certain types of misconduct. This Research for Practice summarizes the survey findings and includes an assessment tool that police chiefs can use to measure integrity within their departments.

The use of gender-responsive strategies with women involved in the community corrections system is explained. Sections comprising this report are: what community corrections is; what gender-responsiveness for women offenders in community corrections is; definition of gender-responsiveness for women in the criminal justice system; summary of gender-responsive research; characteristics of women offenders in the criminal justice system (e.g., types of offenses, substance abuse, health, children and marital status, education and employment, and victimization and trauma); theoretical perspectives on womens criminal behavior -- pathways theory, relational theory, trauma theory, and addiction theory; comprehensive treatment model for issues critical to women; guiding principles for implementing gender-responsive strategies for women offenders; the three Rs for case planning; essential services of comprehensive treatment programs for women offenders; challenges in implementing gender-responsive strategies; overcoming challenges; and community corrections responsibility to women offenders.

The latest Scottish School Leavers Survey (SSLS) series was published on Wednesday, December 7. It aims to describe the experiences and transitions of young people after compulsory education. The SSLS is a longitudinal research study, which tracks cohorts of young people from S4 to the age of 23-24. It refers to young people who were mostly aged 19 in 2005 (the second sweep of cohort 4, consisting of young people who were in S4 in June 2002).

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) significantly changed the way federally funded job training and employment services are structured, and has impacted who receives training under the program. In particular, the share of training recipients who are low-income or have barriers to employment has dropped since WIA was enacted. This paper examines the data, considers some possible explanations for this decline, and offers recommendations for WIA reauthorization and state and local action to increase the share of training resources directed to adults who are low-income, single parents, or have other barriers to finding and keeping employment.

This publication presents national statistics on prisoners who were in custody on 30 June 2005. These statistics describe the characteristics of prisoners, sentence lengths, and offences for which offenders are imprisoned, and provide a basis for measuring change over time.

This report provides an overview of the results to the survey of English Local Authorites about homelessness and explores the responses by region, local authority type and by the level of homelessness per 1,000 household population.

A strategy aimed at tackling the cultural acceptance of violent behaviour in some of our communities is to be rolled out through 2006, it was confirmed today. This new strategy to challenge the culture, and in some cases acceptance, of violence in Scotland is in addition to radical licensing reforms to break the link between binge drinking and crime, and the five-point plan to address knife crime in Scotland.

Views from Children and Young People on the government’s proposals about the Future of Inspection for Children and Learners

This second report of children's views about inspection sets out what differences children think inspection has made to their lives and the care services they receive.

CSCI has a statutory duty to report annually on the state of social care services in England. In this, our first report to Parliament, we use the findings from our inspections and assessment actvity to describe the state of social care in England. Informed throughout by the views of people who use services, the report looks at what is working well and what needs to improve.

The Scottish Executive and Alcohol and Drug Action Teams ( ADATs) should consider methods to raise the level of resuscitation skills among drug users, family members, friends, and social networks. It is recommended that the provision of information and training for families and friends of drug users and drug users themselves is further developed across Scotland.

Despite the decline in Scotland's population, the number of households continues to increase because household structures are changing. The size of the average household is shrinking. We now have fewer large households and more people living alone.

This release provides summary information, collected through the quarterly P1E returns, on local housing authorities’ activities under homelessness legislation. This includes the number of households accepted, as owed the main homelessness duty (referred to as acceptances) during the quarter and the number of households in temporary accommodation on the last day of the quarter. The Notes to Editors section ‘Definition of terms’ provides more detail of terms used, as footnoted, within the release.

This is a copy of the inspection toolkit used by childcare inspectors to collect evidence and make judgements.

Health, United States is an annual report on trends in health statistics. The report consists of two main sections: A chartbook containing text and figures that illustrates major trends in the health of Americans; and a trend tables section that contains 156 detailed data tables. The two main components are supplemented by an executive summary, a highlights section, an extensive appendix and reference section, and an index. Also contains chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans with Special Feature on Adults 55-64.

CDC’s National Health Interview Survey reports that 20.9 percent of adults aged 18 years and over were current smokers in 2004, down from 24.7 percent in 1997. The percentage of adults who engaged in regular leisure-time physical activity declined from 32.8 percent in 2003 to 30.2 in 2004. Leisure-time physical activity had increased in the late 1990s, but then remained at about the same level before dropping in 2004.

Health Topics/Risk Behaviors Addressed:
- Diet and nutrition
- Physical activity
- Sun safety
- Tobacco control

As has been well documented, large and growing numbers of persons entering prison have a substance abuse problem. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 1997, 83 percent of state prisoners reported ever using drugs, up from 79 percent in 1991. . . Additionally, in 1997, 57 percent had used drugs in the month before their current offense, up from 50 percent in 1991. These findings are mirrored in survey results from the National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse, where over three-quarters of federal, state, and local jail inmates reported one or more of the following: use of an illegal drug on a regular basis; at least one drug-related conviction or alcohol-related driving violation;
being under the influence of drugs or alcohol when they
committed their most recent offense; or commission of their
offense to get money for drugs

This Statistical Brief presents estimates on the smoking status of adults, age 18 or older, in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized (community) population in 2003 by selected characteristics, including age, race/ethnicity, sex, education, insurance coverage, and health conditions. Additional estimates are provided on routine check-ups and smoking cessation counseling.

This Statistical Brief discusses out-of-pocket expenses and unmet need related to obtaining prescription drugs for the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized (community) population in 2002. The analysis examines these topics relative to family income for families with out-of-pocket expenses less than or equal to 5 percent of income and for those with expenses greater than 5 percent of income. Results are provided separately for families with an elderly member (a person age 65 or older) and for families without an elderly member.

The goal of this report is to learn from projects that promote healthy behaviors among children by creating safe and convenient opportunities for routine activity. The projects described in this report represent promising approaches, based on feedback from people in the communities where projects are located. Because of the limited research, it is too early to call them “best practices.”

This policy brief presents results of a recent study examining the implementation experience of State Pharmacy Assistance Programs (SPAPs) and their initial responses to the new Medicare drug benefit. These results should be of interest to state policymakers examining future options, to federal policymakers implementing and monitoring the new Medicare drug benefit and to beneficiary groups concerned with consumers’ drug choices and coverage.

Can America afford to grow older? And can we do so with intergenerational fairness—that is, without burdening our children
and grandchildren with the bills? How do we help older Americans maintain their quality of life while preserving the integrity of
the public and private programs that contribute to that quality? How do we achieve these objectives without seriously damaging our economy?
These questions are not new, but they are becoming more pressing as
we look toward the year 2008, when the first baby boomers become eligible for Social Security, and the year 2011, when they are covered by Medicare. There is no question that there are serious challenges. In fact, determining how best to adapt to an aging society is one of the most important issues of our time.

This information paper has been produced on behalf of the National Partnership Group for Palliative Care and sets out the situation regarding Healthcare Resource Groups and Payment by Results and the understanding of how these will operate in the specialist palliative care field as at the date of drafting. Although prepared primarily for the information of the specialist palliative care voluntary sector, the paper will also be of interest to the statutory sector, including commissioners and NHS specialist palliative care service providers.

Tackling obesity is a priority for the Government and primary care has a key role to play in the prevention and management of obesity. A comprehensive guidance on prevention and management of obesity is currently under preparation by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) and is expected in early 2007. Pending the NICE guidance, the public health White Paper, Choosing Health, is committed to developing an obesity care pathway and a weight loss guide to support weight management in primary care.

A case plan is a written document that may be prepared when a child becomes involved with a State child welfare agency. Since the passage of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act (P.L. 96-272) in 1980, Federal law has required the development of a case plan for any child receiving foster care maintenance payments under Title IV-E (42 U.S.C. 671(16)). State laws or policies in all States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are generally consistent with this requirement, although many States have additional requirements. Approximately 31 States, the District of Columbia, and the territories provide detailed requirements for case planning within their statutes, while the rest of the States provide for case planning within State regulation or policy

While most adoptions have positive outcomes for the children and their families, many adoptive families need supportive services at some time during the life of the adoption. The typical crisis and transition periods (such as adolescence) that all families face can be especially difficult for adoptive families, because they also must address specific adoption-related issues. Families who adopt children with special needs from the foster care system face additional challenges, often including the children’s past experiences of abuse or neglect.

This report provides some evidence and analysis which help to quantify and understand the extent and nature of poverty and social exclusion in the rural parts of the East of England. It has been produced by the New Policy Institute on behalf of the Observatories Social Exclusion Partnership. The report is essentially a quantitative analysis of the problems, largely limited to the analysis and presentation of a variety of statistics. Wherever possible, it
also provides some analyses on a geographical basis. . . . The report takes at its starting point the definition of the term ‘poverty and social exclusion’
that is used by the Government, namely: “A shorthand term for what can happen when people or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, bad health, poverty and family breakdown. Social exclusion is principally about income but it is about more than material poverty. It is about prospects, networks and life chances”.

Progress in increasing the number of children and young adults with an adequate
minimum level of educational qualification has now stalled, with no further advance since 2000 compared with significant 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.

This document presents the results of GAO’s survey of public housing agencies that manage developments that house primarily the elderly and non-elderly persons with disabilities. The purpose of the survey was to (1) collect data on physical and social characteristics that constitute aspects of “severe distress,” (2) verify HUD data from the PIC and REAC databases, and (3) collect data about ways in which the stock of severely distressed public housing for the elderly and non-elderly persons with disabilities could be improved. We surveyed 46 public housing agencies that manage the 76 developments identified as potentially severely distressed using a mail questionnaire.

Available data on the physical and social conditions of public housing are insufficient to determine the extent to which developments occupied primarily by elderly persons and non-elderly persons with disabilities are severely distressed. Using HUD’s data on public housing developments—buildings or groups of buildings—and their tenants, GAO identified 3,537 developments primarily occupied by elderly residents and persons with disabilities. Data from HUD and other sources indicated that 76 (2 percent) of these 3,537 developments were potentially severely distressed. To gather more information on the 76 developments that were potentially distressed, GAO surveyed public housing agency directors responsible for these developments.

This statistical first release (SFR) shows learners in further education and work-based learning for young people by age (16-18, 19 and over), gender, area of learning, ethnicity and level. For work-based learning for young people, the SFR shows a breakdown by programme of study and the number of starts.

The report addresses the issues arising from population ageing that are most relevant to the regional planning processes. The overall aim, it is suggested, should be to ensure that contributions and needs of both present and future generations of older people are consciously taken into account in the planning processes.

These documents summarize Chapin Hall’s evaluation of the Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) initiative as implemented in four urban communities—Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Jacksonville, Florida; Louisville, Kentucky; and St. Louis, Missouri. Initially funded by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation in 1996, CPPC seeks to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect and increase children’s safety through a combination of practice reforms within the child welfare system, collaborative efforts among public service providers and community-based service agencies, and efforts to build a collective commitment to children and families on the part of community residents.

The HOPE VI program targets the nation's most distressed public housing-impoverished communities with substandard housing and extreme levels of drug trafficking and violent crime. Created by Congress in 1992, the HOPE VI program was designed to address not only the bricks-and-mortar problems in distressed public housing, but also the social and economic needs of the residents and the health of surrounding neighborhoods

This quarterly publication contains the most recent estimates of the resident populations (ERP) of Australia and the states and territories based on the results of the Census of Population and Housing held on 7 August 2001 (with various adjustments described in paragraph 4). The publication also contains estimates of the number of households by household size as well as the latest available statistics of births, deaths (including infant deaths) and overseas and interstate migration.

"Fair use” is a crucial part of our copyright system. It allows any of us to quote and reproduce parts – or sometimes all – of copyrighted works, if the use advances creativity and democratic discussion. There are similar free expression safeguards in trademark law. Together, they assure that the owners of “intellectual property” cannot close down the free exchange of ideas. These safeguards in our copyright and trademark systems are at risk today. Threatening “cease and desist” letters cause many people to give up their fair use rights. Even more troublesome are “take-down” notices sent by copyright owners to Internet service providers, which pressure them to remove online speech without any court having ruled that it is illegal.

The statistics found herein refer only to the Hispanic population of the United States; the population of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is not included in the data, but Puerto Ricans residing in the United States are included.

This site, washingtonpost.com's U.S. Congress Votes Database, is a deep database of every vote in the United States Congress since the 102nd Congress (1991). It lets you browse votes in a variety of ways -- both in aggregate and for individual members of Congress.

Behaviour and Education Support Teams (BESTs) are multi-agency teams that bring together a range of professionals, working to support schools, families and children who are at risk of developing emotional, behavioural or attendance problems. This research report presents key findings from an evaluation of BESTs.

This report examines the consistency and reliability of the activity history data collected in the Families and Children Study, which collects dynamic information on labour market characteristics for a sizable sample of families, allowing work behaviour over time to be studied more closely both for couple families and for lone parents.

A user-friendly, interactive Database on poverty statistics in Pakistan, created by ADB Pakistan Resident Mission’s Poverty Group, with technical support from EYCON Solutions. The Database provides timely, accurate poverty data for policymaking and monitoring GoP’s development targets and commitments

This publication contains preliminary summary statistics on specific causes of death which accounts for 93% of all deaths. Chapters XVIII Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified and Chapter XX External causes of morbidity and mortality have been excluded from this preliminary issue, due to quality issues affecting processing of the data. Counts of specific causes detailed in Tables 1 and 2 are also subject to change, due to possible changes to cause of death codes. The extent of these amendments to the data is expected to be minimal.

The Legislature is committed to reforming the Texas Child Welfare System which was declared an emergency issue by Governor Perry for the 79th Legislative Session. Key to the reform effort is addressing the deficiencies in the current Child Welfare System that were identified in four separate reviews conducted by the House Select Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care, and the Final HHSC Report in Response to Governor Rick Perry’s Executive Order to Reform Child Protective Services, the Texas Comptroller, and the House Human Services Committee. Each review was in-depth, conducted over at least a six-month period, and involved analysis of promising innovations in other states that have been successful in reforming child welfare systems. Fundamental to the findings of each report is that CPS requires significant change in nearly every aspect of its operations and that while additional resources are necessary for the reform, resources alone will not ensure success.

This report, the second in this two-part series, explores some of the financing options that are available to Connecticut to create a more cost-effective, child- and family-supportive child welfare system. It also highlights proposals by the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care to reform federal funding rules so that the federal government can be a more effective partner in this
effort.

This is the final evaluation report of the Mississippi title IV-E child welfare demonstration project. The state’s request for a IV-E waiver to operate in eight counties was approved by the Department of Health and Human Services on September 17, 1998. After significant delays, implementation began on April 1, 2001 and the demonstration was approved to run for 60 months. The project was suspended after 42 months, however, and ended on September 30, 2004. The final evaluation report provides findings from the process, impact and cost studies that formed the evaluation. It describes both the challenges faced by the state agency in the operation of the demonstration and the project’s outcomes and successes despite these challenges.

This letter notifies local authorities of both their adults' personal social services (PSS) specific revenue and capital grant funding, and their children's PSS funding insofar as this is provided by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services grant.

This letter informs local authorities of how the department proposes to distribute the single capital pot and mental health elements of supported capital expenditure (revenue) in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Details of the allocations, by local authority, are provided in annex A to the circular.

The National Tribal Justice Resource Center is the largest and most comprehensive site dedicated to tribal justice systems, personnel and tribal law. The Resource Center is the central national clearinghouse of information for Native American and Alaska Native tribal courts, providing both technical assisstance and resources for the development and enhancement of tribal justice system personnel.

Pathways is a set of protocols and other tools to help welfare office staff support their clients in the transition to employment. It was launched in 1995 by Project Match and is based on the philosophy of "universal engagement" central to most TANF reauthorization proposals. This brief reviews implementation of Pathways in two counties in New York and one in California, offering insight into what might be required to achieve universal engagement as well as how systems like Pathways might become more effective tools for achieving higher work participation rates.

This report presents the interim findings from the first year of the evaluation of the Working Neighbourhoods Pilot (WNP). The WNP was established in April 2004 to test a new approach to offering intensive support to help people to gain work. The pilot is targeted towards people who are without work, including claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support (IS), Incapacity Benefit (IB), partners of claimants and workless non-claimants.

This new policy brief looks at whether food stamps are getting to the people who need them, noting wide variation from state to state.

This report is intended to assist persons who are responsible for developing and using risk classification instruments in juvenile courts classify youth into a small number of risk groups as an aid to program assignments. It compares the validities of several instruments derived by three different types of statistical methods that are the most commonly used for selecting and combining predictor variables to yield risk scores, such as the risk of a new referral to the court.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the Federal Government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), has primary responsibility for basic research in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as well as research aimed at finding ways to prevent and treat AD. The Institute’s AD research program is integral to one of its main goals, which is to enhance the quality of life of older people by expanding knowledge about the aging brain and nervous system. This 2004-2005 Progress Report on Alzheimer’s Disease summarizes recent AD research conducted or supported by NIA and other components of NIH

There are many acronyms and abbreviations in common use within probation. Some of them have a national flavour - while others are specific to individual probation areas.

The Probation Thesaurus was developed and is maintained by the Information and Library Management Group. It is now in its 6th Edition.

The National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being (The National Programme), which financially supported the conference, subsequently commissioned the SDC to prepare this working paper with a view to developing the discussions held at the conference: bringing together further evidence of mental health inequality in Scotland and exploring the implications for policy and practice.

The Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) is the only national, non-profit organization solely dedicated to informing the public, healthcare professionals and legislators that anxiety disorders are real, serious and treatable. The ADAA promotes the early diagnosis, treatment and cure of anxiety disorders, and is committed to improving the lives of the people who suffer from them.

Health impact assessment, health equity audit and health needs assessment are all practical approaches designed to help primary care trusts, local authorities and related bodies deliver on their commitments to reduce health inequalities and to target resources at those with the greatest need. This leaflet draws together publications in these areas from the former Health Development Agency and provides information on the Health Impact Assessment Gateway website.

Child care providers, teachers, and home visitors all struggle with how to help young children facing risks to early school success related to social and emotional challenges. Spending Smarter is designed to help policymakers, agency officials, families, and other advocates maximize the impact of existing funding streams to support positive social and emotional development, early intervention, and treatment strategies that can improve school readiness.

This brief focuses on the evaluation of information technology in nonprofit organizations. It begins by discussing the importance of evaluating the impact of information technology, the internal and external benefits of improving information technology, and the challenges of evaluating information technology. Guidelines for evaluating information technology are then listed and include: begin evaluation efforts with a theory of change of how things will be better; have a clarity of purpose on what the technology is expected to do, why, and for whom; define the scope of your efforts; have a basic working knowledge of the promises and limitations of information technology; have a trusted technical assistance (TA) advisor, such as a circuit rider, to assist in making educated; and provide adequate and ongoing training to use new technology tools.

Designed for nonprofit organizations, this brief makes recommendations for developing an effective survey. Recommendations include: don t ask for information you don t really need; consider a survey s length in terms of time, not pages; pay attention to how the survey is formatted; be sure to use appropriate language; make sure you give culturally appropriate options in your answer choices; check your assumptions; avoid biased questions; avoid merging two questions together and ask one question at a time; make sure the options you give for answers are mutually exclusive if you want respondent to select one answer from a list; steer clear of objectionable questions; consider whether people have enough information to answer the question; and make sure your questions are specific.

This report summarizes remarks made at a roundtable on improving services to migrant children during the 15th National Conference on Chi