NCJ Number
73115
Date Published
1977
Length
157 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the findings from a 3-year evaluation of 11 child abuse and neglect demonstration service projects funded by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1974-77.
Abstract
The overall project goal was to develop and test alternative strategies for treating abusive and neglectful parents and their children and alternative models for coordination of communitywide child abuse and neglect treatment systems. The projects differed in size, geographic location, types of agencies in which they were housed, kinds of staff employed, and variety of services offered. Evaluation data were collected through site visits and information systems maintained by the projects for the evaluators. Following a description of the demonstration projects and their activities, the report summarizes findings concerning program and case management, treatment of abusive and neglectful parents, and treatment of abused and neglected children. Findings indicated that the most successful programs are closely linked with or housed within public protective services agencies and closely cooperate with law enforcement agencies and other community agencies. In addition, such programs have strong, supportive leadership, a variety of disciplines on the staff, decentralized decisionmaking, and clearly specified rules with allowance for flexibility as dictated by clients needs. Moreover, these programs emphasize such aspects of case management as prompt handling of crises and small caseload sizes, use experienced workers as case managers, emphasize the use of lay services and self-help services, and provide careful supervision to lay workers. Furthermore, such programs provide therapeutive treatment services to the abused or neglected child. Descriptions of each project, comparative evaluations of each major aspect of the projects, tables, footnotes, and appendixes presenting a project chronology, a list of project reports, and 27 references are included. For other volumes of this evaluation, see NCJ 73114, 73116-23, and 73090.