BOOKS, PAPERS &
REPORTS
Papers listed on this page may be downloaded. They
are in PDF format. To view them you must have
Adobe Reader or
another program capable of reading PDF files installed on your computer. Click
on one of the following links to go directly to the report or simply page down
to browse through report descriptions. All reports are copyrighted but are
freely available for download and distribution. No changes may be made to
reports without the consent of IAR Associates. If you have questions or
comments about these studies and presentations, email us (see the Contact IARA
page) and we will make every effort to answer questions or assist
you.
New
(in 2021): Summary Papers
- Summary Paper 1: Financial Hardship and Child Maltreatment: Six
Studies in Five States. This paper summarizes findings in five
field experiments and one intensive services study in five US states. Three of
the experiments were randomized control trial (RCT) studies. All six involved
multi-year, multi-method research on thousands of families. In each financial
hardship was addressed by providing material assistance (and money) to
families. This summary focuses on the long-term benefits as measured by
improvements in the safety and welfare of children (44 pages plus references
and notes).
Full Paper
- Summary Paper 2: Relieving Financial Hardship Improves Child
Welfare. This paper begins be briefly reviewing correlationals
studies showing the effects of financial hardship and poverty on families and
children in three areas: food, housing and mother-only families. It goes on to
review field experiments. These are similar to the IAR studies reviewed in
Summary Paper 1. However, these studies are focused on broder populations of
families. Some concerned impoverished families and were studies of targeted
programs. Others were not targeted by accepted all families without regard to
income or other targeting characteristics. This paper if focused on the effects
financial assistance on the welfare and development of children. (25 pages plus
references and notes).
Full Paper
Special
Papers
Recent PowerPoint
Presentations
Child Welfare in Washington,
DC
Child Welfare in
Maryland
Child Welfare in
Ohio
Child Welfare in
Minnesota
Child Welfare in
Missouri
Child Welfare in Indiana
Child Welfare in
Nevada
Child Welfare in
Mississippi
Drug Courts and Jail
Diversion Studies
Child
Care
Developmental Disabilities
Services
Special
Papers
- Flexible Assistance to
Families Encountered by Child Welfare Systems: Focus on Housing and
Housing-Related Help (2014). This is a summary paper prepared for the
National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness.
Full Monograph
- Families Frequently
Encountered by Child Protection Services: A Report on Chronic Child Abuse and
Neglect (2006). This research involves a series analyses of two samples of
families, a very large statewide Missouri sample and a sample from one
Minnesota county. The families were followed for several years to examine
patterns of reports of child maltreatment, child protection cases, child
removals and costs. The report contains reviews of literature on chronic
neglect and the relationship of poverty and social isolation to the emergence
of "chronic neglect" families. It is concluded with a series of policy
recommendations.
Full Monograph
- Lessons from the
Beginning of Differential Response: Why it Works and When it Doesn't, January
2012. An inside-out examination of DR projects evaluated by IAR that asks:
What are the practical lessons we have learned about DR so far? Intended to be
useful for anyone considering the introduction or expansion of differential
response as part of a wider retooling of their child protection system.
Full Monograph
- Permanency and Child
Well-Being: An Examination of Data from the Minnesota Permanency Demonstration,
July 2009. This paper presents results of a survey of 111 caregivers of
children who have been in long-term foster care. The analysis compares the
well-being of children whose living situation was made permanent through either
adoption or legal custody (guardianship) to those who remained in foster care.
Monograph
- Differential Response
Improves Traditional Investigations: Criminal Arrests for Severe Physical and
Sexual Abuse, May 2005. An analysis of criminal arrests of perpetrators in
investigated cases in offices in counties that had implemented differential
response compared with cases in offices in counties that had not. Results
indicated the introduction of differential response led to more intense
investigations and a higher proportion of criminal prosecutions of
perpetrators.
Full Monograph
PowerPoint
Presentations
- Differential Response
and Frequently Encountered Families: Lessons from Eight Studies, November
2010. PowerPoint presentation at the Differential Response Conference in
Child Welfare, Anaheim, CA, November 8-10, 2010
Presentation Slides
- Parent Support Outreach
Program: Presentation of Evaluation Findings to Participating Counties, May
2009. PowerPoint presentation for local supervisors and workers who
participated in PSOP, 2005 to 2008 (See below under Child Welfare in Minnesoate
for the Full Final Report).
Presentation Slides
- Minnesota Permanency
Demonstration: Presentation of Evaluation Findings after 36 Months, March 2009.
PowerPoint presentation on the status of the project after three years to
state administrators and participating counties.
Presentation Slides
- Frequently Encountered
Families: A PowerPoint Presentation at the Chronic Neglect Forum, Seattle,
Washington (February 2008). The Forum was entitled: Promising Practices
and Interventions of Chronic Neglect and was held on February 19 and 20,
2008.
Presentation Slides
- Minnesota Parent Support Outreach Program: Preliminary
Findings. Long Beach, November 2007. Interim update of program that began
in 2005 and targets families with CPS reports that are screened out of CPS.
Participation is voluntary.
Presentation Slides
Child Welfare in
Washington, DC
Child Welfare in
Maryland
Child Welfare in
Ohio
- Ohio
Alternative Response Evaluation Extension, Final Report, April 2014.
(Revision of September 2013 Report) The Ohio Alternative Response demonstration
project operated in ten Ohio Counties in 2008 and 2009, with a final report in
April 2010. The evaluation was then entended through 2013. This report
summarizes a third worker/supervisor survey conducted 2013, revisits measures
of family engagement and emotional responses, and describes more extensive and
longer-term outcome and cost analyses. This report updates and refines the
analyses in Chapter 4 of the original report and offers hypotheses explaining
differences in outcomes among local offices. (See Revision Notes on the Preface
and Acknowledgements page.)
Full Report
- Evaluation of Independent Living Services in Ohio, February
2000. Evaluation of the Ohio Independent Living program for older youths in
foster care. The summary digest of the evaluation and Literature Review are
available.
Digest
Liturature Review
Child Welfare in
Minnesota
- Minnesota Permanency Demonstration, Final Evaluation Report.
May 2011. The MnPD child welfare waiver project was a single benefit,
assisted guardianship demonstration. Its purpose was to determine whether a
continuous benefit program, which does not decrease financial support for
foster caregivers who adopt or assume permanent legal and physical custody of
the foster children in their care, increases permanency rates and shortens
foster care stays among children in long-term foster
care.
Full Report
- Minnesota Parent Support Outreach Project (PSOP) Demonstration,
Final Report. March 2009. The Minnesota Parent Support Outreach Project was
designed to provide voluntary preventive services to families reported to Child
Protection Services whose reports were "screened out," that is, not accepted as
appropriate for a CPS response. This report describes the implementation of the
project, the characteristics of families, services delivered, service
participation and outcomes.
Full Report
- Minnesota Title IV-E Permanency Demonstration, Interim
Evaluation Report. July 2008. Report concerning the Minnesota single
benefit, assisted guardianship demonstration.
Full Report
- Minnesota Family Assessment Response Extended Follow-up: Final
Report, November 2006. The Evaluation of the Minnesota Alternative Response
Program (see 2004 Evaluation Report below) was extended for two additional
years. This report summarizes the findings.
Full Report
- Evaluation of the
Minnesota SDM Family Risk Assessment, December 2004.
The Structured Decision Making (SDM) Family Risk Assessment
instrument is utilized by Child Protection Services in Minnesota with families
that have been reported for child abuse and neglect. Its purpose is to appraise
the potential for similar future reports. The report describes research
assessing the validity, reliability, and racial and ethnic bias of the
instrument as well as its relationship to services offered to families.
Full Report
Executive Summary
- Minnesota Alternative
Response Project Evaluation: Final Report, November 2004. The final report
of the evaluation of the new flexible approach to addressing child maltreatment
reports in Minnesota. The project was conducted in 20 counties in the state.
The report covers the implementation of the new approach; changes in practice
and fidelity to the AR model; changes in services provided to families;
reactions of workers, families and community stakeholders; impacts on child
safety, family risk and recurrence of child maltreatment; relative changes in
costs for each case; and, cost effectiveness. The evaluation will continue for
two more years.
Full Report
Executive Summary
Child Welfare in
Missouri
- Differential Response in
Missouri after Five Years, February 2004. A five-year follow-up of the
statewide implementation differential response (see original evaluation report
below).
Full Report
- Evaluation of the Missouri
Juvenile Court Improvement Project, City of St. Louis, June 2003. Report
on the second phase of JCIP implementation in Missouri. The program sought to
accelerate and reform the juvenile court process for children who entered the
court for reasons of abuse or neglect.
Full Report
- Trends
in Sexual Abuse and Chronic Neglect in St. Louis City, May 2002. The
analysis focused on changes from 1995 to 2001 in sexual abuse cases, reported
child abuse and neglect, and chronic neglect. Families were identified and
tracked for the six year period.
Full Report
- Evaluation of the Missouri Juvenile Court Improvement
Project. Circuits 2 and 23. November 2000. Report on the first phase of
JCIP in Missouri. The project focused on cases of children in child abuse and
neglect cases who had been removed from their homes and placed in foster or
residential care..
Full Report
- Missouri
Family Assessment and Response Demonstration Evaluation Report, November,
1997. Final comprehensive evaluation report on Missouri's differential
response pilot project.
Full Report
Digest
Child Welfare in
Indiana
- Indiana IV-E Child
Welfare Waiver Demonstration Extension: Final Evaluation Report. January
2011. Final evaluation Report of Indiana's Title IV-E demonstration. The
report includes a process, outcome/impact, and cost study.
Full Report
- Case Studies: Use of
Flexible Funding in Indiana's Child Welfare Demonstration. December 2010. A
detailed analysis of needs, strengths, services and outcomes for a select
number of families who received flexible assistance through Indiana's Title
IV-E waiver.
Full Report
- Indiana Title IV-E Child
Welfare Flexible Funding Waiver Demonstration Extension: Interim Evaluation
Report. January 2008. Interim report of the extension of the child welfare
waiver demonstration, 2005-2008.
Full Report
Executive Summary
- Indiana Title IV-E Child
Welfare Flexible Funding Project: Final Evaluation Report of Original Five-Year
Waiver Demonstration. September 2003. The final evaluation report of the
process, impact and cost-effectiveness studies of the original statewide child
welfare waiver project covering 1998-2003..
Full Report
Executive Summary
Child Welfare in
Nevada
Child Welfare in Mississippi
- Title IV-E Flexible Funding
Waiver Demonstration: Final Report. June 2005. The Mississippi child
welfare project ran for three and a half years before being suspended. This is
the final evaluation report on the process, impact and cost-effectiveness
studies that were conducted.
Full Report
Executive Summary
Drug Courts and
Jail Diversion Studies
- Evaluation of the St. Louis City Jail Diversion Project
for the Mentally Ill. A brief evaluation report summarizing process and
outcome findings of the SAMHSA-funded project to divert mentally ill
individuals from jail to mental health treatment has operated from 2007 through
2010.
Full Report
- A
Cost-Benefit Analysis of the St. Louis Adult Felony Drug Court, 2004. A
study of costs and benefits associated with the adult felony drug court in the
City of St. Louis. An experimental design was employed comparing a matched
group of 219 individuals charged with drug crimes who successfully completed
standard probation to 219 graduates of drug court. Cost and benefit data were
collected for a 24-month period preceding entry into drug court or probation,
for the period of participation, and for 24 months after probation. Benefit
trends were projected for an additional 24 months. The drug court was shown to
produce net savings from the perspective of public taxpayer and a positive
ratio of benefits to additional program costs compared to
probation.
Full Report
Executive Summary
Child Care
Developmental Disabilities
- An Assessment of Service
Needs for Developmental Disabilities Services in St. Charles County, Missouri,
June 2002.
Report, Part 1
Report, Part 2
Executive Summary
- A Review of Current Trends
in Quality Assurance, July 2000. A survey of recent literature and current
projects on enhancing the quality of services and programs for persons with
developmental disabilities. Bibliography included.
Report
- The
Future of Sheltered Workshops, 1998. An examination of workshops at three
levels: as individual facilities, as an employment system and as a sub-system
within the broader service system for persons with developmental disabilities.
Summary of Findings and
Conclusions
- A Study
of Independent Supported Living Arrangements, October 1997. An examination
of the ISLA program in St. Louis County from the perspectives of consumers,
families, and support professionals. Includes a methodology for the evaluation
of person-centered plans.
Digest
- Supported Employment Study, 1994. Examination of
satisfaction among consumers and employers. Includes an assessment of the
economic impact on workers with developmental disabilities and their families.
Executive Summary and
Recommendations
