Beyond Common Sense

Helping vulnerable children develop their full potential is an attractive idea with broad common-sense appeal. However, child well-being is a broad concept, and the legislative mandate for addressing well-being in the context of the current child welfare system is not particularly clear.

Fred Wulczyn is a research fellow at Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago. Richard Barth is the Frank A. Daniels Distinguished Professor, School of Social Work, University of North Carolina. Ying-Ying T. Yuan is senior vice president at Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc. Brenda Jones Harden is associate professor at the Institute for Child Study at the University of Maryland. John Landsverk is director of the NIMH-funded Child and Adolescent Services Research Center at Children's Hospital, San Diego.

List of Tables and Figures Acknowledgements Part 1 Origins and Purpose Introduction to Part 1 1. Beyond Common Sense to Evidence- Based Policymaking 2. Well-Being: Bio-Ecological, Life Course, and Public Health Perspectives Part 2 The Epidemiology of Maltreatment and Foster Care Placement Introduction to Part 2 3. The Epidemiology of Reported Child Maltreatment 4. Placement in Foster Care Part 3 Child Welfare Services in a Developmental Context Introduction to Part 3 5. Altering the Early Life Course of Children in Child Welfare: Evidence-Based Interventions for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers 6. Evidence-Based Mental Health Interventions for Children in Child Welfare 7. Beyond Common Sense: Future Directions for Child Welfare Policy References Index