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| From February 2000 NASW NEWS Copyright ©2000, National Association of Social Workers, Inc. |
The social work school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland has joined with the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services in a five-year study of the effects of welfare reform on the child welfare system.
The $300,000 study is being conducted by Case Western using government child welfare, public assistance and employment data as well as in-depth interviews.
Cleveland ranks among the worst cities on several indicators of child well-being. For example, it is surpassed only by Detroit in the percentage of children living in distressed neighborhoods characterized by high rates of poverty, male unemployment, female-headed households and families on public assistance.
Federal welfare reform requires welfare recipients to work and sets a five-year lifetime limit on eligibility for welfare benefits. Ohio, one of 22 states with shorter lifetime limits, restricts eligibility to three years.
The first phase of research will analyze changes in child welfare caseloads before and after welfare reform based on three groups of children in out-of-home placement.
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Copyright NASW Press, 1998 |
