Poor Children and Welfare Reform

(Hardback)

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Olivia Golden considers how innovative and effective help for poor children can emerge from the world of big bureaucratic systems. She asks why the nation's public welfare agencies, despite the large number of children in the families they serve, have paid so little attention to children's needs; and she analyzes what it would take for these agencies to respond much more richly to children and their families. Drawing on the approaches of seven successful programs from across the country, she offers answers and recommendations suggesting that under the right circumstances, welfare agencies can become catalysts for change on behalf of children, both by expanding their own services and by reaching out to other agencies in the community. The extensive recommendations for making the welfare system a source of support and early attention to children and families offer practical insights for advocates, policy makers, and public officials at the national, state, and community levels. The recommendations also provide a source of ideas for advocates, researchers, and policy makers who want to point other large public bureaucracies towards services that are integrated, comprehensive, and responsive to families and to encourage collaboration in a form that will truly make a difference in the daily lives and experiences of poor families. This book shows how to make a start on this necessary, although challenging, effort.

Reviews

The common characteristics and challenges in the programs are thought provoking. Recommended. Advanced undergraduate; graduate; professional.-Choice
This book is clearly written and can be useful to a wide range of readers. Those who know little about welfare reform will find the analysis of successful programs very informative. Policymakers in the field of welfare will find much useful discussion of barriers to and strategies for successful implementation.-Social Work
This is a very readable book that takes a pragmatic approach to welfare reform, based on research reflecting both operational and outcome successes in a sampling of welfare departments across the country. . . . Those concerned about poor children and welfare reform will find this book to be a very helpful resource.-Families in Society
"The common characteristics and challenges in the programs are thought provoking. Recommended. Advanced undergraduate; graduate; professional."-Choice
"This book is clearly written and can be useful to a wide range of readers. Those who know little about welfare reform will find the analysis of successful programs very informative. Policymakers in the field of welfare will find much useful discussion of barriers to and strategies for successful implementation."-Social Work
"This is a very readable book that takes a pragmatic approach to welfare reform, based on research reflecting both operational and outcome successes in a sampling of welfare departments across the country. . . . Those concerned about poor children and welfare reform will find this book to be a very helpful resource."-Families in Society

Author Bio

OLIVIA GOLDEN is Director of Programs and Policy at the Children's Defense Fund. She holds a Master of Public Policy and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Harvard University where she has also taught. She served as Budget Director for the Executive Office of Human Services, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.