Welfare Reform - Implications for Mental Health and Child Welfare

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, generally known as "welfare reform", ended the federal entitlement to public assistance and granted unprecedented autonomy to states to implement welfare reform initiatives. During the early years of federal welfare reform, the National TA Center for Children's Mental Health developed a series of resource documents on welfare reform. We focused specifically on how aspects of the new law related to children and families with mental health needs, and to families involved with the child welfare system.

The following documents can be ordered from the TA Center or downloaded from this website.

Rosman, E., McCarthy, J., and Woolverton, M. (2001) Focusing on Families in Welfare Reform Reauthorization: Adults with Mental Health Needs and Children with Special Needs (PDF Available)

This series of nine issue briefs covers individual topics related to welfare reform that are especially pertinent for families on welfare who are confronted with mental health problems and/or have children with special needs. The primary goals of the series are to: raise awareness about this group of families, highlight strategies that assist such families in achieving self-sufficiency, and make recommendations. The series addresses issues such as screening and assessment, work participation, time limits, child care, Medicaid, interagency coordination, and training/ education. The issue briefs can be used as a complete set or as stand-alone documents. The final brief provides a summary of all recommendations made in the series.

Woolverton, M., McCarthy, J., Schibanoff, S., and Schulzinger, R. (2000) Welfare Reform: Exploring Opportunities for Addressing Children's Mental Health and Child Welfare Issues (PDF Available)

This document examines how certain aspects of federal welfare reform legislation relate to children and families with mental health needs, and to families who are also involved in the child welfare system. Issues include: TANF time limits and work provisions, child care, Children's SSI, access to Medicaid, children living with relatives, children absent from the home, drug and alcohol issues, domestic violence, teen parents, and fiscal considerations. Relevant policy and practice examples are presented to highlight ways that states and communities assist vulnerable families in meeting the requirements of welfare reform regulations.

Questions?
Contact Jan McCarthy, Director of Child Welfare Policy, National TA Center for Children's Mental Health, jrm33@georgetown.edu