Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Child welfare

Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Retention Strategies with Head Start-Eligible Families Experiencing Adversity: A Review of the Literature
Examines Head Start recruitment, enrollment, and retention strategies in relation to families experiencing adversity. Reviews 39 research studies published between 2011 and 2021 to identify adversities experienced by Head Start-eligible families, such as poverty, homelessness, involvement with foster care and child welfare systems, and substance abuse. Includes information about unique adversities experienced in rural locations.
Author(s): Cassandra Baxter, Nikki Aikens, Louisa Tarullo, et al.
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: ACF Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Mathematica
view details
2020 Alabama State Health Assessment
Reports on the health of Alabama residents, providing demographic data and comparing rural and urban areas throughout. Presents county-level data and discussion of 14 selected health indicators, including mental health and substance abuse, access to care, pregnancy outcomes, social determinants of health, and environmental health, among others.
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Alabama Department of Public Health
view details
Parent Partners Provide Mentoring and Support in Rural Iowa
Features a statewide program in Iowa that pairs families whose children have been removed from the home with mentors with shared experience who have successfully navigated the state's Department of Human Services system. Describes the services that mentors provide: coaching, advocating, and connecting clients with community resources.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
New Mexico Health & Human Services Data Book, 2022
2022 data book for New Mexico highlighting sociodemographic indicators, substance use, behavioral health, various health conditions, mortality, and more. Includes county profiles outlining a range of demographic, economic, and health data.
Date: 2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Human Services Department
view details
Disproportionality in Child Welfare
Explains the concept of disproportionality in child welfare, paying particular attention to the overrepresentation of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children in the child welfare and foster care systems. Discusses the problem at the national level, and also lists the top 15 U.S. states with the highest rates of disproportionality.
Date: 12/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Indian Child Welfare Association
view details
Episode 69: Engaging Indigenous Families and Communities
Podcast discusses the approaches tribal communities have taken to support Native families. Highlights strategies employed by caseworkers to address trauma-related child welfare issues. Features a discussion with representatives of the National Native Children's Trauma Center.
Additional links: Podcast Transcript
Date: 11/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
view details
County Data Highlight Links between Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome and Placement of Infants in Foster Care
Explores the relationship between neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and the rate of children entering the foster care system. Summarizes county-level data from eight states and highlights community level factors such as maternal education, healthcare, and rurality, among others.
Date: 10/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
view details
Services to Conduct a Needs Assessment For Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Services Among Special Youth Populations Using Qualitative Methods, Protocol 2: In-Depth Interviews with Youth Regarding the System of Care
Reports on a needs assessment related to social determinants of health (SDOH) for special youth populations in Hawaii, including those who identify as Native Hawaiian, Compacts of Free Association (COFA) Nation/Micronesian, sexual and gender minorities, and rural populations. Discusses health disparities, substance use, adverse childhood experiences, cultural responsiveness, mental health and trauma, stigma issues, and data on school facilities and enrollment by county.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Interim Report
Author(s): Susana Helm, Tai-An Miao, Jane Onoye, et al.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: State of Hawai`i, Department of Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, Department of Psychiatry, Research Division
view details
Prenatal Alcohol and Other Drug Exposures in Child Welfare Study: Final Report
Reports the findings of a study examining 22 child welfare agencies in 5 states to determine how agencies obtain information about prenatal substance exposure (PSE) when a child is involved with the child welfare system and how agencies use PSE information to provide services and support for affected children and their families. Exhibit 4 describes the characteristics and key features of the states and child welfare agencies involved in the study, including a breakdown of rural and urban counties.
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
view details
Tribal Child Welfare Systems' Experiences with Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol and Other Drugs: A Case Study
Shares the results of a federally-funded case study examining existing approaches and practices to identify and care for Native American children with prenatal substance exposure (PSE) and their families from the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota. Offers discussion and implications for tribal child welfare programs and federal agencies working with tribes to address child welfare issues.
Author(s): Priscilla Day, Erin Geary, Erin Ingoldsby, Pirkko Ahonen
Date: 09/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
view details