ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter will be on child welfare policy, in general, and how it relates to neglected children, in particular. It will present the evolution of child welfare policy in the United States, including descriptions and results of major federal and state child welfare policy initiatives, using Hawai’i state law as an example. Policy development process will be outlined, current child welfare policy will be analyzed, and a summary including the implications of current policy for future research, policy, and practice will be offered. The history of the development of child welfare policy acts as a backdrop for understanding the ways in which interventions with families have evolved over the years. At present there is no social policy that uniquely addresses neglected children and their families (Gelles, 1999); and there are no intervention programs, other than a few, time-limited demonstration projects, that are specifically for neglectful families (see Chapters Six and Seven).
