A comparative study of child welfare programs in Pennsylvania and selected states in Brazil

Child welfare programs exist to protect children from maltreatment and abandonment by their families by providing services to children and their families to assure a nurturing family in which children can grow and develop. These programs reflect the values and concerns of society regarding family responsibility for children and the state's authority to intervene when a child is at risk. The central question addressed in the dissertation is: What are the variables one might most effectively manipulate to change child welfare programs so they can function more effectively and efficiently in communities, especially in developing countries? This comparative study of child welfare programs in Bahia and Sao Paulo in Brazil and in Pennsylvania in the United States examines the laws governing these programs, the policy environment, and policy implementation. The policy environment consists of community influences on these programs; including advocates, church groups, citizen volunteers, and the voluntary service sector; together with societal values which influence the kinds of programs established, and when and how government intervenes in families to protect children. Policy implementation deals with the service delivery system, including funding, performance monitoring of agency operations, service delivery to clients, program management, and roles of the levels of government in developing and sustaining programs. Socio-technical literature posits that technical systems may influence changes in the social system and thus plan their own futures. Variables in the social system hypothesized to be those on which change efforts should be focused are citizen participation with the program; relationship of the voluntary service sector to the public program; family expectations, especially those related to the family's obligation to care for its own members; and the level of national poverty. The latter two variables together greatly influence the child welfare program's direction in a state. Variables in the technical system hypothesized to be those on which change efforts should be focused are service delivery, funding, leadership, and performance monitoring. Variables in the technical system hypothesized to be those on which change efforts should be focused are service delivery, funding, leadership, and performance monitoring. The law serves as a bridge between the social and technical systems. The environment in each state must be assessed to determine if changes in the law would change the technical system.