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4. CONCLUSION
The purpose of this report was to provide a national overview of the organization of child welfare services at the local level. Child welfare services develop in ways that are somewhat idiosyncratic to local conditions and policies, yet the study researchers found—even in this small sample—characteristics of services that are strongly related to their context. They anticipate that this report will help inform local agency administrators who often expressed interest in learning how others are responding to Federal, state, and local changes and challenges. Examining the differences in resource allocation and services for those living in poor counties versus those in nonpoor counties may help identify strategies to achieve equitable services for all children. A few urban and rural differences are also striking and deserve consideration in trying to shape policies that accommodate the needs of families and children in different settings. Noting the differences between child welfare services configurations in state- and county-administered systems should also be useful to state administrators, who may benefit from understanding the characteristics of service delivery under different administrative arrangements. Combining these findings with information from the 50-state survey (NSCAW Research Group, State Child Welfare Agency Survey report, Spring 2001) that also derived from NSCAW will further contribute to our understanding of differences in service patterns across the nation.
Other researchers can also benefit from these findings. These data will provide a context for future NSCAW analyses of how children and families are experiencing the child welfare system and for other child welfare researchers to use in comparison to the national picture.
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