Society for Social Work and Research

Significant advances in the prevention and treatment of child, youth, and family problems have been made in the past two decades. Interventions targeting specific stages of child and adolescent development and programs aimed at the parents of at-risk children and youth have produced positive effects on a range of individual, social, and behavioral outcomes. Social work practitioners and researchers have played an important role in developing new knowledge about the efficacy of these interventions by participating in the design, implementation, and evaluation phases of controlled investigations. In this session, three investigators present key findings from longitudinal studies aimed at assessing the effects of structured interventions on selected child, youth, and family outcomes. Presenters will discuss logistical and methodological issues in intervention research and identify challenges associated with replicating and disseminating findings from controlled investigations. Implications of their work for advancing practice with at-risk children, youth, and families will be emphasized.