Implementations of Welfare Changes for Parents of Young Children

In this paper, we consider the potential impact of moving off of welfare and of entering the work force (both separately and together) upon the wellbeing of parents and children. Our premise is that the new welfare policies limiting the availability of public assistance and mandating increased self-sufficiency will have positive benefits for some and negative effects for others. The general question is as follows: "Under what conditions and for what families will moves from welfare be positive or at the very least benign and when will they be damaging?" To address it, we draw upon our policy research based on poor families with young children who were assessed prior to the 1996 Welfare Reform Act. The paper is divided into four sections. In the first, a rationale for our focus on poor families with young children (as opposed to older children or adolescents) is provided. The second highlights a general model for examining the potential influence of welfare reform upon parents and children, as well as implications for three approaches to the study of such effects. The third provides data on links between welfare-related services, family processes, and child wellbeing, using each of the three study approaches. The final section outlines possible policy implications of our findings.